Science
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The happy accident that changed the world
The death this weekend of the American inventor Harry W. Coover caused a torrent of tributes to his greatest creation: Super Glue. Genius? Or just an accident?
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Climate Week 2011: How can we help cut carbon?
Climate Week ends this Sunday. People around the world have been asking what they can do to make their lives greener. Turns out, the answer's not straightforward.
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Counting qubits: computing at the edge of reality
Scientists in America are celebrating an exciting new invention. If the 'quantum computer' can be made to work, we might be on the brink of a technological revolution.
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Nuclear power in the dock after Japan meltdown
A fresh opinion poll has revealed new doubts on nuclear power since the Fukushima crisis, as world governments grapple with tough questions.
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One man's crusade to save India's babies
Gadchiroli is one of the poorest districts in India. But it has witnessed a medical miracle in infant care. What happened?
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Meltdown: the anatomy of a front-page story
Sometimes a single news story overwhelms all others – as in this week's unfurling crisis in Japan. But attempting to disentangle what actually happened is an alarming exercise.
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To bee or not to bee? There’s a sting in the tail
A UN study says globalisation is killing bees. The consequences for our food supply are enormous. Why is it happening and what’s to be done?
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Meltdown alert for Japan's nuclear reactors
As the Japanese are told to brace themselves for their most brutal ordeal since the Second World War, nuclear danger heads the long list of crises.
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Tectonic shift, reactors and waves of hostility
In recent days, Japan has experienced destruction on an unprecedented scale. But as recovery gets underway, a new threat has appeared on the horizon.
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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?