Articles
The problem with the US election isn’t just the candidates but the voting system
Voters across the world are switching off from involvement in politics and outdated voting systems don't help. However, a new voting option that could be the closest thing to a truly fair election is emerging.
Social media ‘experts’ and even doctors spread misinformation about health and fitness
With a wealth of information about nutrition and fitness at our fingertips, people think they are getting good advice but even doctors can peddle myths so fitness fans have to be smarter about where they're getting their information from.
Nobel Prize for ‘economic science’ is a murky field
History has shown us that when economic theories start to resemble physics equations, there's a good chance that they're well wide of the mark.
Difference between Italy’s two big earthquakes is how people have responded
After L'Aquila in 2009 fingers were pointed at scientists who failed to predict what is practically impossible to predict. After Amatrice last month, the focus has rightly switched to shoddy modern building standards in Italy and how to quake-proof towns for future seismic incidents.
Science at a crossroads as supersymmetry theory falls flat
A meeting of some of the world's greatest scientific minds last month only galvanised an increasingly popular view that bandwagon science needs to make way for smarter, broader, riskier science.
Climate science debates find their place in the Sun
The discussion over the recent activity of the Sun is getting pretty heated among climate scientists.
The stats behind the ‘beautiful game’
In the beautiful game, statistics show that home advantage truly does make a difference. The bigger teams also have an edge as their larger fan bases, and the noise they make, could possibly influence a decision on the field.
Athletes have taken great strides but are we reaching peak human performance?
A new study has shown that athletic performance has improved dramatically over the decades but the data also shows a distinct levelling off in performance. So what can we expect at the Olympics in Rio?
After probing Jupiter with Juno, what next for Nasa?
Elliptical orbits of large asteroids beyond Pluto suggest a massive heavenly body is out there, but because it receives little or no light, it’s going to be a tough one to find.
Brexit has shown that predicting political results can be polls apart from reality
After a third major failure in as many years, pollsters now must succeed at the US Presidential election if they are to keep any credibility intact.
Juno receives party-like welcome on the most unwelcoming planet in the solar system
After a five-year, 2.8 billion-km journey, Nasa’s probe entered Jupiter’s orbit to set about telling us as much as it can about the gas giant before a final, suicidal, fact-finding descent through 1,000km of inhospitable atmosphere.
The medical revolution that delves into humans’ inner aliens
In seeking cures for all kinds of illnesses, American scientists have uncovered how people’s diets and foreign microbes in their bodies cause obesity and medical maladies.
Why official food intake recommendations should be taken with pinch of salt
Everyone faces higher health risks from having less than eight grams of salt a day, says a new global study that is polarising scientists.
New research shows that there’s more to a gut instinct
A network of neurons that links our brains to our gut was first talked about almost 2,000 years ago but modern research is looking at ways of utilising the 'ENS' to tweak the behaviour of organs by remote control - with potentially radical implications for the treatment of obesity.
New study looks into the everyday miracle that is water
While most compounds shrink when they freeze, this stuff expands. It’s very hard to be heated up, but once turned into liquid, it’s peculiarly sticky and extremely resistant to pressure.
