Michael Marshall
Freelance science journalist
I mostly write about life sciences and the environment. Previously acting editor of BBC Earth, environment news editor for New Scientist.
PROJECTS
New Scientist
Can CGI finally convince us that Neanderthals were smart?
We still see Neanderthals as dim, ape-people despite mounting evidence of their intelligence. Can a CGI makeover with Andy Serkis help transform their image?
New Scientist
DNA from another mystery human ancestor lingers in some people
Some modern Yoruba people in West Africa carry DNA that suggests an ancient species of hominin lingered longer than we thought
New Scientist
There’s no point reviving the northern white rhino – yet
With Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, dead it is natural to ask if we can bring these animals back with biotechnology - but there is nowhere for them to live
New Scientist
Shampoo is causing air pollution, but let’s not lose our heads
In Western cities, household products like deodorants and paints are a bigger source of air pollution than vehicle exhausts – so here’s what we need to do
New Scientist
Rare wooden tools show that Neanderthals got creative with fire
Wooden tools are hardly ever preserved, but a cache found in Italy suggests Neanderthals made them with fire and used them to dig up foods like tubers
New Scientist
Someone made advanced stone tools in India 172,000 years ago
A cache of stone tools found in south India reveals that the hominins living there over 170,000 years ago already had advanced tool-making skills
New Scientist
Ancient jawbone suggests humans left Africa 50,000 years earlier
We thought that Homo sapiens were confined to Africa until 120,000 years ago, but a jawbone from an Israeli cave reveals an exodus over 170,000 years ago
New Scientist
‘Speaking’ orca is further proof they shouldn’t be kept captive
An orca called Wikie who learned to mimic human speech could teach us a lot about killer whale culture – but that’s no reason to keep orcas in captivity
New Scientist
Ruptured Tibetan glaciers triggered massive speedy avalanches
In 2016, a pair of glaciers suddenly collapsed and sent huge chunks of ice hurtling downhill. The events suggest such disasters are more common than we thought
New Scientist
All other primates live their lives according to a simple rule
Hundreds of species of primate all form groups of the same five sizes, suggesting that the ecosystems in which they live strongly shape their lifestyles
New Scientist
Could we store carbon dioxide as liquid lakes under the sea?
We need to get carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere to slow down climate change, and perhaps deep-sea trenches would be a good place to put it
New Scientist
Huge space rocks could have helped start Earth’s plate tectonics
Nobody knows how or why plate tectonics got started on Earth, but it may have been triggered by staggeringly violent impacts from space rocks.
New Scientist
Antarctic mystery microbe could tell us where viruses came from
Viruses are not like other organisms and nobody is quite sure where they originated, but a newly discovered single-celled organism seems to offer a clue
New Scientist
The BBC should stop giving unwarranted airtime to Nigel Lawson
The broadcaster had tough questions for Al Gore and then gave space to false claims of a prominent climate sceptic. This is a recipe for spreading misinformation