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...
Small and bright: what nanophotonics means for you
May 03, 2016 23:19 pm UTC| Science
Twenty fifteen was UNESCOs International Year of Light and Light based Technologies. It was a celebration of past milestones in optics and photonics and a look forward into its future. We celebrated 1,000 years of...
Scientists need to engage more with the public to secure funding
May 02, 2016 01:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Science
We live in an age when society is crying out for scientific solutions to global problems. Just a few of the many considerable challenges we face include the urgent need to transition to a carbon-free economy, the need for...
Gene linked to youthful appearance may help solve ageing puzzle
Apr 29, 2016 15:14 pm UTC| Science
How long you live depends in part on the genes you inherit. For example, those suffering from Werners syndrome have inherited two defective copies of a gene coding for an enzyme that is involved in DNA replication and...
Genetic detectives: how scientists use DNA to track disease outbreaks
Apr 29, 2016 10:21 am UTC| Science Health
Theyre the top questions on everyones mind when a new disease outbreak happens: where did the virus come from? When did this happen? How long has it been spreading in a particular country or group of people? These...
Gabon: post-coup dialogue has mapped out path to democracy – now military leaders must act
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects