Canada’s new government heralds freedom of speech for scientists
The Liberal party won Canada's general elections this week and has promised to unmuzzle scientists as well as ending the country's inertia on climate change
World Health Organization may approve first malaria vaccine
Experts advising the WHO are expected to recommend the use of the vaccine in some malaria-stricken countries
Is the UN about to recommend decriminalisation of all drugs?
A document apparently recommending that governments decriminalise all illegal drugs is under review at the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
Life may have begun 300 million years earlier than we thought
Flecks of carbon of potentially organic origin seen in zircon crystals, hinting that life started 4.1 billion years ago in Earth's fiery Hadean period
First domestication of dogs took place in Asia, not Europe
The largest ever genetic study points to dogs being domesticated in the vicinity of Nepal and Mongolia around 15,000 years ago
Should babies be given solids earlier to prevent food allergies?
Many countries advise keeping babies off solid food until 6 months, but the latest evidence suggest that this could be making allergies more likely
Babies better than adults at knowing where they’re being touched
Cross an adult's limbs and they have trouble saying which is is being touched. But young babies don't let body orientation confuse them
Carbon emissions make Earth greener but are also drying it out
Extra CO2 in the atmosphere is boosting plant growth, which is sucking water from streams in semi-arid parts of Australia, cutting streamflow by a quarter
Climate models may be wrong as fires cancel forest carbon sinks
Widely assumed to be huge carbon sinks, vast boreal forests are increasingly hit by fires so may be releasing carbon more quickly than they store it
Super-dark chameleon material shifts colour to boost solar power
A material made from gold nano-hammers is vying for the world's blackest stuff. But add a dye to it, and it dazzles
