Emily Smith

Humans 20 May 2019 Police have been using DNA services to find criminalsGetty By Adam VaughanA major DNA database that has been pivotal in solving US cold crime cases has blocked law enforcement access to the profiles of a million people, in a setback for investigators and a victory for campaigners. GEDMatch, which allows people…

Mind 20 May 2019 Does this illusion fool you?Lasse Kristensen/Alamy Stock Photo By David AdamDo try this at home. It’s an “impossible” physical experience a bit like an optical illusion. Take three empty matchboxes and fill one with something heavy. Now lift the weighted box on its own. Then put it down and next lift…

Humans | Analysis 20 May 2019 Prime minister Scott Morrison won a surprising re-electionMICK TSIKAS/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock By Ruby Prosser ScullySome politicians and commentators have called for opinion polls to be scrapped following prime minister Scott Morrison’s shock win in the Australian federal election – the latest in a string of perceived polling failures in recent history.…

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Environment 18 May 2019 A funding crisis could prevent crucial ocean monitoringGetty By Adam VaughanAre we weakening an ocean current that is crucial to the global climate? It’s a vital question we may soon struggle to answer due to a funding crisis. For the past 15 years UK and US researchers have used a string of…

Mind 18 May 2019 Aaaaargh!Lane Oatey/Getty By Chelsea WhyteWhat’s in a scream? The vocalisations people identify as screams share certain sound qualities – a kind of acoustic DNA that tells a listener’s ear that what they’re hearing is a scream, even if it isn’t. “Evolutionarily, screams likely originally functioned to startle attacking predators. Research on…

These iconic animals aren’t dying outMinden Pictures/Alamy By Michael Le PageWho has said koalas are “functionally extinct”? The Australian Koala Foundation, which lobbies for the animals’ protection, has put out a press release stating that it “believes koalas may be functionally extinct in the entire landscape of Australia”. The release triggered a flurry of worried…

Life 17 May 2019 Sea otters (Enhydra lutris) are increasingly being bitten by great white sharksArco/Alamy By Jake BuehlerDecades of conservation work have boosted sea otter populations in many parts of the North Pacific, but the animals are now being killed by great white sharks. The sharks aren’t actually trying to eat the otters, preferring…