After five-year voyage, Juno space probe almost ready to orbit Jupiter

A US spacecraft is due to arrive at the planet Jupiter after a five-year journey on a mission to provide clues about the formation of the solar system.

NASA's dangerous Juno mission set to unravel Jupiter secrets

An armour-shielded spacecraft is due to reach Jupiter early on July 5 after completing a five year, 2.3 billion-kilometre journey from Earth.

​Jupiter puts on 'fireworks display' as NASA space probe Juno nears

Jupiter, the king of planets, appears to be wearing a crown of blazing light in a stunning new image from the Hubble Space Telescope.

China eyes hunt for alien life with giant telescope

Ben Blanchard   China has hoisted the final piece into position on what will be the world's largest radio telescope.

NASA's spacecraft missions extended

Kenneth Chang   Just before the spacecraft Juno finishes a five-year trip to Jupiter on Monday, NASA has decided to extend the missions of nine older robotic explorers that have lived beyond original expectations.

Artificial pancreas may be only a year away

Bridie Smith   People living with type 1 diabetes could soon be free of regular insulin injections, after researchers said an artificial pancreas could become available within a year.

Climate change, not humans, killed off megafauna

Bridie Smith   It's a contentious question. Why did the giant kangaroos and rhino-sized wombats that once roamed Australia die out?

The new 'near-perfect' blue that reflects heat and doesn't fade

Catherine Armitage   Scientists at Oregon State University may put International Klein Blue in the shade with the accidental discovery of a new pigment that is going on sale.

Stop bashing GMO foods, more than 100 Nobel laureates say

Niraj Chokshi   More than 100 Nobel laureates have a message for Greenpeace: Quit the GMO-bashing.

Why the sun has lost its spots - and what that means for us

For the second time in less than a month, not a single dark sunspot can be seen on the surface of our star.

Science

NASA's mission impossible reaches Jupiter

Peter Spinks   NASA's Juno probe will reveal how Jupiter got to be so big, while shedding light on the solar system's beginnings billions of years ago.

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Space

NASA tests massive rocket booster it says will go to Mars

Christian Davenport   Test burnt through 5000kg of propellant per second, shooting flames out at three times the speed of sound.

Cancer is contagious in Tasmanian devils and clams. What about us?

Carl Zimmer   We already knew it was contagious in Tasmanian devils, but now scientists have found cancer is spreading from clam to clam up the world's coasts. Should we be worried?

Science

Gearing up for the mega-telescope

Peter Spinks   With a nine-times-larger collecting area than its predecessors, the Thirty Metre Telescope is likely to transform the art of astronomy.

Scientists create water-activated self-folding straws

Natasha Boddy   Scientists in Canberra have created a self-pumping straw with a new material that folds into a tube when touched by water and can then propel liquid.

Blood test developed to predict premature birth

Bridie Smith   A blood test to predict the risk of premature birth as early as 18 weeks in to pregnancy can detect signs even before symptoms present, according to international researchers.

Science

Discovered: newborn exoplanets far, far away

Peter Spinks   Scientists have found two newly formed planets - one the size of Neptune and the other a giant Jupiter-like exoplanet - orbiting two stellar newborns.