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Pulses of laser light could find murder victims in unmarked graves

8 August 2018

Unmarked graves can be difficult and time-consuming to find, but scanning with pulses of laser light could help us pinpoint where the bodies are buried

Master mimic insect is indistinguishable from a leaf on forest floor

8 August 2018

Panama's Cocobolo Nature Reserve is a crucial pit stop for migratory species and holds a huge array of wildlife, including this master of disguise: a leaf-mimic katydid

Police can now track killers using relatives' DNA – but should they?

8 August 2018

Genetic genealogy services are rapidly becoming a key source of forensic evidence, but do we really want the police to have access to everyone's DNA?

Flying Down the Track

8 August 2018

World-class athletes of both sexes cover 100 metres in about 10 seconds. What percentage of this is spent not touching the ground? And what's the figure for a 2-hour marathon?

A tad late

8 August 2018

I was cleaning my garden pond in Staffordshire, UK, at the end of October and came across a live tadpole. I had previously suspected that some tadpoles are late undergoing metamorphosis, but this one really missed the boat. Is this a recognised phenomenon,...

Flower underpower

8 August 2018

Why does a bee only visit one type of flower at a time? It seems such a waste of energy.

Feedback: What would happen if Earth was made of blueberries?

8 August 2018

Thanks to science, we now have an answer. Plus: a stolen shark, mapping the Kessel Run, TripAdvisor reviews of migrating animals, and more

Crossword #21

8 August 2018

Compiled by Richard Smyth

Buzz: A beautiful book shows why modern bees are hippy wasps at heart

8 August 2018

A beautifully illustrated new book details the evolutionary path that created modern bees from their ancient wasp ancestors - and why the apians’ future is uncertain

This man spent months alone underground – and it warped his mind

8 August 2018

Michel Siffre’s extraordinary self-experiments in a cave with no light would never be allowed now – but revealed strange truths about how we perceive time