I struggled to come to terms with my mum’s death. Then I swam in the sea and suddenly felt connected to her

I thought the explanation I’d given about black holes was family-friendly; but after what she had said, I had to rethink my examples Read more in the a job that changed me series In the first year of my science degree, I was fortunate to land a job as an astronomy guide at the Sydney Observatory. In my role, I would lead tour groups of about 20 people. We’d look at stars and planets through telescopes. If the skies were filled from horizon to horizon with clouds, we’d explore more of the univers

Despite coming after a year of dangerous weather and signs that global warming is accelerating, COP31 is unlikely to deliver dramatic progress on climate action

We often think that our ability to be curious stems from our complex, human brain – but what if curiosity shapes that complexity?

From a “modern bestiary” by Richard Dawkins to a book co-authored by Robert Macfarlane and an Ecuadorian cloud forest, there are plenty of exciting new popular-science books out this month, says Liz Else