An elegant account of how one ancient language went global
Hunting the origin of 40 per cent of the languages spoken today is a huge feat, but Laura Spinney's new book makes an excellent job of it
Photography contest spotlights the beauty of science in vivid detail
A collection of images from Imperial College London's photography competition uncovers the visual splendor of scientific discovery
Dire wolf ‘de-extinction’ criticised by conservation group
The attempted creation of dire wolves could undermine conservation efforts by making people think extinct species can be revived, says the International Union for Conservation of Nature
Ultra-secure quantum data sent over existing internet cables
Two commercial telecommunications facilities have been connected by a secure quantum network that used existing fibre optic cables at room temperature – a key step towards a feasible quantum internet
How astonishing observatories could do big physics from the moon
As humanity prepares to return to the moon, scientists also have ideas for huge lunar experiments that could revolutionise astrophysics
Bats that walk backwards have developed unusual navigation strategy
Greater mouse-tailed bats crawl backwards over cave walls, and it seems they use their long tails to help feel their way
Powerful blasts of X-rays could reveal a black hole waking from sleep
Unusual signals called quasi periodic eruptions appear to come from black holes, but we don't know what creates them. Now astronomers have seen the most powerful one of these signals ever, and have a new idea about their cause
We can build quantum computers using the rules of special relativity
Machine learning helped show how harnessing the weird effects of Einstein’s special relativity could enable a new kind of quantum computer – and it could also lead to new insights into the quantum realm
Phone game lowers social anxiety by shifting focus on to the positive
The game, called StarStarter, rewards players for directing their attention away from negative stimuli and towards positive ones
Giant coral colony discovered in Red Sea tourism hotspot
A huge colony of Pavona coral near the coast of Saudi Arabia is thought to be the largest living example found in the Red Sea