Long-lasting hats, jumpers and watch straps that function as smart devices can be made thanks to a cheap and reliable method of creating conductive fibre that can be woven into fabric ⌘ Read more
Long-lasting hats, jumpers and watch straps that function as smart devices can be made thanks to a cheap and reliable method of creating conductive fibre that can be woven into fabric ⌘ Read more
Four-atom molecules glued together by microwaves have broken the record for being the most complicated molecule to reach temperatures just billionths of a degree away from absolute zero ⌘ Read more
DNA from bones found in a cave in Germany has been identified as from Homo sapiens, showing that our species endured frigid conditions there as they expanded across the continent ⌘ Read more
Prospectors around the world are scrambling to find reserves of "gold hydrogen", a naturally occurring fuel that burns without producing carbon dioxide. But how much is really out there and how easy is it to tap into? ⌘ Read more
Officials set up almost 2000 camera traps covering 120,000 square kilometres to estimate the numbers of snow leopards in India’s mountainous regions ⌘ Read more
Scientists have mapped the brain circuit behind a form of Alice in Wonderland syndrome, when someone sees themselves or others in distorted proportions, in research that could improve how it is treated ⌘ Read more
Scientists have analysed the stars that an upcoming NASA telescope will target in its search for biosignatures, narrowing down the candidates for those that could host potential alien life ⌘ Read more
Not only can parrots fly and walk, they can also swing along branches using their beak, in a technique called beakiation ⌘ Read more
Elon Musk's Neuralink company is conducting its first human trials, implanting a tiny chip onto the surface of a person's brain to allow them to talk directly with computers ⌘ Read more
A review of dementia research highlights unequal healthcare outcomes for Black and Hispanic people in the US ⌘ Read more
At the smallest scales, everything is made out of a cloud of quantum possibilities. A new idea attempts to explain how our everyday world comes from this, using the laws of thermodynamics ⌘ Read more
DNA analysis of spider webs from two locations in Australia identified dozens of vertebrate species, suggesting a new approach to wildlife monitoring ⌘ Read more
Elon Musk's Neuralink company is conducting its first human trials, implanting a tiny chip into the surface of a person's brain to allow them to talk directly with computers ⌘ Read more
A recent study suggests that reducing social isolation among people with obesity helps them live longer, but it's not easy to prove that's definitely the case ⌘ Read more
Contrail clouds that form behind planes are responsible for much of the climate warming effects of flying. Small altitude adjustments would help minimise them ⌘ Read more
Light from hydrogen in the early universe has baffled astronomers, but researchers have spotted interacting galaxies that could explain how it makes its way to us ⌘ Read more
An AI inspired by the way humans form long-term memories during sleep can learn to perform tasks better than existing models ⌘ Read more
Calls made by male orangutans to attract females have short sequences nested inside longer sequences – a feature called recursion that was thought to be unique to human language ⌘ Read more
After nearly three years of exploring Mars, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has taken its final flight – but its astounding performance is a good sign for future drones on other worlds ⌘ Read more
Astronomers have used the James Webb Space Telescope to take astonishingly detailed images of spiral galaxies, revealing how and where they spark star formation ⌘ Read more
With more and more people monitoring their glucose levels in an attempt to boost their health, we take a look at what the evidence says about limiting your blood sugar spikes after eating ⌘ Read more
A raft of new measures aimed at reducing underage vaping are set to come into law next year ⌘ Read more
Covering paintings with very thin layers of graphene, or mixing graphene-derived materials into mortars used for repairing historical structures, could protect them from degrading ⌘ Read more
SLIM was put into hibernation after landing on the moon upside down, but it woke up when sunlight hit its solar panels ⌘ Read more
Conventional thermodynamics says that heating and cooling are essentially mirror images of each other, but an experiment with a tiny silica sphere suggests otherwise ⌘ Read more
A rubbery patch studded with suction cups that imitate the suckers on octopus limbs can make drugs penetrate the skin without breaking it or causing irritation ⌘ Read more
A study reconstructing the climate of Italy during the Roman Empire based on marine sediments shows that three pandemics coincided with cooler, drier conditions ⌘ Read more
A tiny, biohybrid robot moves by contracting lab-grown muscle tissue in its legs – but it needs help to stand up in a water tank and it tops out at just 5.4 millimetres per minute ⌘ Read more
Engineered cells that make the substances they need to grow could dramatically reduce the cost of cultivating lab-grown meat ⌘ Read more
After causing an international incident by suggesting that adding salt to your cup of tea will improve it, chemist Michelle Francl says it’s great to see everyone talking about chemistry ⌘ Read more
Learning to play the piano causes various changes in activity in areas of the brain involved in memory, movement and processing sensory information ⌘ Read more
