In most mammals, females live longer than males, but in birds the trend goes the other way – a study of over 1000 species points to possible reasons for these differences
Singlet oxygen can be damaging in both cells and batteries but it has taken almost 60 years to work out exactly when it shows up in chemical reactions within both
The DART mission achieved its goal of changing one asteroid’s orbit around another, but questions remain about why the orbit continued to alter over the following month
Madeline Lancaster created the first brain organoids, which have revolutionised our understanding of how the brain works - but also raised ethical questions
Science fiction legend Ursula K. Le Guin is honoured with a new collection out this month, and sci-fi fans can also look forward to fiction from astronaut Chris Hadfield and award-winning authors Ken Liu and Mary Robinette Kowal
Scientists have discovered a new abdominal structure called the umbilical sheath, which anchors the remnant of the umbilical cord to deep abdominal tissues and helps determine the shape of your navel
An innovative use of skin cells could provide a route for gay couples or women with fertility problems to have children they are both genetically related to
Social media is awash with videos of cats and dogs getting startled or hurt for our entertainment. We should all be more alert to poor animal welfare, says Christa Lesté-Lasserre
Almost 200 engravings created around 12,000 years ago have been discovered in Saudi Arabia, including depictions of camels etched into cliff faces over 40 metres high
Fermented foods make up a third of what we eat and were mostly discovered by accident centuries ago. Now a fermentation revolution is promising extraordinary new flavours and novel ways to boost gut health
The black hole at the centre of a galaxy more than 50 million light years away is spewing out a jet of extremely hot plasma – though we have studied it for a century, we are only now seeing it in great detail
Mysterious flashes of light seen in swamps and bogs could be caused by burning methane or other gases, ignited by sparks that fly between bubbles in water
Black holes are so strange that physicists have long wondered if they are quite what they seem. Now we are set to find out if they are instead gravastars, fuzzballs or something else entirely
Alexander Grothendieck was a titan in his field, making deep connections that fuelled a revolution in mathematics, before giving it all up and disappearing. Jacob Aron explores what his work meant
Severe lung inflammation has been linked to symptoms resembling post-traumatic stress disorder in mice, which could help us better treat and prevent the mental health condition
Novels need a gripping story to stay popular as the decades pass, but it seems that other less-obvious factors may also contribute to their lasting success
There are signs deep beneath the Pacific Ocean that an exploding star once sent cosmic rays blasting out towards Earth, and now we have an idea of which stars may be to blame
Scientists have identified three new species of deep-sea snailfish, including the strikingly pink “bumpy snailfish,” thanks to MBARI’s advanced technology and global collaborations. Found thousands of meters below the surface off...
The rhythm of an infant's brain activity seems to put them in constant learning mode, whereas that of an adult may allow them to retrieve conceptual knowledge
The shared ancestor of our species, the Neanderthals and the Denisovans may be far older than we thought – which could completely change our understanding of humanity's evolution
Mixing nanoparticles into some common plastics made them harder to break and possibly easier to process, pointing towards a way to make better materials or packaging
Rising carbon dioxide levels have boosted the growth of trees in the Amazon rainforest over the past few decades, but it is unclear if this trend will continue
Shark experts tested four innovative wetsuit materials to measure how well they reduce shark-bite injuries. The results show they can lessen major trauma, blood loss, and even save lives when compared to standard neoprene. While not a...
It is almost impossible to make cement without emissions, but carbon-capture-and-storage technology is finally being deployed to decarbonise the sector
Since the 1970s, astronomers have predicted that Sagittarius A*, the supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way, should be sending out hot wind – they have just caught the first glimpse of it
Surreal images from a new book, Microcosms, show how confocal microscopy that uses laser scanning creates a super-sharp new journey around mind-altering plants and fungi
Forget the tropes about how violence or maybe volcanic eruptions killed off our ancient cousins, The Last Neanderthal by Ludovic Slimak offers a very different take on how they died out
In this latest instalment of Future Chronicles, an imagined history of future inventions, Rowan Hooper explains how the creation of living solar panels transformed their impact on the world
Feedback is delighted to learn that researchers have discovered what Taylor Swift is accidentally doing to rescue the science of plants from mid-ness. Just take a look at her videos – sorry, botany teaching aids
We are quick to place ourselves on the extremes of the social spectrum, but the truth is that personality is more malleable than you think, says Claudia Canavan
Simply listening to the experiences of women with conditions such as endometriosis will help to end the long-standing inequalities they face when it comes to medical progress
Thinking you don’t fit in is agonising, whether you are starting at university or changing jobs. Our advice columnist, David Robson, shares some tips to change how you feel
An array of 6100 ultracold caesium atoms controlled by lasers is the largest collection of qubits ever assembled, and researchers hope they can soon turn it into the world's most advanced quantum computer
Some things we see in space appear to outpace light. Now we are learning to harness these bizarre optical illusions to understand the mysteries of neutron stars, gamma ray bursts and more
Scientists have studied the genetics and lifestyle factors that enabled María Branyas Morera, officially the oldest person in the world until she died last year, to reach 117 years old
Researchers have shown that stress and retrovirus levels are tightly linked to disease in koalas. High KoRV loads make koalas more vulnerable to chlamydia, worsening epidemics in stressed populations. Protecting habitats, careful...
Scientific evidence is lacking to support the US government’s decisions to caution against using a common painkiller in pregnancy and fast-track the approval of an experimental medication for autism