Death metal: how nickel played a role in the world's worst mass extinction
Apr 17, 2017 01:40 am UTC| Science
Around 250 million years ago, life on Earth nearly came to an end, in a mass extinction between the Permian and Triassic periods known as the Great Dying. Some 90% of the species in the oceans and 70% of vertebrate...
Proof: Saturn moon Enceladus is able to host life – it's time for a new mission
Apr 14, 2017 01:56 am UTC| Science
Ever since studies started suggesting that chemical reactions between water and rock on Saturns moon Enceladus could provide enough energy in the water to feed microbial life, scientists have been searching for proof that...
"Pathogen hunters": citizen scientists track plant diseases to save species
Apr 10, 2017 13:42 pm UTC| Science
Plant diseases threaten food security and sustainability. They affect ecosystems and change natural environments. They cost money, too. An enormous amount is spent globally each year to control these diseases; the damage...
Exoplanet discovery by an amateur astronomer shows the power of citizen science
Apr 08, 2017 06:09 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
You dont need to be a professional astronomer to find new worlds orbiting distant stars. Darwin mechanic and amateur astronomer Andrew Grey this week helped to discover a new exoplanet system with at least four orbiting...
Renowned Physicist Stephen Hawking Becomes A Hologram, Warns Against Wilful Ignorance
Apr 01, 2017 05:19 am UTC| Science Technology
Professor Stephen Hawking has got to be the single most famous physicist in the world and he recently appeared as a hologram in Hong Kong. Aside from answering a few questions about various topics in his field, the famed...
The seven deadly sins of statistical misinterpretation, and how to avoid them
Mar 30, 2017 05:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
Statistics is a useful tool for understanding the patterns in the world around us. But our intuition often lets us down when it comes to interpreting those patterns. In this series we look at some of the common mistakes we...
Momentum isn't magic – vindicating the hot hand with the mathematics of streaks
Mar 28, 2017 11:33 am UTC| Science
Its NCAA basketball tournament season, known for its magical moments and the March Madness it can produce. Many fans remember Stephen Currys superhuman 2008 performance where he led underdog Davidson College to victory...
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