Science + Tech – Views & Research – The ConversationTop storiesScience + TechnologyHummingbirds and pineapples: why this ancient relationship hits the evolutionary sweetspotJamie Thompson, University of ReadingIs recursive self‑improvement the dawning of AI superintelligence?Michael G. Madden, University of Galway and James McDermott, University of GalwayThe secret life of roots: how plants fight back against salty soilsAmber Williams, Cardiff UniversityNew UK defence plan fails to deliver on space, despite the military’s growing reliance on satellite systemsBleddyn Bowen, Durham University and Scott Mackie, Durham UniversityWhat happens inside a tennis player’s brain as they try to return a 148mph serve?Michelle Spear, University of BristolHow to create the blackest black ever known – from nature to nanotechnologyAntonios Kelarakis, University of LancashireWhat will AI do for us? Young adults in lower-income countries feel more positive about its potential – new surveyAnna Barford, University of Cambridge; Anthony Mugeere, Makerere University, and Giulia Occhini, University of CambridgeWhy Antarctica froze millions of years before the Arctic – new researchThomas Gernon, University of SouthamptonIn our deep oceans, evolution is supercharged – this diversity of life could help unlock humanity’s greatest challengesThomas Mock, University of East AngliaAre we finally about to get decent wifi on trains and planes?Li Zhang, University of LeedsComet from another star has a composition unlike anything else in our solar systemMatthew Hopkins, University of CanterburySeaweeds are not plants – and six other surprising facts about aquatic floraAlexander Bowles, University of OxfordVenezuela earthquakes highlight the limits of early warning systemsRavindra Jayaratne, University of East LondonReplacing warships with drones is not an upgrade in capabilityPeter Lee, University of PortsmouthPrehistoric plague could have caused population collapse in stone age EuropeRuairidh Macleod, University of Oxford and Stephen Shennan, UCLConsciousness: how ‘working memory’ may mysteriously give rise to itHenry Taylor, University of BirminghamExpert Q&A: why did so many buildings collapse in Venezuela’s double earthquake?Raffaele De Risi, University of BristolThree million years after Lucy walked upright in Africa, the inside story of another landmark journeyPeter C. Kjærgaard, UCL and Mark Maslin, UCLInvestigative interviews are key to solving crimes – should AI be helping police with their inquiries?Brandon May, Florida Institute of Technology; University of Portsmouth and Rebecca Milne, University of PortsmouthA new quantum computer sets a high watermark for accuracy – are we on the verge of a big breakthrough?Domenico Vicinanza, Anglia Ruskin UniversityCracks in the International Space Station are causing air leaks – how much longer can it remain habitable?Christopher Newman, Northumbria University, NewcastleFree will: does refusing to believe in it make you a ‘bad’ person? Research is challenging this old ideaTom St Quinton, Leeds Beckett UniversityWorld Cup technology: from ref cams to AI analysts, cutting-edge research is changing the gameThomas Allen, Manchester Metropolitan UniversityWhy are we so obsessed with charismatic leaders?Geoff Beattie, Edge Hill UniversitySecrets of Stonehenge and other ancient sites unlocked for the summer solsticeDuncan Garrow, University of ReadingGermany pulled the plug on flagship FCAS fighter jet – the implications for European defence are worryingArun Dawson, King's College LondonThe latest news and research, analysed by experts.Get free newsletterAncient DNABeyond Anglo-Saxons, Celts and Vikings: DNA uncovers a dynamic history of migration to BritainJay Silverstein, Nottingham Trent UniversityAncient tooth proteins suggest Homo erectus may have left a genetic legacy in people todaySally Christine Reynolds, Bournemouth UniversityDNA study uncovers continental origins of Britain’s bronze age populationMartin B. Richards, University of Huddersfield and Maria Pala, University of HuddersfieldLand animals evolved from ocean ancestors – new study unravels the genetics behind the transitionJialin Wei, University of BristolSpaceThe Milky Way was rewired by a cataclysmic collision billions of years ago. Now it is on course for anotherVasily Belokurov, University of CambridgeNasa names Artemis III crew, but a rocket explosion has thrown US Moon plans into turmoilDaniel Brown, Nottingham Trent UniversityNasa bets big on nuclear engines to cut journey times to MarsDomenico Vicinanza, Anglia Ruskin UniversityCould dark matter be made of black holes from a different universe?Enrique Gaztanaga, University of PortsmouthNasa plans to have a permanent base on the Moon by 2030 – how it can be doneKevin Olsen, University of Oxford and Fiona Henderson, University of OxfordWhy has it taken so long to return to the Moon?Domenico Vicinanza, Anglia Ruskin UniversityAs Nasa’s Artemis II Moon mission ends, a new adventure for humanity beckonsEd Macaulay, Queen Mary University of LondonPsychologyHow to deal with disappointment – by an expert in this misunderstood emotionAnnette Clancy, University College DublinThe fraudsters’ playbook: our study of Enron traders shows how easily the language of trust can be abusedMatteo Fuoli, University of BirminghamPsychopathy: some experts now say it doesn’t exist – here’s why we may be looking at it all wrongAva Green, City St George's, University of LondonAnimal scienceGreat apes: what we know about their cognition, cooperation and curiosity after two decades of researchAlejandro Sánchez-Amaro, University of StirlingLife in the ancient Arctic: tiny teeth of newly discovered species suggest it was a cradle of mammalian evolutionSarah Shelley, University of LincolnA flesh-eating fly is advancing towards the US border – can it be stopped?Richard Wall, University of BristolKeep calm and carry on: lessons from wasps on how societies survive power strugglesSeirian Sumner, UCL and Owen Corbett, UCLWhat owning a cat does to your brain (and theirs)Laura Elin Pigott, London South Bank UniversityPhysicsOur Large Hadron Collider results hint at undiscovered physicsWilliam Barter, University of Edinburgh and Mark Smith, Imperial College LondonEinstein’s theories fuel the drama in Project Hail MaryEd Macaulay, Queen Mary University of LondonGreat Mysteries of Physics: a mind-blowing podcast from The ConversationJo Adetunji, The Conversation and Miriam Frankel, The ConversationDinosaursWhat it would have been like to experience the dinosaur-killing asteroid armageddon: a blow-by-blow accountMichael J. 