Alien life could spread between solar systems on interstellar rocks
Researchers have calculated that living organisms may be able to hitch a ride aboard interstellar rocks to spread not only between planets, but across the galaxy
Bill Gates leads global call to accept realities of a warming planet
A coalition of major global figures say we must do much more to adapt to our rapidly warming world, and we need to do it fast
Electric chewing gum zaps your tongue to create a virtual flavour hit
An 'unlimited chewing gum' uses an electric charge to trick you into experiencing flavours – and they don’t fade in the way chewing gum flavour usually does
National bans on smacking children linked to less teenage violence
A survey has found that teenagers get into more fights in countries where it is legal to spank children, but there could be several explanations for the link
Will there be beer shortages as the world warms? Well, maybe
Predictions of beer shortages and rocketing prices as extreme weather hits barley production should not be taken too literally but do highlight a very real problem
Earliest ever animal fossil is a 660-million-year-old sponge
Chemical evidence locked in rocks and oil suggests that the first animals were alive 100 million years earlier than we thought from fossils
Rabbit-killing virus may have mutated to kill hares too
Brown hares are turning up dead across the UK, raising fears that myxomatosis – the rabbit infection in ‘Watership Down’ - may have mutated to target hares
Wheat flour to be fortified with folic acid in the UK
Folic acid helps prevent birth defects but is most effective taken around the time of conception. Adding it to wheat could benefit unplanned pregnancies
Mysterious cosmic radio signal spotted unusually close to Earth
The first fast radio burst to be detected in a nearby galaxy may provide clues about what – or who – is able to transmit these strange, powerful signals
T. rex may have used its long feet for stealthy surprise attacks
Carnivorous dinosaurs generated seismic waves with every footfall – but because of the shape of their feet they may have masked their presence approaching prey