Why the l-carnitine sport supplement is controversial

It’s a beneficial nutrient - but taking it in supplement form can come with long-term health risks.

Julia Haarhuis, PhD student - Food, Microbiomes and Health, Quadram Institute • conversation
today ~7 min

Most plant-friendly fungi are a mystery to scientists

Most fungi that partner with plants are known only from trace DNA sequences left in soil.

Thomas Parker, Upland Ecologist, James Hutton Institute • conversation
today ~9 min


Can you spot a ‘fake’ accent? It will depend on where you’re from

How someone speaks should be a lot less important than what is said. But that isn’t always the case.

Jonathan R. Goodman, Research Associate, Public Health, University of Cambridge • conversation
yesterday ~6 min

AI might now be as good as humans at detecting emotion, political leaning and sarcasm in online conversations

AI could save people time when analysing text for its meaning.

Ana Jovančević, Postdoctoral researcher, Department of Psychology, University of Limerick • conversation
yesterday ~6 min

Could electric brain stimulation lead to better maths skills?

A new study shows painless brain stimulation technique may improve people’s ability to learn maths skills.

Roi Cohen Kadosh, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience, University of Surrey • conversation
July 1, 2025 ~7 min

Self determination theory: how to use it to boost wellbeing

A foundational idea in self-determination theory is that we have three basic psychological needs: for autonomy, competence and relatedness.

Mark Fabian, Reader of Public Policy, University of Warwick • conversation
July 1, 2025 ~7 min

Where does the UK most need more public EV chargers?

Government investment in neighbourhood EV chargers cannot replace investment at motorway services.

Hannah Budnitz, Research Associate, Transport Studies Unit and Environmental Change Institute, University of Oxford • conversation
July 1, 2025 ~8 min

‘Completely unexpected’: Antarctic sea ice may be in terminal decline due to rising Southern Ocean salinity

Scientists once thought Antarctica might hold onto its sea ice as the world warmed. No longer.

Alessandro Silvano, NERC Independent Research Fellow in Oceanography, University of Southampton • conversation
June 30, 2025 ~7 min


What happens to your brain when you watch videos online at faster speeds than normal

Lots of younger people play audiobooks and podcasts at faster speeds. The benefits are obvious, but researchers are uncovering downsides.

Marcus Pearce, Reader in Cognitive Science, Queen Mary University of London • conversation
June 30, 2025 ~6 min

Five surprising facts about AI chatbots that can help you make better use of them

Here are some of the lesser known facts about systems like ChatGPT.

Çağatay Yıldız, Postdoctoral Researcher, Cluster of Excellence "Machine Learning", University of Tübingen • conversation
June 27, 2025 ~7 min

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