Chelsea Whyte

2 weeks ago | newscientist.com | Chelsea Whyte

This is a dangerous moment for public health in America. On 1 April, Robert F. Kennedy Jr, who heads the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), began overseeing sweeping layoffs of an estimated 10,000 people at the agency. The cuts are not just wide but deep – they jeopardise studies that have been running for decades and threaten laboratories that are key to fighting polio and influenza both within the US and around the world.

2 months ago | newscientist.com | Chelsea Whyte

Recently, at the Brooklyn Botanic Garden in New York, I had a dream come true. I got a whiff of one of the world’s stinkiest plants: a corpse flower called (pictured above), cousin of , which grabs headlines whenever one blooms. The I saw was standing about 2 metres high in a suffocatingly hot greenhouse. As I entered and took my first sniff, I must admit I was underwhelmed. It smelled only mildly unpleasant, a bit mildewy, certainly not the stench…

2 months ago | newscientist.com | Chelsea Whyte

In the first week of his second term, US President Donald Trump has thrown the country’s scientific apparatus into chaos, while at the same time anointing a new tech oligarchy. With a blitz of executive orders, he’s set the US on a path that will derail climate goals, biomedical research and pandemic readiness.

Nov 6, 2024 | newscientist.com | Chelsea Whyte

Physics The Impossible Man by Patchen Barss salutes Roger Penrose's groundbreaking work in physics and mathematics while challenging the idea that a genius should be exempt from ordinary obligations The Impossible Man Patchen Barss (Atlantic Books (UK, 14 November); Basic Books (US, 12 November)) Many people still believe (and many scientists tell themselves) that genius is a solitary affair, that what they do is so important it merits exemption from everyday life and the obligations of...

Sep 20, 2024 | newscientist.com | Leah Crane |Chelsea Whyte |Tim Boddy

New Scientist Live, the world’s greatest festival of ideas and discovery, is returning to ExCeL London from Saturday 12 until Sunday 13 October, with a dedicated Schools’ Day on Monday 14 October. There is a stunning lineup of more than 60 speakers, five stages and a wide array of exhibitors and experiences.