It is clear to everyone that astronomy at all events compels the soul to look upwards, and draws it from the things of this world to the other.

— Plato

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Updated: 13 hours 51 min ago

Sunscreens made from ground-up wood reach an SPF of over 180

Tue, 01/20/2026 - 5:00am
Concerns around common sunscreen chemicals have prompted the search for natural alternatives, with lignin from wood being one of the most promising candidates
Categories: Astronomy

Embracing quantum spookiness: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
The strange principle of quantum entanglement baffled Albert Einstein. Yet finally putting quantum weirdness to the ultimate test, and embracing the results, turned out to be a revolutionary idea
Categories: Astronomy

Pinning extreme weather on climate change: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
It never used to be possible to attribute individual weather events to climate change and map their full consequences. Thanks to the work of two pioneering climate scientists, it is now
Categories: Astronomy

Filming the universe’s biggest dramas: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Astronomers used to rely on chance to catch a glimpse of fleeting explosions in space. A fresh approach to watching these flashes has completely transformed astronomy
Categories: Astronomy

The invention of net zero: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Net zero wasn’t always the target – the consensus used to be that we could continue releasing greenhouse gases and maintain global temperatures. How did that change?
Categories: Astronomy

A revolution in how we do chemistry: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
From finding new antibiotic candidates to studying the insides of cells, snapping molecules together "like Lego" has completely overhauled chemistry, and biology too
Categories: Astronomy

Why a tool-using cow could change how we see farm animals

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
A pet cow has learned to scratch herself with a broom, showing creative problem-solving skills that make it harder to ignore the fact that these animals have minds, says Marta Halina
Categories: Astronomy

There’s no such thing as a normal brain: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Neurodiversity research has reshaped how we think about autism and ADHD, revealing that a “normal” brain doesn’t exist – and that unusual brains also come with unique strengths
Categories: Astronomy

The one innovation that supercharged AI: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
The most powerful artificial intelligence tools all have one thing in common. Whether they are writing poetry or predicting protein structures, they rely on the "transformer" architecture
Categories: Astronomy

The one diet that’s good for everything: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Time and time again, scientists have found that one diet beats all others when it comes to our health. Fortunately, it's delicious – and also good for the planet
Categories: Astronomy

The immense interconnectivity of the brain: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
How discovering that different parts of the brain work together as networks has transformed our understanding of everything from daydreaming and emotions to planning and memory
Categories: Astronomy

The hidden power of epigenetics: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Following the surprising discovery that our genetic blueprint is much simpler than expected, we’ve rapidly learned that we have epigenetics to thank for our extraordinary complexity
Categories: Astronomy

End-to-end encryption: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
How end-to-end encryption is the wall that keeps our digital secrets safe – and why modern life would be unimaginable without it
Categories: Astronomy

Revealing the epic story of ancient humans: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Since the turn of the millennium, our understanding of our ancestors and extended cousins has shifted dramatically, thanks to a swathe of surprising archaeological discoveries
Categories: Astronomy

The totemic 1.5°C climate target: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Although we’re on course to cross 1.5°C of warming, the alliance of small island nations that revised our goal down from the 2°C threshold transformed global climate policy
Categories: Astronomy

How fear drastically shapes ecosystems: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Understanding the “landscape of fear” that predators create in their environments has helped us uncover just how drastically humans have upended the natural world
Categories: Astronomy

We can block the spread of HIV: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
The “enormous revelation” that drugs can be used to prevent catching HIV has benefitted millions and helped slash transmission rates
Categories: Astronomy

The electrification of everything: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Transitioning from fossil fuels to renewable power is crucial. The opening of Tesla's first "gigafactory", which used economies of scale to electrify our transport and energy systems, marked a turning point in this endeavour
Categories: Astronomy

Our solar system is extremely weird: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
Realising that our solar system isn’t like most others out there has helped astronomers rewrite the story of how it formed
Categories: Astronomy

Crowdsourcing Wikipedia’s encyclopedia: Best ideas of the century

Mon, 01/19/2026 - 11:00am
The internet is typically defined by conflict. Yet a crowdsourced encyclopedia, open for anyone to edit, has transformed into one of the world's most essential knowledge hubs
Categories: Astronomy