Chris Simms
@chrisnsimms.bsky.social
Science journalist covering all fields. Formerly an editor at New Scientist and Nature. Particular fan of health, mushrooms, amphibians, marine life and nature 🧪🐸 🍄
Selection of articles here: https://www.newscientist.com/author/chris-simms/
Selection of articles here: https://www.newscientist.com/author/chris-simms/
In this currently crazy world, it's very reassuring to see that the rule of law and good sense still has a place, as the High Court tells the UK government that its bizarre declaration that Palestine Action is a terrorist group was unlawful.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
UK ban on Palestine Action unlawful, high court judges rule
Protest group’s co-founder wins legal challenge against decision to proscribe it under anti-terrorism laws
www.theguardian.com
February 13, 2026 at 12:38 PM
In this currently crazy world, it's very reassuring to see that the rule of law and good sense still has a place, as the High Court tells the UK government that its bizarre declaration that Palestine Action is a terrorist group was unlawful.
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026...
The paper this article is based on is in Science: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
Fishing ban halts seven decades of biodiversity decline in the Yangtze River
China’s rapid economic development has triggered an unparalleled freshwater biodiversity crisis since the 1950s. To restore fisheries resources, the Yangtze River Fishing Ban was implemented in 2021 t...
www.science.org
February 13, 2026 at 10:17 AM
The paper this article is based on is in Science: www.science.org/doi/10.1126/...
But the ban does seem to be having the desired effect.
The number of large fish has increased, and there has been recovery among endangered animals, including the Yangtze sturgeon (Sinosturia dabryanus) and the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis).
The number of large fish has increased, and there has been recovery among endangered animals, including the Yangtze sturgeon (Sinosturia dabryanus) and the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis).
February 13, 2026 at 10:17 AM
But the ban does seem to be having the desired effect.
The number of large fish has increased, and there has been recovery among endangered animals, including the Yangtze sturgeon (Sinosturia dabryanus) and the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis).
The number of large fish has increased, and there has been recovery among endangered animals, including the Yangtze sturgeon (Sinosturia dabryanus) and the Yangtze finless porpoise (Neophocaena asiaeorientalis asiaeorientalis).
It involved huge human and financial costs: The recall of 111,000 fishing boats, the resettlement of 231,000 fishers, and an investment of more than $2.74 billion in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
February 13, 2026 at 10:15 AM
It involved huge human and financial costs: The recall of 111,000 fishing boats, the resettlement of 231,000 fishers, and an investment of more than $2.74 billion in the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
After other attempts to address the situation failed, China took drastic measures: The country instituted a 10-year fishing ban across the entire Yangtze basin in 2021, used river police to enforce strict penalties, and continued broad environmental management.
February 13, 2026 at 10:15 AM
After other attempts to address the situation failed, China took drastic measures: The country instituted a 10-year fishing ban across the entire Yangtze basin in 2021, used river police to enforce strict penalties, and continued broad environmental management.
Rapid urban development, dam building, overfishing, pollution and habitat degradation had all led to a huge decline in water quality and a biodiversity crisis. The Yangtze River dolphin and the Chinese paddlefish went extinct, and 135 fish species found in historical surveys disappeared.
February 13, 2026 at 10:14 AM
Rapid urban development, dam building, overfishing, pollution and habitat degradation had all led to a huge decline in water quality and a biodiversity crisis. The Yangtze River dolphin and the Chinese paddlefish went extinct, and 135 fish species found in historical surveys disappeared.
China's Yangtze River is showing signs of recovery following the introduction of a 10-year ban on commercial fishing in 2021.
The ban involved "strong political decisions" that have had "significant socio-economic consequences", but it is working. 🧪 🐟 🐬
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
The ban involved "strong political decisions" that have had "significant socio-economic consequences", but it is working. 🧪 🐟 🐬
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
China banned fishing in its biggest river, and species are starting to recover
Decades of overfishing and habitat degradation led to huge declines in freshwater biodiversity in China's longest river, but there are signs of recovery after a fishing ban was implemented in 2021.
www.livescience.com
February 13, 2026 at 10:13 AM
China's Yangtze River is showing signs of recovery following the introduction of a 10-year ban on commercial fishing in 2021.
The ban involved "strong political decisions" that have had "significant socio-economic consequences", but it is working. 🧪 🐟 🐬
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
The ban involved "strong political decisions" that have had "significant socio-economic consequences", but it is working. 🧪 🐟 🐬
www.livescience.com/planet-earth...
