Nicola Davis

London, United States

Presenter and Host at Science Weekly

Science Correspondent for the Guardian. Book lover, archer and stitcher. Shortlisted for British Science Journalist of the Year 2021.

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Articles

Today’s AI Could Easily Crack WWII Enigma Code

2 days ago | flipboard.com | Nicola Davis

5 hours agoThese unassuming dots could stop you from becoming nauseous on your next car ride. Looking at your phone while in a moving vehicle is often a recipe for nausea. Yet as unpleasant as motion sickness is, passenger princesses the world over remain determined to test the limits of their upchuck reflexes …
Part of Soviet-era spacecraft to crash to Earth this weekend

5 days ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

Part of a Soviet spacecraft is expected to crash back down to Earth this weekend, with experts still unsure of where it will land. Kosmos 482 was launched in March 1972 on a Soyuz rocket a few days after the Venera 8 atmospheric probe, and was thought to have a similar purpose. Intended to reach Venus, it failed to escape low Earth orbit and instead broke into four pieces. Now, Kosmos 482’s lander probe is expected to come down to Earth with a bump.
Chimps’ rhythmic drumming could shed light on music’s evolutionary roots

5 days ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

They might not produce Gershwin hits, but chimpanzees have got rhythm, researchers have found in a study they say sheds light on the evolutionary origins of music. Scientists have previously found chimpanzees drum on the buttress roots of trees to send information to each other, with each individual having their own signature style. However, it remained unclear whether the chimpanzees drummed rhythmically.
Scientists find ‘mutant’ gene behind foul-smelling species of wild ginger

6 days ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

With a smell of rotting flesh the flowers of certain species of wild ginger are unlikely to be used in a wedding bouquet – although they are irresistible to carrion-loving flies. Now researchers say they have worked out how the sulphurous scent is produced. Scientists say the odour is down to small changes in an enzyme that prevents bad breath in humans.
Today’s AI can crack second world war Enigma code ‘in short order’, experts say

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

The Enigma code was a fiendish cipher that took Alan Turing and his fellow codebreakers a herculean effort to crack. Yet experts say it would have crumbled in the face of modern computing. While Polish experts broke early versions of the Enigma code in the 1930s and built anti-Enigma machines, subsequent security upgrades by the Germans meant Turing had to develop new machines, or “Bombes”, to help his team of codebreakers decipher enemy messages. By 1943, the machines could .
People with coeliac disease should not fear kissing gluten-eaters, say scientists

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

People with coeliac disease can kiss gluten-eaters without concerns for their health, researchers have said after finding only trivial amounts of the protein are transferred during a french kiss. About 1% of people around the world are thought to have coeliac disease, an autoimmune condition triggered by gluten, although many do not have a clinical diagnosis. While the condition can be managed by avoiding gluten-containing food and drink, vigilance is also required to prevent incidental intake.
Mummy mystery solved: 'Air-dried' priest was embalmed via rectum

1 week ago | irishexaminer.com | Nicola Davis

The mystery of a mummy from an Austrian village has been solved, according to researchers who say it was embalmed in an unexpected way ‚Äď via the rectum. Intrigue had long swirled around the mummified body stored in the church crypt of St Thomas am Blasenstein. The remains were rumoured to be the naturally preserved corpse of an aristocratic vicar, Franz Xaver Sidler von Rosenegg, who died in 1746 at the aged of 37, gaining the mummy the moniker of the ‚Äúair-dried chaplain‚ÄĚ.
Mummy mystery solved: ‘air-dried’ priest was embalmed via rectum

1 week ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

The mystery of a mummy from an Austrian village has been solved, according to researchers who say it was embalmed in an unexpected way – via the rectum. Intrigue had long swirled around the mummified body stored in the church crypt of St Thomas am Blasenstein. The remains were rumoured to be the naturally preserved corpse of an aristocratic vicar, Franz Xaver Sidler von Rosenegg, who died in 1746 at the aged of 37, gaining the mummy the moniker of the “air-dried chaplain”.
Physicists find key to perfect pasta - but not how Mamma used to make it

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

It may be only pasta, pecorino and black pepper, but cacio e pepe is not nearly as easy to make as some would imagine. However, researchers have come up with a scientific recipe that avoids a lumpy sauce every single time – but it all gets a lot more complicated. Cacio e pepe is made by cooking pasta and using the resulting starchy water to create a sauce with grated cheese and pepper.
Weight loss pills could help tackle obesity in poorer countries, experts say

2 weeks ago | theguardian.com | Nicola Davis

Newly developed weight loss pills could have a big impact on tackling obesity and diabetes in low- and middle-income countries, experts have said. Weight loss jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro, that contain the drugs semaglutide and tirzepatide respectively, have become popular in countries including the UK after trials showed they can help people lose more than 10% of their body weight. Medications containing semaglutide and tirzepatide can also be used to help control diabetes.