iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

It's inevitable that doctors and other healthcare workers will make mistakes, sometimes with fatal consequences. What they and their institutions do next is crucial - @doctors-net-uk.bsky.social loom.ly/8_bSoMU

A photo showing a male doctor wearing blue scrubs and a cap. He is leaning on a counter on his elbows, with his hands to his face. He looks sad and stressed. Credit: iStock.com / Wavebreakmedia

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 15/10/2026

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of Star Trek, Paramount cancelled all the shows. But they did commission a special casserole dish and float it up into space. www.newscientist.com/article/259297…

A cartoon showing a frying pan hurtling through the darkness of space, fried eggs and sausages falling away from it. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 12/10/2026

Monte Verde in Chile supplied key archaeological evidence about the peopling of the Americas. That evidence is under attack. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/259316…

Artist's impression of prehistoric peoples living at Monte Verde, Chile. A creek runs across a flat, grassy landscape. In the background is a tent made of hides, with people crouched around a fire. In the foreground a man with a spear is facing off against a tusked mammal. Credit: Julieta Torres / www.indaga.me

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/10/2026

Our brain has a mechanism for flushing out toxins. Now some researchers hope to boost it, with the aim of preventing conditions like Alzheimer's. www.newscientist.com/article/259051…

A cartoon showing the lower half of a human brain, as if it was a cleaning bucket. It is filled with various bottles of cleaning fluid, washing-up gloves, a duster and a brush. Credit: Chris Gash

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

For sale: a great big building housing a centrifuge used by Britain's first astronaut. Does anyone have a spare £750,000? @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/259104…

A cartoon showing an astronaut in a grey spacesuit standing in front of a white cylindrical building, with a red "for sale" sign nearby. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

A new blood test could help doctors figure out if a feverish newborn baby has a dangerous bacterial infection, or a (probably) mild viral one, in minutes. @newscientist.com loom.ly/a05KWpI

A photo of a healthcare worker taking a blood sample from a newborn baby. We can see the baby's legs and back. The HCW is wearing blue plastic gloves and is using a baby needle. Credit: isayildiz / Getty Images

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

We all know that pet cats are pretty lazy. However, nobody has quantified their laziness as a percentage of their day, until now. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/259014…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/09/2026

Over 3000 scientific papers contain explicit Beatles references in their titles. The band is here, there and everywhere, but asking me why is like peeling a glass onion. www.newscientist.com/article/258890…

A cartoon showing the four Beatles standing in a row, facing away from camera. They're all young, with shortish hair and dark grey suits. They're looking at a mass of printed sheets of paper all flying around, against a red background. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

If you can't keep your house plants alive, maybe you should buy an AI-based sensor gizmo that turns your potted plants into "emotionally connected digital pets". Yeah, that'll work. www.newscientist.com/article/258767…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

A trove of artefacts, made by ancient humans called Denisovans, has been found in China. I went on the @newscientist.com podcast to witter on about it for a while. Apple: loom.ly/CQtGCC8 Spotify: loom.ly/O74uijE YouTube: loom.ly/O3JAEEk

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/09/2026

Who were the people we call the Vikings (but who didn't call themselves that)? Neil Price's book The Sea-King and the Sorceress does a great job of revealing them as they were. www.newscientist.com/article/258790…

Aerial photograph showing three reconstructed Viking longships, oars extended, making their way up a river surrounded by trees. Credit: Shutterstock / Gorodenkoff.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

The more we learn about chimps, the more they resemble us. But the more we learn about our evolutionary history, the more distant they are from us. @newscientist.com loom.ly/gpfjrNk

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 10/09/2026

A cave in China held a trove of remains of ancient humans called Denisovans - including teeth, bones and over 1000 artefacts. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258830…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 26/08/2026

Almost every adult has been infected by the Epstein-Barr virus - but for some people it causes severe illnesses including cancer and multiple sclerosis. My new feature for @sciencenews.bsky.social www.sciencenews.org/article/epstein…

