Roger Highfield

Here are a few of my latest articles. There are more in my archive.

Jun

The £7.5 Million AI Challenge That Could Crack Motor Neurone Disease

The new Longitude Prize aims to do what medicine has long struggled with: harness AI and global collaboration to unlock life-saving treatments for one of the most devastating diseases.

Jun

The Climate Diet: How Global Warming is Cutting the World’s Calories

A new study finds global warming could wipe out 24% of staple-crop calories—roughly equivalent to missing a meal, every day – by the end of this century

Jun

Rain in Five Minutes

With AI and cloud computing, the Met Office is poised to transform how—and where—we see the weather coming, reports Science Director Roger Highfield.

May

Paris Climate Goal Too Weak: Ice Sheet Study Demands Urgent Climate Action

A new study which says the world’s “safe” climate limit may be closer to 1°C—not 1.5°C—as ice loss accelerates and irreversible sea level rise looms.

Apr

A Shot Felt Around the World: Vaccines, Diplomacy, and the Power of Science

With the Injecting Hope tour reaching its final venue in India, Roger Highfield and Shalini Narayan describe how a unique partnership brought the story of COVID-19 vaccines to millions.

Apr

The most complete map of a brain is unveiled today

Roger Highfield, Science Director, reports on the latest milestone in what is billed as the most complicated neuroscience experiment ever.

Mar

Why we Die

Roger Highfield, in conversation with Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, at the JLF

Mar

Simulating Earth’s Evolution to Help Find Life on Other Planets

Can a computer predict the evolution of alien worlds? Roger Highfield, Science Director, talks to a newly awarded scientist about his quest to simulate how planets evolve

Feb

Could Antarctic winds prevent our climate passing a tipping point?

Science Director Roger Highfield describes a new study which suggests AMOC may avoid collapse this century, thanks to powerful winds that whip around Antarctica.

Feb

Daisyworld's warning: even an idealised world can be wrecked by tipping points

New research suggests that even the simplest computer model is vulnerable to climate tipping points. Roger Highfield, Science Director, reports.

Read more articles in my archive.

Roger Highfield was born in Wales, raised in North London and became the first person to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble. He was the Science Editor of The Daily Telegraph for two decades and the Editor of New Scientist between 2008 and 2011. Today, he is the Director of External Affairs at the Science Museum Group. Roger has written seven books and had thousands of articles published in newspapers and magazines. This is his personal website.