Elk gamble with their lives in spring to win a mate in autumn
Elk who shed antlers early have more time to grow a large new pair for the autumn mating season – but early shedding makes them more likely to be eaten by wolves
The US Army is making a laser-powered drone that can fly indefinitely
Drones use so much power they can only fly in the air for a short period. So the US Army is creating a system to power them in mid-air from lasers on the ground
Mystery cold spot on Jupiter’s moon Europa could be ‘almost anything’
The first full temperature map of Jupiter’s icy moon Europa has revealed one spot that seems colder than anywhere else on the surface - but we have no clue why
Fire destroys priceless artefacts at Brazil’s National Museum
Brazil's National Museum has been consumed by fire, along with 20 million scientific artefacts
We have the power to halt evolution itself – should we use it?
Unwanted mutations are undermining food security and medicine. Controlling such evolution is now possible and tempting, but there will be unintended consequences
Struggling to multitask? Your brain might have hit full capacity
When people are trying to do several things at once their brain cells freeze up when yet another task is added to the pile
Watch a printer that uses sound waves and inks made from honey
Regular inkjet printers only work with watery liquids, but one that uses sound waves can print with almost anything as ink, from honey to metals to human cells
NASA has just 45 days to save Opportunity rover after huge Mars storm
The planet-wide dust storm on Mars that’s stranded the Opportunity rover since June is subsiding, and NASA has given engineers just 45 more days to wake it up
Cancer-tracking AI could save lives by predicting how tumours evolve
Knowing what a cancer will do next could help doctors treat patients or prolong their lives with pre-emptive treatments
Hey America, you can finally choose to elect people who rely on facts
As the battle for power in the US Congress hots up it offers the best chance yet to address the lack of politicians with science backgrounds, says Shaughnessy Naughton