Kit Yates

Kit Yates

Professor of Mathematical Biology and Public Engagement at the University of Bath

Kit Yates is a professor of mathematical biology and public engagement at the University of Bath in the U.K.

He reports on mathematics and health stories. His work has appeared in The Guardian, The Independent, New Statesman, BBC Futures and Scientific American among others, and was an Association of British Science Writers media fellow at Live Science during the summer of 2025. His science journalism has won awards from the Royal Statistical Society and The Conversation.

Kit holds a BA in mathematics, an MSc in mathematical modeling and a PhD in Systems Biology all from the University of Oxford. He has written two popular science books, The Math(s) of Life and Death and How to Expect the Unexpected.

Latest articles by Kit Yates

Which animals are tricked by optical illusions?

By Kit Yates published

It's not just humans who notice optical illusions; certain animals do too, and they often use it to their advantage.

Animals

There is such a thing as 'settled science' — anyone who says otherwise is trying to manipulate you

By Kit Yates published

Opinion How bad-faith arguments sow doubt by weaponizing scientific humility.

Opinion
Producer at a computer with a sound wave on a screen.

AI voices are now indistinguishable from real human voices

By Kit Yates published

Do you think you'd be able to tell the difference between a real human voice and a deepfake? Most people can't.

Artificial Intelligence
scientist holding test tubes with illustration of money symbols and a sand timer on a blue background

Citation cartels, ghost writing and fake peer-review: Fraud is causing a crisis in science — here's what we need to do to stop it

By Kit Yates published

Opinion Thousands of scientific papers are retracted every year because of fraudulent activity, with both authors and journals gaming a system to gain academic acclaim through deceit, dishonesty and false representation.

Opinion