LATEST HEADLINES
Mars rover may not escape sand trap for weeks
19:21 12 May 2009 | 6 comments
NASA's Spirit rover is stuck in the sand up to its hubcaps, and a quick escape does not look likely
Migrating blue whales rediscover 'forgotten' waters
17:28 12 May 2009 | 3 comments
Parts of the northern Pacific that once saw blue whales hunted out of existence seem once again to be on the migration route
Swiss find sweet way to test water purity
14:09 12 May 2009 | 5 comments
A common sweetener has provided a way to follow water from treatment plant out into the environment – with surprising results
Existing gas power plants could pump out hydrogen
13:03 12 May 2009 | 30 comments
The lack of a cheap way to generate the gas in bulk is holding back the shift to a hydrogen-powered economy – could retrofitting natural gas power stations be the answer?
Chemical translator could prevent name confusion
NEWS: 12:36 12 May 2009 | 5 comments
New software could prevent dangerous mistranslation of chemical names in non-English papers and patents
Comment: Hail to the intellectual president
COMMENT AND ANALYSIS: 10:47 12 May 2009 | 183 comments
Barack Obama has banished the knee-jerk anti-intellectualism of the Bush years, but he needs to make the change permanent, argues Chris Mooney
How brain chemicals can help soldiers keep their heads
FEATURE: 10:34 12 May 2009 | 11 comments
The extreme stresses of war can cloud soldiers' brains, leaving them vulnerable – but a brutal training programme hints at ways to help them cope with battle
Pig embryos could provide tougher transplant organs
22:00 11 May 2009 | 8 comments
Embryos' in-built resistance to immune attacks could make them a better source of organs, say researchers – although more proof is needed
Vitamin supplements may cut benefits of exercise
22:00 11 May 2009 | 33 comments
Supplements of antioxidants such as vitamins C and E are thought by many to help fight the ageing process, but they may make things worse
Space shuttle launches on last mission to Hubble
19:12 11 May 2009 | 20 comments
The 11-day mission should give the iconic telescope its best vision yet
FAVOURITE COMMENT
Beating the spammers
"Maybe I'm mistaken but isn't it illegal to infiltrate a network of computers?" Poiro (Image: Woodsy)
THE LAST WORD
Apple melt
Why does snow lying under trees melt before snow elsewhere?
SHORT SHARP SCIENCE BLOG
Cell phones show what you're looking at in the sky
23:19 12 May 2009 - updated 23:36 12 May 2009
A new program for mobile phones that use Google's Android operating system shows what celestial objects the phone is pointed at
Insulation made from corn wins $200,000 prize
21:01 12 May 2009 - updated 21:13 12 May 2009
A student-led team that designed insulation made from corn husks and other agricultural waste has won MIT's $200,000 Clean Energy Prize
Is empathy the key to fighting climate change?
17:45 12 May 2009 - updated 17:52 12 May 2009
A think tank suggests ways to inspire humanity to start caring more for each other and tackle climate change - but can it work?
ENVIRONMENT
Blue whales rediscover 'forgotten' waters
Parts of the northern Pacific that once saw blue whales hunted out of existence seem once again to be on the migration route
BOOK REVIEW
Wild Justice: The moral lives of animals
Animals possess morality, a new book argues, but are humans willing to abide by their rules?
