News
all News articles
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Surprising insights into sleep’s purpose
Study raises questions about its role in early childhood.
Humans (and other animals) need sleep as much as they need water and oxygen, and considering we spend about a third o...
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Important steps on the Arabian Peninsula
Ancient footprints may show how humans moved from Africa to Asia.
Around 120,000 years ago, someone trudged across the Arabian Peninsula, with horses, camels and even elephants. We do...
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NatureWatch: Tales of growth and survival
Big sharks, big eaters, big lizards and a new butterfly.
To get big, grow slow A decade-long study of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) has determined that the biggest fish i...
COVID-19 news and trends
A digest of science and reporting @ 18 September.
The numbers As total case numbers approached 30 million, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on 14 Septem...
A crisp new portrait of Jupiter’s storms
And that’s Europa lurking, stage left.
This newly released image of Jupiter, taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on 25 August, was captured when the plan...
Features
all Features articles
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Opinion
Human-wildlife conflict an 'unequal contest'
It’s time for a new definition and a new approach.
By Tim Jarvis It’s 84 years since the last known Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), died at ...
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History
Franz Boas takes a new look at race
Maverick anthropologist changed our view of humanity.
Franz Uri Boas has been described as “the father of the field” of anthropology (The Atlantic), the professor who “pio...
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Awards
Vibrating earthworms pick up an Ig Nobel
This is shed science at a professional level.
When you think of award-winning scientific research, you might think of determining the structure of DNA, or Marie Cu...
Space
all Space articles
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Snapshot
A crisp new portrait of Jupiter’s storms
And that’s Europa lurking, stage left.
This newly released image of Jupiter, taken by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope on 25 August, was captured when the plan...
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A stellar finding about shapes in space
Unique observations reveal colour and diversity.
Astronomers have proposed a new explanation for the varied shapes of planetary nebulae, based on a unique set of obse...
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White dwarf's surprise companion
Astronomers discover an exoplanet near a dead star.
A giant intact exoplanet has been found orbiting close to a white dwarf star for the first time. The discovery sug...
Technology
all Technology articles
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Research
Cosmos Q&A: Dealing with data at top speed
CSIRO's new AI platform a boost for genomic research.
In a massive leap forward for computational genomic research, Australia’s CSIRO recently announced that its VariantSp...
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Predicting the life and death of batteries
Researchers believe an algorithm could ease our pain.
Estimating battery life is one of the great modern dilemmas, and the older the item, the harder it gets. But resea...
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Nature
all Nature articles
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NatureWatch: Tales of growth and survival
Big sharks, big eaters, big lizards and a new butterfly.
To get big, grow slow A decade-long study of whale sharks (Rhincodon typus) has determined that the biggest fish i...
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Flight of the sniffer bees
Honeybee scent training could make pollination more effective.
Honeybees continue to cause quite a buzz with their smarts. Previous studies have found that not only can they unders...
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New clues to the origin of domestic horses
Ancient DNA suggests it didn’t happen in Anatolia.
Domestic horses likely did not originate in Anatolia as previously suspected, according to a new study of ancient rem...
Earth
all Earth articles
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Opinion
Human-wildlife conflict an 'unequal contest'
It’s time for a new definition and a new approach.
By Tim Jarvis It’s 84 years since the last known Tasmanian tiger, or thylacine (Thylacinus cynocephalus), died at ...
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Shaky way to check on ocean warming
Sub-sea quake data could help track temperature changes.
The rumble of earthquakes far below the surface of the ocean are far more interesting than just a way of understandin...
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Conversation
Discovery of a new mass extinction
This one triggered the dawn of the dinosaurs.
By Michael J Benton, University of Bristol Huge volcanic eruptions 233 million years ago pumped carbon dioxide, me...
History
all History articles
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Important steps on the Arabian Peninsula
Ancient footprints may show how humans moved from Africa to Asia.
Around 120,000 years ago, someone trudged across the Arabian Peninsula, with horses, camels and even elephants. We do...
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Vikings weren’t who we thought
New DNA analysis could rewrite the history books.
The popular modern image of blond-haired Scandinavian Vikings has been upended by extensive ancient DNA analysis, pub...
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Literacy may have been widespread in Judea
Algorithms and observations reveal secrets of texts.
Literacy may have been much more widespread than thought in the ancient Kingdom of Judea, according to Israeli and US...
People
all People articles
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History
Franz Boas takes a new look at race
Maverick anthropologist changed our view of humanity.
Franz Uri Boas has been described as “the father of the field” of anthropology (The Atlantic), the professor who “pio...
-
Awards
Vibrating earthworms pick up an Ig Nobel
This is shed science at a professional level.
When you think of award-winning scientific research, you might think of determining the structure of DNA, or Marie Cu...
-
Health
all Health articles
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Surprising insights into sleep’s purpose
Study raises questions about its role in early childhood.
Humans (and other animals) need sleep as much as they need water and oxygen, and considering we spend about a third o...
-
Update
COVID-19 news and trends
A digest of science and reporting @ 18 September.
The numbers As total case numbers approached 30 million, the World Health Organisation (WHO) reported on 14 Septem...
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Is the Mozart Effect a real thing?
New analysis suggests we should at least keep exploring.
The idea that listening to Mozart can help people with epilepsy has been around since the early 1990s. It has been...
Core Sciences
all Core Sciences articles
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How our brains make educated guesses
Cells work together to combine memories, study shows.
British scientists say they have identified how cells in the brain work together to combine memories of separate expe...
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Time does fly when we’re having fun
Scientists identify neurons that skew our perception.
If time seems to go more slowly when you’re boiling the kettle or waiting for a bus, it might not just be your imagin...
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Why peas in a pod are like they are
Genetics ensure appropriate distancing, study suggests.
The expression “like peas in a pod” usually refers to looking alike, but there’s actually more to the story. Open ...