'It's either aliens or a swarm of comets': scientists baffled by bizarre star
A star that some think might be home to high-tech aliens has scientists asking 'WTF?'.
New species of mammal discovered: meet the hog-nosed rat
As rats go, this one is pretty cute. And until Tuesday, the world was oblivious to its existence.
Could you live under the sea?
A pick of the best events for the inaugural Sydney Science Festival.
Living in lava tubes: cities in the moon
Study suggests large empty pockets beneath the moon's crust could offer shelter from the deadly low temperatures and radiation of the surface while being stable enough to house buildings.
'Completely nuts': Faraway planet is lord of the rings
Astronomers have found the first-ever ringed planet beyond our Solar System, a super-world with a girdle of halos 200 times bigger than Saturn's.
Get ready for a massive year in science
Some serious groundwork has been laid. Some amazing instruments are turning on. Some incredible destinations are in sight. If you ask us, 2015 is going to be an awesome year in science.
Latest science news
Scientists hope to strike gold in global hunt for dark matter – at the bottom of a Stawell mine
Scientists hunting for the cosmic glue that holds the universe together are hoping they strike gold in an unlikely place: a mine in the Victorian country town of Stawell.
Scientists find new 'three parent' IVF technique safe in lab tests
A study of a new three-parent IVF technique designed to reduce the risk of mothers passing hereditary diseases to their babies has found it is likely to work well and lead to normal pregnancies, British scientists said
Fossils provide clues to ‘hobbit’ ancestry
The Liliputian Hobbits of Indonesia descended from stranded members of Homo erectus, a human cousin that was about the same size as we are today.
Deep-sea 'mushroom' mystery solved
What was labelled a new kind of deep-sea animal is actually a chip off a jellyfish block, scientists have found.
Dead gorilla Harambe could yet become a father
The gorilla shot and killed after a four-year-old child broke into his zoo enclosure will live on - albeit in an unrecognisable and frozen form.
The DNA detectives
Australians have been called upon to donate their DNA and help establish the country's first historical DNA database, providing researchers with a crucial tool for solving wartime mysteries - some which date back 100 years.
Is this the end for the Dish?
Leaked briefing notes show that CSIRO cuts threaten the iconic radio telescope at Parkes
Scientists to create non-allergenic 'super' peanut
A global team of scientists is edging closer to creating a non-allergenic "super" peanut.
Local universe expanding faster than we thought
If you feel like everything has been getting faster lately, you're not alone.
Sexy spiders: cannibalism leads to choosy males
In most animals females are the more choosy sex when it comes to prospective mating partners, while males are typically regarded as being less discerning about their sexual partners. But male orb-weaving spiders can be highly picky too.
Gamers in quest to answer quantum questions
It turns out that playing is a great way to advance science.
Space-junk 'avalanche' could wipe out satellites
The world's navigation and communication networks are at risk of being brought down by a "catastrophic avalanche" of space junk, researchers have warned.
World's smallest submarine dives beneath the atomic water line
The tiniest and fastest-moving submersibles ever developed promise to transform the brave new world of nanotechnology.
Online therapy for obsessive compulsive disorder beats medication
Given up on therapists? Jump online for a better chance of dealing with issues such as hoarding or OCD.
Proof that comets could have sparked life on Earth
Comets really could have sparked life on Earth, scientists have proved, after finding key components of DNA in their atmosphere for the first time.
Partial to escargot? This 15 million-year-old Aussie marsupial snacked on snails
The 'Fangaroo' and 'Drop Crocs' are just some extinct animals discovered in Australia. Now we can add this snail-biter to the list.
Touchy, feely plants take well to human warmth and kindness
New findings suggest we ought to think differently about our interactions with supposedly unresponsive plants and vegetables.
It's all in the genes: How your parents can make you stay at school longer
The genes you inherit from your parents have a say in how long you stay at school and whether you go to university, according to the results of one of the world's largest genetic studies.
Sharks have personalities - just like us
Not all sharks share the sinister aggression of the great white that terrorised beachgoers in the 1970s classic Jaws.
India takes on Bezos, Musk in the race to space
It's early days yet, but India is shaping up as a serious player in next-gen space travel. Anurag Kotoky and Ganesh Nagarajan report.
Features
Science is Golden
Listen to our podcast series about science and scientists.
Scientists find echoes of Big Bang
An experiment at the South Pole leads to what is potentially one of the biggest scientific discoveries of the past two decades.
The secret to running repairs
Scientists think the Mexican walking fish may hold the key to regeneration in humans.
Alive as a dodo
Bringing animals back from extinction is no longer science fiction. But the question is, should we do it?