I do have a strange urge to try to play this game now
February 11, 2026 at 12:25 PM
I do have a strange urge to try to play this game now
The original paper on this potential discovery of a previously unknown Roman board game is now up on the Antiquity website:
DOI: doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
DOI: doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game | Antiquity | Cambridge Core
Ludus Coriovalli: using artificial intelligence-driven simulations to identify rules for an ancient board game - Volume 100 Issue 409
doi.org
February 11, 2026 at 12:16 PM
The original paper on this potential discovery of a previously unknown Roman board game is now up on the Antiquity website:
DOI: doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
DOI: doi.org/10.15184/aqy...
It was great speaking to @waltros.bsky.social about his research on this
February 10, 2026 at 11:24 AM
It was great speaking to @waltros.bsky.social about his research on this
The original paper that my @newscientist.com article is based on is in the ever-fascinating journal @antiquity.ac.uk, but isn't up on the website yet. I'll add a link to it when I see if has appeared
February 10, 2026 at 11:17 AM
The original paper that my @newscientist.com article is based on is in the ever-fascinating journal @antiquity.ac.uk, but isn't up on the website yet. I'll add a link to it when I see if has appeared
It is tentatively being called Ludus Coriovalli, or the game from Coriovallum because the flat stone was found in remains from the Roman town of Coriovallum, which is buried under present-day Heerlen in the Netherlands
February 10, 2026 at 11:06 AM
It is tentatively being called Ludus Coriovalli, or the game from Coriovallum because the flat stone was found in remains from the Roman town of Coriovallum, which is buried under present-day Heerlen in the Netherlands
We'll probably never know for sure if it was a game, but combination of archaeological and AI efforts suggest the rock was an early example of a Roman blocking game, a type not documented in Europe until several centuries later in the Middle Ages
February 10, 2026 at 11:04 AM
We'll probably never know for sure if it was a game, but combination of archaeological and AI efforts suggest the rock was an early example of a Roman blocking game, a type not documented in Europe until several centuries later in the Middle Ages
This carved rock may have been a board game, according to a study in which AIs played out thousands of games with slightly different rules against each other to reproduce which moves might have led to the wear and tear seen on the board. 🧪 🤖 🎲
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
Is this carved rock an ancient Roman board game?
The lines worn into an engraved limestone object from the Netherlands are consistent with the idea that it was a Roman game board, according to an AI analysis
www.newscientist.com
February 10, 2026 at 11:02 AM
This carved rock may have been a board game, according to a study in which AIs played out thousands of games with slightly different rules against each other to reproduce which moves might have led to the wear and tear seen on the board. 🧪 🤖 🎲
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
This has made me realise that I never get to see enough goat data. Frankly, who does?
February 9, 2026 at 8:14 PM
This has made me realise that I never get to see enough goat data. Frankly, who does?
For example, this 2020 paper estimated that more than 4600 species of bacteria reside in human guts. Yet about 3000 of these we haven't grown in a lab or even named. We know them only from spotting their genomes in metagenomic studies of all the residents of the gut.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
A unified catalog of 204,938 reference genomes from the human gut microbiome - Nature Biotechnology
More than 200,000 gut prokaryotic reference genomes and the proteins they encode are collated, providing comprehensive resources for microbiome researchers.
www.nature.com
February 9, 2026 at 8:13 PM
For example, this 2020 paper estimated that more than 4600 species of bacteria reside in human guts. Yet about 3000 of these we haven't grown in a lab or even named. We know them only from spotting their genomes in metagenomic studies of all the residents of the gut.
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
www.nature.com/articles/s41...
I still find it mad that even though pretty much everyone now knows what a gut microbiome is and might think we have a pretty good idea of what's going on in there, we still don't have much clue about the majority of species in our guts, saying they are part of the "hidden microbiome"
February 9, 2026 at 8:08 PM
I still find it mad that even though pretty much everyone now knows what a gut microbiome is and might think we have a pretty good idea of what's going on in there, we still don't have much clue about the majority of species in our guts, saying they are part of the "hidden microbiome"
The original research was published today in Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Meta-analysis of the uncultured gut microbiome across 11,115 global metagenomes reveals a candidate signature of health
Silva et al. perform a global analysis of over 11,000 gut microbiomes and reveal that
uncultured bacteria are key markers of gut health. The uncultured genus CAG-170 is
strongly linked to low gut dysb...
www.cell.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:57 PM
The original research was published today in Cell Host & Microbe www.cell.com/cell-host-mi...
