Simon Ings
New Scientist
United Kingdom
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Past articles by Simon:
Pegasus review: Terrifying exposé of the world's most powerful spyware
From French president Emmanuel Macron to ordinary whistle-blowers, the surveillance software Pegasus has been used to target thousands of people. Investigative journalists Laurent Richard and Sandrine Rigaud tell its story and explain why no one is safe → Read More
The best popular science books out in 2023
Discover a quantum world of numbers, the amazing new science of the human electrome and long views of Earth and its wonders in this look at the best non-fiction coming this year → Read More
The best non-fiction books of 2022: A feast for the soul
From concrete dinosaurs to human evolution, exquisite plants to space travel, we pick the best non-fiction to give to those you love this year → Read More
All That Breathes review: Rescuing raptors in Delhi
In this award-winning and compelling documentary, rescuing the injured black kites and water birds of Delhi is a family effort, finds Simon Ings → Read More
The Directors review: Five intimate short films about psychosis
Five people in recovery from psychosis guide artist Marcus Coates as he recreates aspects of their experience in this series of disorienting and sometimes very frightening short films, finds Simon Ings → Read More
When Animals Dream review: Making the case for 'animalhood'
In his new book, David Peña-Guzmán argues that animals that can dream have a sense of self, and therefore a far more complex kind of "animalhood" than we thought possible → Read More
Am I Normal? review: Deep-dive sets us straight on our need for norms
When it comes to human physiology, behaviour and social interaction, it is time to abandon a 200-year hunt for normal people, argues Sarah Chaney in her new book → Read More
Explorer review: The amazing story of adventurer Ranulph Fiennes
An intriguing documentary about the life and adventures of Ranulph Fiennes, one of the last hero-explorers of our time, packs an altogether different punch at the end, discovers Simon Ings → Read More
Elusive review: The story of the Higgs boson defies normal narratives
Finding the Higgs boson is the compelling story behind Elusive: How Peter Higgs solved the mystery of mass. But Frank Close's book lives up to its title as both the man and his particle ultimately slip through the net → Read More
Top Gun: Maverick review: Thrilling nostalgia with superfast planes
A high octane mix of war, techno thrills and sports movie, Top Gun: Maverick devotes itself to nostalgia in a well-told tale of misunderstanding and redemption – and superfast planes → Read More
Ritual review: A gripping guide to rites and customs around the world
From the death rites of animals to gang initiations, rituals are found everywhere. This new book explores why → Read More
Meet the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs in this engaging history
In the parkland of Penge, in south London, dinosaurs roam. The Art and Science of the Crystal Palace Dinosaurs by Mark Whitton and Ellinor Michel is a visual feast that examines these Victorian sculptures → Read More
Endless Forms review: Let's hear it for wasps, says a lively new book
An exuberant and authoritative book puts wasps in their rightful place – at the centre of research, says Simon Ings → Read More
Arica review: Gut-wrenching documentary about a toxic waste lawsuit
A low-income Chilean community faces down the Swedish company whose toxic sludge was dumped near its homes causing cancer and congenital conditions in Arica, a powerful documentary, writes Simon Ings → Read More
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs review: A must-read reconstruction
Palaeontologist Riley Black has written an inventive look at the days, years and centuries following the impact of the asteroid that triggered the extinction of about three-quarters of all the species on Earth → Read More
What is Regeneration? review: A dive into the science of regrowth
From hydras to humans, this short book by two marine biologists explores the peculiar process of regeneration, showing that it is a far bigger subject than it might at first seem → Read More
Last Exit Space review: An unusual take on the race to colonise space
Rudolph Herzog’s documentary swerves the usual space experts to give an unexpected view of humanity’s efforts to live among the stars, says Simon Ings → Read More
The Parrot in the Mirror review: Why humans evolved to be like birds
From our long lives to our social skills and even language, zoologist Antone Martinho-Truswell argues that we are more like birds than we think → Read More
A Blue New Deal review: A radical look at who owns the sea
In his new book, Chris Armstrong argues that to protect the oceans from devastating pollution and over-exploitation, rich nations need to finally learn how to share → Read More
Petrov’s flu review: A surreal journey through one man’s delirium
Kirill Serebrennikov’s mischievous film about a fever-stricken comic book artist is an ode to Russian sci-fi and absurdist literature, finds Simon Ings → Read More