Women in Oregon can now get the pill over the counter
Trained pharmacists can now prescribe and supply hormonal contraception, a move that may help reduce unintended pregnancies
UK territory could host Atlantic’s largest protected area
A £300,000 donation may lead to 250,000 square kilometres of ocean off the coast of the island of Ascension being protected from unsustainable fishing
60 Seconds
El Niño and Californian storms, Volkswagen in court, UK doctors strike and more
Sleep isn’t needed to create long-term memories – just time out
Sitting for 10 minutes with no stimulation helps people remember new information, suggesting we consolidate new memories without the need to sleep on it
Women can ‘grow’ their own IVF embryos with in-body incubator
Housing developing embryos in a device inserted into the vagina instead of a lab incubator gives similar success rates to conventional IVF, but could cost less
NASA wins funds for roomy module suited to deep space missions
The US Congress has included $55 million in NASA's latest budget for it to develop a living space for future missions as far afield as Mars
Guinea pigs beat climate change by tweaking their own DNA
For the first time, mammals have been seen making epigenetic changes to adapt to higher temperatures, and passing improvements on to offspring
North Korean blast could be a step towards a nuclear missile
The state says it has tested a mini hydrogen bomb, although experts believe it was probably a tweaked, normal nuke. But that may mean a nuke that North Korea can deliver on a missile
We breathe in more bugs from our tap water than from our toilets
A map of the airborne microbiomes in our homes reveals that most of the bacteria we breathe in come from outside or our floors and carpets
Farting plants have a built-in stink bomb that deters predators
Plants may be better at sensing their surroundings than we thought, with the roots of the Mimosa kicking up a real stink when they sense a potential threat
