Scientists have identified a chain reaction that explains why our own bodies can turn against healthy cells, potentially transforming the way we look at autoimmune diseases and the way we treat them. The reaction, discovered after four years of research in…

North Korea is believed to have conducted a hydrogen bomb test . Seismic shockwaves from the underground test were felt in China, and quickly detected by both South Korea and Japan – both independently confirmed it was a nuclear test.

Light is pretty awesome. It's made of subatomic particles called photons, which also behave like waves. It's been demonstrated to act like both a particle and a wave simultaneously. Photons can be entangled at a distance. They reflect, refract and diffract.…

Perhaps among all clean energy alternatives, nothing can be as clean as hydrogen. Burning hydrogen in fuel cells produces only water as a byproduct. In that sense, it's also truly renewable. Yet, manufacturing hydrogen fuel cells on a larger scale hasn't…

Archaeologists have come across a vast network of underwater ruins making up the ancient Roman city once known as Neapolis, which was largely washed away by a powerful tsunami around 1,700 years ago. The dramatic deep sea find includes streets, monuments…

Genes associated with Alzheimer's disease and heavy smoking are broadly less prevalent in people with longer lifespans, suggesting that in spite of our mix of smarts and self-awareness, natural selection is still shaping our species. In a massive genomic…

Australian researchers have designed a new type of qubit - the building block of quantum computers - that they say will finally make it possible to manufacture a true, large-scale quantum computer. Broadly speaking, there are currently a number of ways to…

Researchers have uncovered what they say is a new class of ultra-low-density ice, which crystallises amid extreme negative pressure on water molecules.

If you're still riding that high from seeing the recent total solar eclipse and you want to keep the party going, now's your chance to see another of the night sky's wonders: an aurora. That said, a totally full Moon is going to try and wreck the par

It's fair to say parasites are generally bad for their hosts. Many cause disease and death so, like most species, we humans usually try to avoid infection at all costs. But it turns out that some parasites, although potentially harmful in isolation, can in…

While physicists have managed to wrap their minds around chaos theory in the macroscopic world, chaos also has its way at the quantum scale. And in many ways quantum chaos is even more perplexing than its large-scale counterpart. Which is why it's such a…

Scientists have discovered a new type of 'hell ant' - a species with terrifying spiky mouthparts reinforced with metal and used for drinking the blood of its enemies. Thankfully, these insects have been extinct for a while, but a 98-million-year-old amber…

Early Friday morning (US time), NASA's Cassini probe will meet its doom as it becomes a streak of plutonium-laced fireworks in the clouds of Saturn. The nuclear-powered robot was launched in 1997 to deeply study Saturn and its mysterious collection of moons.…

Apple chief executive Tim Cook has said he thinks of augmented reality as a 'big idea like the smartphone,' which should give you a sense of how important the iPhone maker thinks AR really is. So it's no surprise that analysts are expecting to hear big things…

Viewing fibrils at the nanoscale.

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He warns of an HIV epidemic.

The spacecraft Cassini will become a streak of ash when it tumbles into Saturn on Friday. Less than a million miles away, the probe Huygens, which Cassini launched onto Saturn's moon Titan, will be the only evidence of its partner's journey. Huygens is probably…

Peacock spiders keep dancing their way into our hearts. They're tiny, they're colourful, they're fluffy and they have killer moves.