Science News

Mysterious Forces

For the last 10 years physicists have been puzzled by a mysterious force acting on space probes. There have been various slight anomalies detected in how spacecraft move which don'...

Water-Guzzlers

Running vehicles on alternatives to fossil fuels could stress scarce water resources, US scientists have warned. ...

The Smell of the Reef

Phytoplankton and algae living on coral reefs release a chemical which attracts fish from miles around, and could play a key role in reef ecology....

Let your mind wander

Scientists have used brain scans to uncover what happens in the minds of jazz and other improv players when their creative juices start flowing. ...

Sharks and shoppers have something in common

With such a huge blue ocean to wander around, how exactly do marine predators like sharks find their next meal? ...

Bat Nav 2

Scientists have have found that a bar magnet is the basis of bats' direction-finding prowess. ...

Vanishing forests spell bad news for sea turtles

This week there is rather discomforting news of an unexpected link between environmental problems on land and those in the sea – it seems that cutting down rainforests in Wes...

Banned drug gives clues to depression treatment

Nowadays depression is often treated with drugs, but sometimes the effects of treatment can take many weeks to appear. So there’s an urgent need to find drugs that act more quickly...

The eyes have it – or do they?

For 150 years, zoology students have dutifully learned that circular markings on animals, such as the so-called eyespots found on a butterfly’s or moth’s wings, are there because t...

Gecko Glue

US scientists have taken a leaf from the foot of a gecko to develop a self-dissolving surgical glue to replace stitches and staples. The new material consists of a layer of a polym...