A secret US Navy project known only as CLAWS will equip armed robot submarines with sensors and algorithms enabling them to destroy targets without explicit human control | Continue reading
A huge black hole from when the universe was less than a billion years old is shooting a powerful jet at Earth, and studying it could help us understand the young cosmos | Continue reading
Think you might be infected with coronavirus? Here's what to do and how the test works | Continue reading
Donor livers are increasingly not being used for transplants because they have too much fat. Hooking them up to a machine for a crash treatment could solve that | Continue reading
In the early universe, particles called neutrinos had a starring role in determining where galaxy clusters formed and which elements were created when stars exploded | Continue reading
Switching to burning hydrogen in UK homes has been suggested to help cut carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, but a leaked report says that could risk increased air pollution | Continue reading
Lettuce grown on the International Space Station has been served with tacos and cheeseburgers, and it turns out to be just as nutritious as the Earth-grown version | Continue reading
SpaceX is partnering with a US start-up called Axiom Space to launch three space tourists on a ten-day trip to the International Space Station | Continue reading
Out of 28,000 suggestions, NASA selected the name Perseverance for its Mars 2020 rover, which will search for signs of life on the Red Planet | Continue reading
Researchers in China say there are two strains of the new coronavirus, one of which is more aggressive – but the World Health Organization says the virus is stable | Continue reading
Skull fragments from Homo erectus found alongside stone tools in Ethiopia suggest the ancient hominin used more tool technology than we thought | Continue reading
Skull fragments from Homo erectus found alongside stone tools in Ethiopia suggest the ancient hominin used more tool technology than we thought | Continue reading
A mixture of two carbon-based chemicals can spontaneously form molecules that can copy themselves, hinting at how life may have begun on Earth | Continue reading
A lightweight liquid metal alloy that is less dense than water could be used to make exoskeletons and transformable flexible robots | Continue reading
We know some birds use fluorescent pigments to enhance the brightness of their feathers or beaks – and now it seems some dinosaurs might have done this too | Continue reading
A needle-free device that uses a laser-powered jet to force medicine into the skin at high speed could one day lead to painless injections | Continue reading
Honeywell, the same company that might make your humidifier or home security system, is unveiling a powerful quantum computer that will be available to the public | Continue reading
It is possible to passively smoke in places where smoking is banned, because harmful tobacco chemicals remain on people’s bodies and clothes and in the air | Continue reading
This pink manta ray, nicknamed Clouseau, has resurfaced off Australia’s coast. No one knows why it has a bubble-gum pink underside or if there are others out there | Continue reading
After finding out she was autistic, Siena Castellon sparked a global school movement that celebrates neurodiversity, which now includes nearly half a million students | Continue reading
No planet B | My car is draining my finances and harming the planet, so I am finally giving it up. Though it will be difficult to adjust, you should consider doing it as well, writes Graham Lawton | Continue reading
By closely tracking how cancer cells evolve in our bodies, we can identify their hidden weaknesses and find powerful new ways to treat tumours | Continue reading
To make your own sourdough bread, you need to create an environment where wild yeast and bacteria want to hang out. Sam Wong explains how | Continue reading
It’s 2038 and Earth's trees are dead, bar some firs on a tiny island. The tale of what happened is an epic combining sci-if, mystery and an exposé of capitalism, says Sally Adee | Continue reading
Julia Ebner infiltrated the hidden forums that extremists use. Her experiences lay bare how they hijack social media and video games to spread hate – and how to beat them | Continue reading
In an attempt to stem the spread of coronavirus, China has shut its wildlife markets for good. It is a welcome move, says Adam Vaughan | Continue reading
The second season of podcast The Dream debunks much of the wellness industry, but creating empathy for the people caught up in it is where the show shines | Continue reading
Desert ants zigzag around the searing sand at high speed but they always manage to find their way home. A new book explains their amazing abilities | Continue reading
Astronomers have spotted an asteroid that has been captured by Earth's gravity, making it a temporary mini-moon. It will probably fly away again in April | Continue reading
The UK’s Department of Health and Social Care’s plan to report the locations of new cases of covid-19 only once a week may lead to more panic | Continue reading
Australia’s recent devastating bushfires were made more likely by human-made climate change, an international team of scientists has found | Continue reading
Scientists have warned the world will have to reduce carbon emissions to net zero sooner than 2050 as tropical forests are losing their ability to remove CO2 from the atmosphere | Continue reading
Clothes that light up by themselves could be a high-tech replacement to high-visibility gear worn by cyclists and construction workers | Continue reading
SARS and MERS gave us ample warning of the risk of new coronaviruses, but we failed to set up sufficient defences against covid-19 and other infections | Continue reading
Multiple outbreaks of the covid-19 virus worldwide have led to countries stepping up their responses, but the virus may already be spreading in the US | Continue reading
We have finally found time cells in the human brain – they help explain how we recall when events happened, and they could be a target for Alzheimer’s therapies | Continue reading
The flooding of the Svalbard Global Seed Vault in 2016 raised concerns over the future of seed backups in a warming world – so Norway made €20 million of upgrades to the facility | Continue reading
A prominent scientific journal has retracted a study that pinned the cause of climate change on the changing distance between Earth and the sun | Continue reading
Our images of deep space are spectacular, but don’t reflect what our eyes would see. Here's what their stunning true colours reveal about the cosmos | Continue reading
The bell of an upside-down jellyfish has structures that can provide a scaffold for growing human skin cells, which could be used to help repair wounds after surgery or a bad burn | Continue reading
Silver has an antibacterial effect by stopping the motors that bacteria use to move around from working properly and making them move more slowly | Continue reading
A team of researchers say they have discovered a protein molecule inside a meteorite, the first extraterrestrial example ever found, but others are sceptical | Continue reading
Durian fruits, famous for their bad smell, could be used to make electrodes in ultra-fast chargers for electric cars and gadgets | Continue reading
Honeywell, the same company that might make your humidifier or home security system, is unveiling a powerful quantum computer that will be available to the public | Continue reading
Honeywell, the same company that might make your humidifier or home security system, is unveiling a powerful quantum computer that will be available to the public | Continue reading
The UK government has published a 27-page document detailing how the country will respond to a growing covid-19 outbreak. Police and health workers may be restricted to urgent duties | Continue reading
A poll of 1400 UK citizens reveals that 40 per cent are worried about climate change, up from 19 per cent in 2016 – and about a quarter cited climate change as the UK’s top issue | Continue reading
A shared mutation in the covid-19 virus from two infected people who had no contact suggests the coronavirus has been quietly spreading in the US for weeks | Continue reading