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Planets near dangerous stars could shield alien life under smog

4 December 2017

Red and white dwarfs make nasty neighbours due to spurts of deadly radiation, but alien life could still form on planets nearby if shielded by smog or oceans

Science Fiction: slavery stereotypes, and a new M. John Harrison

4 December 2017

From challenging stereotypes about slavery to the necessity of finding any kind of exit from a mundane life, escape dominates new sci-fi

Moon’s explosive birth drove iron deep into Earth's core

4 December 2017

Our moon was made by the Big Splash, an impact that we thought left iron deposits near Earth’s crust. It turns out that the metal sank into our planet’s core

Want to be the boss? How to signal your leadership potential

4 December 2017

We all assess if a person is leadership material without realising it. By changing your body language, and talking in the right way, you may boost your chances

Destruction of war-torn Syria brought to London by AI

4 December 2017

UNICEF is using artificial intelligence to show what disaster would look like in your city, bringing international charity campaigns closer to home

Why do female monkeys spend so long looking at rugged males?

4 December 2017

Female monkeys spend more time staring at males that have highly masculine facial features, but we don’t know if they fancy them or fear them

World’s richest science prize hands out $22 million for research

4 December 2017

Science’s richest prizes, the Breakthrough Awards, were presented at a star-studded ceremony in California on Sunday night.

A shipwreck has been found from the time of Alexander the Great

1 December 2017

Of three wrecked ships found near Cyprus, one dates from around 330 BC and hints at a vast trading network that spanned the Mediterranean

Weird magnets could make computers that work 1000 times faster

1 December 2017

We are approaching the physical limits of our computer drives. Antiferromagnets could outdo our fastest technology without using huge amounts of energy

Hummingbirds have massive hearts to power their hovering flight

1 December 2017

Birds that hover in front of flowers have huge hearts to power their energy-intensive flight, and even birds that glide effortlessly need fairly big hearts to keep it up