Latest Stories
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Global anger over the cost of going green
At the United Nations conference on tackling climate change, poorer countries are demanding subsidies for green energy plans from industrialised nations. Frustration is building on both sides.
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Scientists bewildered as sperm counts plummet
A new study shows that the average sperm count of French men’s semen has dropped by a third in just 17 years. What hidden menace is wreaking havoc on our reproductive health?
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Researchers book appointment with death
Scientists say a new blood test can determine how long a life we can expect if we die by natural causes. Do we want to be told when to expect the Grim Reaper?
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TV’s naturalist hero in call for fewer babies
David Attenborough has spent 60 years making ground-breaking wildlife programmes, changing attitudes to the natural world. Now he wants us to have smaller families.
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Songbirds found using secret code to spot invaders
An Australian scientist has discovered an extraordinary evolutionary trick. Superb fairy-wrens, victimised by parasitic cuckoos, have learnt to defend themselves using secret passwords.
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Robot brain dream could be real within decade
Scientists in Switzerland are working on a ‘fantastic new scientific instrument’: a working virtual simulation of a human brain. The consequences of success might stretch the limits of...
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Deadly ash disease strikes British trees
It had already killed 90% of Denmark’s ash trees; now, a virulent fungal infection is taking hold in the woodlands of the UK. Could this spell the end of one of Britain’s best-loved species?
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Activists occupy power plant to halt dash for gas
Last week, 18 protesters camped atop two 90 metre towers in a power station. They want to stop the growth of environmentally unfriendly gas power – but will the action make an impact?
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Singing mice surprise scientists
Scientists now accept that mice, like many animals, can communicate by singing. But now a study has found that they can even teach one another new tunes.
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Scientists draw up league of world’s worst noises
Scratching blackboards, scraping plates and the screech of tyres: according to a new study, these are the world’s nastiest noises. Why do we find them so excruciating?
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Two men and their frogs win Nobel Prize
His science reports at school were terrible. But now John Gurdon has become a joint winner of the Nobel Medicine Prize for his ‘blue sky’ DNA research.
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Science awards for dead fish and ponytails
Every year, the scientific community comes together to celebrate its most bizarre and offbeat discoveries. The Ig Nobel Prizes are entertaining – but do they trivialise science?
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Teenage cannabis users risk stunting intelligence
A forty year study into cannabis and intelligence has finally ended, and the results are in: while adult brains are safe, the IQ of teenage users permanently drops by around eight points.
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Carnage at Pamplona in running of the bulls
Every day this week, hordes of tourists will line Pamplona’s streets for the terrifying running of the bulls. They risk injury and death. Are these daredevils foolish or heroic?
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Developed world finally learning to get by on less
Western consumption of food, water and manufactured goods has put humanity’s future at risk. The good news? There are signs that the long binge may finally be coming to an end.