Latest Stories
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Successful parents are lazy, says new book
'Grooming children for success is pointless', says economist Bryan Caplan. 'It's all in the genes.' So is good parenting just letting the children do what they want?
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Giant fossil ant’s clues to a warmer past
Remains found in America's Wild West indicate giant insects flourished there in high temperatures 50 million years ago.
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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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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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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 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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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?
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Is Lake Vostok the last secret on earth?
Beneath 4km of Antarctic ice is the dark water of Lake Vostok, sealed from the world for 15 million years. What lies hidden in its depths?
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Birds, bears and mammoths – coming soon?
A UK revival for the world’s heaviest flying bird is being funded by the EU. Now other extinct species could be on their way back.
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Avatar director to tackle Challenger Deep
James Cameron is planning a voyage to the bottom of the world's deepest ocean. Is human exploration more valuable than robotic research?
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Scotland Yard and the spy who ‘went native’
Environmental protestors have escaped prosecution, after a police mole who spied on them sensationally changed sides. Everyone’s angry – but who’s in the right?
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Miracle and disaster as China grows rich
Boomtime for industry in China has brought health risks for the population, with frequent poisonings and accidents. But there are benefits as well.
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Scientists attack killer junk food in our shops
We could save over 3000 deaths a month by passing a law to make everyday foods healthier, say scientists. But the government says what we eat should be a free choice.
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Spare liver, anyone? No longer an absurd question
The developing ability of scientists to grow human organs in the lab is leading many experts to predict a new age of unlimited replacement items for the human body.