The Perseverance rover has found some of the most promising hints of ancient Martian life yet, but we can’t know for sure until its samples are sent back to Earth
Mouse pups have increased activity in certain neurons in the centre of their brains when they interact with their mothers, which is linked to them showing fewer signs of distress
Being immunised against shingles has been linked to a reduced dementia risk before and now a study suggests that the newer vaccine wards off the condition more effectively than an older one
Forests and other land ecosystems emitted almost as much carbon dioxide as they absorbed in 2023 – if this persists it will be much harder to restrict global warming to agreed targets
Ancient Egyptians may have relied on a vertical shaft that could be filled with water, along with a network of water channels and filtration structures, to build the Step Pyramid of Djoser 4500 years ago
Events like the Olympics and Paralympics can be inspiring. But to get more kids moving, we need to address the "enjoyment gap" by shifting the emphasis from competitive sport to activity and play
Ants and other insects are capable of astounding navigational feats. Perhaps an appreciation of this could aid conservation efforts, says Robert Barrie
Feedback is amused that marine researchers worried about microplastics dressed up as coral polyps and a Greek sea goddess to visit a Comic-Con. Their awareness-raising went down a storm
To find out what happens at the centre of a black hole, we may need to consider its event horizon - and think about where we're looking from, says Chanda Prescod-Weinstein
Better fitness in children is linked to better cognition and health in later life, but the majority in the US and UK don't get nearly enough. Here's what parents can do
The 166-million-year-old fossils of an adult and a juvenile of the same extinct mammal species reveal that they had longer "childhoods" and lifespans than similar species today
When we take a break from exercise, it can feel like we quickly go back to square one. But this isn't the case, and there are various ways to minimise the decline
To keep long-term moon residents safe from harmful radiation, lunar bases will need to be built several metres under the surface or inside caves or lava tubes
Combining two neural networks has helped researchers predict potentially disastrous collapses in complex systems, such as financial crashes or power blackouts
In an effort to understand ancient Neanderthal food preparation techniques, researchers butchered five wild birds using flint stone tools and roasted them
It would be tricky to burn away the outer layers of Uranus, but doing so could reveal a possible stash of gems – in this episode of Dead Planets Society, the hosts reveal a relatively simpler technique to rob the ice giant
Efficient solar panels have helped make solar power the cheapest form of energy on the planet, and new designs based on space-age technology are going further
The slow-running movement, in which people meet for unhurried jogs, is booming – but don't be fooled into thinking that if there's no pain, there's no gain
A Spot robot equipped with a blowtorch can locate weeds on farms and precisely heat them up to stop them growing, offering a possible alternative to herbicides
Using satellite data, researchers identified hundreds of glacial lakes in Greenland that flooded their frozen shores over the past decade – helping speed up global sea level rise
A weather and climate model that fuses artificial intelligence and physics simulations can match state-of-the-art performance while slashing the required computer power, say Google researchers
A better understanding of what happens to our bodies when we get fitter can unlock ways to speed up the journey – and it might be simpler than you think
Sea-floor nodules raise oxygen levels in the deep ocean, suggesting they may have a valuable role in ecosystems and adding to concerns about the impact of deep-sea mining
Humans and chimpanzees both take part in rapid social exchanges, suggesting some foundational principles of language may have evolved earlier than previously thought
A new analysis of deaths during the covid-19 pandemic estimates that women and those in certain minority groups experienced the greatest declines in life expectancy
Galaxies that stop making stars don’t usually start up again, but now we’ve seen one wake from the dead for the first time – and it may explain what we’ve got wrong about galaxies in the early universe
The first ever full-scale demonstration of a nuclear reactor designed to passively cool itself in an emergency was a success, showing that it should be possible to build nuclear plants without the risk of dangerous meltdown
Areas of rural countryside around cities are intended to prevent urban sprawl, but can also influence the climate within cities - and now researchers have quantified this cooling effect
An update to a piece of software called CrowdStrike Falcon Sensor appears to be negatively affecting Windows computers worldwide, with banks, airports, broadcasters and more finding that devices display a "blue screen of death" instead...