A comet smashing into ancient Earth may have set off catastrophic global warming
Scientists believe a comet hitting the Earth caused global warming 55.6 million years ago, an event that can help us understand climate change today.
Latest science news
NBN product launch was out of this world
NBN Co's second satellite has been successfully deployed and will soon begin providing broadband services to tens of thousands of homes and businesses in rural and remote Australia.
What's the longest humans can live? 115 years, new study says
On August 4, 1997, Jeanne Calment passed away in a nursing home in France. The Reaper comes for us all, of course, but he was in no hurry for Calment. She died at age 122, setting a record for human longevity.
Nobel chemistry prize for developing the world's smallest machines
Nobel committee compares three scientists' breakthroughs to the invention of the first crude electric motors.
See how easy it is for bacteria to develop antibiotic resistance
Harvard University researchers have used a metre-long petri dish to show the frightening speed at which bacteria can evolve and develop resistance to modern antibiotics.
Unusual states of matter studies win Nobel prize in physics
Discoveries boosted research in condensed matter physics and raised hopes for uses in new generations of electronics and superconductors or future quantum computers.
ANU study reveals origins of Vanuatu and Tonga's first people after centuries of debates
When ANU researchers stumbled upon skeletal remains at the oldest known cemetery of the Pacific Island Lapita culture, they did not expect it to solve a centuries-long debate.
Rosetta crash lands on comet, ending historic mission
The European Space Agency said the Rosetta spacecraft has crash-landed on a comet after an historic 12 years spent chasing it across more than 6 billion kilometres of space.
Hydrogen cars that no one might drive
Toyota's concept cars might end up being born into a driverless world.
Walking fly with a double penis discovered 'by accident'
The potential benefits of a double-barrelled penis - for a fly anyway.
Mars awaits: Sydney rocket scientist to test ion drive in space
A Sydney rocket scientist has just signed a deal to test his ion drive in space.
Drongo the budgie may be model for future air safety
The future of air safety could lie in the example of Drongo, Nemo and Titan.
New evidence of water geysers erupting from Europa's icy ocean
It could be an intriguing step on the hunt for alien life on Jupiter's ocean-covered moon.
Like Star Wars: Australian scientists just froze light
Physicists at The Australian National University have brought quantum computing a step closer to reality by stopping light in a new experiment.
World's largest radio telescope switches on
World's largest single-dish radio telescope, in a majestic but impoverished part of china, looks deep into the universe.
The moon may trigger major earthquakes, study finds
Why small earthquakes stay small, while others grow into monsters is one of the most enduring mysteries in earthquake science but we now have a partial, but tantalising answer: The moon and big tides.
Ig Nobel science awards recognise man who lived as a goat
The accolades are given for studies and findings that "make people laugh, and then think."
London museum finds 1883 SMH inside one-tonne sunfish
A piece of the Herald found inside a giant fish shows not much has changed since 1883.
Breathtaking photos from space remind us of our common home
During the 50 years we have been able take photos of Earth from space, we have become somewhat blase about the little blue planet on which we live.
How scientists read an ancient and fragile biblical scroll without unrolling it
When it was discovered in Israel in 1970, the En-Gedi scroll was clearly in no shape to be read. Now, 40 years alter, researchers