What 40 years as Observer science editor has taught Robin McKie
Robin McKie reflects on his 40 years as science editor for the Observer and tells Madeleine Finlay about the game-changing discoveries and scientific controversies that he’s reported on during that ti...
15 Apr 202519min
Streams of medicines: how Switzerland cleaned up its act
Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal clear. They include common medicines like antidep...
10 Apr 202515min
Streams of medicines: what’s hiding in the UK’s waterways?
The UK is known for its national parks: areas of outstanding natural beauty with rolling hills and crystal-clear streams and lakes. But research has shown that England’s most protected rivers are full...
8 Apr 202515min
‘Parasites should get more fame’: the nominees for world’s finest invertebrate
Invertebrates don’t get the attention lavished on cute pets or apex predators, but these unsung heroes are some of the most impressive and resilient creatures on the planet. So when the Guardian opene...
3 Apr 202518min
Keto: what’s the science behind the diet?
While other diet fads come and go, the ultra low carbohydrate Keto diet seems to endure. But as scientists begin to understand how the diet works, more is also being discovered about its risks. To fin...
1 Apr 202517min
The rise and fall of DNA testing company 23andMe
The genetic testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, another twist in the story of a company that promised a pioneering approach to precision health. Now users are scrambling to delete their per...
27 Mar 202521min
Where do our early childhood memories go?
It’s a mystery that has long puzzled researchers. Why can’t we remember our early childhood experiences? Freud called the phenomenon infantile amnesia, and for many years scientists have wondered whet...
25 Mar 202518min
What a dark energy discovery means for the fate of the universe
Dark energy, the mysterious force powering the expansion of the universe, appears to be weakening over time, according to a major cosmological survey that has thrown the laws of modern physics into do...
20 Mar 202516min