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Latest research offers new insightsStuart Thompson, University of WestminsterHow hidden soil fungi ‘steal’ bacterial DNA to control the rainDiana R. Andrade-Linares, University of LimerickThe wonders of daisies: the buffet we walk onLibby John, University of Lincoln and Sandra Varga, University of LincolnArtificial intelligenceIf AI is addictive, where does the responsibility lie – with big tech or its users?Bernd Stahl, University of NottinghamAI robots can go rogue – a researcher explains how easily it happensFazl Barez, University of OxfordAI godbots: religious leaders warn of ‘alarming consequences’ when machines speak in the name of GodAdam James Fenton, Coventry University and Chris Shannahan, Coventry UniversityThe story of Pope Leo’s ‘landmark’ text on AI technology – by a member of its launch panelAnna Rowlands, Durham UniversityThe AI scientist: now academic papers can be fully automated, what does this mean for the future of research?Sorin M.S. Krammer, University of SouthamptonTechnologyEurope wants to limit its reliance on foreign tech – but the proposed rules are weakJohan Linåker, Lund UniversityQuantum computers could expose our digital secrets – but there are much better reasons to build themKeith Martin, Royal Holloway, University of London and Briana Bowen, Royal Holloway, University of LondonCould sodium replace lithium as the dominant ingredient in batteries?Syed Abdul Ahad, University of LimerickApple at 50: eight technology leaps that changed our worldNick Dalton, Northumbria University, NewcastleBirdsThe pigeon fanciers of the Bronze AgeWill Smith, University of NottinghamBirds masturbate, and that’s perfectly normalChloe Heys, University of Lancashire; Kevin Arbuckle, Swansea University, and Matilda Brindle, University of OxfordWhy the dawn chorus sounds different from place to placeCarlos Abrahams, Nottingham Trent UniversityDawn Chorus Day: a composer on the musical styles of birdsongJustin Morey, Leeds Beckett UniversityDo birds have accents? 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Here’s what the science saysGabriele Albertini, University of NottinghamTable tennis robot defeats some of world’s best players – why this has major implications for roboticsKartikeya Walia, Nottingham Trent UniversityFootball is being spoiled by time-wasting – what can be done ahead of the World Cup?Carl Singleton, University of Stirling; David Butler, University College Cork, and Robert Butler, University College CorkElite gymnasts are no longer retiring after pregnancy – sport science needs to catch upGabriella Penitente, Sheffield Hallam UniversityAI and workThe more commodified your job, the more likely AI can do it – lessons from online freelancingFabian Stephany, University of OxfordAI and work: an expert assesses how far this revolution still has to runVivek Soundararajan, University of BathIs AI replacing the work of skilled radiologists? They give us their thoughtsYuxuan Wu, University of BirminghamHow the AI boom was enabled by a 1970s economic revolutionMichael Strange, Malmö University and Marisa Ponti, University of GothenburgScience historiesThe story of the first telephone call – nine words that changed the worldIwan Rhys Morus, Aberystwyth UniversityWhat secret report reveals about British nuclear weapons tests – veterans claimed they were harmed by falloutChristopher R. Hill, University of South Wales and Jonathan Hogg, University of LiverpoolIs the biggest march in English history a myth? My research shows King Harold sailed down to the battle of HastingsTom Licence, University of East AngliaWe are in a digital version of the enclosures – like the landowners, big tech has power without responsibilityNana Nwachukwu, Trinity College DublinAlien lifeAlien first contact: how the new rules differ from science fictionMichael Garrett, University of ManchesterCould it be aliens? 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Parker, Loughborough UniversityEditors' picksHumans could have as many as 33 sensesBarry Smith, School of Advanced Study, University of London‘It ain’t no unicorn’: meet the researchers who’ve interviewed 130 Bigfoot huntersJamie Lewis, Cardiff University and Andy Bartlett, University of SheffieldWhat the constant sound of modern life is doing to our mindsVictor (Vik) Pérez, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool UniversityAnimals’ perception of time is linked to the pace of their life – new studyKevin Healy, University of GalwayRead more Most read this week1.Nanobubbles cleaned up the Lincoln reflecting pool: here’s how they could be used on dying seas and lakesGang Pan, York St John University2.Seaweeds are not plants – and six other surprising facts about aquatic floraAlexander Bowles, University of Oxford3.Why Antarctica froze millions of years before the Arctic – new researchThomas Gernon, University of Southampton4.Heatwaves: expert tips on redesigning UK homes to cope with hotter temperaturesBen Roberts, Loughborough University5.Megalodon’s legendary life revealed by fossil rediscoveryDavid Hone, Queen Mary University of London6.The new technologies in the UK defence investment planArun Dawson, King's College London