Emotion and tears in mission control as Rosetta comes to a silent end
A moment of sadness with tears shed ... then it was on with the work.
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Swansong for Rosetta as it lands on the duck-shaped comet
It has been an epic journey, much more than 12 years in the making, but Rosetta is just about to go out in a blaze of glory. The final commands were uploaded to the spacecraft mid-morning on September…
Analysis and Comment
How feasible are Elon Musk’s plans to settle on Mars? A planetary scientist explains
Musk's know-how cannot be dismissed but there are significant challenges standing between him and his dream of colonising Mars.
Here’s how drones will change cities
Over the next few years, drones are going to take to the skies en masse – and cities will need to accommodate them.
Ig Nobel prize winner: why I lived like a badger, an otter, a deer and a swift
When Charles Foster wanted to open his senses to the world he took to the woods.
A new twist to whodunnit in science’s famous Piltdown Man hoax
One of paleontology's most notorious hoaxes has long been blamed on a serial forger named Charles Dawson. But might a Jesuit priest have been in on a joke that went wrong ?
From Silicon Valley to Valles Marineris: is humanity ready for Elon Musk’s Mars vision?
A true plan for the colonisation of Mars should include both the social and technical feasibility of living there. Unfortunately, Musk left that bit out.
Act now to preserve our disappearing videogame culture – or it’s ‘game over’
Videogaming's rich cultural history is already being lost. We need to do more to save it.
How the human brain can register information without conscious attention
It has long been claimed that subliminal messages work. Now two studies have set the record straight.
World’s oldest muscle-fibre fossil reveals the origin of legs
Were legs a quirk of genetic mutation rather than an evolutionary inevitability?
‘Penis worm’ mouth monster: how we solved a prehistoric mystery
Uncovering the monsters of the prehistoric deep.
How ‘robots’ of the Enlightenment era gave us an early glimpse of automation
We have been building mechanical devices that can fly, play music and even speak for centuries.
New water plumes from Jupiter’s moon Europa raise hopes of detecting microbial life
There's now strong evidence that Europa might be a worthwhile place to search for life.
Crashing space station shows why China must start to collaborate in orbit
We don't know where Tiangong-1 will land but the risk of someone being hit is about 1 in 3,200.
Video refereeing could be a major own goal for football – here’s why
The price of greater accuracy might be to damage fans' enjoyment.
How kids can benefit from boredom
Learning how to overcome boredom can boost a child's creativity and independence. So why are parents scared of it?
We made an app to identify bird sounds – and learned something surprising about people
Our citizen science project was designed to record bird sounds but produced some surprisingly funny impressions.
Genetic studies reveal diversity of early human populations – and pin down when we left Africa
New research into how early humans spread across the world settles several long-running debates.
Can monkeys have autism? The answer could help us understand what causes the condition
New research shows macaques can show autism-like behaviour.
To bee or not to bee – why some insects pretend to be dangerous
Hoverflies have evolved to trick predators into thinking they have a sting in the tail – but the predators have fought back.
How we’re helping the Gaia mission map a billion stars to unparalleled precision
The Gaia catalogue’s incredible precision is only possible due to accurate tracking of Gaia itself from the ground.
A sixth sense? How we can tell that eyes are watching us
Is someone looking at you or are you just imagining things? A neuroscientist explains.
What’s the point of maths research? It’s the abstract nonsense behind tomorrow’s breakthroughs
We don't know what knowledge we'll need in the future, and that's where maths research comes in.
Does the UK need or even want a ‘Great British Firewall’?
Having a nationwide firewall means trusting the same people who spy on communications.
Heroes help us cope with fears of dying – that’s why we love them
It ain't all biff, bang pow.
Why sad songs say so much (to some people, but not others)
People who are compassionate may be 'rewarded' by experiencing pleasure from sad music.
Amazon Echo will bring genuinely helpful AI into our homes much sooner than expected
Amazon's voice-controlled personal assistant device is coming to the UK and bringing smart homes with it.
Mordor mystery: scientists solve puzzle of the strange, dark north pole on Pluto’s moon Charon
Trapped gas could be tainting the north pole of Pluto's moon Charon dark red.
Explained: why a reboot is the go-to computer fix
We've all called up IT for help and been asked to turn our machines off and on again. Here's why.
Facebook’s algorithms give it more editorial responsibility – not less
Making decisions about what people do and don't read is the traditional role of an editor, no matter what Facebook claims.
Psychotextiles could be next big thing in fabrics
Welcome to the world of cloths and materials that change depending on your mood.
Plastic banknotes: new fingerprint technique means criminals can’t avoid capture
New plastic banknotes pose a challenge to forensic scientists that clever chemistry can solve.
Women’s idealised bodies have changed dramatically over time – but are standards becoming more unattainable?
The proliferation of mass media has helped to create a standardisation of beauty ideals, making them harder to cope with. But there are encouraging signs that things could change.
