Genes can’t be patented, rules Australia’s High Court
Your genes are not an invention, according to Australia's Highest Court, overturning two previous judgements.
EU ruling means Facebook and Google can’t send data to the US
The ruling against the 15-year-old law, known as Safe Harbour, threatens the business models of more than 3000 companies, including big internet firms
Expert witness on “shaken baby syndrome” faces misconduct charge
A disciplinary hearing has begun against a pathologist whose research challenges child-abuse assumptions. She is the second doctor to be accused in five years
Physics Nobel prize for discovering neutrinos can change flavour
The two winners of the 2015 prize helped show that the three "flavours" of neutrinos can change into each other, implying they have a tiny mass
How common is sexual violence in the humanitarian aid community?
Aid work is often about promoting an end to sexual abuse – but surveys suggest aid workers themselves experience such abuse more often than official figures imply
Earthquake algorithm picks up the brain’s vibrations
An algorithm used to analyse earthquakes has been adapted to pick up the natural tremors in the brain. The technique could help spot tumours and dementia
Wildlife is thriving around Chernobyl since the people left
Largest survey yet of wildlife around the reactor shows that animals are flourishing despite lingering radiation from the 1986 explosion
Volcanic eruptions have extreme effect on the flow of rivers
Volcanoes wreak havoc with rainfall so some rivers increase their flow after eruptions, while others dry up. Knowing this could help long-range climate forecasts
Basic quantum computation achieved with silicon for first time
So far we have had to use supercooled materials to try out ultra-fast quantum logic. Now silicon, already standard in electronics, has gained that talent
Plant tricks dung beetles by making its seeds look like dung
Proof that plants are sometimes smarter than animals is seen with seeds that mimic antelope droppings in looks and smell, ensuring their dispersal