Writing words down increases connectivity linked to memory and learning between different areas of the brain, with the same not being true when things are typed out on a computer ⌘ Read more
A never-before-seen type of star that puffs out enormous clouds challenges our ideas of what happens when giant stars reach the end of their lives ⌘ Read more
Japan’s Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) didn’t last long after it landed on the surface of the moon, but it released two rovers – one that hops and one that rolls – that took images on the lunar surface ⌘ Read more
Observations of the microquasar SS 433 provide clues to how these small black holes accelerate electrons to produce high-energy jets ⌘ Read more
Rebus puzzles provide wordplay challenges involving both images and text, and they can confound Silicon Valley’s most powerful AI models ⌘ Read more
Owls are famously good at rotating their heads, but now anatomical findings suggest they really could go a full 360 degrees without injuring themselves ⌘ Read more
If you're planning a holiday bring your blanket and get ready to hunker down, these are the coldest places on Earth ever recorded ⌘ Read more
We keep finding pancake-like objects in the solar system and it could be because they form in a certain way – from spinning clouds of pebbles ⌘ Read more
Three fossils of Pachycormus fish from the dinosaur era feature smaller members of the same species in their guts - perhaps showing how the animals got by when food was scarce ⌘ Read more
A person wearing a VR headset and haptic feedback gloves can control the iCub 3 robot and experience being somewhere else ⌘ Read more
People with unusually thin retinas are at greater risk of later developing bronchitis and other conditions, suggesting retinal scans could eventually become a component of routine health screening ⌘ Read more
Producing steel generates huge amounts of CO2 emissions. These could be reduced with a technique that repurposes the hazardous red mud generated when refining aluminium ⌘ Read more
Estimates suggest that there were tens of thousands of pregnancies as a result of rape between July 2022 and January 2024 in US states that effectively have total abortion bans ⌘ Read more
Four skeletons in a prehistoric burial site in Brazil contain the DNA of bacteria that are closely related to the syphilis bacterium, giving clues as to the infection's origin ⌘ Read more
Fungi exposed to acoustic stimulation in lab experiments have faster growth rates, suggesting a possible way to speed up composting and restore habitats ⌘ Read more
A decade ago, a study showed that the US had the lowest life expectancy among high-income countries. Why are things still getting worse, asks Laudan Aron ⌘ Read more
The world needs more data centres to support internet activity and the AI boom. That could double the associated electricity demand in the next few years ⌘ Read more
Satellite images have helped to locate four previously unknown colonies of emperor penguins in the Antarctic. One of the colonies has over 5000 members ⌘ Read more
A camera can recreate how animals see the world through both visible and ultraviolet light ⌘ Read more
Companies around the world are spreading crushed rocks on farms to remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in a process called enhanced weathering, but the hard part is measuring how much is stored ⌘ Read more
We now know that there are at least 45 different blood types and that yours may influence your risk of disease, from malaria to cancer ⌘ Read more
A nuclear war could lead to food shortages due to soot blocking out the sun, but a model suggests seaweed farming could expand to meet up to 15 per cent of the food eaten by humans ⌘ Read more
A massive study is claimed to show that regular primary care health checks can prevent multiple diseases, but it’s too soon to close the case ⌘ Read more
With a little help from a fungus and earthworms, chickpeas have been grown in lunar soil. It is a step forward in figuring out how to make long-term stays on the moon sustainable ⌘ Read more
A raindrop can weigh 40 times as much as a water strider. So how does the insect deal with rain when getting hit with a droplet is equivalent to a car crashing into a human? ⌘ Read more
Low vaccination rates have led to measles outbreaks in several countries, but many people are unaware of how the virus can have an effect called ‘immune amnesia’ ⌘ Read more
Nobel prizewinner Jim Peebles, who helped create our model of how the universe evolved, discusses dark matter, the value of iconoclastic ideas and the astronomical anomalies to keep your eye on ⌘ Read more
Today’s AI computer vision costs are too steep for most US firms to consider replacing human workers with the technology. But that could change in the long run ⌘ Read more
A row of gaseous krypton atoms has been trapped inside a carbon nanotube, allowing researchers to better observe how they interact in a confined space ⌘ Read more
Investigating gun crime is challenging if bullets have been removed from the scene – a tool that can identify bullets from the shavings they leave as they ricochet off surfaces could help ⌘ Read more
Endometriosis takes an average of 6.6 years to be diagnosed worldwide, with one study finding it can take 27 years in the UK ⌘ Read more
Chemical analysis of rocks found in South Africa shows that ancient microorganisms sustained themselves in a variety of ways, adding to evidence for an early origin of life on Earth ⌘ Read more
We have no complete skeleton of the ancient megalodon shark, but new evidence points to it being more long and slender than previous depictions, say researchers ⌘ Read more
The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) spacecraft touched down on the lunar surface intact, but its solar panels aren't working so it is running on batteries ⌘ Read more
