Zebra finches are commonly studied in captivity by biologists Alamy The dawn chorus of birdsong has inspired poets and nature lovers for thousands of years, but the reason why birds all over the world start the day this way is an enduring mystery. Now, a series of experiments in zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) suggests that…
Jared Lepora with his robot hand built from Lego Mindstorms pieces Nathan Lepora A robot hand built from Lego pieces by a 16-year-old and his father can grab and move objects, displaying similar qualities to a leading robotic hand. Jared Lepora, a student at Bristol Grammar School, UK, began developing the hand when he was…
Coloured light micrograph of a human embryo after in vitro fertilisation ZEPHYR/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY During in vitro fertilisation (IVF), embryos undergo genetic testing before they are transferred to the uterus – but researchers have found that a widely used test cannot detect genetic abnormalities that form in embryos just before implantation. However, it isn’t clear…
October 22, 2025 4 min read So You Fell for a Robot—‘Chatfishing’ Is Taking Over the Dating Apps Forget fake profile pics on dating apps—AI is now doing the talking, and we can’t tell the difference By Deni Ellis Béchard edited by Andrea Gawrylewski & Clara Moskowitz Donald Iain Smith/Getty Images It’s a well-worn adage…
The future of solar is looking bright fuyu liu/Shutterstock Is solar power going to take over the world? The past few years have seen a frankly astounding acceleration in the rate of its deployment, with total generation capacity doubling between 2022 and 2024 to supply a full 7 per cent of the world’s electricity. Just…
The world’s most prized coffee comes from partially digested beans pooped out by the Asian palm civet. Now, researchers are delving into why this “civet coffee” is so tasty. New chemical analyses of beans collected from civet poop, alongside beans picked directly from the coffee plants, suggest that fermentation in the civet’s innards does add…
October 23, 2025 3 min read Fossilized Skin on Dinosaur ‘Mummies’ Isn’t Skin at All Wyoming’s “dinosaur mummies,” once thought to preserve fossilized flesh, are actually detailed clay molds formed by microbes as the creatures decayed By Andrea Tamayo edited by Sarah Lewin Frasier Mummy of the juvenile duck-billed dinosaur Edmontosaurus annectens preserved as a…
NASA’s Phoenix Lander’s solar panel and robotic arm with a sample in the scoop NASA/JPL-Caltech/University of Arizona/Texas A&M University Mars may have a network of liquid water flowing through the frozen ground. All buried permafrost, on Earth and beyond, is expected to host narrow veins of liquid, and new calculations show on Mars, they could…
A ridge of rocks in New Mexico holds a snapshot of a dinosaur heyday. Fossils of crested hadrosaurs, long-necked sauropods and a variety of plants all point to a flourishing ecosystem. New dating of the rocks now reveals this thriving scene existed not long before an asteroid slammed into Earth 66 million years ago. The…
October 23, 2025 3 min read Near-Hurricane Melissa Will Drop Mind-Boggling Rain on Jamaica Melissa is currently a slow-moving tropical storm that is expected to rapidly intensify to a major hurricane—a brutal combination will drench Jamaica and other Caribbean islands By Meghan Bartels edited by Andrea Thompson Tropical Storm Melissa swirling slowly over the Caribbean…
