AI helps answer thousands of health queries in Zambia via SMS
UNICEF is testing a machine learning system to boost the quantity and quality of health advice provided via a popular text-based service in Zambia and Uganda
Inflatable space hotel to be tested by space station crew
A folded, fabric extension to the International Space Station is launching on a SpaceX rocket this week to test technology for future living quarters
SETI looks at red dwarf stars in its search for ancient aliens
The extraterrestrial-hunting SETI Institute is aiming its array of radio telescopes at 20,000 small, cold stars unlike our own to see if anyone is home
Has ritual human sacrifice shaped societies and class systems?
An analysis of 93 Austronesian cultures suggests ritual human sacrifice has played a role in keeping societies less egalitarian. But not everyone is convinced
Planet Nine might be an exoplanet stolen by the sun
The hypothetical ninth planet at the fringes of our solar system might have been captured from a star passing by long ago
Pluto may have tipped over when Charon tugged at its heart
The iconic heart-shaped feature on Pluto is so dense that it could have led to the entire dwarf planet swivelling over time
The hands-on breeding effort saving the world’s weirdest parrot
Sperm inspections, blood tests and artificial insemination in the middle of the forest are all in a day's work for the team helping the kakapo bounce back
Same Blue Origin rocket reaches space and lands for third time
The private space firm owned by Amazon boss Jeff Bezos is the first to launch and land the same rocket – beating rival SpaceX to the punch
Toxic form of tau protein foils memory formation in Alzheimer’s
Study in mice provides a mechanism for how the notorious protein stops neurons from strengthening their connections – and how we form memories
Dust devils on Mars may be boosted by their own shadows
Scientists have struggled to explain how dust devils get so strong in the thin Martian air - now it seems they could be sustaining themselves
