Helen Pilcher
Science writer, presenter and performer.
Helen Pilcher is a tea-drinking, biscuit-nibbling science and comedy writer, with a PhD in cell biology. She contributes regularly to BBC Wildlife and BBC Science Focus, and has penned many popular science books. Life Changing: How Humans are Altering Life on Earth was The Times 2020 Science Book of the Year and was shortlisted for the Wainwright Prize for Writing on Global Conservation. Bring Back the King: The New Science of De-extinction was Radio 2’s Fact Not Fiction Book of the Week, and was described by comedian Sara Pasco as ‘science at its funniest.’ In other news, Helen is science advisor to the Beano, and owns a genetically-modified wolf called Higgs. Her favourite bird is the kakapo, her favourite moth is the Merveille du Jour and her favourite beverage is a warm, milky brew; no sugar.
Recent articles by Helen Pilcher
Deadly African lake appears to turn animals to stone — but the truth Is even stranger
This lake is not one to go wild swimming in...
Scientists capture first-ever footage of killer whales making seaweed grooming 'tools'
Killer whales have been filmed using kelp to scratch each other — a behaviour that has never been documented before.
“It really is astonishing": animal uses Milky Way to navigate 1,000km across Australia, say scientists
The Bogong moth uses the stars to find its way to a remote group of caves in the Australian Alps – new study,
Sixth extinction could be far more catastrophic than first thought
For millions of years, large herbivores like mastodons and giant deer shaped the Earth's ecosystems, which astonishingly stayed stable despite extinctions and upheavals. But this will not be the case this time says Helen Pilcher
"Incredibly emotional": moving footage shows orphaned gorillas returning to wild after 10 years of rehabilitation
These four female eastern lowland gorillas were rescued from poachers a decade ago – discover their incredible journey back to the wild.
Nemo is shrinking: climate change is causing Disney's favourite fish to get skinnier and shorter
Clownfish, made famous by the movie Finding Nemo, shrink to survive heat stress and avoid social conflict during marine heatwaves, a new study finds.
"Stunned" fossil hunters just found the oldest ever reptile footprints on a riverbank in Australia
The incredible discovery rewrites the history of when animals evolved to live on land, say experts.
Scientists studied 164 mountain gorillas in Rwanda's Volcanoes National Park – here's what they found out about friendship
The research reveals complex positives and negatives of friendship in these critically endangered primates.
"Extremely rare event": why an ancient bone found at Dinosaur Cove in Australia has got evolution scientists so excited
The small bone was discovered 30 years ago, but it wasn't until now that its significance was fully understood.
Can we use IVF on animals?
Can IVF help species at risk? Yes says Helen Pilcher
An enormous snake-friendly zone is being created in this English national park – here’s why
Conservationists hope that the 250-hectare area will provide a safe refuge for adders, smooth snakes and other UK reptiles, including sand lizards.
Scientists unveil 'blood test from space' – here's how it could help life on Earth
The new approach uses data from space to help identify ecosystems around the world most in need of life-saving treatment.
Bigmouth buffalo: the perplexing existence of Minnesota's 'age-defying' fish just got even stranger
It can live for more than a century and its cells show little sign of aging with the passing of time. Now a new study has discovered something else unusual about this curious fish...
A once-lost sound is rising through the steep mountain forests of Vietnam
The evocative call of the cao vit gibbon – the second-rarest ape in the world – is a sound most will never hear. But a recent sighting of an infant clinging to its mother offers a glimmer of hope for the species' survival, say researchers.
How long does evolution take?
Are virgin births really possible in the animal kingdom?
Helen Pilcher explains all you need to know about Parthenogenesis (also known as virgin births)
Should the mammoth live again? Why bringing back the extinct mammoth COULD keep the Arctic frozen
What would happen if mammoths were brought back? Helen Pilcher investigates
As scientists plot to bring back the dodo, Helen Pilcher asks whether we should - and what would happen if we did
Should the Tasmanian tiger live again? Why bringing back the extinct thylacine COULD be a wildlife game-changer
What would happen if the thylacine returned as Tasmania's apex predator? Helen Pilcher takes a look
Back from the dead: Scientists plot to resurrect the passenger pigeon - but should we really bring it back just because we can?
Can we - and should we - bring passenger pigeons back? Helen Pilcher investigates
“Our forefathers all hunted turtles" – now former poachers in Fiji are on a mission to save them from extinction
The WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report warns that the world’s reefs are approaching an irreversible tipping point, making the work of Fiji's sea turtle guardians even more important.
Antarctica’s rapidly shrinking sea ice now threatening already vulnerable seabirds living far away, say scientists
Antarctic melting affecting distant seabirds
Protect this 0.7% of Earth and help save one third of planet’s most unique animals, finds new report
Big wins for conservation when evolutionarily unique and globally endangered animals are prioritised, say scientists.
"We chop toads in half and hang them over the river." The strange experiment that's saving crocodiles in Australia
Scientists are using a method known as ‘conditioned taste aversion’ to stop freshwater crocodiles from eating toxic cane toads in north-west Australia.