What a tiny micrometeorite from the Pilbara can tell us about the ancient sky

May 13, 2016 10:40 am UTC| Science

Not long ago, my colleagues and I found some micrometeorites in the Pilbara region in Western Australia. Whats truly remarkable about them is that these tiny meteorites can tell us a great deal about the chemistry of...

How to design trustworthy robot butlers that we won't want to treat like humans

May 13, 2016 09:26 am UTC| Science Technology

Does your car not want to start on cold mornings? And does your toaster like burning your toast? This kind of intentional language is natural to us and built into the way we interact with the world even with machines....

More than 1,000 new exoplanets discovered – but still no Earth twin

May 12, 2016 04:34 am UTC| Science

NASA astronomers working with data from the Kepler space observatory have presented the largest single crop of newly discovered exoplanets to date. Its impressive 1,284 new planets have been announced, including around...

What forensic science can teach people about healthy scepticism

May 09, 2016 12:24 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science

Scepticism has a bad reputation. Sceptics are considered to be a grumpy bunch who automatically distrust anything and everything. But as any forensic scientist can tell you, its a very valuable approach to everyday...

Can we save the algae biofuel industry?

May 09, 2016 11:55 am UTC| Science

Algal biofuels are in trouble. This alternative fuel source could help reduce overall carbon emissions without taking land from food production, like many crop-based biofuels do. But several major companies including Shell...

Mercury: 'first rock from the sun' in transit

May 05, 2016 16:44 pm UTC| Science

The solar systems smallest and most remarkable planet, Mercury, will cross the face of the sun on May 9 offering a great opportunity for people in many places across the world to see it. Mercury is a dark and enigmatic...

Code-a-cola: how to hide secret messages using fizzy drinks

May 04, 2016 04:34 am UTC| Science

Next time you see someone spilling a drink in a bar, you could actually be witnessing a spy secretly decoding an encrypted message. This might sound like something from a Bond movie. But a team from Israel has used some...