Tom Howarth
Tom is trends editor at BBC Science Focus. He obtained an MPhil degree in advanced chemical engineering from the University of Cambridge, where he conducted research into amyloid protein folding using fluorescent lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM). Before joining BBC Science Focus, Tom worked as a science communicator at the European Southern Observatory and has previously written GreenBiz and Geographical Magazine too. Today, he covers all types of trending science stories, from ecology to epidemiology, chemistry to computer science.
Recent articles by Tom Howarth
A flesh-eating parasite has almost reached the US border. Should we be worried?
A deadly fly once wiped out across North America has resurfaced in northern Mexico
The surprising ways Parkinson’s can now be spotted years early
A wave of new breakthrough tech could detect the disease years – even decades – before major symptoms strike
The hidden trigger behind Parkinson’s has finally been spotted
The findings mark a major advancement in our understanding of the world’s fastest-growing neurological disease
Your brain runs on autopilot most of the time. Here’s how to take back control
A new study has found that habits rule our daily lives, and yet they may be the key to achieving our goals
Long-distance runners may face higher colon cancer risk, early findings suggest
Running is overwhelmingly good for your health. But can you take it too far?
Groundbreaking video captures hidden moment of human fertility
Observing the crucial step in human development could help improve fertility
Taking common vitamin D supplement may actually lower your levels of vitamin D3
Yes, you read that right
How to cut your dementia risk: 7 key lessons from the world’s most important studies
The latest research is revealing clues about how you might be able to lower your chances of getting dementia. Here’s what the science says about keeping your mind sharp.
This strange skull has completely baffled scientists for 60 years – until now
The Petralona skull was discovered in Greece in 1960, yet who this person was or when they lived has remained a mystery
Artificial sweeteners may speed up brain ageing, study claims
Many of these sweeteners appear in diet sodas
What your spatial awareness reveals about your dementia risk
Difficulties with navigation could reveal the earliest signs of Alzheimer’s disease – long before memory loss becomes apparent
An ancient tooth is reshaping what we know about Stonehenge
A single prehistoric cow tooth has revealed that Stonehenge’s builders may have brought more than just giant stones from Wales
A new mega-earthquake hotspot could be forming beneath the Atlantic
Mysterious earthquakes in the region have long gone unexplained
We may have solved a major part of the puzzle of how life got started
Scientists have recreated a key step in the chemistry of life – offering new clues as to how our genetic code came to be
121 random fun facts that will blow your mind
Our collection of the best interesting trivia covers animals, biology, geography, space and much more
How we read emotions could reveal a hidden sign of brain ageing
Ageing isn’t all doom and gloom: you may see the world in a more positive light
Archaeologists have unlocked new secrets of life in Pompeii
Far from being frozen in time, Pompeii lived on as a fragile community built among the ruins
We can't predict when a mega-tsunami will strike. Here's why
The Kamchatka earthquake in July was the sixth-largest ever recorded, yet no major tsunami materialised despite millions of evacuations
Cats get dementia too. And they might be the key to new human treatments
New research has found that our feline friends develop dementia in a similar way to human Alzheimer’s Disease, opening the door to further research
A top secret US spacecraft takes flight tonight – and it could rewrite the rules of future warfare
The X-37B returned to Earth this month, but details of its time in space remain hazy, to say the least.
‘It’s just chaos!’: Inside the political unravelling of America’s climate disaster defence system
Staff at NOAA say verbal orders, travel bans and self-censorship are reshaping the agency from within
This tiny stone tool may have just rewritten human history
Who left them on this Indonesian island? No one knows... yet
A massive earthquake could be brewing beneath North America, study suggests
The only problem? No one knows when it will strike
Bigger dinosaurs didn’t always have stronger bites, surprising new study finds
You probably still wouldn’t want to come face to face with them, though