Michael Hanlon

Michael Hanlon (20 December 1964 – 9 February 2016) was a British science writer and newspaper science editor.

Michael Hanlon
Born	(1964-12-20)20 December 1964 Bristol, England
Died	9 February 2016(2016-02-09) (aged 51)
Nationality	British
Occupation	Science Writer/Journalist
Known for	Science articles in newspapers and magazines, and writing books

Early life

Hanlon was born in Bristol and grew up on the Dorset coast. He studied Earth Sciences at university.^[1]

Career

Hanlon was the Science page editor at the Daily Telegraph^[2] having previously been Science Editor at the Daily Mail,^[3] and author of articles for the Daily Express, the Independent and Irish News. He also contributed on a regular basis to several magazines, including the Spectator. He was often seen on television, or heard on the radio, as an expert in explaining science to the general public.^[4] The Guardian called Hanlon a "top science writer".^[5]

Hanlon turned heads, including that of Ed West, when he abandoned his skepticism about global warming.^[6] According to the Daily Telegraph, this followed a visit to the Greenland ice cap when he saw the extent of the melt for himself.^[2]

Books

• The Worlds of Galileo: A Jovian Odyssey (2001), co-authored with Arthur C. Clarke.^[7]
• The Real Mars (2004)
• The Science of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (2006)
• 10 Questions Science Can't Answer (Yet!): A Guide to Science's Greatest Mysteries (2007)
• Eternity: Our Next Billion Years (Macmillan Science) (2008)^[3][8]

Personal life

Hanlon was married to Elena Seymenliyska, also a journalist, who works for Aeon (digital magazine). Latterly, his girlfriend was Alison.

Hanlon died of a heart attack on 9 February 2016. He leaves behind a son, Zachary.^[2]