Tiffany O'Callaghan

Fake news, dodgy experts, mendacious media: it’s more crucial than ever to work out what’s true ourselves. Doing that means first overcoming our own biases

Robert Lustig’s hunch about obesity evolved into a war against sugar and the food industry. His battle for change has attracted controversy as well as praise

How much of our make-up is predetermined by our genes, and how much by our environment? The truth is that we’re asking entirely the wrong question

It’s not just the food, your dog really does love you - and researcher Clive Wynne has done the studies to prove it

We are tiny specks of life in a vast, indifferent cosmos – but to say that decreases the value of our existence is to measure ourselves against the wrong thing

New laws that ban abortion in US states include exceptions for when the life of the parent is as risk. However, evidence from Texas suggests that clinicians will wait until the person is “on death’s door” before performing the procedure for fear of legal repercussions

US president Joe Biden announced a pardon for thousands of people convicted for possession of marijuana under federal law

An analysis of different outdoor playing surfaces suggests that falls on artificial turf may pose a greater concussion risk than natural grass

From individual water use to lessons from past civilisations, here’s what our Parched Earth series revealed about the impact of the megadrought in south-western North America

The books, TV, games and more that New Scientist staff have enjoyed this week