What the moon's craters reveal about the Earth's history
Jan 19, 2019 09:02 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
Most scientists believe the rate at which the moon and Earth have been bombarded by meteorites has remained constant for the past two to three billion years. Understanding the age of craters on the moon can help us better...
DNA sequencing can help fight epidemics -- but there are privacy risks
Jan 14, 2019 10:58 am UTC| Science Health
The Democratic Republic of Congo is battling an Ebola outbreak. As is the case with any disease caused by pathogenic viruses like Zika or influenza Ebola spreads dangerously and unpredictably. This makes tracking the...
Will China's moon landing launch a new space race?
Jan 07, 2019 13:25 pm UTC| Science
China became the third country to land a probe on the Moon on Jan. 2. But, more importantly, it became the first to do so on the far side of the moon, often called the dark side. The ability to land on the far side of the...
China goes where no one has gone before – the moon's far side
Jan 04, 2019 16:05 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
In a spectacular few days for solar system exploration during which NASA whizzed the New Horizons spacecraft past the Kuiper Belt object 2009 MU69 (somewhat controversially nicknamed Ultima Thule) and eased OSIRIS-REx...
Why microbeads are such a threat and why they're so hard to handle
Jan 04, 2019 16:03 pm UTC| Science
Plastic is everywhere. It is used across a spectrum of applications from durable industrial equipment, household appliances to throw-away single-use items and even the clothes we wear. This wide scope of uses is ascribed...
Microbial aromas might save crops from drought
Jan 04, 2019 16:01 pm UTC| Insights & Views Science
In her book Silent Spring, Rachel Carson writes: The sense of smell, almost more than any other, has the power to recall memories…. You might wonder how this relates to microorganisms. In fact, they produce most...
A neuroscientist's tips for a new year tuneup for your brain
Dec 31, 2018 12:16 pm UTC| Science Health
Unlike the effervescent bubbles that stream to the top of champagne flutes on New Years Eve, what I call brain bubbles are far from celebratory. These bubbles are metaphorical rather than physical, and they distort the...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
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