Dear Mark Zuckerberg: why editors were wrong to damn Facebook for censorship
The social media site must be free to make its own editorial decisions – right or wrong.
Fossil evidence reveals that cancer in humans goes back 1.7 million years
Cancer is not the modern disease many believe it to be. New fossil evidence from two South African caves suggests that its origins lie deep in prehistory.
SpaceX explosion shows why we must slow down private space exploration until we rewrite law
It is unclear how regulated space activities by private companies really are.
Here’s how to convince the brain that prosthetic legs are real
The best prosthetics feel more like the real thing.
How to win friends and influence people – using robots
Making the mechanical more human.
This new fingerprint technique could revolutionise the way we solve gun crime
It could even help crack long-forgotten cold cases.
Boxer Kell Brook moved up two weight categories for the fight of his life – here’s how we trained him
For his fight with Gennady Gennadyevich Golovkin, Kell Brook had to gain weight in just the right places.
Dual camera smartphones – the missing link that will bring augmented reality into the mainstream
Pokemon Go brought augmented reality to people's attention, but dual camera smartphones will make it much more useful for the future.
In the global race for rare metals, Team China wins gold
iPhones, Boeing 787s, Teslas and a whole host of other technologies all rely on rare metals – so much so that a new era beckons.
Bio-banding is football’s big idea for developing young talent – and why it might not work
Bio-banding is all the rage as youth football seeks to make the most of young talent. Here's why we shouldn't get carried away.
Was Neil Armstrong misquoted? Study suggests his accent could’ve been to blame
New research has found that Neil Armstrong's strong midwestern accent is making it impossible for us to work out what he actually said when he first set foot on the moon.
Why you can expect a spectacular autumn
Here's the science behind the amazing colours we should see on British trees this year.
Lift-off for NASA mission to collect grains from an asteroid that may be on collision course with Earth
Scientists are hoping to collect 100g of material from asteroid Bennu.
Human Enhancements
Meet the biohackers letting technology get under their skin
A new community is experimenting on their own bodies with electronic implants, says the man who pioneered the idea nearly 20 years ago.
Why ‘smart drugs’ can make you less clever
Some cognitive enhancers can reduce the brain power of high performers by weakening their memory.
Could we upload a brain to a computer – and should we even try?
Transhumanism sees mind uploading as the ultimate destiny of humanity, but it's actually a dangerous distraction.
Why hacking the nervous system could be the next big medical treatment
Forget Iron Man: skintight suits are the future of robotic exoskeletons
How brain implants can let paralysed people move again
The next wearable technology could be your skin
From drugs to brain surgery: the consciousness technology of the future
Scientists at work
Scientists at work: tackling India’s snakebite problem
Each year, 45,000 people die from snakebite in India. A big international project has now set out to reduce this by hunting down and documenting dangerously venomous snakes.
Scientists at work: living on a simulated Mars
According to Martin Rees, the Astronomer Royal, establishing a permanent presence beyond Earth is the first step humans will take towards the “divergence into a new species”. Plans to visit and even colonise…
Gravitational waves
Gravitational waves found: the inside story
It is the physics discovery of the century – even bigger than the Higgs Boson. Here's how it happened and what it means, by a key member of one of the lead teams
Explainer: gravitational waves and why their discovery is such a big deal
If you understand how a trampoline works, you'll be able to understand what gravitational waves are.
How did the odd black holes detected by LIGO form – and can we spot them in the sky?
Gravitational waves offer glimpse into the past – but will we ever catch ripples from the Big Bang?
Gravitational waves discovered: top scientists respond
Gravitational waves discovered: how did the experiment at LIGO actually work?
Columnists
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
What does the solar system sound like?
Scientists are excited about sending a microphone to Mars for the very first time.
How we caught a black hole emitting intense wind
It was a rare and brief event, but powerful telescopes helped scientists get a glimpse of a black hole letting out a wind at 3,000km per second.
Do women really go for ‘bad boys’? Here’s the science that settles the question
'Treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen' is bad advice, tailored for men who'd rather hate women than face their own shortcomings.
How women can deal with periods in space
We are only starting to understand the impact of space travel on women's health. But a new study has just made it easier for astronauts to decide whether they want to stop their periods.
From Stonehenge to Nefertiti: how high-tech archaeology is transforming our view of history
It takes more than a quick scan for high-tech archaeology to reveal history's secrets.
Virtual reality tech may make ‘going shopping’ in real life a thing of the past
Is the shopping experience the next for a technological overhaul with virtual reality?
How to ride the Wall of Death
Here's how to use maths to pull off the craziest motorbike stunt of all time.
Should we 3D print a new Palmyra?
Work is already underway to repair the damage to the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, but we need to question if technology will take things too far.
Antimatter changed physics, and the discovery of antimemories could revolutionise neuroscience
The theory of antimemories could help explain many cognitive problems in the brain such as autism and schizophrenia.
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