Gravitational waves found: how we proved the power of the dark side
Feb 11, 2016 15:42 pm UTC| Science
One hundred years ago Albert Einstein in his general theory of relativity predicted the existence of a dark side to the cosmos. He thought there were invisible gravitational waves, ripples in space-time produced by some of...
Opposition to genetically modified animals could leave millions hungry
Feb 11, 2016 08:00 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
In a world with a ballooning population and deteriorating environment, we will need to use every trick in the book to stave off mass starvation, disease and political chaos. According the Food and Agriculture...
Explainer: what is the gut microbiota and how does it affect mind and body?
Feb 07, 2016 15:07 pm UTC| Science
The human gastrointestinal tract harbours trillions of microorganisms, consisting of up to 1,000 or so different bacterial species. These bacteria, known collectively as the gut microbiota, perform a number of vital...
The long hunt for new objects in our expanding solar system
Feb 04, 2016 02:06 am UTC| Science
Recognise these planet names: Vulcan, Neptune, Pluto, Nemesis, Tyche and Planet X? They all have one thing in common: their existence was predicted to account for unexplained phenomena in our solar system. While the...
Explainer: what are the 'nacreous clouds' lighting up the winter skies?
Feb 03, 2016 14:19 pm UTC| Science
People in the polar regions of the world, such as Scandinavia and Canada, sometimes get to watch majestic, rainbow-coloured clouds drift across an otherwise grey winter sky. Over the past few days, observers from across...
From chrome plating to nanotubes: the 'modern' chemistry first used in ancient times
Feb 02, 2016 14:00 pm UTC| Science
The ancient Babylonians were the first to use sophisticated geometry a staggering 1,400 years before it was previously thought to have been developed. Sadly, these mathematical innovations were forgotten as the Babylonian...
Confessions of a chemist: I make molecules that shouldn't exist
Feb 02, 2016 12:19 pm UTC| Science
At drinks parties and dinners, if someone asks what I do for a living, I always say: Synthetic chemist … I make new molecules … especially those that shouldnt exist. People typically respond that they were...
Electricity from farm waste: how biogas could help Malawians with no power
What the Supreme Court is doing right in considering Trump’s immunity case
US election: why it’s not the protesters’ votes that the Democrats should worry about
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects