7 secrets hidden in your facial muscles
Dr Tan Wingenbach, Lecturer in Psychology, explains how the extraordinary muscles in our faces not only create the expressions we see every day but also work invisibly beneath the surface,...Read More >
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COP30: Zambia’s forest communities need finance for solar power – so they don’t have to cut down trees to pay for it
Across rural Zambia, small solar home systems and lanterns have transformed daily life. Between 2018 and 2022, more than one million small solar devices were sold across the country. These...Read More >
Emetophobia: what it’s like to have a fear of vomiting
Emetophobia can have a serious impact on a person’s daily life. Photo by Nicoleta Ionescu via Adobe Stock. It’s safe to say nobody likes vomiting. But while it’s not a...Read More >
A psychedelic tour of Earth’s ecosystems – from the desert to Siberia
Every mind-bending molecule in nature has an evolutionary origin; a defence against being eaten, a lure for pollinators, or perhaps a happy biochemical accident. Though they seem extraordinary, life has...Read More >
Why women land top jobs in struggling organisations – they may just be better in a crisis
The new Archbishop of Canterbury Sarah Mullally will face challenges within the Anglican Church from day one. Photo by Roger Harris, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons Women are increasingly...Read More >
Why hurricanes rarely kill in Cuba
Flood in Havana, Cuba. Photo by genadijs via Adobe Stock Hours before Hurricane Melissa roared towards Cuba’s second-largest city, Santiago de Cuba, the island’s president, Miguel Díaz-Canel, announced that 735,000...Read More >
Plant-based meat has hit a plateau – but new innovations could spark a delicious comeback
In this blog for World Vegan Day, Dr Dimitris Balagiannis, Senior Research Fellow at the University of Reading Flavour Centre, explains how a new research consortium is embracing cutting-edge fermentation...Read More >
The pollution court case that could reach far beyond the banks of the River Wye
River Wye. Photo by Mike Erskine on Unsplash The River Wye used to be full of wild salmon. Today it is full of algae. And the meandering waterway which has...Read More >
We tested a famous biological rule on dinosaurs – and it doesn’t work the way we thought
Winner of the Research Output Prize 2025 – Environment Jacob Gardner, Postdoctoral Research Associate at the University of Reading, and Lauren Wilson, PhD student at Princeton University, examine whether Bergmann's...Read More >
Air pollution is silently decimating pollinators – but barely harms pests
Winner of the Research Output Prize 2025 – Agriculture, Food & Health James Ryalls, Senior Research Fellow in Sustainable Land Management, explains how air pollution disproportionately harms beneficial insects, threatening...Read More >
