Ben Deighton
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Managing Editor @SciDevNet, futurologist, Remainer.
Articles by Ben Deighton
Can traditional medicines go mainstream?
Traditional medicine is already used by billions worldwide. Researchers, regulators and the World Health Organization (WHO) are now working to generate acceptable evidence, win regulatory acceptance, and integrate traditional medicines into modern clinical care. Enjoying our latest content? Log in or create an account to continue Access the most recent journalism from Nature's award-winning team Explore the latest features & opinion covering groundbreaking research or References Chen, C. & Hou, Z.
Artificial intelligence boosts automated biolabs
James Field believes his automated laboratory is closing in on a powerful new drug to kill cancer cells with unprecedented precision. Yet the drug wasn’t created by any of the biologists working in his lab — it was generated by artificial intelligence. Field is a protein engineer working in synthetic biology, a discipline that uses the latest technology to engineer novel cells or biological components.
Global lung cancer burden shifting to middle-income countries
The number of smokers in Africa continues to grow despite a global decrease.Credit: Media Lens King/Alamy China — a country where more than 40% of men smoke — has become the epicentre of the global lung cancer epidemic. Historically, lung cancer has been predominantly a disease of rich industrialized nations.
Street sellers and private physicians fuel antibiotic overuse
Street vendors sell medicines at a market in Abobo, Côte d’Ivoire. Credit: Issouf Sanogo/AFP via Getty At Ghana’s biggest hospital, even the strongest antibiotics are starting to fail. A big part of the reason is the rampant overprescription and overuse of these drugs in the West African country of 35 million people. Because many Ghanaians lack access to physicians, those who fall ill often end up buying antibiotics from unauthorized sellers instead.
The day one Magpie joined a flock of Seagulls
The moon was full as I stood at a deserted bus stop in the damp of a misty May morning. Wait a minute, maybe this was the moment for a bit of self-reflection. Or, in footballers’ parlance, time to take a good, hard look in the mirror after four consecutive defeats in the Premier League. Eddie Howe wasn’t the only one missing his sleep last Friday night.
Why China’s philanthropists are digging deep for research
China’s rise to the status of science and technology superpower is in no small part due to the vast amount of public money it has poured into fundamental research. Its growth in spending in this area has outstripped the United States over the past decade as it seeks to drive up its research and innovation capacity further and reduce dependence on the West.
China could be the world’s biggest public funder of science within two years
The Centrifugal Hyper-gravity and Interdisciplinary Experiment Facility in Hangzhou is one of several major science infrastructure projects to be funded by China’s national government.Credit: VCG via Getty China is on the cusp of becoming the world’s biggest public funder of research, according to a forecast by US academics, as stalled growth in government investment in the United States coincides with consistent rises in spending by the Chinese authorities.
How U.S. global aid cuts are hurting science journalism
GLP Policy & Performance Review, 2024 The GLP is committed to full transparency. Download the report. Global Gene Editing Regulation Tracker Our interactive GLP global map explains the status of each country’s regulations for human and agricultural gene editing and gene drives. GLP 2021 Annual Report The GLP is committed to full transparency. Download our 2021 Annual Report.
Science journalism on the ropes worldwide as U.S. aid cuts bite
In June 2025, a year-long investigation exposed an illegal trade smuggling timber from protected areas in the Congolese rainforest into neighbouring Burundi. Award-winning Burundian journalist Arthur Bizimana and his collaborator Martin Leku, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, risked their safety by travelling deep into the rainforest — the world’s second-largest — to gather material for their exclusive story on the impact on this crucial carbon sink.
Science journalism on the ropes worldwide as US aid cuts bite
Environmental journalists at last year’s COP30 climate meeting in Belém, Brazil, interview the French ecology and biodiversity minister Monique Barbut. Credit: Pablo Porciuncula/AFP via Getty In June 2025, a year-long investigation exposed an illegal trade smuggling timber from protected areas in the Congolese rainforest into neighbouring Burundi.
Le seuil de 1,5°C de réchauffement climatique en voie d’être dépassé
[LONDRES, SciDev.Net] Selon Copernicus, le programme d’observation de la terre et du climat de l’Union européenne, la hausse des températures moyennes mondiales pourrait dépasser, d’ici la fin de la décennie, le seuil de 1,5 degré Celsius (°C) fixé par l’Accord de Paris. Ce qui exposerait ainsi le monde à un risque accru d’événements météorologiques extrêmes jamais vus auparavant.
