We can tell whether pandas are mating successfully by their bleats
Giant pandas make all sorts of sounds – honks, chirps, roars – and now we know how to tell if they’ve mated by listening to their bleats
Our best planet-hunting telescope has come to the end of its mission
The Kepler Space Telescope has found thousands of planets beyond our solar system in the last decade. Now it has run out of fuel and will be turned off for good
Scotland’s BSE case is a reminder that many more may be out there
A case of classical BSE was confirmed in Scotland this month. While the disease seems to be on the wane in the UK, many cases worldwide may be going undetected
People who gave up smoking cannabis had a memory boost within a week
Smoking cannabis can impair memory, but a new study has found that giving up can partially reverse the effect after several days
Our neighbouring galaxy is dying as it leaks gas at an alarming rate
The Small Magellanic Cloud, a small galaxy orbiting our own, is leaking a huge amount of gas. In a billion years it may not be able to form new stars anymore
Neanderthals may have powered their bigger bodies by breathing deeper
The Neanderthal rib cage was about the same size as ours but a different shape, which suggests the extinct humans could take in more air with each breath
A freak 1870s climate event killed millions – and could happen again
Few people have heard of it, but the global famine of 1876-78 probably killed 50 million, and it was triggered by a natural climate event that could easily recur
Orangutans are exceptionally good at keeping their infants alive
Over 90 per cent of orangutans survive childhood long enough to have their first baby, a feat human societies only achieved in the 1900s
Earth may have a pair of ‘ghost moons’ made of dust trapped in orbit
Photographs show signs of a ghost moon, a translucent gas cloud that orbits Earth along with our moon. But some say the images are not definitive
Brazil’s new president will make it harder to limit climate change
Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s new president, looks set to further weaken protections for the Amazon rainforest, a move that threatens efforts to limit climate change