The city of Juchitan, on Mexico’s southern Pacific coast, was hit particularly hard by the 8.2-magnitude earthquake that shook the region on Sept. 7, 2017.
Edgard Garrido/Reuters
The Tehuantepec gap in southeastern Mexico, where this month’s massive earthquake originated, was long thought to be ‘aseismic.’ On September 7, scientists learned otherwise.
Soil has many secrets: technology can help reveal its mysteries.
Martin Bridgen
Mapping the soil with open source application is vital to understanding how to protect it.
Ivar Leidus (Iifar) / Wikimedia Commons
Bees need pollen to survive and grow, but not all plants can provide the right mix.
Harvard’s recent CRISPR experiment isn’t just a new frontier for science – it’s also a new take on how we conceive of human history.
gopixa/Shutterstock.com
The CRISPR gene-editing technique raises new questions about how we measure time and conceptualise history. Here, a cultural theorist takes on the philosophical side of this scientific breakthrough.
Monarch caterpillars feeding on milkweed leaves and dropping their faces (taken in the laboratory facility).
Prayan Pokharel
Bugs use their own defecation to defend their young, locate their homes and increase mating opportunities. For humans, insect faeces may even have untapped medicinal properties.
Display of Colombia’s main export countries on the “Globe of Economic Complexity” application provided by The Center for International Development (CID), Harvard University
CID, Harvard University
Can open data change the world? We looked beyond the hype to find out.
Falcon 9 launch in March 2017.
SpaceX/flickr
In the current commercial space race, the idea of reusing rockets is gaining momentum.
Online frauds on credit cards are on the rise especially during holidays.
Mighty Travels/Flickr
Cyber financial crime is on the rise globally. Here’s how you can stay safe.
This image was produced by the AI algorithm of the neural network ‘Deep Dream Generator’.
lylejk/flickr
Dire dystopian predictions aside, the real danger of artificial intelligence is not the notorious “AI singularity” but job loss and misuse by malevolent people.
Simulated universe: EAGLE collaboration, J Schaye et al 2015.
MNRAS
Is dark energy just an illusion, as is often suggested? To resolve the dilemma, interpreting the basic principles of general relativity in a complex Universe may need a rethink.
Chemistry class at the Dong Tien Secondary School, Thai Nguyen Province, Vietnam.
Asian Development Bank/flickr
How can we improve the PISA standardised tests?
It’s not too late to get your Himalayan Viagra, but it’ll cost you.
Max Pixel
The coveted and unusual aphrodisiac found only at very high altitudes can fetch up to US$100,000 a kilo.
Science is not religion, and we should not have blind faith in its powers.
Shamil Zhumatov/Reuters
Insisting that science has a monopoly on the truth invalidates dissent and undermines what should be an open dialogue between science and society.
Is someone watching while you work?
Jay Moff/flickr
Yes, Big Brother is almost definitely watching. Here, five tips for researchers on keeping you and your sources safe.
Blockchain is an exciting technology, but for it to go mainstream governments must be able to regulate it.
Name Coin/Flick
Laws cannot keep pace with technological advances – but that may not be a bad thing.
NASA/JPL/Handout via Reuters
JAXA has announced a mission to visit the two moons of Mars and return a rock sample to Earth.
Stephen Lam/Reuters
Facebook has a new, depressingly incompetent strategy for tackling fake news.
The robot Berenson in 2015.
Stéphanie Leclerc-Caffarel
Robots are strange creatures, and not only because they might steal our jobs. We humans actually have good reason to be a little worried about these machines.
KamiPhuc/Flickr
Data are present in every aspect of our lives. Knowing how to present and visualise them in a creative and meaningful way can make a big difference.
A male Hypsiboas punctatus frog in daylight.
Erfil/Wikimedia
Scientists in Argentina have discovered a frog that glows in moonlight and at twilight.
Ecuador’s Rafael Correa is one of the wold’s top politician-tweeters.
Carlos Garcia Rawlins/Reuters
When leaders of weak democracies use social media to connect with their constituents, people feel heard. But Twitter responses won’t give citizens what they need.
Some questioned the concept of the Women’s March on Washington. Now scientists will march against Donald Trump. Is that a good idea?
Jonathan Ernst/Reuters
Trump is not science’s biggest problem.
Fe Ilya/Flickr
The Moon belongs to all of us. Let’s share in its beauty from afar without splashing around $100 million on a showy space trip.
Will protesters have to flood US airports again?
Patrick Fallon/Reuters
As Trump’s travel ban hangs in limbo, what does it mean for science?
Artist impression of the Trappist-1 System.
Credit: ESO/M. Kornmesser/spaceengine.org
Scientists have discovered seven Earth-sized planets packed around a dim star.