Ears of early humans could hear frequencies used in speech
Bones from two human ancestors living between 1 and 3 million years ago show their hearing shifted towards frequencies useful for savannah survival and speech
Plastic in the food chain: Artificial debris found in fish
Textile fibres and plastic have been found in the guts of fish caught off the coasts of California and Indonesia, raising concerns over food safety
VW emissions fraud tallies with Europe’s pollution overshoots
Nitrogen oxide pollution has been inexplicably high for years in Germany, France and other European states
DNA-cutting enzymes could slice through gene editing patent spat
The most significant biotechnology breakthrough in recent years, a technology called CRISPR, has sparked a patent battle: novel research suggests a workaround
How did Volkswagen cheat in tests and can it fix affected cars?
VW has been cheating in emissions tests to make its diesel cars appear less polluting than they really are – we look at the options the company now faces
Floods that hit New York City every 500 years now hit every 24
The figures show that before 1800, one storm every 500 years would have produced a 2.25-metre storm surge in the Battery; now, such storms occur once every 24 years
Deepest earthquakes seem to be seasonal but we don’t know why
Large magnitude, deep earthquakes occur more often between April and October – but the jury is still out on whether this is just down to chance
Invasive herb could hamper East Africa’s fight against malaria
Gains made in the fight against malaria in East Africa could be set back by an invasive plant species
Why lack of sleep makes us emotionally distracted by everything
Sleep-deprived people lose focus and get emotional even when viewing neutral images, but brain training could help keep everything under control
Rosettawatch: Onion layers prove 67P is a slow-mo comet mash-up
A geological survey of comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko has revealed its two halves have layers that don't line up, meaning they came together at a crawl
