Physicists dream up crystal based on elegant satellite dance
By imitating the orbits of satellites, researchers have imagined a choreographic crystal whose symmetry is based on periodic motions, not fixed positions
Six in hospital after French pain relief drug trial goes wrong
One person has been declared brain-dead, and four others are in critical condition after a trial of a drug at a hospital in Rennes, France, went wrong
UK rains broke river flow record and climate change is to blame
Record-breaking flows caused rivers to break their banks and landslides compounded subsequent flooding. Climate change, not El Niño, was behind the rainfall
Commercial spaceflight newcomer allows quick ISS return trips
NASA announced new contracts for commercial resupply to the International Space Station, including the Dream Chaser spacecraft, which can get living samples back to Earth within 6 hours
We reached America’s doorstep 10,000 years earlier than thought
Evidence of a mammoth and wolf attacked by weapons suggests humans were widespread in the Siberian Arctic as early as 45,000 years ago
We’ve found the brightest ever supernova but can’t explain it
Astronomers are now sure the incredibly violent stellar explosion spotted last June is the brightest ever seen. But they remain baffled about its source
These baboons and lemurs have left the trees to live in caves
Our ancestors are not the only ones to figure out the benefits of sheltering in caves. But this lifestyle offers unique challenges as well as advantages
Sensitive robot skin has a memory and knows what it has touched
A new kind of artificial skin that remembers tactile information could make robots better at picking things up by improving their grip
Exempt smart drugs and nutmeg from drugs law, MPs suggest
The UK government is attempting to outlaw legal highs, but MPs are proposing an ever-lengthening list of psychoactive chemicals that could be exempted
Iceman Ötzi may have had stomach ache when he was murdered
DNA analysis of the famous mummy has revealed a gut bug linked to inflammation, which could have blighted his last days
