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Victoria’s lowland Leadbeater’s possums moved to purpose-built forest refuge
Original report:
Conservationists evacuated the last lowland Leadbeater’s possums from Yellingbo after severe population losses. The Guardian’s November 2026 report describes their move to a restored, fenced refuge, while warning that the new habitat alone cannot secure the threatened population.
Science
A child’s black hole question reshaped an astronomy guide’s approach
Original report:
In a personal account published by the Guardian in November 2026, astronomer Kirsten Banks recalled how a young visitor’s unexpected response to a black hole explanation changed her choice of examples and reinforced her appreciation of curiosity.
Science
Guardian podcast examines social media claims linking appearance to low iron
Original report:
A Guardian science podcast examines “ferritin face”, a social media trend linking dark circles, breaking hair and dry skin to iron deficiency. Its description introduces expert discussion of diagnosis and treatment but does not provide the medical conclusions.
Science
Embryo screening sales revive debate over consumer-driven eugenics
Original report:
A Guardian essay published in October 2026 examines how commercial embryo screening blends disease prevention with promises of desirable traits. Drawing on personal experience of disability, it questions the science behind those promises and the ethics of treating parenthood as genetic optimisation.
Science
Round-table age puzzle tests the limits of truth-telling
Original report:
A Guardian puzzle column published on 12 October 2026 presented three circular seating challenges devised by Daniel Griller. Readers were asked to find the largest and smallest possible numbers of truthful statements as participants compared their ages with those of others around the table.
Science
South Dakota mine prepares for giant neutrino detector assembly
Original report:
Engineers are set to begin assembling four underground detectors for the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment in South Dakota. The US-led project aims to investigate elusive particles and explore why matter, rather than antimatter, dominates the universe.
Science
Body-clock lag disrupts seabirds’ navigation on flights home
Original report:
An Oxford study of Manx shearwaters links navigation errors to body clocks falling behind local time during eastward flights. Experienced birds corrected their course, but researchers say similar errors could send inexperienced birds much farther astray.
Science
Venus, crescent moon and Spica to gather in November dawn sky
Original report:
Venus will appear alongside a thin crescent moon and Spica before sunrise on 7 November. The Guardian’s viewing guide places the grouping low in London’s east-south-eastern sky, with a higher appearance in the eastern sky for southern hemisphere observers.
Science
Cambridge scientist Marta Shahbazi mourned after fatal train collision in Spain
Original report:
Colleagues have paid tribute to developmental biologist Marta Shahbazi, who died while travelling to a conference in Spain to receive a scientific excellence award. Her Cambridge laboratory highlighted her research into early human embryo development and pregnancy failure.
Science
Flint water researcher Siddhartha Roy receives Maddox prize amid scientific disputes
Original report:
Scientist Siddhartha Roy helped challenge official assurances about Flint’s lead-contaminated water. In a Guardian podcast, the 2026 Maddox prize winner discusses how later research questioning claims of permanent brain damage among children changed his relationship with the community.
Science
Dinosaur bone yields heme traces, but fossil blood-cell claim faces scrutiny
Original report:
Researchers studying a 115-million-year-old dinosaur from Brazil report heme traces and structures resembling red blood cells. An outside expert questions the structures’ identification, while finding the chemical evidence more persuasive.
Science
New Zealand Satellite-Trail Composite Sparks AI Claims and Night-Sky Debate
Original report:
Astrophotographer Brendan Larsen combined hundreds of exposures above Mount Taranaki into a striking record of satellite trails. Its viral spread brought accusations of AI generation, alongside discussion about the growing presence of satellites in the night sky.