Rhys Blakely

Cambridge

Reporter at The Times

Science reporter for The Times. Tweets in a personal capacity. DMs open. Tips always welcome. [email protected]

Featured in: Favicon

thetimes.co.uk Favicon

stuff.co.nz Favicon

news24.com Favicon

expansion.com Favicon

theaustralian.com.au Favicon

bristolpost.co.uk Favicon

airmail.news Favicon

kidsnews.com.au Favicon

substack.com Favicon

coventrytelegraph.net + 3 more

Articles

DLI spins off Mt Ida into Ballard Mining

2 weeks ago | theaustralian.com.au | Rhys Blakely |Jaclyn Hendricks |Ellie Dudley |Cameron Stewart

Special Report: Delta Lithium shareholders will soon be exercising their voting rights to decide if the Mt Ida gold project will be divested into new ASX-listed company Ballard Mining.
Would you dump someone if your dog disapproved? Many owners would

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely
Electric passenger planes could take flight with sodium fuel cells

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely
Could Neanderthal fingerprint be the world's oldest portrait?

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely
Being beautiful boosts bank balance (unless you're too brainy)

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely

Decades of research has shown that physically attractive people tend to earn more than their plain peers. However, a new study suggests that this beauty premiumis not evenly distributed - and that good looks only pay if you're not especially bright. The work drew on data from the National Child Development Study (NCDS), which has tracked more than 17,000 Britons born during a single week in March 1958.
Mars has its own northern lights

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely

For the first time, a rover on the arid surface of Mars has witnessed an ethereal, jade-green aurora shimmering in the skies above another world. The images offer a tantalising glimpse of the sights that would greet a crewed mission to the red planet. "It is likely that future Martian astronauts would be able to see this type of aurora," Nasa said. Auroras on Earth are a familiar marvel: shifting curtains of coloured light that ripple across the heavens, usually close to the poles.
Tο DNA του Λεονάρντο ντα Βίντσι μπορεί να κρύβει τον κώδικα της μεγαλοφυΐας του

1 month ago | parapolitika.gr | Rhys Blakely

Πέντε αιώνες μετά την εποχή που ο Λεονάρντο ντα Βίντσι σχεδίασε ιπτάμενες μηχανές και ζωγράφισε τη Μόνα Λίζα, οι επιστήμονες ενδέχεται να πλησιάζουν στην αποκάλυψη του τρόπου με τον οποίο η γενετική του συνέβαλε στη μεγαλοφυΐα του. Η αναγεννησιακή πολυτάλαντη προσωπικότητα, νόθος γιος ενός φλωρεντινού συμβολαιογράφου, δεν άφησε πίσω του απογόνους όταν πέθανε το 1519 στο Αμπουάζ, στην κοιλάδα του Λίγηρα στη Γαλλία.
Plants can 'hear' bees coming

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely

It sounds like something out of a children's book: a helpful bee buzzes past a flower and the plant, delighted by its favourite visitor, sweetens its nectar to greet it. However, research suggests this scenario may be closer to reality than previously imagined. Scientists have discovered that snapdragon plants can "hear" the buzz of their preferred pollinators and respond by boosting the sugar content of their nectar. They also seem able to tell friend from foe.
Contact lenses let you see in the dark, even with eyes closed

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely

In a development worthy of a Bond film, Chinese scientists have invented contact lenses that allow a wearer to see in the dark - even when their eyes are shut. The lenses have enabled users to detect infrared light, a portion of the electromagnetic spectrum usually invisible to the human eye. Unlike bulky night-vision goggles, which also pick up infrared, they do not require power from batteries.
How flowers sweeten their nectar when they 'hear' friendly bees

1 month ago | thetimes.com | Rhys Blakely