Odd planet's extreme hot flashes41

Planet four times the size of Jupiter gains more than 700 degrees in journey near its sun 28/01/09 1:05 PM 41

'Eye test' for Galileo?60

Scientists want to exhume the astronomer's body for DNA tests to see if bad vision could have affected his findings 23/01/09 5:05 AM 60

Mars water, methane suggest life104

Scientists warn, however, that presence of compounds could merely indicate volcanic activity or long-extinct life 15/01/09 2:05 PM 104

From Galileo to a glimpse at the dawn of time92

As the International Year of Astronomy begins, and with Hubble on verge of retirement, new 'eye in the sky' being prepared 10/01/09 8:55 AM 92

Milky Way much bigger than thought132

Astronomers revise estimates of size, say galaxy bigger, faster than they had calculated 06/01/09 7:45 AM 132

Columbia crew didn't stand a chance73

Apparently normal descent turned into tragedy so fast that astronauts didn't even have chance to close helmet visors, U.S. space agency reports 31/12/08 9:22 AM 73

Gadget racket threatens pulsar research1

Interference hunter dedicates days to tracking radiation that can thwart radio telescope 31/12/08 12:19 PM 1

Clues to origins of solar system?52

Geologists studying 100 pieces of meteorite that fell to ground when meteor streaked across Prairies in late November 22/12/08 8:05 PM 52

Mars region may have been hospitable25

Key mineral in bedrock of Nili Fossae indicates area not as harsh as rest of planet 19/12/08 12:44 PM 25

Charles Darwin: A heretic and a hero276

The father of evolution is vilified by people of faith for destroying the story of creation and venerated by the scientific community – Two centuries after his birth, and 150 years after his theories first appeared in public, he remains a figure of supreme controversy 30/01/09 3:53 PM 276

Exercise for the lazy, or busy4

Short but intense exercise for seven minutes a week could fight diabetes, British study suggests 28/01/09 10:15 AM 4

Snowy owls swoop southward11

Arctic species thrived in breeding grounds last summer, creating population boom that drives younger birds away 28/01/09 12:09 PM 11

Fish droppings help balance ocean's acid levels58

High levels of calcium carbonate in sea water near surface traced to 'gut rocks' expelled by fish 16/01/09 12:23 PM 58

Eye study shows deadly malaria's traits

Blockages in tiny blood vessels can starve brain cells, leading to cerebral malaria – a killer of mainly children in Africa 15/01/09 1:05 PM

More species may endanger Great Lakes1

Dozens of invasive fish could threaten vast environmental and economic damage 08/01/09 10:52 AM 1

Pink iguanas offer evolutionary clue27

Galapagos reptiles unseen by Darwin offer clue to earlier evolutionary divergence 06/01/09 12:34 PM 27

Gene found that helps cancer spread2

Scientists can seek drugs that target MTDH, singled out as gene that metastasizes tumours 06/01/09 7:53 AM 2

Alzheimer's not just for aged13

Almost 15 per cent of Canadians suffering dementia are younger than 65, study says 05/01/09 9:56 AM 13

Aboriginal cremation pit found off Georgia

One of state's wildest barrier islands provides rare example of cremation among early native inhabitants of United States 19/12/08 12:55 PM

Archeologists unearth ancient city in Peru14

Site may provide 'missing link' between two ancient cultures – the Wari and the Moche 17/12/08 12:56 PM 14

Memories of Magdala2

Perfume vials from Christ's era unearthed in Israel 12/12/08 12:40 PM 2

Higher, higher and higher1

U.S. scientists learn how objects could be levitated – albeit at a nanometric size 08/01/09 1:33 PM 1

Unknowns raise environmental concerns2

Canada to create research centre to delve into issues of nanomaterials' effect on ecosystems 09/01/09 1:31 PM 2

Scientist rejects own 'grey goo' scenario1

Nanotechnology: Heading to medicine
from science fiction

Miniature vessels, as in the 'Fantastic Voyage,' become less fantastic as scientists work on nanorobots to fight cancer 08/01/09 12:41 PM

Nanotechnology: Socks that don't smell; windows that clean themselves3

Science of tiny could soon be 'foundation technology' like industrial revolution or electricity despite possible concerns 08/01/09 9:42 AM 3

Laser trial hopes to save farm water9

California scientists hope scintillometer beams may help in search for better way to conserve millions of litres of water sprayed on crops each year 31/12/08 12:39 PM 9

Quake experiment tests shake-proof metal7

'Elastic' titanium-nickel alloy reduces damage by deforming but returning to proper shape 30/12/08 12:56 PM 7