World On Track To Breach 1.5C Target By 2030
Global average temperature increases could pass the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement by the end of the decade, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, putting the world at greater risk of never-seen-before extreme weather events.
World on track to breach 1.5C target by 2030
[LONDON, SciDev.Net] Global average temperature increases could pass the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold outlined in the Paris Agreement by the end of the decade, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service, putting the world at greater risk of never-seen-before extreme weather events.
New malaria drug heralds resistance breakthrough
The first new malaria treatment in decades holds promise against rising drug resistance after Swiss drugmaker Novartis announced it was as effective at treating the disease as established treatments. The new drug—known as GanLum—uses a completely different mechanism to fight the malaria parasite, meaning it works even when the parasite is resistant to existing treatments.
New Malaria Drug Heralds Resistance Breakthrough
The first new malaria treatment in decades holds promise against rising drug resistance after Swiss drugmaker Novartis announced it was as effective at treating the disease as established treatments. The new drug—known as GanLum—uses a completely different mechanism to fight the malaria parasite, meaning it works even when the parasite is resistant to existing treatments.
New malaria drug heralds resistance breakthrough
[LONDON, SciDev.Net] The first new malaria treatment in decades holds promise against rising drug resistance after Swiss drugmaker Novartis announced it was as effective at treating the disease as established treatments. The new drugâknown as GanLumâuses a completely different mechanism to fight the malaria parasite, meaning it works even when the parasite is resistant to existing treatments.
Struggling to get an early drink, a Swedish waitress and easy to get a ticket amongst West Ham fans
As I noted on Sunday in my ill-judged build-up article to the West Ham match, football is one of the hardest addictions to kick. We just can’t help ourselves. My 19-hour day ended once I had filed a downbeat summary of events on the pitch after it ended West Ham 3 Newcastle 1. True to form, when I woke yesterday I was already looking forward to visiting the “London Stadium” again next season. Revenge is best served cold.
Struggling to get an early drink, a Swedish waitress and easy to get a ticket amongst West Ham fans
I stayed in this East London hotel and caught up with Abba and Bowie on a whirlwind weekend As someone who has spent very little time in London, Stratford is perhaps not the most obvious area of the city to visit. My previous trips were brief …
Deader than a dodo on the Day of the Dead in East London
All Souls Day 2025 will not be remembered fondly by fans of Newcastle United. By the end of a deeply depressing visit to the London Stadium, it felt more akin to the Day of the Dead. Initially, it seemed to go swimmingly. Bowen crashed a fierce shot off Pope’s far post in the opening exchanges and Newcastle responded impressively. Bruno played in Murphy down the right wing. He swerved inside and out before striking a shot from about 20 yards.
West Ham fans on my train heading to the match, I couldn’t help but tune in…
After boarding the 08.30 from West Worthing, I closed my eyes for a few seconds and was transported back a generation or two to the glory days of the ICF.
Behind enemy lines at the Amex Stadium - Flaming Hecke! It’s Welbeck again
Well, if this is what you get from a modern stadium, call Bob the Builder asap. OK, the capacity would be utterly inadequate for a club of Newcastle United’s size. The location, nearer to Lewes than Hove, is as far removed geographically from Brighton as I am emotionally, but the stadium is first class. A spacious outdoor fanzone next to the turnstiles, only three minutes’ walk from Falmer railway station, is a great way to compensate for the rural surroundings.
AI-beleaguered states seek help from China media group
[GANZHOU, CHINA, SciDev.Net] Media representatives from low- and middle-income countries have called on a Chinese journalist group to help them tackle fake news produced by artificial intelligence (AI). AI-generated content poses a significant risk to the stability of many low- and middle-income countries as it is often used to create inaccurate news reports on social media platforms like Facebook, stoking religious or political tensions.
‘Double Standards’ As Israel Not Treated Like Russia
2 days ago Lebanon: Death toll from Israeli strikes on Lebanon rises to 3,583 Lebanon - Recent The death toll from Israeli attacks on Lebanon in the latest round of Israel-Hezbollah conflict that broke out on Oct 8, 2023 climbed to 3,583, with injuries rising to 15,244, said Lebanon's Ministry of Public Health on Thursday. On Thursday alone, 25 people were killed and 121 were injured in the conflict, the ministry reported.
