Michael Le Page

Meet your maker

What did the last common ancestor of all life look like? Michael Le Page delves into the primordial soup

Climate change: The next ten years

Whats going to happen over the next decade? New Scientist looks at the latest forecasts – and whether we can trust them

Boom in gene-editing clinical trials

The CRISPR genome editing revolution continues to advance at an astounding pace. As many as 20 human trials will be under way soon, mostly in China, New Scientist has learned. One of these trials will involve the first-ever attempt to edit cells while they are inside the body. The aim is to prevent cervical cancers by using CRISPR to target and destroy the genes of the human papillomavirus that cause tumor growth. This study is due to begin in July at the First Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University in China

Lower your cholesterol – for good

A single injection could one day lower your cholesterol levels for the rest of your life. People born with natural mutations that disable a specific gene have a lower risk of heart disease, with no apparent side effects. Now a one-off injection has successfully disabled this same gene in animal tests for the first time. This potential treatment would involve permanently altering the DNA inside some of the cells of a persons body, so doctors will have to be sure it is safe before trying it in people. But the benefits could be enormous. In theory, it could help millions live longer and healthier lives.

How did Volkswagen rig emissions tests

Le Page investigates how Volkswagen rigged emissions tests of its diesel cars. New vehicles have to meet ever stricter emissions standards for a range of pollutants, but the testing is done in a lab rather than on the road. Volkswagen programmed its on-board software to detect when cars with its TDI diesel engine were undergoing an emissions test, using information from the steering, brakes and accelerator. It then tweaked the engine settings to minimize levels of nitrogen oxides.

The end of knowledge

We are storing our knowledge in ever more fragile and ephemeral digital forms. If the power cuts off, we could lose much of it

Evolution's greatest mistakes

As miraculous as living things might seem at first glance, a closer look reveals that evolutions blind blunderings often fall well short of perfection. Claire Ainsworth and Michael Le Page peek under the hood of life to assess the parts and processes where things seem to have gone spectacularly wrong

The price of emission

US president Donald Trump signed an executive order that aims to reverse the climate regulations introduced by the Obama administration. It could effectively cancel plans to restrict carbon dioxide emissions, such as those from coal-fired power plants. Years of legal battles lie ahead, but the message could not be clearer: the US is turning its back on efforts to curtail global warming. Now what matters is how the world responds. If other countries stand by and let the US brazenly flout its commitments, the entire agreement could slowly unravel as its credibility evaporates. Here, LePage discusses what other nations can do when the agreement includes no enforcement measures

Where there's smoke

Last week, air pollution in London soared to heights not seen since 2011. The usual suspects were named and shamed, including traffic fumes and a lack of wind. But joining them was a surprising culprit. The trendy log-burning stoves producing much of this pollution are marketed as a source of renewable energy that can cut fuel bills while helping reduce global warming. But recent findings suggest they pose a serious threat to the health of their owners, and are also accelerating climate change in the short term. Here, Le Page discusses the environmental impact of wood-burning stoves.

20 more ‘three-parent’ babies planned for 2017

Many more three-parent babies will soon be on their way. A clinic in Mexico is planning to use the technique to establish 20 pregnancies in the first half of 2017, according to its medical director Alejandro Chavez-Badiola. The first baby made as a result of using such a technique to prevent genetic disease was born this year. Unpublished tests suggest the baby boy is perfectly healthy, New Scientist has learned.