Fascinatingly, the CAG-170 bacteria seem to produce high levels of vitamin B12, but probably not for themselves or for us.
“It seems like CAG-170 are taking more of an altruistic approach and providing metabolic support to the rest of the microbiome,” @alexmsalmeida.bsky.social told me
“It seems like CAG-170 are taking more of an altruistic approach and providing metabolic support to the rest of the microbiome,” @alexmsalmeida.bsky.social told me
February 9, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Fascinatingly, the CAG-170 bacteria seem to produce high levels of vitamin B12, but probably not for themselves or for us.
“It seems like CAG-170 are taking more of an altruistic approach and providing metabolic support to the rest of the microbiome,” @alexmsalmeida.bsky.social told me
“It seems like CAG-170 are taking more of an altruistic approach and providing metabolic support to the rest of the microbiome,” @alexmsalmeida.bsky.social told me
It was great to talk to @alexmsalmeida.bsky.social and Nicola Segata about this discovery for my story for @newscientist.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:53 PM
It was great to talk to @alexmsalmeida.bsky.social and Nicola Segata about this discovery for my story for @newscientist.com
A mysterious group of bacteria - known as CAG-170 - seems to thrive in the gut microbiomes of people without illness, hinting that they may be crucial to good health. 🧪
They could be used as an indicator of health, or maybe (one day) for better probiotics.
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
They could be used as an indicator of health, or maybe (one day) for better probiotics.
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
'Hidden' group of gut bacteria may be essential to good health
Scientists have pinpointed a group of bacteria that consistently appear in high numbers in healthy people, suggesting that these could one day be targeted through diet or probiotics
www.newscientist.com
February 9, 2026 at 4:51 PM
A mysterious group of bacteria - known as CAG-170 - seems to thrive in the gut microbiomes of people without illness, hinting that they may be crucial to good health. 🧪
They could be used as an indicator of health, or maybe (one day) for better probiotics.
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
They could be used as an indicator of health, or maybe (one day) for better probiotics.
www.newscientist.com/article/2514...
The original paper is in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
Cities as evolutionary incubators for the global spread of the spotted lanternfly
Abstract. Habitat destruction and invasive species pose two of the greatest global threats to biodiversity. These factors do not operate in isolation, and
doi.org
February 6, 2026 at 9:14 AM
The original paper is in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. doi.org/10.1098/rspb...
After that wee diversion... it seems spotted lanternflies in Shanghai evolved genetic tolerance to the hotter conditions of cities, and boosted their ability to detoxify and metabolise toxins and pesticides.
This is potentially what has made them able to switch host plants and spread in the US
This is potentially what has made them able to switch host plants and spread in the US
February 6, 2026 at 9:12 AM
After that wee diversion... it seems spotted lanternflies in Shanghai evolved genetic tolerance to the hotter conditions of cities, and boosted their ability to detoxify and metabolise toxins and pesticides.
This is potentially what has made them able to switch host plants and spread in the US
This is potentially what has made them able to switch host plants and spread in the US
And if the bees decide to forage on this sugary waste rather than visiting flowers, it gives the honey they produce a smoky aroma and a lingering aftertaste, although this honey is still safe to eat.
Has anyone actually tried lanternfly honeydew honey? If so, what do you think? 🐝 🍯 🧪
Has anyone actually tried lanternfly honeydew honey? If so, what do you think? 🐝 🍯 🧪
February 6, 2026 at 9:09 AM
And if the bees decide to forage on this sugary waste rather than visiting flowers, it gives the honey they produce a smoky aroma and a lingering aftertaste, although this honey is still safe to eat.
Has anyone actually tried lanternfly honeydew honey? If so, what do you think? 🐝 🍯 🧪
Has anyone actually tried lanternfly honeydew honey? If so, what do you think? 🐝 🍯 🧪
One of the interesting things about spotted lanternflies - which are actually sap-sucking planthoppers - is the effect they can have on bees.
Like aphids, the lanternflies excrete sugary waste, which ants sometimes feed on. But bees also get tempted...
Like aphids, the lanternflies excrete sugary waste, which ants sometimes feed on. But bees also get tempted...
February 6, 2026 at 9:07 AM
One of the interesting things about spotted lanternflies - which are actually sap-sucking planthoppers - is the effect they can have on bees.
Like aphids, the lanternflies excrete sugary waste, which ants sometimes feed on. But bees also get tempted...
Like aphids, the lanternflies excrete sugary waste, which ants sometimes feed on. But bees also get tempted...