‘Double Standards’ As Israel Not Treated Like Russia
Double standards in the way the international science community deals with Israel compared to Russia is leading to a mistrust in the global science system by Arab researchers, according to the head of Lebanon’s main science policy body. While Russian scientists have been barred from international science collaborations as a consequence of the war in Ukraine, the same thing has not happened to Israeli scientists despite the country’s ongoing offensive against neighbouring Lebanon and Gaza.
‘Double standards’ as Israel not treated like Russia
[BUDAPEST] Double standards in the way the international science community deals with Israel compared to Russia is leading to a mistrust in the global science system by Arab researchers, according to the head of Lebanon’s main science policy body.
Multilateralism 'failed badly' during COVID-19
by Ben Deighton, SciDev.Net Peter Gluckman, president-elect of the International Science Council. Credit: Matthias Silveri / IIASA, (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) The multilateral system has failed badly during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the incoming head of the International Science Council, a global body that counts the world's science academies as its members.
Q&A: Multilateralism ‘failed badly’ during COVID-19
The multilateral system has failed badly during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the incoming head of the International Science Council, a global body that counts the world’s science academies as its members. Former New Zealand chief scientist Peter Gluckman told SciDev.Net that the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic, and the enormous inequalities that have emerged in access to healthcare and vaccinations, shows the need for a global overhaul.
Social media COVID-19 crackdowns are censoring the press
“I would recommend following the recommendations to remove COVID-19 and abortion content on the landing pages linked from the bio and promoted tweets,” he wrote in an email. For the avoidance of doubt, “landing pages linked from the bio” means our news homepage. The abortion article he is referring to was about a research paper published in The Lancet, which showed abortion rates soared when restrictions were put in place. Our COVID-19 coverage is based on peer reviewed research.
Q&A: COVID-19 experience a ‘wakeup call’ for Disease X
Known as ‘Disease X’, a previously unknown illness that becomes a pandemic is seen as one of the greatest threats to humanity by many health policymakers. In an online interview with SciDev.Net, Golding said that COVID-19 had highlighted that diseases such as Ebola, which currently affect a small number of countries, can become global epidemics if left unchecked.
In person, at the first real-life event since COVID-19
Being at one of the first in-person conferences since COVID-19 was surreal, but valuable, writes SciDev.Net managing editor Ben Deighton. [TRIESTE, ITALY] It isn’t just the constant temperature checks, hand sanitiser stations and sea of masked faces. There is something extremely surreal about attending a real-life conference in the throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. SciDev.Net was one of the few international publications to attend the EuroScience Open Forum in Trieste, Italy, from 1 to 6 September.
Africa: Q&A - Africa Lacks Chronic Disease Policies - WHO's Tedros
There is a lack of strategies to tackle chronic diseases such as cancer and heart disease in the African region, posing a key challenge for those working to improve healthcare on the continent, according to WHO director-general Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Low- and middle-income countries account for 85 per cent of the 15 million people who die prematurely every year from non-communicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, cancer and heart disease, according to the WHO.
Q&A: ‘Global village’ needed to raise a scientist
By Bothina Osama, Ben Deighton [STOCKHOLM] There is an African saying that it takes a village to raise a child. But according to Segenet Kelemu, the director general of the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (icipe) in Nairobi, Kenya, it takes a global village to create a successful scientist.
SDGs ‘failing to create transformational change’
Children from Davao City, Philippines. The city has mapped its local development strategies along the SDGs, and prioritised the welfare of children.
SDGs ‘failing to create transformational change’
This article was originally published by SciDev.Netand is republished with permission. The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are often failing to produce the profound changes needed to achieve their ambitious objectives due to a lack of coordination across the 17 separate goals, the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting heard.
SDGs ‘failing to create transformational change’
"The reality is that if they are just seen as aspirational goals what happens is — what is actually happening now — is that governments are just labelling what they are doing anyhow as being in the obligation of the SGDs,” Peter Gluckman from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, told a panel discussion during the event, held in Washington, DC from 14-17 February.
Nanodiamonds sparkle as science delves into the human body
The world's hardest natural material also has the most enthralling sparkle - these two properties mean that tiny diamonds are giving us dramatic new ways of interacting with the human body. Whether it's enabling MRI scanners to see the way drugs move into cells, or creating durable connections between retinal implants and neurons, diamonds or even tiny fragments of them known as nanodiamonds are lending their glitter to medical research.
