Distant worlds could be sheltering in a bubble around their star
Alien worlds, like Earth, are shielded from cosmic rays by magnetic bubbles around their sun – trouble is, stars have a tendency to drop their guard
NASA buys $490 million Russian rides to ISS as funds fall short
US space agency hoped to be flying astronauts to the International Space Station by this year, but has had to extend contract with Russia for $490 million
Sniff out alien life with giant library of weird chemicals
The search for vital signs of life in the atmospheres of other planets has taken a new turn with a vast library of biosignatures that could help us detect ET
Australia criticised over emissions cuts that defy 2 °C target
Pledges on reducing carbon emissions by between 26 and 28 percent below 2005 levels by 2030 would not help towards world's 2 °C target, say critics
Hornless cattle will herald a gene-editing revolution on farms
Gene editing has created cattle that do not need painful horn removal. The same technique can spare other new breeds from suffering or culling
Why Scotland will use new EU rule to ban the growing of GM crops
The Scottish government plans to prohibit the growing of genetically modified crops, making use of recent EU rules on opting out
Kepler sees hints of asteroids pursuing planets near other stars
Asteroids called Trojans sit in gravitational wells around planets in our solar system – now data from the Kepler spacecraft suggests it happens elsewhere too
Trans fats, not saturated fat, linked to heart disease risk
Evidence is mounting that trans fats, found in margarine and processed foods, raise the risk of contracting, and dying from, heart disease
Spacecraft could use sat-nav for directions to the moon
Fly me to the moon, sat-nav. Repurposing GPS satellites to direct lunar-bound spacecraft could make getting there cheaper and also improve navigation on Earth
Space-grown lettuce tastes like salad rocket
Astronauts aboard the ISS have grown and eaten romaine lettuce – and report that it tastes like arugula, also known as rocket, appropriately enough
