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
"Totally unexpected.” Scientists just discovered yet another extraordinary thing about the platypus
It is venomous, can sense electricity and glows under UV light. Now researchers have uncovered something else remarkable about this strange, egg-laying mammal.
“Viewers have been absolutely hooked.” Over 100,000 tune in to watch rare New Zealand parrot raising her chicks
Reality TV meets conservation – Kākāpō Cam is the most heartwarming thing you'll see all day.
Huge carnivores are roaming the streets of this Ethiopian city. What they're doing could be saving people $100,000 USD per year
In the city of Mekelle, hyenas and other urban scavengers are helping save the waste disposal sector money while also curbing carbon emissions, new study finds.
Scientists looked beneath one of oldest trees on Earth. What they found is astounding
The researchers discovered a hidden world of life among the roots of Chile's ancient alerce trees. Here's why that's important.
Can a human outrun a crocodile? Just how fast are these deadly, ferocious reptiles?
Just how fast are crocodiles?
It's a staggering 300 metres underground, features amazing 11-metre-tall crystals – and has a deadly 90% humidity level
The 'Great Texas Freeze' killed thousands of beloved songbirds. Scientists are worried about what might happen next
North America’s largest swallow, the purple martin, was hit hard by winter storms in 2021. With erratic weather events becoming more common, experts are concerned about the bird's long-term survival.
"First-of-its-kind event." Whale shark swims "astounding" 1,200km from Madagascar to Seychelles
The gentle giant’s epic journey highlights the need for transboundary conservation strategies, say researchers.
“It secretes a matcha-coloured substance from its anal gland that smells of rotting flesh.” This animal is insanely good at faking death
Whether it’s to deter predators or to avoid mating, plenty of animals fake their own death
Birdwatching may slow ageing of the brain, say neuroscientists
Learning to identify birds could be beneficial for cognition as people get older, according to a new study.
10 USA sewer dwellers: Alligators, sea cows, snakes, turtles – the surprising animals lurking in the country's sewers...
From alligators to sea cows these are the astonishing creatures discovered beneath America’s streets.
Kidnapped, brainwashed, enslaved: the animal that steals the young and forces them to work
The enslaved ants have no chance of escaping
It's been sealed off for an inconceivable 5 million years and is rich in toxic chemicals. Life shouldn't survive here – but it does...
Life thrives in bizarre ecosystem, sealed off for 5 million years
“Torture. You are chained in the flow of an active volcano.” One scientist was stung by over 150 insects over 35 years. Why?
Entomologist Justin Schmidt decided to find out just how painful the stings of venomous insects were
It's the biggest snake den on the planet – 100,000 crammed into a small cavern
Not a place to visit if you're scared of snakes...
1.6 million years ago, a bird flew over this mountain range in Haiti. It helped create a plant wonderland
Research reveals the flight paths of ancient birds kickstarted the evolution of an exceptionally biodiverse mountain range in the Caribbean nation.
Weighing a tonne and packed with hundreds of rooms – each home to a family — it can house a staggering 500 households. Is this the ultimate apartment block?
It’s the heaviest, largest, most densely populated bird nest… that's been built and extended over decades
Mystical 'phantom of the forest' caught on camera in remote Asian mountains
The rarely seen serow was one of many species spotted during a recent survey in the Annamites mountain range.
Kidnapping isn’t just a human crime: 7 of nature’s most shocking, brutal – and sometimes ballsy – abductors
From ants to birds, these 7 species don’t just hunt – they steal, kidnap, and turn others into unwilling servants.
Scientists went into an ancient cave in New Zealand and found a 'lost world' hiding within
Fossils of birds and other animals unearthed from the cavern provide a "missing volume" in New Zealand’s natural history, say researchers.
It can be seen from space and contains a staggering two hundred million mounds, each one nine metres across and two and a half metres tall
Are termites the best builders in the business?
With speeds of 100 miles per hour, it leaves birds like swifts and albatrosses eating its dust.
did you know the fastest flying animal in the world isn't a bird
It’s 2 miles deep, close to a volcano, the size of 233 soccer fields and home to a whopping 20,000 creatures
The world’s biggest octopus aggregation is made up of thousands of these usually solitary creatures
Remote cameras catch rare predator in Californian forest. There are only 500 left on the planet
Once thought extinct, researchers are trying to find out more about this tiny carnivore to aid its conservation.