How a smartphone could find your stolen bike
Your smartphone could become part of a city-wide safety network that can track down stolen goods and warn you if you're about to enter a crime hotspot. Modern smartphones have enough processing power to render augmented reality, where standard images are overlaid with data and annotations, while Bluetooth enables close-range radio communication between devices.
Good chance of success in dark matter hunt
The Large Hadron Collider (LHC), the world's biggest particle smasher, stands a good chance of discovering the elusive particle or particles, known to scientists as dark matter, that make up five-sixths of the mass of the universe, researchers say... After successfully finding the Higgs boson - dubbed the God Particle by the media for its role in filling an important hole in the so-called Standard Model of particle physics - in 2012, the LHC has turned its attention to the hunt for dark matter.
Eye tracking in cars from next year
Eye-tracking systems will be available in cars from next year thanks to an EU initiative to back loans to Europe's high-tech small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). It means increasing autonomy for modern cars that are allowing drivers to take their hands off the wheel for longer and longer.
After vaccine success, Ebola work must continue
West African states such as Sierra Leone, Guinea and Liberia are facing the biggest ever outbreak of Ebola, a viral infection that causes severe internal bleeding and kills around half the people it infects. Since the first case in March 2014, over 11 000 people have died during the outbreak, the World Health Organization (WHO) said. The biggest problem is that there is currently no approved vaccine, and almost 900 health workers have also contracted the disease.
UPDATE 2-China widens drug industry probe, visits Belgium's UCB
* UCB says it one of several pharma companies inspected * Follows accusations of large-scale bribery by GSK BRUSSELS/LONDON, July 18 (Reuters) - Belgian drugmaker UCB has been visited by Chinese authorities as the country widens investigations into bribery by drugmakers, following allegations against Britain’s GlaxoSmithKline.
Can we make batteries better for the environment?
This article was originally published by Ensia and is republished with permission. Batteries are ubiquitous yet often ignored, humming in the background while powering appliances, smartphones, and other parts of our lives. They’re also a pivotal piece in the environmental puzzle, as batteries better able to store energy will boost intermittent renewables like wind and solar. But batteries themselves have environmental drawbacks, too. They contain toxic and in some cases flammable materials.
Q&A: Role models matter for global science
This article was originally published by SciDev.Net and is republished with permission. Having role models is crucial to getting more women into science, according to Margaret Hamburg, the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). It is vital for the advancement of science that there is an environment that helps women be engaged, she said in an interview on the sidelines of Foro Cilac, a science policy conference in Panama City, Panama, on 22 October.
Q&A: Role models matter for global science
Having role models is crucial to getting more women into science, according to Margaret Hamburg, the president of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS).It is vital for the advancement of science that there is an environment that helps women be engaged, she said in an interview on the sidelines of Foro Cilac, a science policy conference in Panama City, Panama, on 22 October.
Africa: SciDev.Net joins The Trust Project
By Ben DeightonSciDev.Net is extremely proud to be part of The Trust Project, a global initiative to help readers discern properly reported articles from fake news. From today, you'll see the Trust logo at the top of our articles. It means we have agreed with leading news outlets across the world what attributes a trustworthy news service should have, and ensured that they are all being implemented on SciDev.Net.
The danger is clear in DRC Ebola outbreak
Zambia is the latest country to step up Ebola preparedness in response to this year’s outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo.At the start of autumn, the WHO called the ongoing Ebola outbreak a potential “perfect storm”, after prevention activities in the north-eastern city of Beni were halted due to an attack by rebels.The situation is grave.
SciDev.Net joins The Trust project
SciDev.Net is extremely proud to be part of the Trust project, a global initiative to help readers discern properly reported articles from fake news.From today, you’ll see the Trust logo at the top of our articles.
SciDev.Net joins The Trust project
SciDev.Net is extremely proud to be part of The Trust Project, a global initiative to help readers discern properly reported articles from fake news.From today, you’ll see the Trust logo at the top of our articles.
SciDev.Net joins The Trust Project
SciDev.Net is extremely proud to be part of The Trust Project, a global initiative to help readers discern properly reported articles from fake news.From today, you’ll see the Trust logo at the top of our articles.
SciDev.Net joins Trust project
SciDev.Net is extremely proud to be part of the Trust project, a global initiative to help readers discern properly reported articles from fake news.From today, you’ll see the Trust logo at the top of our articles.
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