Watercolour-style artwork showing the silhouettes of several people, including a woman holding her child's hand and several standing by themselves. They are variously red, purple and blue. Credit: Marta Spendowska

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 25/08/2026

Metformin, a type 2 diabetes drug, may have a handy side effect: reducing your risk of developing dementia. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258611…

A scattered pile of a few dozen circular white pills. They are the kind with a groove across the middle so you can break them in two. Credit: Kevin Miller / Alamy

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 20/08/2026

We've been told the people of Rapa Nui (Easter Island) wrecked their ecosystem and then their society collapsed. This does not seem to be true, as I explain in @sciam.bsky.social www.scientificamerican.com/article/…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/08/2026

Humans might be cathemeral - meaning we are adapted to be active both during the day and the night. @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258495…

A photograph showing the silhouette of a Hadza hunter-gatherer from Tanzania. They are aiming a bow and arrow to the left. In the background is the setting sun. Credit: PLANET EARTH / Shutterstock

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 10/08/2026

This langur stroking a squirrel is cute, but stories like this also hint at how our tendency to keep pets first evolved - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258303…

Photo showing a tufted gray langur stroking a squirrel on a tree branch. Credit: Senthi Aathavan Senthilverl

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 07/08/2026

In her new book Alive, Melanie Challenger asks a big question: what is "life"? Her answer is that life is matter that has become imbued with purpose. I have thoughts about that. www.newscientist.com/article/258259…

A ground-level photo of a patch of Brazilian rainforest, showing abundant trees and other lush green plant life. Credit: Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

The cover story in this month's @sciencenews.bsky.social is my feature about Fatimah Jackson, who is figuring out what to do with human remains that institutions have acquired without consent. www.sciencenews.org/sn-magazine/aug…

The front cover of the August 2026 issue of Science News. The headline reads "Skeletons in the closet". The artwork depicts a wooden closet with a human body inside it, divided up into squares like a mosaic - some showing bones or circulatory system or other parts of the anatomy.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/08/2026

Want to understand human evolution but not sure where to start? Start here, with this timeline of the entire story, from the first primates to the first cities. For @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258303…

A photo showing artists' reconstructions of many ancient human ("hominin") species, from Australopithecus to the Neanderthals. Credit: P. Plailly / E. Daynes / Science Photo Library

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 05/08/2026

Have you ever looked at a balloon animal and wondered how to describe it geometrically? Well, somebody did, and they wrote a whole paper about it - Feedback, @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258260…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 30/07/2026

Artificially-elongated fingernails were a marker of social status and conspicuous leisure, but no longer, say social scientists - Feedback, @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258137…

A cartoon showing a black microscope on a wooden surface. A woman's hand, with extra long fingernails painted red and yellow, is being thrust under the lens. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 28/07/2026

One patient in 20 is exposed to preventable harm in healthcare systems. Reducing these medical errors requires thinking carefully about systems and processes - @doctors-net-uk.bsky.social loom.ly/-1YmWig

A photo of a doctor wearing a cap and mask and surgical scrubs (all blue), leaning against a window with his eyes closed. He looks stressed and tired. Credit: iStock.com / Iker Martiarena

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 23/07/2026

Some characters in movies often die: wise mentors, teen girls having sex in horror movies, and, for some reason, geologists - Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/258017…

A cartoon showing a film set. On the left is a cameraperson, with a big movie camera on their right shoulder. They are filming a person dressed as a geologist, kneeling down before a rock face. Someone is spraying fake smoke into the shot. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 21/07/2026

There's a magazine called the Journal of Imaginary Research that publishes entirely made-up research, and their latest issue includes an evolutionary puzzle - Feedback, @newscientist.com loom.ly/ENG1Cq0

Cartoon showing a tiny circular island with some leaves and plants. Seven miniature animals like a giraffe, cow etc are puttering around, all wearing different coloured hats a bit like the dwarfs in Disney's Snow White. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 20/07/2026

