Alien grass is making California wildfires three times as frequent
Non-native grasses such as cheatgrass are easier to ignite and can spread fires far more quickly than the native ones
Uncrackable computer chips stop malicious bugs attacking your computer
Cyberattacks target not just our phones and laptops, but hospitals, schools and power stations. A new security solution redesigns chips from the inside out
Another supervolcano in California is not as dormant as we thought
The Long Valley Caldera in east California unleashed a supervolcano eruption 760,000 years ago. Today it is quiet but it may have a few smaller eruptions left in it
Tight underwear really is linked to lower sperm counts in men
Men who wear boxer shorts have higher sperm levels than men who wear tight underwear, although the difference shouldn't usually be enough to affect fertility
Inducing labour at 39 weeks leads to fewer emergency Caesareans
It has been thought that inducing labour leads to more C-sections, but a study of over 6,100 women suggests this isn’t the case when induced at 39 weeks
‘Hey’: short messages are the best dating site strategy, study says
An analysis of online dating has found most users hit on people who are 25 per cent more attractive than them, and that shorter messages have better reply rates
Police can now track killers using relatives’ DNA – but should they?
Genetic genealogy services are rapidly become a key source of forensic evidence, but do we really want the police to have access to everyone's DNA?
Ecstasy-like drugs might relieve social difficulties in autism
Mouse studies hint that social difficulties in autism might be caused by faulty serotonin signalling in the brain and can be helped with serotonin-boosting drugs
Don’t give up, we can survive even a Hothouse Earth
Bad news on the climate should lead neither to despair nor unfounded optimism. Instead, we need to roll up our sleeves and prepare for life on a drastically changing planet
The underwater drones that hunt for oil spills beneath the waves
Oil behaves strangely in water – now a combination of AI and super-expensive underwater vehicles are being used to track it. Joshua Howgego went along for the ride