Earth’s composition might be unusual for a planet with life
Solar systems with habitable planets seem to be made of different stuff to our sun, meaning alien worlds probably aren't like Earth, a new study suggests
Jeremy Corbyn: Where he stands on science and medicine
The new leader of the Labour Party supports action on climate change, and has created a shadow minister for mental health – but he fails on some issues
Gaption, the social network where it can literally pay to post
Based in Malaysia, a new networking platform lets users advertise goods and services and shares any proceeds with others who reshare and like their posts
Bees win as US court rules against neonicotinoid pesticide
US ruling says that pesticide use was approved on the basis of "flawed and limited" data, which some campaigners hope will turn the tide against neonicotinoids
Can red wine really stave off Alzheimer’s disease?
There's evidence that resveratrol, found in red wine, may stabilise Alzheimer's disease – but at strong doses equivalent to 1000 bottles a day
NASA reveals best pictures of bright spots on Ceres
Scientists are studying the best-ever pictures of the mysterious bright spots on the dwarf planet this week, but we still don't know what they are
Sierra Nevada’s 500-year snowpack low deepens California drought
Snow on the Sierra Nevada mountains, whose melt supplies a third of California's water reservoirs, has hit a 500-year low
Unhackable kernel could keep all computers safe from cyberattack
From helicopters to medical devices and power stations, mathematical proof that software at the heart of an operating system is secure could keep hackers out
Pluto dazzles in first new images downloaded since July’s flyby
The New Horizons spacecraft has sent back fresh, stunning photos that it took of the distant icy world when it flew past on 14 July
Moonquakes discovered in data from 1970s Apollo mission
An algorithm based on speech recognition software has dug up hundreds of tremors on the moon that were missed by earlier searches