Fatimah Jackson is a biological anthropologist who has studied human diversity. Her latest project: working out what to do with the human remains collected by universities etc without consent. I profiled her for @sciencenews.bsky.social. loom.ly/hEapET8

Illustration of biological anthropologist Fatimah Jackson. The head of a Black woman, facing right, wearing a white headscarf. The headscarf is dotted with images including a DNA molecule, a world map and a photo of a young Black woman dancing. Credit: Ben Jones

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

Achievement unlocked: after years of loyal listening I finally had an email read out on @kermodeandmayo.bsky.social (from about 7:20) Apple: loom.ly/now2wQE Spotify: loom.ly/EfzmI1c YouTube: loom.ly/1twde8g

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 14/07/2026

One of the biggest trends in human evolution is that we became a fair bit taller and a lot heavier. (Our Human Story, @newscientist.com) www.newscientist.com/article/253322…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 09/07/2026

How come lugworm poop looks like it has fallen to the ground, when they defecate upwards? Feedback in @newscientist.com asks the big questions www.newscientist.com/article/mg2713…

A cartoon showing a lugworm: a worm that lives in a burrow in a mudflat. The lugworm's head is deep in the burrow with its bottom near the entrance, where it has deposited a single poop: this looks like the poop emoji, complete with eyes and smiling mouth. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 06/07/2026

We often assume that natural selection favoured intelligence and big brains, but this might not be true at all - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/253289…

A Neanderthal skull on the left and two Homo sapiens skulls on the right, all against a plain black background. The Neanderthal skull has larger brow ridges over the eyes, and has some damage like a hole in the brain case. Credit: Pascal Goetgheluck / Science Photo Library

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 02/07/2026

In further evidence that capitalism is entering a terminal phase, there is now a company selling probiotic underwear, reports Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2713…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 29/06/2026

Doctors often give patients tests or medicines, not because they'll help, but to prevent a complaint. How can we reduce this "defensive medicine", without inadvertently harming patients? @doctors-net-uk.bsky.social loom.ly/CHbTX1M

Photo showing a doctor in a hospital pinching his nose between his fingers, as if stressed. He has greying dark hair and is wearing a dark blue medical tunic. Credit: iStock.com / gpointstudio

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 25/06/2026

Are some people more prone than others to cry when chopping onions? And what does that have to do with a cat? All this and more in Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2703…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

A pair of wooden posts, erected 5000 years ago, pointed to sunrise on the summer solstice. They may have been a precursor to Stonehenge - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/253081…

A reconstruction of the summer solstice celebrations as they might have appeared at Bulford 5000 years ago. A grassy plane with two white posts tens of metres of apart, a crowd of people watching. Credit: Marijane Porter, Wessex Archaeology

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 18/06/2026

Feedback in @newscientist.com tackles a pressing question: Reptiles with a larger body mass tend to have longer Wikipedia entries, but does that apply to the noted fictional reptile Godzilla? loom.ly/K62jWok

A cartoon showing a Komodo dragon at the bottom left, face to face with Godzilla on the right. Godzilla is black with spikes and has a bright red mouth. A red beam shines between the two reptiles' eyes. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

This always gives me a little happy: my feature on the origins of life is this week's cover story in @newscientist.com In shops tomorrow morning! www.newscientist.com/issue/3600

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 17/06/2026

In more shock "autistic people are diverse" news, it seems people with autism can have unusually strong OR unusually weak connections between brain regions, with different mechanisms responsible. @newscientist.com loom.ly/T42CBPA

A series of fMRI images of human brains showing the different sections. Each brain appears in blue and white against a black background. Credit: Puradol Jaturawutthichai / Alamy

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 15/06/2026

New feature for @newscientist.com: When it comes to explaining how life began, sometimes the old ideas are best. Specifically, an idea put forward about a century ago and neglected for decades. loom.ly/3-IbpNs

