Helen Glenny
Helen is a freelance science and travel journalist, with a background in neuroscience and physiology.
Recent articles by Helen Glenny
Obsession: Why your brain gets stuck in thought – and how to break free
Obsession can drive us to achieve goals. But what causes us to become obsessed? And when does it tip over into a harmful fixation?
Cold water swimming | Why an icy dip is good for your mental and physical health
Many people swear by the benefits of cold water swimming, and scientists think that they might be on to something.
Chris Packham on overpopulation | "The first thing I’d do is globally emancipate and educate women"
Chris Packham, host of the BBC’s Chris Packham: 7.7 Billion People and Counting tells us about his fight to fix the planet, his kinship with Alan Turing, and dissecting Donald Trump.
Earth’s ancient geography 'directed the course of human evolution'
In his book, Origins, astrobiologist Lewis Dartnell shows us how the Earth’s ancient geography has influenced the development of human civilisations, and how it still affects our behaviour today.
Electroconvulsive therapy | With ECT clinics closing nationwide, is the UK losing a life-saving therapy?
Electroconvulsive therapy has a reputation as a violent – even barbaric – treatment for mental illness. But also a life-saving one.
Science Focus Podcast | How can we save our planet? - Sir David Attenborough
We speak to Sir David Attenborough, naturalist and host of the new Netflix show Our Planet, and two of the show’s producers about the essential changes we need to make to save our home.
Sarah Harper | What does a world with an ageing population look like?
We can’t reverse the slow march of time, but as people live longer and the birth rate declines, how can we manage a world with an ageing population?
Gary Barker | What does it mean to be a man?
Male stereotypes are under increasing scrutiny. Psychologist Gary Barker explains why they are harmful, and what a progressive form of masculinity could look like.
Troubleshoot | How to choose the best fitness tracker
Modern fitness tech comes packed with features. Exercise physiologist Jonathan Peake tells us how some of these trackers work.
A crisis of knowledge: why what we don't know matters
Michael Blastland's new book, The Hidden Half, looks at how our urge to constantly find order affects science, politics, business and economics, with sometimes catastrophic results...
Leonardo da Vinci's forgotten legacy
Leonardo Da Vinci survives in our minds as a great artist, but his drawings show that he was also one of the great renaissance scientists. Martin Clayton, Head of Prints and Drawings at Royal Collection Trust, talks to us about Leonardo’s legacy.
Troubleshoot | How do I make the perfect cup of coffee?
To make excellent coffee, apply the scientific method.
Michael Blastland | Can science explain everything?
Smoking kills - but it doesn't kill everyone. So why can't we predict which smokers will live? The answer is uncertainty in the data.
Wake therapy | The new technique that starves people of sleep to treat depression
Up all night to get happy: psychiatrist Professor David Veale explains how sleep deprivation, under controlled conditions, can treat depression.
Troubleshoot | How to get the best night's sleep
Dr Penny Lewis engineers sleep to improve memory and brain function. But to really help your brain, she says you need to start with the basics.
Martin Clayton | Why is Leonardo Da Vinci’s scientific legacy so often overlooked?
Da Vinci is remembered five hundred years after his death for his artworks, but he was also a scientist, working across anatomy, engineering, and architecture, to name a few.
Nessa Carey | Is gene editing inspiring or terrifying?
With gene editing we’re close to curing certain diseases, but at the same time, rogue scientists are experimenting in ways considered unethical by the wider medical community. What does the future look like for gene editing, and for the human race?
Medical ethics | Dr Deborah Bowman spent more than 20 years researching medical ethics, but a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis made her reconsider everything
Dr Deborah Bowman, presenter of BBC Radio 4's Patient Undone, spent more than 20 years researching medical ethics, but a 2017 breast cancer diagnosis made her reconsider everything.
Sir David Attenborough | “If we damage the natural world, we damage ourselves”
Sir David Attenborough reunites with the creators of Planet Earth for new Netflix series Our Planet. Here, they reveal how the show will inspire people to save our beautiful home.
Humans may have an ancient ability to sense magnetic fields
Crystals found in our grey matter may help us to navigate using the Earth's magnetic field.
Troubleshoot | How secure are your smart home devices?
Many of us are filling our houses with smart home gadgets, but are we signing away our safety?
Failing upwards | How charismatic leaders fail their way to success
Despite blunder-filled careers, the Dunning-Kruger effect explains why confident officials rise above more capable colleagues. Can that explain what is happening in today’s political climate?
Missile threat? Don’t panic, tweet
Researchers studying the 2018's false alarm in Hawaii discovered 'social milling' helped people verify the warning.
Brad Lister | Are we facing an insect apocalypse?
When Professor Brad Lister returned to Puerto Rico to track insect populations, he found he was only catching a fraction of the biomass he’d seen forty years ago. When he analysed what he’d caught, he saw a 98 per cent decline in insects on the ground. What’s causing this huge loss, and what does it mean for the future of our planet?