Methane is an organic molecule that hangs around in Earth’s atmosphere and is mostly produced by living organisms, most notoriously
The most complex life forms ever developed entirely in Petri dishes can pump blood through tiny beating hearts, gradually growing
A very rare mineral that’s previously been found only in extraterrestrial meteorites has been discovered in Earth’s own rocks for
Scorpions and tarantulas are two ancient arachnids that have been walking the Earth for hundreds of millions of years –
A wooden stick carved into the shape of a snake dating back about 4,400 years has been discovered by a
Way back in 1054 CE, a supernova stellar explosion lit up the skies with enough brightness that it could be
After ruling the planet for more than 170 million years, non-avian dinosaurs were suddenly demoted from existence by the impact
For the first time, scientists have unambiguously confirmed the collision of a black hole and a neutron star: The fateful
China has released video and sound clips from its rover exploring the surface of Mars. The files were published by
The mineral pyrite was historically nicknamed fool’s gold because of its deceptive resemblance to the precious metal. The term was
If life exists on Venus, it’s not like any organism that’s ever been encountered on Earth, scientists claim in a
As the world gets warmer, staggering transformations are taking place in some of Earth’s coldest locations – events that might
Scientists have discovered a unique form of cell messaging occurring in the human brain that’s not been seen before. Excitingly, the
A “heat dome” over western Canada and the US Pacific northwest sent temperatures soaring to new highs, triggering heat warnings
In 1933 a mysterious fossil skull was discovered near Harbin City in the Heilongjiang province of north-eastern China. Despite being
The United Nations calculated that extreme weather events resulted in 15,000 deaths and resulted in economic losses of US $170
A tiny, 120 million-year-old fossil, discovered in northeast China, is neither bird nor dinosaur but is perched on its own
Many of us hang on to keepsakes from loved ones who have died, and new research suggests that this habit
Camels have an incredible ability to survive weeks without taking even a sip of water. Now, we have a better
An exceptionally rare and critically endangered fungus, known as the tea-tree fingers, is rapidly losing its grip on the Australian
In 2018, scientists made a discovery that could change our understanding of the dusty, dry red ball that is Mars.
For most of us, hair naturally loses pigment as we get older. We often think that stress may also play
When hives of the African lowland honeybee (Apis mellifera scutella) collapse, they do so because of an invisible inner threat: the growing, immortal clone army
A draft report from the world’s peak body on climate change, leaked to a global news agency, has sparked concern
A ghostly “hand” reaching through the cosmos has just given us new insight into the violent deaths of massive stars.
Dinosaur species large and small made the Arctic their year-round home and probably developed wintering strategies like hibernation or growing
Life currently has a sample size of just one. Without an alien or two to expand the boundaries of biology,
More than 120,000 years ago in the Levant, Homo sapiens lived side-by-side with a type of ancient human we didn’t
More than half of all buildings in the United States are situated in hazardous hotspots, prone to wildfires, floods, hurricanes,
Consider the statements below. What do they describe? A trip on psychedelics? A dream? I felt I could reach through
The risk of death from an encounter with a shark may be grossly exaggerated in popular culture, but that’s likely
When you’re as tiny as a European robin, crossing the continent for the winter is no small feat. We now
If there were alien civilizations in other star systems, would they be able to detect our presence here on Earth?
Venomous spiders prey upon snakes many times their size, a new study finds – and often emerge victorious against snakes
While grumbling skies and spectacular displays of air-splitting light can be a thrilling experience to witness, thunderstorms can also do
Over a quarter of a billion years ago, at the close of the Permian, life’s resilience was put to the
The Australian government on Tuesday expressed shock at a draft decision to list the Great Barrier Reef as “in danger”.
Venus may be a toxic hell-planet, but new evidence suggests it might have more in common than Earth than we
Over 3.5 million dead and counting. Long-term health problems, livelihoods destroyed and a long way yet to go. This is
In normal times, it’s easy to assume that desert plants will weather tough periods. These hardy organisms evolved to survive
When New Horizons approached Pluto in 2015, it gave us something wondrous: the clearest view we’d ever seen of the
Since the Juno spacecraft has been in orbit around Jupiter for nearly five years – since 4 July 2016 –
It’s imperative that human societies factor a strategic ‘managed retreat’ into the ways they respond and adapt to climate change,
Tens of thousands of years ago, humans lived in and explored caves in very different ways to how we do
Hold up your hands in front of your face. For most people, they will be mirrored copies of each other:
They say death and taxes are the only sure things in life, but is the former really so absolute and
In the last 260 million years, dinosaurs came and went, Pangea split into the continents and islands we see today,
The Hubble Space Telescope is currently offline. On Sunday 13 June, the telescope’s payload computer went offline, and engineers here
