Why are humans the only animals with chins?
Academic rigour, journalistic flair
Analysis and Comment
Expect a spectacular display of 120 or more meteors per hour – some of them brightly coloured.
Long read: How nature is fighting our attempts to use biohacking to live forever.
Imagining the things we fear can be as effective as exposure therapy.
Some believe that including AI in childbirth could save lives and taxpayers' money.
Websites are trying to get around GDPR rules on giving you control over your data.
Understanding geckos' movements could lead to better robots.
Screen time wasn't a issue in the 19th century but that didn't stop concerns over how new developments might damage eyesight
Market volatility and value fluctuations are scaring some investors away from Bitcoin – but stablecoins could be one solution.
Forget about dark matter and dark energy, new research suggests that the existence of 'dark fluid' may solve some of the biggest mysteries in physics.
Problem gambling among children has gone up, and it's got everything to do with gambling-like features in video games.
The scientific explanations might not be definitive, but your brain is largely responsible.
The Earth's core is cooling down, and one day it will be completely solid – when that happens, Earth might look a lot like Mars.
We found hundreds of local council workers willing to give out login details for government systems without realising.
Long ago in the distant past, our entire Universe was microscopic – just like an atom – and obeyed completely different rules of cause and effect.
New experiment on the International Space Station could help us tackle muscle loss in astronauts.
Osiris-REx will spend the next year looking for a good place to land on asteroid Bennu before it collects grains and brings them home.
Uncovering forgotten history can help explain why science still has a masculine bias today.
You are as likely to start dating a psychopath as you are to start going out with a teacher.
An internet-breaking 6'4" steer isn't the only animal to reach gigantic proportions.
Recent study found it's no more a "miracle" solution for weight loss than regular diets are.
New discovery could be a game changer for archaeology.
Over the 12 months of the research, more than 100 arrests and charges were – at least in part – assisted by AFR.
Our attempt to bring dinosaurs to life via a smartphone app was met with excitement – then it hit a brick wall.
From turning on instruments to gathering the first data, the next few months will be busy for Mars scientists.
We previously thought mitochondrial DNA could only be passed on by mothers.
A Chinese scientist claims to have edited human DNA to make us more resistant to HIV. Here's why that's not good news.
The world seemed to be inching forward with CRISPR gene editing technology – but suddenly the forbidden fruit has been plucked, and some even worry that the CRISPR tree has been cut down.
AI advancements can learn a lot about us from our tone of voice -- which could have dark consequences for the future of personal privacy.
Theresa May could game Conservative MPs by placing them into a 'prisoner's dilemma'.
I've worked with NASA’s Mars Exploration Rover Project for 16 years. If you got yourself a ticket to Mars, here's how I'd advise you to prepare. And by the way, any mistake could kill you.
New research suggests crypto-currencies aren't technically property in common law jurisdictions.
Meteorite impacts have fundamentally shaped the history of our planet.
Robots address challenges care systems face -- and could even provide companionship to those who need it most.
Seemingly innocuous security chips could enable companies to monitor employees in more sinister ways.
MIT researchers have built ion thrusters with no moving parts pave the way for silent drones.
New research has uncovered exactly what happens to the brain when astronauts are in space.
Religion has helped science, as well as hindered it.
Researchers have found a way to boost damaged spinal cord nerves – in some cases permanently.
Even when birds are not flying in a flock, they may observe each other to sense the world around them.
A number of surrounding galaxies are slowly being devoured by the most luminous object in the sky.
Huge progress has been made, but safety issues and environmental concerns mean plans are still up in the air.
There are many ways of visualising scientific concepts, as we discovered when an artist got in touch about some of our work.
The international prototype kilogram keeps changing weight so scientists have come up with a new way to calculate.
Natural selection isn't the only factor deciding human evolution.
Astronomers have suspected them for ages –now a team as finally spotted a 'fountain' in a galaxy far, far away.
New anti-sickness technology is needed for driverless cars to deliver on the promise of letting us read, work or watch films while we travel.
Venice is set to be regularly 70% underwater and proposed tidal floodgates won't deal with the fundamental problems.
Research shows that feeling younger than you are could be good for you.
Despite his playful optimism, Hawking recognised that the undiscovered laws of physics may prevent time travel.
Ancient quarry workers left messages carved on walls like a 4,500-year-old form of social media.
The cave paintings in Borneo show people and animals and are now thought to be the world's oldest example of figurative art.
The man who conceived the computer and helped crack the Nazi Enigma code deserves national recognition.
Could you treat depression, anxiety and other disorders by training people to be better at dealing with uncertainty? Scientists are trying to find out.
Dorothy Hodgkin's work on X-ray crystallography made it possible to understand how penicillin, insulin and many other molecules work.
It matters whether you feel like your boss cares about you.
The Bank of England wants a scientist for the new £50 note.
As billions more devices connect to the cloud, congestion will cause communication to become slower and less responsive.
Scientists at Cern's Large Hadron Collider have seen something that may force us to abandon everything we thought we knew about the world on the level of particles.
Evolution can explain why animals are scared – but what can we do to help?
Commentators always like to imagine what players could have done better – we're using AI to prove it.
Video feedback may be the nearest we have to visualising what conscious processing in the brain is like.
Fossil hunter Mary Anning didn't get the recognition she deserved during her lifetime. Now her home town wants to raise a statue in her honour.
Bullies have traditionally been viewed as having low IQ and social problems, but this often isn't the case.
Expecting algorithms to perform perfectly might be asking too much of ourselves.
The Gaia satellite has uncovered the remains of a galaxy buried deep in the Milky Way.
