Latest Stories
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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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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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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.
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‘Almost three billion will go hungry by 2050’
Can we feed everyone? Tomorrow is World Food Day. We already make enough for 10 billion people, and yet one in nine humans does not have enough food. How did that happen?
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‘I created Labradoodles and spawned a monster’
Are Labradoodles really a “Frankenstein’s monster”? That’s what their creator, 90-year-old Wally Conron, says. He believes the “unhealthy” dogs set a dangerous trend.
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Sci-fi comes true as China breeds giants pigs
Is this how meat-eating ends? In the face of severe shortages caused by infection and trade wars, a desperate regime starts breeding monster pigs to pacify its angry, rebellious masses.
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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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Humanity could one day live without sleep
What if we never needed sleep? Scientists have discovered a genetic mutation that lets its carriers live happily on only a few hours’ sleep, and it could be spreading through the population.
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Mind-reading fears as brain science advances
Should we worry if computers know what we are thinking? Huge advances in the science of brain-computer interfaces are helping disabled people. But they also open a window to our secrets.
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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.