Science
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Scientists warn public on alien communication
If aliens call, what should we say? Scientists are turning to the public to ask how — and if — we should reply to intelligent extraterrestrial life. It could alter the course of history.
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Key to early humans found in giant ape’s tooth
Could this teach us who we really are? A scientific breakthrough has allowed researchers to read genetic data, effectively 12 million years old — shining a light on the origins of man.
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Dumb people smoke pot. Pot makes you dumb.
Which statement is right? Both? Neither? The argument among experts remains as fierce as ever. Despite extensive research, the truth seems to be tantalisingly still just beyond our reach.
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Stars, signs and a path across the Sun
Is there any truth to astrology? For the last time this decade, Mercury has passed in front of the Sun. It has special significance for a growing number of star-gazing, millennial mystics.
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Gay giraffes, lesbian bonobos and angry humans
Can animals be gay? It’s a question behind a fierce row. Some biologists think sexuality in the animal kingdom is as complex and diverse as that of humans. Others think the claim is nonsense.
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Probe peels back mysteries of the universe
Is remote exploration a form of escapism? NASA has sent a spacecraft 12 billion miles from Earth. One scientist says it is like exploring an elephant with a microscope. Why do we bother?
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Big ideas hit prime time in His Dark Materials
Are dust and dæmons fiction or fact? A new book about consciousness argues that the ideas behind Philip Pullman’s books and new TV series maybe closer to reality than you might think.
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After deaths, Trump set to ban vape flavours
Is vaping good for society? While the US reacts to a recent spate of deaths, Britain is adamant that vaping saves lives and helps wean people off the far more dangerous addiction to tobacco.
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‘Garden of Eden’ discovered in Botswana
Are we all Africans? New research suggests that all humans alive today are descended from people living in southern Africa, 200,000 years ago. But are they right? And does it matter?
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Scientists claim to have reversed time
Is time travel really possible? For centuries, humans have dreamed of leaping into the deep past or distant future. Will we ever do it? The answer lies in one of Einstein’s strangest theories.
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The Polish village where only girls are born
If Earth was populated entirely by women, would it be a better place? After no boys are born for nearly 10 years, the Polish village of Miejsce Odrzanskie is providing a unique case study.
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‘Woolly mammoths could walk the Earth again’
Scientists in Japan have made a “significant step” towards bringing the ancient species back from the dead, using the DNA of a frozen mammoth. But is it the right thing to do?
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Ants — not humans — rule world, says study
Could it be that ants are more powerful than humans? With their mega-cities, transport networks, ventilation, childcare systems and waste collection, they put us to shame, says a new book.
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Gentle giants of joy, anger, grief and love
Are elephants as emotional as humans? Six died trying to save a young calf from a waterfall in Thailand. Research on elephants is full of examples of the animals behaving empathetically.
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Baby in a bag: artificial womb project launches
Is it a dream come true or a science-fiction nightmare? Scientists in the Netherlands have been given €2.9m to build a prototype artificial womb. They say it could save millions of lives.