A new dwarf planet called Farout is the most distant we’ve ever seen
Astronomers have spotted a tiny world 18 billion kilometres away, the most distant dwarf planet we’ve ever seen, and it may help us find the elusive Planet X
Our primate ancestors may have originated in Europe or North America
It was thought that the ancestor we share with lemurs, monkeys and apes evolved in Asia, but fossil analysis suggests this may not have been the case
Stunning fossils show pterosaurs had primitive feathers like dinosaurs
When dinosaurs ruled the land, pterosaurs occupied the skies. Now we know they had feathers, suggesting plumage has a much deeper history than we had thought
Jellyfish offer a sticky solution to the problem of plastic pollution
Our oceans are full of microplastics and unnatural swarms of jellyfish. Could these beautiful animals possess a secret weapon to help clean up the environment?
How clever chemistry is making plastic fantastic again
Plastic waste threatens a wide range of ecosystems all over the planet. But innovative ways of making, reusing and recycling plastic are set to change our relationship with this extraordinary material
Coral Whisperers review – How global warming is changing researchers
In the battle to save resources as vital as coral, researchers increasingly face a world where scholarly thought is blown away by the need for urgent action
Home Futures review – what living spaces teach us about our culture
From robo-walking cities to living rooms that fold away, the revolutionary ideas on show at London's Design Museum tell us much about the way we live
The disorientated ape: Why clever people can be terrible navigators
The human sense of direction is extraordinarily variable. Now we know why some people are so good at getting lost
Climate change is happening, but how fast? This is what we really know
From past temperature change to future sea level rise, climate science is full of conflicting numbers. Here’s our guide to the ones you can and can’t trust
We’ve added letters to the genetic code – and the results are amazing
The first life forms with a six-letter genetic code are already pumping out drugs and other materials that nature has never seen before