Tada Images / Shutterstock In 1954, the Guardian’s science correspondent reported on “electronic brains”, which had a form of memory that could let them retrieve information, like airline seat allocations, in a matter of seconds. Nowadays the idea of computers storing information is so commonplace that we don’t even thinkContinue Reading
Nikita M production/Shutterstock You probably don’t think about plant roots all that much – they’re hidden underground after all. Yet they’re continually changing the shape of the world. This process happens in your garden, where plants use invisible mechanisms for their never-ending growth. Scientists discovered about 15 years ago thatContinue Reading
Over ten years ago, the Dark Energy Survey (DES) began mapping the universe to find evidence that could help us understand the nature of the mysterious phenomenon known as dark energy. I’m one of more than 100 contributing scientists that have helped produce the final DES measurement, which has justContinue Reading
This is how we are used to seeing Uranus and Neptune, respectively. But the colours aren't accurate. NASA/ JPL/ PlanetS In many images of the two outer gas giants of the Solar System, Neptune typically looks rich blue while Uranus comes across as pale green. But now our new study,Continue Reading
Nicoleta Ionescu/Shutterstock When the cold and dark winter is setting in, some of us envy animals that can hibernate. This long, deep rest is an example of how nature develops clever solution to difficult problems. In this case, how to survive a long, cold and dark period without much foodContinue Reading
Spiders often act passively in response to humans. Jimmy_Chan/Shutterstock Spiders have evolved creative strategies to allow them to thrive in habitats across the globe. The one thing that seems to elude them though, is the ability to charm the humans that they encounter. But what about the spider’s perspective ofContinue Reading
Microsoft recently launched a new version of all of its software with the addition of an artificial intelligence (AI) assistant that can do a variety of tasks for you. Copilot can summarise verbal conversations on Teams online meetings, present arguments for or against a particular point based on verbal discussionsContinue Reading
Mikhail Leonov/Shutterstock I once restored a 1950s timepiece for a customer who waxed lyrical about the intricacies of my work – all the while refusing to pay. They baulked when I presented them with the bill we’d previously agreed. Then they garbled on about the philosophical nature of time, stillContinue Reading
Nasa It’s going to be a bumper time for space missions in 2024 – especially to the Moon, our nearest neighbour. And that’s following on from an already epic 2023. I’m a laboratory scientist, so I always like to have a “proper” sample to analyse. Rather than peering through telescopesContinue Reading
Nasa/wikipedia During the pandemic, a third of people in the UK reported that their trust in science had increased, we recently discovered. But 7% said that it had decreased. Why is there such variety of responses? For many years, it was thought that the main reason some people reject scienceContinue Reading
