science
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Michael Faraday’s pioneering work on electricity made him a 19th-century superstar. Now his signature invention is being repurposed for surveillance–proof bags, wallpaper and underpants – not to mention plot points in TV shows such as Better Call Saul
The Faraday cage: from Victorian experiment to Snowden-era paranoiaMichael Faraday’s pioneering work on electricity made him a 19th-century superstar. Now his signature invention is being repurposed for surveillance–proof bags, wallpaper and underpants – not to mention plot points in TV shows such as Better Call Saul
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IBS patient Linda Buonanno knew the pills she was given contained no active drugs, yet they had an immediate effect on her condition. So can placebos play a useful medical role?
‘I knew they were sugar pills but I felt fantastic’ – the rise of open-label placebosIBS patient Linda Buonanno knew the pills she was given contained no active drugs, yet they had an immediate effect on her condition. So can placebos play a useful medical role? -
Exposure to nitrogen dioxide and airborne particles affects sleep efficiency, says medical professor
Air pollution linked to poor sleep, study findsExposure to nitrogen dioxide and airborne particles affects sleep efficiency, says medical professor -
Nicola Davis investigates what makes graphene the ‘wonder material’ and whether it can bring commercial success to the UKIs graphene really worth the hypeNicola Davis investigates what makes graphene the ‘wonder material’ and whether it can bring commercial success to the UK
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An international group including scientists and lawyers aims to lay down the law for the military in spaceThe new rulebook for real-life star warsAn international group including scientists and lawyers aims to lay down the law for the military in space
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Did Dutch hordes kill off the early Britons who started Stonehenge?A gene study has shown that incomers could have ousted Stone Age Britons
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Bad sleep makes it harder to keep your waistline downSingle poor night can increase appetite and slow metabolism, say researchers
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key issues
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SpaceSpaceThe new rulebook for real-life star warsAn international group including scientists and lawyers aims to lay down the law for the military in space
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BiologyBiologyScientists identify 40 genes that shed new light on biology of intelligenceStudy significantly adds to the tally of genes connected to intellect – but researchers caution genius isn’t all down to genetics
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Medical researchMedical researchAndrew Forrest gives away large part of his fortune in $400m donationForrest and his wife Nicola are making one of the largest philanthropic donations in Australian history, to fund a variety of social and medical causes
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PsychologyPsychologyThe psychology of passwords: 'You won't change until you've been hacked'We all know the risks of not changing our passwords – yet somehow it is never a priority. Louise Chunn explains why few people bother
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PhysicsPhysicsThe Faraday cage: from Victorian experiment to Snowden-era paranoiaMichael Faraday’s pioneering work on electricity made him a 19th-century superstar. Now his signature invention is being repurposed for surveillance–proof bags, wallpaper and underpants – not to mention plot points in TV shows such as Better Call Saul
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A peacock's tail: how Darwin arrived at his theory of sexual selectionDarwin developed the radical idea of females’ power to choose their mates despite it being at odds with his own notions of women as inferior
in depth
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Can you manufacture blood cells?Researchers may have found a way of making blood from human or mouse stem cells
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opinion
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Without action on antibiotics, medicine will return to the dark agesContinued overprescribing and abuse could lead to more people dying of resistant infections than cancer. Only global cooperation can solve the problem
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Fidget spinners are not just a fad – ask any ballpoint-pen clickerDespite sometimes being an annoying distraction for others, such items can have practical uses for adults, and perhaps even children
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pictures & video
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The Antikythera mechanism: the world's first computer? – videoThe mechanism was found on the 2,000-year-old Antikythera shipwreck, considered the greatest archaeological discovery of the 20th century
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Riders on the storm: the scientists who chase tornadoes - in picturesScientists and meteorologists from the Center for Severe Weather Research try to get close to supercell storms and tornadoes, trying to better understand tornado structure and strength, how low-level winds affect and damage buildings, and to learn more about tornado formation and prediction.
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Eighteen-foot nodosaur unveiled at Alberta museum – videoOne of the best preserved armoured dinosaurs in the world has been unveiled at the Royal Tyrrell Museum of Paleontology in Alberta
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Narwhals: new footage reveals possible purpose for mysterious tusk – videoDrone footage in Canada captures the behaviour of rarely-seen narwhals which appear to use their long tusks to tap and stun fish, making them easier to catch
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75m-year-old 'Ghostbuster' dinosaur discovered – in picturesScientists from the Royal Ontario Museum have identified a new species of anklylosaurid, named Zuul crurivastator
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US should get to Mars during my presidency, Trump tells astronaut – videoAstronaut Peggy Whitson, who broke the US record for the most time in space, receives a congratulatory call from Donald Trump
Scientists identify 40 genes that shed new light on biology of intelligence
Scientists identify 40 genes that shed new light on biology of intelligence