science communication

On TikTok, the vast majority (86.8 %) of videos about sunscreen promote its use, according to a content analysis of 971 of the most-viewed videos on this topic on the platform. However, the minority (6 per cent) of videos that criticise these products generate more engagement (likes, comments and shares) on TikTok, the authors warn. This misinformation stems from “small but highly influential numbers of content producers, whose shock-provoking and “sticky” content can generate considerably and disproportionately greater attention or interaction among some viewers”, they write in PLoS Digital Health.

Premature births, babies born with birth defects, bad luck, satellite and telecommunications failures… Eclipses are attributed with a wide variety of consequences that have no scientific basis and are largely rooted in cultural traditions and deep-seated misconceptions. With the help of expert sources, in this article we explain why some people believe in them, what the main risks are and how to counter them. 

Research into the reactions of people who have witnessed total eclipses reveals that they are transformative experiences. All accounts speak of the amazement of seeing something that should not happen, but does. When the stars play hide-and-seek for a few minutes, what happens to the spectators is much more than the sum of orbits and analytical mechanics; it is emotion.

For months, Spain has been preparing to host an astronomical milestone: a trio of solar eclipses that will be visible mainly from the peninsula, Ceuta, and Melilla. In addition to explaining what they are and why they are important, this article will tell you where to find expert sources to answer your questions about this fascinating phenomenon.

The claim that one type of tree—Picea abies—can anticipate a solar eclipse through electrical signals is based ‘on speculative interpretations and unsupported evolutionary assumptions,’ according to an opinion piece published in the journal Trends in Plant Science. The paper refutes another from 2025 that claimed these trees synchronised their bioelectrical behaviour hours before a solar eclipse in Italy's Dolomite region. According to the authors of the new article, this electrical activity can be explained by temperature changes and atmospheric electrical discharges.

The end of the year is a good time to take stock. We love lists, but even more so, we love knowing what has interested you most from all we have published in 2025. So here are the 10 most-read articles—spoiler alert: yes, Trump and AI made it into the top ten.

The devastating floods in Valencia in October 2024 and the rainfall alert issued on September 28, 2025, showed that the way we communicate risks can make a difference, for better or for worse. This article presents eight key points for journalists, public officials, communicators, and anyone else interested in communicating better about floods and other crises.

The research article A bacterium that can grow by using arsenic instead of phosphorus was one of the big science stories because it discussed the possibility of arsenic-based life. However, it has been the subject of criticism until now. After nearly 15 years of debate and failed attempts by other groups to replicate the findings, Science has now decided to retract the article, despite finding no evidence of fraud or misconduct on the part of the authors, who disagree with the decision.