'Death map' shows U.S. heat hazard28

County-by-county mortality records indicate heat more likely to kill than earthquakes, thunderstorms more likely than hurricanes 17/12/08 1:05 PM 28

Large, short-armed raptor found in Argentina1

Awkward limbs of dinosaur that hunted in modern Patagonia remind researchers of T. rex 18/12/08 12:28 PM 1

FDA allows first test of human stem cell therapy48

California biotechnology company plans clinical trial to try to use the stem cells to re-grow nerve tissue in patients with crushed spinal cords 24/01/09 8:49 AM 48

Tests tease out 'good' stem cells1

Canadian researchers find way to differentiate useful cells from cancer-causing ones 05/01/09 9:49 AM 1

Gene troika made 1918 flu lethal13

Researchers unlock secrets of pandemic responsible for about 50 million deaths worldwide – frequently among young, healthy people 30/12/08 1:02 PM 13

Six gene mutations linked to obesity found16

Study doubles number of genetic factors related to problem that has become public health issue 15/12/08 10:45 AM 16

Research uncovers puberty genes7

Process that sets the teenager off has stumped scientists 12/12/08 5:30 AM 7

Scientists map genome of woolly mammoth, extinct since ice age52

First step toward bring the giant beast back to life 19/11/08 7:19 PM 52

There's gold in them thar sewers11

Sludge in one Japanese prefecture yields more gold per tonne than top mines do 30/01/09 12:31 PM 11

Australian blames climate change for heat wave10

Climate minister notes that 11 of hottest years in country's history have occured in past 12; this year's event buckles railway lines, leaves homes without power 29/01/09 12:59 PM 10

Some climate damage already irreversible257

Even if carbon emissions can somehow be halted, temperatures around the globe will remain high until at least the year 3000, researchers say 26/01/09 5:00 PM 257

Seasons come and go ...31

... and they're doing so nearly two days earlier than they used to 22/01/09 4:45 AM 31

Antarctica warming, not cooling, research reveals426

Global warming may be affecting continent after all, threatening ice sheets with melting, study suggests 21/01/09 9:50 PM 426

Global warming kills old-growth forests at stunning rate117

Trend could soon transform forests into carbon dioxide emitters rather than much-needed carbon sinks, scientists warn 22/01/09 4:47 PM 117

Antarctic bases turn to renewables2

Even solar power catching on despite winter darkness; wind generation provides lot of power at 'windiest place on Earth' 20/01/09 12:29 PM 2

'What are we going to do about the bears?'97

For the first time, governments, environmentalists, researchers and Inuit are meeting to discuss the fate of the endangered carnivore 14/01/09 5:04 AM 97

Natural selection gives way to human selection135

Practice of hunting and harvesting the biggest animals or plants is changing species much faster than nature, researchers find 13/01/09 4:15 AM 135

Moors built with powdered bones22

Study of walls protecting fortresses near Spain's Alhambra Palace reveal mineral most likely from pigs 16/01/09 12:59 PM 22

Patagonia tribe faces extinction29

'It ends with our generation,' one says as pure-blooded members dwindle to fewer than 20 12/12/08 12:47 PM 29

Cloaking device may quell cell-phone static20

Search for material that would help military hide objects from sight could have civilian benefits 16/01/09 12:30 PM 20

Tetris for post-traumatic stress?18

Playing classic computer game apparently decreases flashbacks that plague sufferers 09/01/09 1:00 PM 18

Racism persists because we don't really find it offensive180

'They vastly overestimate how upset they would feel in bad situations such as hearing a racial slur' 09/01/09 4:50 AM 180

Basalt wall found off Taiwan11

Rare to find collection of monoliths – similar to Ireland's Giant's Causeway – under water 05/01/09 12:23 PM 11

Language: Make the word go away45

List of banned phrases offers no 'bailout' to offenders 31/12/08 7:22 AM 45

Surgery for the 21st century: For prostate removal, robots rule21

Patients suffer fewer side effects and recover faster than after traditional surgery, but provincial health-care plans still won't pay for it 30/12/08 8:14 AM 21

Old experiment still shocking62

Replication of experiment finds again that most will torture if ordered, despite apparent infliction of pain 19/12/08 10:06 AM 62

Timing is all in Mount Everest climbs, study finds28

More than 80 per cent of climbers who have perished targeting the world's highest peak died either the day of their summit or the very next day 09/12/08 7:51 PM 28

Singapore students on top of the world

Boston College's Trends International Mathematics and Science Study found that country's fourth and eighth graders were tops in the world in science; Hong Kong and Taiwanese youth led in math. 09/12/08 1:46 PM