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The Conversation

Science + Technology

Sun shines through huge stone pillars

Stonehenge may have aligned with the Moon as well as the Sun

Fabio Silva, Bournemouth University; Amanda Chadburn, Bournemouth University, and Erica Ellingson, University of Colorado Boulder

CMS experiment at Cern.

Peter Higgs’ famous particle discovery is now at the heart of strategies to unlock the secrets of the universe

Martin Bauer, Durham University

How a teenager helped identify a new species of giant marine reptile

Dean Lomax, University of Manchester

Artist's impression of giant marine reptile on the beach with two smaller land based reptiles
A new wave of wearable devices will collect a mountain on information on us – we need to get wise about the privacy implications

Luis Quintero, Stockholm University

Smart glasses.
Hoarding can start in childhood – here’s why early intervention is so crucial for all age groups

Victoria Ruby-Granger, De Montfort University

Man holding tennis racquet surrounded by junk
Crucial building blocks of life on Earth can more easily form in outer space – new research

Christian Schroeder, University of Stirling

Artist's illustration of peptides forming in space.
Fireball, artist's impression

The rising flood of space junk is a risk to us on Earth – and governments are on the hook

Thomas Cheney, Northumbria University, Newcastle

How food preferences are linked to cognition and brain health – and why a balanced diet is superior

Barbara Jacquelyn Sahakian, University of Cambridge; Christelle Langley, University of Cambridge; Jianfeng Feng, Fudan University, and Wei Cheng, Fudan University

How food preferences are linked to cognition and brain health – and why a balanced diet is superior
How logic alone may prove that time doesn’t exist

Matyáš Moravec, University of St Andrews

Surreal view as a man walking on a pavement road and a suspended clock on his back hanging from the sky.
Young people are getting unhappier – a lack of childhood freedom and independence may be partly to blame

Fiorentina Sterkaj, University of East London

Children playing football in the park.
The secret world of earthworms: meet the tiger worm and the nightcrawler

Kevin Richard Butt, University of Central Lancashire

Close up of earthworm on fertile soil

Read more

Space

Skywatchers observe an eclipse.

Eclipses aren’t just visual spectacles, they are at the heart of scientific efforts to understand distant planets

Oisin Creaner, Dublin City University

Nukes in space: a bad idea in the 1960s – an even worse one now

Michael Mulvihill, Teesside University

A graphic depiction of a missile being launched into space
If life exists on Jupiter’s moon Europa, scientists might soon be able to detect it

Lucinda King, University of Portsmouth

Europa Clipper.
Why there may be oceans inside dwarf planets beyond Pluto – and what this means for the likely abundance of life

David Rothery, The Open University

Cilffs on the right, and the sea on the left.
Our survey of the sky is uncovering the secrets of how planets are born

Christian Ginski, University of Galway

Discs giving birth to new planets, seen by the Very Large Telescope.

Tech

AI chatbots are bad at planning, but this could soon change

Nello Cristianini, University of Bath

Woman using a laptop.
To understand the risks posed by AI, follow the money

Tim O'Reilly, UCL; Ilan Strauss, UCL; Mariana Mazzucato, UCL, and Rufus Rock, UCL

A financial graph.
Body armour made from silk is being developed – but this apparently cutting-edge idea is centuries old

Lloyd Strickland, Manchester Metropolitan University

Chicago police officer wearing body armour.
After the Baltimore bridge collapse, we need clear-eyed assessments of the risks to key infrastructure

Marios Chryssanthopoulos, University of Surrey

Bridge collapse.

Animals

Elephant calves have been found buried – what does that mean?

Lucy A. Bates, University of Portsmouth and Leanne Proops, University of Portsmouth

Baby elephant calf stands under legs of adult elephant, yellow grassy ground, blurred elephants in background
It’s a myth that male animals are usually larger than females – new study

Louise Gentle, Nottingham Trent University

Huge female anglerfish with two small males fused to her
A brief guide to birdwatching in the age of dinosaurs

Abi Crane, University of Southampton

Montage of ancient birds and man holding binoculars to his face
Panda diplomacy: what China’s decision to send bears to the US reveals about its economy

Chee Meng Tan, University of Nottingham

Two pandas next to an ice cake with 50 on it.

Editor's picks

Close up of small pink flowers

Flowers may be more ancient than dinosaurs – but scientists can’t agree on when they evolved

Ruolin Wu, University of Bristol

Why forgetting is a normal function of memory – and when to worry

Alexander Easton, Durham University

Forgetful woman covered in post-it notes and papers.
Redwood trees are growing almost as fast in the UK as their Californian cousins – new study

Mathias Disney, UCL

Sequoias tree in misty forest
Stone Age ‘megastructure’ under Baltic Sea sheds light on strategy used by Palaeolithic hunters over 10,000 years ago

Stephanie Piper, University of York

Stone Age megastructure.
The microchip industry would implode if China invaded Taiwan, and it would affect everyone

Robyn Klingler-Vidra, King's College London

Microchip

Most read this week

1.
How logic alone may prove that time doesn’t exist

Matyáš Moravec, University of St Andrews

How logic alone may prove that time doesn’t exist
2.
Five tips to help you start new hobbies in retirement

Alison Bishop, University of East London

Five tips to help you start new hobbies in retirement
3.
The five-step wellness model that really works – and the psychology behind it

Ben Gibson, De Montfort University and Victoria Ruby-Granger, De Montfort University

The five-step wellness model that really works – and the psychology behind it
4.
Deepfake porn: why we need to make it a crime to create it, not just share it

Clare McGlynn, Durham University

Deepfake porn: why we need to make it a crime to create it, not just share it
5.
Conspiracy theorists seem to favour an intuitive thinking style – here’s why that’s important

Darel Cookson, Nottingham Trent University

Conspiracy theorists seem to favour an intuitive thinking style – here’s why that’s important
6.
Young people are getting unhappier – a lack of childhood freedom and independence may be partly to blame

Fiorentina Sterkaj, University of East London

Young people are getting unhappier – a lack of childhood freedom and independence may be partly to blame