Science
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Science and Engineering Week: Saving the world
As a special science week kicks off, we look at the world’s pressing problems and how scientists and engineers might help solve them.
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Cluck! Cluck! Chickens feel their offspring’s pain
'Mother hen' is a phrase used to describe a human mother fussing. Now we find that chickens display a similar empathy with their young. Shared evolutionary tools?
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Lent is for fasting. So just like the celebrities?
Today marks the start of an ancient Christian season. Practiced in churches since the 4th century, it calls for 40 days of abstinence. But why bother?
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Aliens – from science fiction to science fact?
A NASA scientist has stirred debate over life forms from outer space. He claims to have found fossils of unknown bugs inside meteorites. Is he for real?
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Wasteful fishing rules to be thrown overboard
EU fishing rules, in place for forty years, are set for a shake-up after ministers agreed that the old system was 'unethical.' Campaigners are pleased, but fishermen worry 'what next?'
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A bullet through the heart of England
Proposals for a high-speed rail link across England have run into trouble. Campaigners say the new tracks will ruin countryside and wreck lives. Are the benefits worth the price?
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Has human evolution reached a standstill?
The changing story of life on earth is four billion years old. But some say we've come to a halt. Is technology changing the evolutionary rules?
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In radioactive wilderness, old dangers remain
Twenty-five years after the disaster at Chernobyl, the area around is deserted. Wolves roam through the abandoned towns. And worryingly, the reactor's concrete shell is starting to crumble.
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Rescued Afghan treasure trove comes to UK
Curators smuggled priceless objects to a secret vault before their museum was shelled. Amazingly both objects and curators survived.
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Obsessions: Are you a Belieber?
At 16, he is a Youtube sensation and the most Googled name on the planet. Justin Bieber is hated by some and adored by many. Are these fixations good for us?
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In Jeopardy: computer challenges human race
A computer program is challenging humans in a popular quiz show this week... It's a giant leap forward for AI but questions persist over just how far machines can go...
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Mars 500: fake space mission reaches its goal
A multinational team of 'astronauts' have simulated a Mars landing after nearly a year in isolation. But was it worth the journey?
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Saving face? The cost of plastic surgery
Penny Johnson is suing her surgeon. She wanted to change her face but claims the consequences ruined her life. Others feel rescued.
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Annual battle against flu gets shot in the arm
Scientists have successfully tested a new immune-boosting jab against all flu viruses. But will sceptics still refuse vaccination?
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Electrifying! How science can make you smarter
New research has shown that electric currents can enhance your thinking. But should we really use technology to boost our brainpower?