Kitchen counter bio-lab lets you make edible gloop from cells
A coffee machine pod-like system can synthesise food from packaged pods of plant cells. The system could let us make our own jam from weird and exotic plants
What the controversial ‘human’ teeth fossils really tell us
Two 9.7-million-year-old fossil teeth found in Germany probably belong to a primitive primate and something like a deer, not an early human ancestor as has been reported
Geese-like birds seem to have survived the dinosaur extinction
A bird group named the Vegaviidae, which resembled modern loons and geese, is the first identified with members that lived before and after the Cretaceous extinction
Perfectly preserved fossil salamander even has last meal in gut
A fossil salamander that lived at least 34 million years ago is in such good condition that the remains of a frog it ate are still in its digestive tract
New Zealand’s iconic kiwi birds may be losing their sight
Three Okarito brown kiwis living wild in New Zealand are completely blind but in good physical condition, suggesting the species is evolving to lose its sight
Dinosaurs that seemed veggie also ate the odd bit of shellfish
Many dinosaurs are thought to have been exclusive plant-eaters, but their fossilised faeces suggest that some of these species also ate seafood
Sacrificial virgin spiders let their nieces eat them alive
In one species of spider, unmated females not only care for other spiders’ offspring, they allow the tiny spiderlings to devour their insides
Robot made from a DNA strand could deliver cargo in your blood
Micromachine with two feet and two arms could pick up and deliver drugs in the bloodstream or build chemical compounds, one tiny step at a time
Meet the vampire ant from hell with huge jaws and a metal horn
Linguamyrmex vladi had ferocious snapping jaws and a horn reinforced with metal, which it may have used to puncture prey and drain their blood
‘Highwaymen’ beetles rob ants of the food in their stomachs
As jet ant workers carry honeydew back to their nests, beetles approach them and trick them into vomiting up the precious food