Many parents are told their babies' smiles aren't 'real'. But there is research to suggest otherwise.
Handheld scanning technology could help police crack down on e-liquids with too much nicotine.
There's no reason why AI systems can't speak any language – but is there a reason why it should?
As the number of companies growing meat in vats explodes, the sector is facing challenges that show it is coming of age.
From naked mole rats to the immortal jellyfish – the creatures that would make Dracula shudder.
From sun dials to atomic clocks, we still don't have a perfect time measuring device.
Frankenstein might look like fantasy to modern eyes, but to its author and original readers there was nothing fantastic about it.
A new type of Archaeopteryx fossil helps build the case for this creature being called 'the first bird'.
Merging supermassive black holes would emit gravitational waves, allowing scientists to detect them.
According to experts, ladybirds are no more dangerous than they were before.
There's enough dissolved oxygen in the salty lake below Mars' surface to support simple lifeforms such as sponges. Here's what that means for space exploration.
Gender differences in jobs and attitudes are wider in countries with more equality, but that's not the end of the story.
New research shows girls are more likely to take physical science or technology degrees if they play video games.
It's withstood the test of time, and it's leading people to get out of the house, travel around and spend more time with their families.
Genetics play a large role in how well someone does at university.
It will take more energy to get the BebiColombo spacecraft inro a stable orbit around Mercury than it would to send it all the way to Pluto.
An Ig Nobel Prize-winning study suggests we need to rethink why imitation evolved.
Authorities need a better way to identify so-called super recognisers who match suspects to CCTV footage.
The Earth's magnetic field lines whistle after solar outbursts.
We've no way of knowing if allegations that China implanted secret spying microchips in widely used computers are true.
The upper atmosphere of Venus is the most Earth-like extra-terrestrial location in the solar system. It could even host life.
The unique way that human proteins change after they are copied from our DNA gives scientists clues about what causes human disease.
In the context of accelerating geopolitical, technological and environmental change, we need to radically reassess how we perceive airspace legally.
Dealing with graphic videos and images can harm journalists' mental health.
Female role models can inspire the next generation through many different media.
Hiding feelings can cause distress in children too.
The 'oldest known nova' (a star explosion) in the sky was actually not a nova, astronomers show.
Allowing the police unfettered use of vast databases of information will begin to tilt the balance of power towards totalitarianism.
A new study has been examining what holds back sight-impaired users from using smartphones, computers and the internet.
Gravity, not magma, is forcing Etna to move, increasing the chances of collapse.
People who are more open-minded seem to be less bothered about closure.
We need action to increase the number of black scientists if we're ever to see a black Nobel winner.
Coral reefs are in crisis around the world, and may disappear entirely. 3D printing is a new idea to help them – but it won't be a cure all.
Nobel Prize 2018
The 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry goes to work on how to use the principles of evolution to create new medical treatments and renewable fuels.
Using lasers to trap and move particles changed the way we're able to study microscopic life.
Allison and Honjo discovered how inhibiting the brakes in our immune systems can be used to treat cancer.
Donna Strickland is the first woman in 55 years to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics. Let's hope the next such award to a woman won't take so long.
This year's Nobel Prize for literature was nixed because of a sex scandal. Other Nobels have neglected key contributors. Should all prizes be cancelled while criteria for winning is reassessed?
Farewell Cassini
As Cassini’s titanic mission comes to an end, we need to start thinking ahead. A combined mission to explore Saturn's moons Titan and Enceladus would be a good place to start.
Cassini may be gone but the data it left behind could help reveal how long Saturn's day is and how its magnetic field is generated.
Humour and laughter
Laughing at inappropriate moments could be an early sign of dementia, while injury to the front part of the brain could make you lose your sense of sarcasm.
CC BY-ND26.5 MB (download)
In this episode of the podcast, we take in the history of Victorian humour, why kids find poo so hilarious and whether academics should try and be funny.
Scientists at work
Wild chimpanzees are hard to find, but their DNA – left-behind genetic traces – are opening up a new way of studying them.
Killing insects, as the Big Wasp Survey asked people to do, contributed to many vital advances in science.
Podcast
Research and Expert Database
Editors’ Picks
Forget about dark matter and dark energy, new research suggests that the existence of 'dark fluid' may solve some of the biggest mysteries in physics.
We previously thought mitochondrial DNA could only be passed on by mothers.
Bullies have traditionally been viewed as having low IQ and social problems, but this often isn't the case.
New research shows how 'teleological thinking' means that conspiracists are more likely to also be creationists.
Why do some people love roller coasters while others hate them?
An expert gives a few tips on what makes the perfect penalty football kick.
Hawking wasn't able to give his students a gentle introduction, but he did provide a lot of inspiration and support.
Research shows that the Y chromosome may be able to protect itself from extinction in the short term. But what about in a future where we all reproduce artificially?
Psychological phenomena have long been thought of as universal. But it turns out scientists may have been blinded by their own culture.
We can see at a finer resolution than the spacing between individual photo-receptors in the eye – and it's all down to our brains.
We no longer perform surgery on babies without drugs, but a new study shows that we may be underestimating how much pain babies feel when they are under stress.
Private companies are increasingly challenging national space agencies in a new space race, which comes with great opportunities but also huge risks.
The Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE) could help unravel the mysteries of antimatter and complete scientists' next model of the universe.
A new study can't rule out the possibility that human ancestors lived on Crete at the same time as they evolved in Africa.
Rational arguments and myth busting often won't help you change the mind of a conspiracy theorist. But there are other ways.
Events
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- Geckos walk on water – we filmed them to find out how
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