In 2024, Ukraine will have more drones than soldiers in its armed forces, and the aerial vehicles and the artificial intelligences that can control them are changing the way war is waged ⌘ Read more
The fall of a couple of Mediterranean civilisations 3000 years ago had destabilising effects on their neighbours, according to a computer simulation, offering hints for avoiding similar disruptions today ⌘ Read more
UK figures suggest that when the condition is well treated, it can reduce people’s risk of heart disease and strokes ⌘ Read more
A sensor that clips onto shoes and alerts wearers when they walk with a strong stride improved stability among people with Parkinson's in a small trial ⌘ Read more
For primates, being born with a missing limb or experiencing a major injury isn’t necessarily disabling if their environment or social connections help them thrive – just like humans ⌘ Read more
A tiny molecular chain of gold, carbon and phosphorus has tied itself up into the smallest and tightest knot ever seen ⌘ Read more
An attempt to land on the moon has ended in failure – Astrobotic’s Peregrine lander was brought back to Earth to burn up as it plummeted through the atmosphere ⌘ Read more
The Japanese Smart Lander for Investigating Moon is scheduled to land on the lunar surface on 19 January, where it will drop off two innovative rovers to hop and roll around ⌘ Read more
A dense object about 40,000 light years away is heavier than any neutron star seen before, but lighter than any black hole, leaving astronomers unsure what they are looking at ⌘ Read more
FiloBot has a cylindrical body made of coiled plastic filament and can grow guided by light and gravity just like a plant ⌘ Read more
Taking a standard multivitamin supplement appears to reduce cognitive decline that happens with ageing ⌘ Read more
The US military will test an aircraft that flies without mechanical control surfaces like flaps and rudders, potentially boosting stealth characteristics ⌘ Read more
The black hole at the centre of galaxy M87 has been imaged at higher resolution and is now revealed in even clearer detail ⌘ Read more
Bottom trawling, a controversial and destructive fishing technique, releases large amounts of carbon dioxide from the seabed – and much of this gas gets into the atmosphere ⌘ Read more
When tardigrades encounter harsh environments, high levels of free radicals in their cells trigger the onset of a dormant state in which they can endure extreme hardship ⌘ Read more
The life expectancies of men around the world are catching up with women's longer lifespans, possibly due to a decline in smoking and alcohol-related deaths ⌘ Read more
A robotic dodecahedron that can collect tissue samples from deep-sea animals for later genetic analysis could speed up the identification of unknown species ⌘ Read more
The World Health Organization uses the term "Disease X" to refer to an infection with the potential for causing the next epidemic – or a new global pandemic ⌘ Read more
AlphaGeometry scores almost as well as the best students on geometry questions from the International Mathematical Olympiad ⌘ Read more
A conventional computer must be fully assembled before it can run, but an experimental DNA computer solves problems through the very act of putting itself together ⌘ Read more
With anaesthetics and brain organoids, we are finally testing the idea that quantum effects explain consciousness – and the early results suggest this long-derided idea may have been misconstrued ⌘ Read more
Black holes can be difficult to study, so researchers have made a powerful quantum vortex in a tank of superfluid helium that acts as a simulation of a black hole ⌘ Read more
Researchers estimate that 17,000 baby elephant seals have died from avian flu in Argentina and it is likely that the virus is spreading among marine mammals ⌘ Read more
On hot days, Alpine ibex increase their activity at nighttime to avoid the heat – but this might increase the risk of predation by wolves ⌘ Read more
Men's navigational skills slightly trump women's, but it probably comes down to their upbringing, rather than it being an evolutionary trait ⌘ Read more
The salt we spread to keep roads safe in winter is damaging ecosystems and threatening water supplies. Do alternatives, from coffee grounds to cheese brine, work? ⌘ Read more
A healthy rhesus monkey has been born after being cloned from fetal cells, but creating a clone of an adult human being would be much harder ⌘ Read more
Sperm counts are down worldwide, but researchers are finally getting to grips with why - and coming up with ways to reverse the trend ⌘ Read more
From The Matrix to Sliding Doors via Everything Everywhere All at Once, physicist Paul Halpern reveals his favourite films about the multiverse ⌘ Read more
Soil samples from a long-running UK experiment show that microplastic pollution has risen sharply in the past 50 years and is much higher in fields treated with organic or inorganic fertilisers ⌘ Read more
Expedition leaders say they have found several new species of octopus using a remotely operated vehicle around 3 kilometres deep near Costa Rica ⌘ Read more
Greater covid-19 vaccine uptake could have prevented several thousand deaths and hospitalisations in UK during a coronavirus wave in 2022 ⌘ Read more
The latest coronavirus variant, JN.1, is more infectious, but seems to be causing less severe illness than in previous waves ⌘ Read more
Efforts are underway to tidy up the ocean's biggest plastic hotspot. But this cleanup operation could be damaging a unique ecosystem and doing little to stop the overwhelming plastic problem ⌘ Read more