Four genes discovered that will help you live beyond 100
Scanning the genomes of centenarians showed that four genes help them live longer. The discovery could boost the search for ways to protect against age-related diseases
New species of human may have shared our caves – and beds
A controversial bone discovery suggests we lived alongside a primitive species of human – and may have cannibalised them
Fences put up to stop refugees in Europe are killing animals
Deer caught in barbed wire are dying after prolonged agony, as border fences fragment territories and interrupt migration of Europe's biggest predators
They laughed at Galileo
We're all feeling a bit queazy now
High-res movie lets you float by a comet with Rosetta spacecraft
The Rosetta spacecraft orbiting comet 67P has released its first haul of high-res images, and fans wasted no time turning them into an incredible rotating gif
How trippy version of Mariah Carey Christmas hit fools the brain
People are hearing vocals in a MIDI version of the Mariah Carey classic All I Want For Christmas Is You that shouldn't be there. We get to the bottom of the mystery
Huge royal albatross chokes to death by swallowing seal shark
This northern royal albatross's eyes were bigger than its belly, dying after swallowing a 67-centimetre seal shark in one go
Mathematicians left baffled after three-year struggle over proof
Shinichi Mochizuki may have come up with a vital mathematical result – but despite a workshop dedicated to it last week, hardly anyone can grasp it
First glimpse of lost library of Elizabethan polymath John Dee
The huge collection of books belonging to Dr John Dee, adviser to Queen Elizabeth I and proto-modern scientist, are being exhibited for the first time
Star Wars universe passes real-world test for alien head count
The Drake equation, which gauges the chance of finding alien life, has been applied to a galaxy far, far away. New Scientist asked astronomers to weigh in
