How pie-in-the-sky conspiracies distract from climate dangers
The conspiracy theory that bad actors use “chemtrails” from aircraft to poison us sucks energy from legitimate protest against aviation’s effects on the climate, says Graham Lawton Source link
Why not all ultra-processed foods are bad for you
Just because a food is ultra-processed doesn’t mean it is unhealthy. Regulation and eating advice must reflect this, say Julia Belluz and Kevin Hall, co-authors of Food Intelligence: The science of how food both nourishes and harms us Source link
We are horrified to discover that not every rose has a thorn
Feedback is shocked to learn that one of our most cherished metaphors involving roses and thorns really needs to be revisited. That’s what happens when you invite the botanists to play Source link
The Whispers of Rock is a personal journey through aeons of geology
In her new book, earth scientist Anjana Khatwa writes a love letter to Earth’s rocks and mountains, offering a passionate blend of science and spirituality Source link
Learning to play nice with other people
How did cooperation emerge in a cut-throat world? There are clues in the prisoner’s dilemma experiment, says Peter Rowlett Source link
Blue Planet Red is wrong about Mars – but it's surprisingly poignant
Brian Cory Dobbs’s documentary promotes the baseless idea that Mars was once inhabited by an advanced civilisation. But there’s some value in how it inadvertently documents a generation of otherwise-sensible scientists, says Simon Ings Source link
Memory chips just 10 atoms thick could vastly increase capacity
A memory chip just 10 atoms thick has been tested in a lab and integrated into conventional chips, demonstrating a technology that could improve the capacity of our devices Source link
The moon's largest crater didn't form in the way we thought
The impact that carved out the South Pole-Aitken basin on the moon appears to have come from the north, not the south as previously thought – and NASA’s upcoming mission could investigate further Source link
Selfish sperm see older fathers pass on more disease-causing mutations
Older men are more likely to pass on disease-causing mutations to their children because of the faster growth of mutant cells in the testes with age Source link
Why everything you thought you knew about your immune system is wrong
Immunologist Daniel Davis wants to eradicate long-held myths and replace them with wonder at the complexity of the body’s defence system Source link