Painterly artwork showing a load of animals and plants spiralling up out of a blob-like object at the bottom of the frame. The blog is dark purple, as is the background. The animals are kaleidoscopically colourful. Credit: Sam Falconer

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

Many people believe themselves to be funny. But who is most prone to this delusion, wonders Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2703…

Cartoon showing a person pointing at a mirror showing their reflection, and laughing. Two other people look on: one smiling, one very much not. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

I know a reasonable amount about the evolution of birds, but palaeontologist @stevebrusatte.bsky.social's new book about them still managed to surprise me. Review in @newscientist.com loom.ly/mvHFkcs

Artist's impression of Archaeopteryx, the first bird. It is a crow-sized animal with brown and black feathers, a long feathered tail, and teeth in its jaws (rather than a beak). It's sitting on a branch of a tree and looking over its shoulder. Credit: JA Chirinos / Science Photo Library

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 11/06/2026

You can now watch my full interview with @profaliceroberts.bsky.social for @newscientist.com, about the animal origins of the human body. NS: loom.ly/6vdtOMU YouTube: loom.ly/k3LiB_4

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

"Humans: The evolution of a species" is out today in the US and Canada! It's a lavishly illustrated account of our origins, written by a team of experts and also some hack called Michael Marshall. dk.com/products/9780241682746-humans

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 09/06/2026

We know that humans migrated out of Africa, but we sometimes get into a muddle about how and when and why - @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/252931…

Artist's impression of prehistoric Homo sapiens, wearing animal skin loincloths and carrying animals like deer, walking through a narrow passage between two boulders. Credit: Christian Jegou / Science Photo Library.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 07/06/2026

I know nothing about this book or its author, beyond his Wikipedia page, but my spider sense, trained by years of @ifbookspod.bsky.social, tingled as soon as I saw this promo image. I just have this niggling suspicion that a lot of the book’s content might in fact be quite stupid.

A promo image for a book. It has a red cover with an image of a sheep with its head stuck in a bucket. The book is called How not to be stupid: The transformative power of independent thinking, by Igor Sibaldi.

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

New book "Humans: The evolution of a species" is out now and I helped write it! Each chapter tackles a different body part, showing how it has evolved and the role it has played in the human story. The illustrations (v much not by me) are *fantastic*. dk.com/products/9780241682746-humans

A promotional image for the book "Humans: The evolution of a species". On the left it says: "Take an evolutionary journey, pre-order now". On the right is a copy of the book, which is a coffee-table book with two images of skulls on the front cover and the title in large green letters. It also says "Professor Alice Roberts, Editor-in-Chief".

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 05/06/2026

A new online encyclopedia is entirely generated by AI and consists of nothing but hallucinations, finds Feedback in @newscientist.com www.newscientist.com/article/mg2703…

A cartoon showing a laptop with the letters "AI" in big letters on the screen. Surrounding it are a host of weird and wonderful creations including a horse with a hand for a head, an upside-down ice cream and a multi-coloured pigeon. Credit: Josie Ford

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 04/06/2026

I spent a morning with @profaliceroberts.bsky.social talking about humans - in particular, the ways in which we both are and aren't exceptional. www.newscientist.com/article/mg2703…

A photo of archaeologist and broadcaster Professor Alice Roberts. She is a white British woman with shoulder-length blonde hair, smiling directly at the camera. Credit: Dave Stock

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 02/06/2026

New podcast: I'm on the latest episode of Ollie Guillou's What We Did Before, talking about what it was like for our ancestors to live alongside so many other kinds of humans podfollow.com/what-we-did-before/ep…

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Michael Marshall @michael-marshall.bsky.social · 28/05/2026

The Wikipedia page for the Ship of Theseus paradox has been edited so much, there's nothing left of the original text. It turns out there's a word for that, says Feedback in @newscientist.com loom.ly/MWeoPs0

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