Latest Stories
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Revealed: sunflowers are social creatures
Should plants have rights? Scientists increasingly think of plants as intelligent creatures. New studies show they can tell each other apart, and use 20 senses to understand their environment.
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Seals, dolphins, porpoises thriving in Thames
Does nature always bounce back? The Thames, declared dead, devoid of oxygen in the 1950s, has been brought back to life by its new marine life — including sharks and the odd, visiting whale.
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‘Back off, human! It’s MY family home now.’
Do we love animals more than humans? The winning entries for the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition have a special power to warm our hearts, and make us gasp with amazement.
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Tests show Loch Ness monster may be giant eel
Why are we so entranced by monsters? Yesterday, a team from the University of Otago in New Zealand revealed its conclusion that Britain’s most famous Leviathan must be a gigantic eel.
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Scientists create first human-monkey hybrid
Should animals ever be part-human? Faced by a deadly shortage in human organs for life-saving operations, our only hope may be animals with human DNA. But there are serious ethical concerns.
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Massive study reveals there is no gay gene
Are experiments like this harmful? Human sexuality is far more complex than previously thought, say scientists. But some in the LGBT community say the research should never have taken place.
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Scientists declare gene-editing war on pests
Should all pests be wiped out? New Zealand’s government plans to kill all rats and invasive predators by 2050. Some want to use genetic modification, but others warn of ecological disaster.
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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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The doctor: ‘People get better before your eyes’
What does it take to be a doctor? Dr Abhishek Shetye is training in a hospital. It’s hard work, but there’s nothing more rewarding than getting very sick patients back on their feet.
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Humpback whale ‘swallows’ sea lion whole
Is nature competitive or co-operative? A rare image of a sea lion flailing in the jaws of a humpback whale is not what it appears to be — challenging our ideas about survival of the fittest.
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Earth’s 2019 resources ‘budget’ already used
Will it take a disaster to teach us to live within our means? As of today, humans have consumed more resources than Planet Earth can regenerate in a year — a worse record than last year.
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It’s the circle of life: The Lion King returns
Are there only seven basic stories? After a long wait, Disney’s all-star, live action remake of the classic film is in cinemas. For many, the story’s timeless familiarity is its greatest appeal.
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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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Solar power and smart farms: welcome to utopia
Can we build utopia? For hundreds of years, we have been captivated by the dream of a perfect society. Now, amid the climate crisis, is it time to build an “ecotopia”?
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Maths theory holds the key to nature’s beauty
Is maths the secret of beauty? Scientists have discovered that the world’s most famous codebreaker was right when he proposed that natural shapes and patterns were ruled by a hidden formula.