Space in 2015 was out of this world
Dec 24, 2015 23:55 pm UTC| Science
This was a golden year for planetary exploration thanks to all of the NASA and European Space Agency missions that were planned and implemented decades ago. Not since Apollo and the epic space race of the Cold War has...
What can science tell us about the Star of Bethlehem?
Dec 23, 2015 21:55 pm UTC| Science
During winter it can sometimes feel that the whole day passes in the blink of an eye and that evening darkness comes far too quickly. While more daylight would be a lovely thing, the early darkness has one big advantage:...
Plant viruses: from crop pathogens to key players in bio-nanotechnology
Dec 23, 2015 03:54 am UTC| Science
Plant viruses are sub-microscopic parasites that have been studied primarily because they cause devastating diseases in crop plants. But in recent years, scientists have discovered theyre not just bad news; they also form...
After eight years, NASA's Dawn probe brings dwarf planet Ceres into closest focus
Dec 23, 2015 01:23 am UTC| Science
More than a thousand times farther from Earth than the moon, farther even than the sun, an extraordinary extraterrestrial expedition is taking place. NASAs Dawn spacecraft is exploring dwarf planet Ceres, which orbits the...
A purported new mathematics proof is impenetrable – now what?
Dec 22, 2015 00:37 am UTC| Science
What happens when someone claims to have proved a famous conjecture? Well, it depends. When a paper is submitted, the journal editor will pass it off to a respected expert for examination. That referee will then scan the...
2015, the year that was: Science + Technology
Dec 21, 2015 00:15 am UTC| Technology Science
This year came and went almost as fast as NASAs New Horizons probe zipped past the distant dwarf planet, Pluto. Yet New Horizons managed to pack a lot into its flyby, revealing astounding images of Pluto that show it to be...
SpaceX Plans Launch Of Upgraded Falcon 9
Dec 17, 2015 05:12 am UTC| Technology Science
SpaceX scheduled a static fire test of the Falcon 9s first stage engines at Cape Canaveral, Florida on December 16. Florida Today reported that SpaceX lifted a Falcon 9 rocket vertical on its launch pad Wednesday, but as...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Why Germany ditched nuclear before coal – and why it won’t go back
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
Sudan: civil war stretches into a second year with no end in sight