Claire Ainsworth
@claireainsworth.bsky.social
Freelance science journalist, DPhil in developmental biology. I write about biology & biomedicine for @NewScientist @Nature @NatureMedicine @bmj_latest & more.
...and talked to scientists on a mission to catch farts for the good of our health: www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
The scientists on a mission to catch farts for the good of our health
Farts are emerging as a vital part of a well-functioning body, influencing the health of the gut and other organs. That's why some researchers are going to extraordinary lengths to capture them
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
...and talked to scientists on a mission to catch farts for the good of our health: www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
...watched a Komodo dragon have obedience lessons: www.newscientist.com/article/mg22...
How to train your Komodo dragon
Video: How to train a deadly komodo dragon What do you do when a giant carnivorous lizard heads straight for you? Try giving it a good scratch behind the ears YOU would know how it feels to catch a dr...
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
...watched a Komodo dragon have obedience lessons: www.newscientist.com/article/mg22...
And for a bit of fun, here's how I went hunting for extreme lifeforms in my dishwasher... www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
The unlikely extremophiles lurking in your kitchen
To discover new extreme-loving microbes, there’s no need to travel to the ends of the Earth. New Scientist goes in search of the unexpected inhabitants of your kitchen gadgets
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
And for a bit of fun, here's how I went hunting for extreme lifeforms in my dishwasher... www.newscientist.com/article/mg26...
And from the world of systems ecology, how one scientist's quest to understand the cell's cytoskeleton inspired him to launch a global ocean expedition on the yacht Tara to understand how ecosystems emerge from the sum of the interactions between their parts: www.nature.com/articles/501...
Systems ecology: Biology on the high seas - Nature
How Eric Karsenti's quest to understand the cell launched a trip around the world.
www.nature.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
And from the world of systems ecology, how one scientist's quest to understand the cell's cytoskeleton inspired him to launch a global ocean expedition on the yacht Tara to understand how ecosystems emerge from the sum of the interactions between their parts: www.nature.com/articles/501...
Genome origami helped skates evolve their wing-like fins: www.newscientist.com/article/2368...
Skates evolved their undulating wings thanks to genome origami
The front fins of skates emerge from their heads as huge wings and now we know how they can develop in this way
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Genome origami helped skates evolve their wing-like fins: www.newscientist.com/article/2368...
Another ageing one--Axolotls seem to hit the pause button on cellular ageing: www.newscientist.com/article/2449...
Axolotls seem to pause their biological clocks and stop ageing
In most vertebrates, a pattern of chemical marks on the genome is a reliable indicator of age, but in axolotls this clock seems to stop after the first four years of life
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Another ageing one--Axolotls seem to hit the pause button on cellular ageing: www.newscientist.com/article/2449...
One of my favourite cells, Stentor, forms brief alliances that give clues about the origin of multicellularity: www.newscientist.com/article/2356...
Multicellular life may have begun with brief alliances between cells
Single-celled organisms called Stentor can feed more efficiently by pairing up, illustrating a possible stage in the evolution of complex life forms
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
One of my favourite cells, Stentor, forms brief alliances that give clues about the origin of multicellularity: www.newscientist.com/article/2356...
How metabolism provides key signals for one of the earliest and most critical steps of an embryo’s development: www.newscientist.com/article/2409...
The development of embryos may be less shaped by genes than we thought
The chemical reactions in cells appear to shape an embryo's development, possibly overriding the effect of genes
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
How metabolism provides key signals for one of the earliest and most critical steps of an embryo’s development: www.newscientist.com/article/2409...
Single-celled organisms called archaea can become multicellular when compressed, highlighting the role of physical forces in evolution: www.newscientist.com/article/2453...
Weird microbes could help rewrite the origin of multicellular life
Single-celled organisms called archaea can become multicellular when compressed, highlighting the role of physical forces in evolution
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
Single-celled organisms called archaea can become multicellular when compressed, highlighting the role of physical forces in evolution: www.newscientist.com/article/2453...
How ageing could be the result not just of wear and tear, but of developmental programmes continuing to run, meaning we could possibly reverse aspects of it: www.newscientist.com/article/mg25...
Growing younger: Radical insights into ageing could help us reverse it
New insight into how we age suggests it may be driven by a failure to switch off the forces that build our bodies. If true, it could lead to a deeper understanding of ageing – and the possibility of s...
www.newscientist.com
September 5, 2025 at 12:37 PM
How ageing could be the result not just of wear and tear, but of developmental programmes continuing to run, meaning we could possibly reverse aspects of it: www.newscientist.com/article/mg25...