Sophie is a U.K.-based staff writer at Live Science. She covers a wide range of topics, having previously reported on research spanning from bonobo communication to the first water in the universe. Her work has also appeared in outlets including New Scientist, The Observer and BBC Wildlife, and she was shortlisted for the Association of British Science Writers' 2025 "Newcomer of the Year" award for her freelance work at New Scientist. Before becoming a science journalist, she completed a doctorate in evolutionary anthropology from the University of Oxford, where she spent four years looking at why some chimps are better at using tools than others.
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Crimean Stone Age 'crayons' were used by Neanderthals for symbolic drawings, study claimsScientists have discovered Stone Age "crayons" in Crimea, hinting that Neanderthals may have used them for symbolic drawings or markings. But not everyone agrees.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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'Chemo brain' may stem from damage to the brain's drainage systemAn early-stage study has found that a common chemotherapy drug disrupts lymphatic cells in the tissue surrounding the brain. This is linked to memory issues in mice.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Would you get rid of daylight saving time?The clocks in the U.S. will be "falling back" on Sunday, Nov. 2, marking the end of daylight saving time for 2025. If you could decide, would you abandon it forever?
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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'Puzzling' object discovered by James Webb telescope may be the earliest known galaxy in the universeWhile scouring images from the James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers spotted Capotauro, "one of the most puzzling discoveries" to date.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Meat eaten by city-dwelling Americans produces more CO2 than the entire UK — but there are easy ways to slash itHalving how much edible food is thrown away, swapping beef for pork or chicken and having one meatless day a week could slash the carbon "hoofprint" of U.S. cities by up to 51%, a new study finds.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Easter Island statues may have 'walked' thanks to 'pendulum dynamics' and with as few as 15 people, study findsSimple physics may explain how the Easter Island statues could "walk" miles with only a handful of people, but the debate over their transport is far from over.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Jane Goodall revolutionized animal research, but her work had some unintended consequences. Here's what we've learned from them.Following Jane Goodall's death, chimp experts explain how her early observations still influence our understanding of our ape cousins.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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James Webb telescope finds something 'very exciting' shooting out of first black hole ever imagedUsing the James Webb Space Telescope's infrared camera, scientists have captured the gigantic jet blasting out of M87* in a new light.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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James Webb telescope could have spotted controversial 'dark stars' in the far universeUsing observations from the James Webb Space Telescope, astrophysicists have spotted what they say is compelling evidence of a new type of cosmic object called a 'dark star.'
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Scientists invent 'Pulse-Fi' prototype — a Wi-Fi heart rate monitor that's cheaper to set up than the best wearable devicesEngineers are in the early stages of harnessing Wi-Fi as a way to monitor heart rates, but don't expect to use your home router anytime soon.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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From tool use to warfare — here are 5 ways Jane Goodall revolutionized our knowledge of chimpanzeesPioneering primatologist Jane Goodall has died at age 91. These are her five biggest contributions to how we understand about our closest living relatives.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Scientists find best evidence yet that icy moon Enceladus is habitableAn ocean flowing beneath the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus is spewing ice that holds the building blocks of life.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Chimps eat fruit full of alcohol, but no, they don't get drunkChimps' ability to metabolize fermented fruit could explain our own predilection for alcohol.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Scientists have digitally removed the 'death masks' from four Colombian mummies, revealing their faces for the first timeThe reconstructions are based on the skulls of four mummified individuals who had masks tightly fitted on their faces.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Life-size rock art points the way to oldest human inhabitants of Saudi Arabia — and the desert oases they usedArchaeologists in Saudi Arabia have discovered hundreds of rock art engravings that were carved by humans more than 12,000 years ago.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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In 'Secrets of the Brain,' Jim Al-Khalili explores 600 million years of brain evolution to understand what makes us humanINTERVIEW In his new BBC show, Jim Al-Khalili journeys through hundreds of millions of years of brain evolution. Live Science spoke to him about what he learned along the way and how this knowledge sheds new light on human cognition.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Abandoning daylight saving time could prevent over 300,000 stroke cases a year in the US, study claimsSpringing forward by an hour each March knocks the circadian rhythm out of alignment. A new model of the chronic health impacts argues for scrapping it entirely.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Soar through 44 million stars in Gaia telescope's latest 3D map of our galaxy — Space photo of the weekScientists have used the Gaia Space Telescope to create a 3D map of star kindergartens within the Milky Way, and you can fly through it.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Vast source of rare Earth metal niobium was dragged to the surface when a supercontinent tore apartPotentially the largest known source of niobium discovered in central Australia formed 830 million years ago, and we can thank the breakup of the ancient supercontinent Rodinia.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Scientists measure the 'natal kick' that sent a baby black hole careening through space for the first timeTwo black holes merged together 2.4 billion light years away from Earth, and scientists have just figured out how fast the newborn ricocheted, and in which direction.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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'Almost like science fiction': European ant is the first known animal to clone members of another speciesA species of ant found scurrying across southern Europe is the first animal found that clones males of another species.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Meet the Chinese supercar that just smashed the EV speed recordChinese EV maker BYD has designed and tested a supercar with a top speed that rivals the best gasoline cars.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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A scalding hot 'sand battery' is now heating a small Finnish townEngineers create a sand battery that they say will slash the carbon emissions in Pornainen, Finland, by 70% — it uses renewables to heat the sand to almost 850 degrees Fahrenheit.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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Woman's severe knee pain reveals 'golden threads' in her jointsA woman went to the hospital for severe joint pain in her knees, and an X-ray showed hundreds of strands of gold thread.
By Sophie Berdugo Published
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