Since today is “Caturday”, I had to share some videos of one of my favourite birds in the world, the diminutive budgerigar named Disco. And because Disco is such a talented mimic, this gives me the opportunity to share the evolutionary reasons why pet parrots mimic people. Continue reading...

Pi Day 2015: A well known fact about pi is that it describes the bendiness of rivers. I wanted to test this theory, and so I crowd-sourced river lengths to find out Continue reading...

The Chinchorro people of Chile preserved bodies long before the Egyptians. But their remains may be falling foul of a very modern problem Continue reading...

Photographer Toby Smith goes behind the scenes with the satellite engineers taking giant leaps into a world beyond our reach

Forget missions to Mars, satellite technology is the real space race, with the number in orbit set to double in the next decade. So what goes on behind the scenes?

Ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter has sparked memory contests and even a language – this year’s celebration of π is a once-in-100-year occasionHe ate all the pi : Japanese man memorises π to 111,700 digitsA date falls on this Saturday that only comes once every 100 years – and geeks around the world are very excited.It’s Pi Day, the celebration date of the number that is the ratio of a circle’s circumference to its diameter. The celebration is held annually on 14 March, because 3/14 spells out the first three digits of π, or pi, which is 3.14. Continue reading...

Naturalists decamp to remote Amazonian region to try to classify some of the many thousands of unidentified Guianan species Continue reading...

This week’s books include three scholarly works: one examines the language of science and how it changed from Latin to English; another probes the rise of online universities; and a third discusses the use of Victorian fairy-tales to communicate science to public. Continue reading...

What will happen to human skill and sensibility as robots take on more tasks and aspects of human existence? What are the challenges facing inhabitants of remote Pacific Ocean islands, and why does 1610 mark a new human epoch? Continue reading...

The Iron Man star Robert Downey Jr gives a seven-year-old boy a bionic arm. In a video posted on his Facebook page, the actor can be seen dressed as Tony Stark, Iron Man's alter ego. In partnership with Limbitless Solutions, Downey Jr presents a 3D-printed bionic arm to young Alex, who was born with a partially developed arm Continue reading...

First space mission dedicated to study of magnetic reconnection – thought to be the catalyst for some of the most powerful explosions in solar system

Tell Them Science is Vital: with funding in decline and an election looming, we must make sure our democratic representatives understand how crucial science is for our economy, health and happiness Continue reading...

Queensland has recorded 1,895 cases of salmonella so far this year, and authorities say misconceptions about dirty eggs are part of the problem Continue reading...

Study to sequence genes of 100,000 people from Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities to identify genes resilient to heart disease, diabetes and cancerScientists are planning to sequence the genes of 100,000 south Asian people in London, in an ambitious project to track down rare beneficial genes that protect against conditions from heart disease to cancer.The Pakistani and Bangladeshi communities in London have among the highest rates of poor health in Britain, with twice the average number of deaths from heart disease and five times the rate of type 2 diabetes. But within this population, scientists predict, there will be people who are unexpectedly healthy, whose genes could be conferring extreme resilience to disease. Continue reading...

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The two-year mission’s findings should help scientists better understand so-called space weather as liftoff is set for Thursday night Continue reading...

Forensic team says it used handkerchief splashed with Gabriele D’Annunzio’s sperm to recreate eccentric, 19th-century, rightwing leader’s genetic blueprint Continue reading...

LHC will run at double its previous energy, smashing protons to open up the subatomic world and look for more varieties of Higgs boson

The death of Terry Pratchett from early onset Alzheimer’s is a bitter blow for many. But his life and legacy will always be cause for celebration

Animal rights groups accuse government of betrayal after minister announces ban on animal testing of cleaning products but not ingredientsThe government has been accused of introducing a useless ban on using animals to test cleaning products after it emerged that the new prohibition will not apply to testing ingredients.The coalition promised to end animal testing on household products in its programme for government in 2010. On Thursday Lynne Featherstone, a Home Office minister, announced that the ban would come into force in October but said it would not apply to the ingredients that go into the products, which include detergents, polishes and cleaning products, laundry products, household cleaners, air fresheners and toilet cleaners. Continue reading...

Plants capture sunlight and turn it into starch. Scientists are now adapting the photosynthetic process to improve the way we harness solar energy Continue reading...

The Soyuz TMA-14M capsule landed safely in Kazakhstan just after sunrise, returning home the two Russian and one US crew member who have spent 167 days in orbit Continue reading...

Following on from Nigel Farage’s claims that anti-discrimination laws are no longer needed in the UK, concerns about antibiotic resistance and investment in healthcare have been dismissed as irrelevant and wasteful by numerous deadly diseases Continue reading...

Pharmacists who sell homeopathic remedies as anything other than placebos are putting their customers’ health at risk

Alarmists and deniers need to climb out of their parallel trenches, engage with the developing world and work together to end the crisis Continue reading...

Rough periwinkles found commonly around UK coast described as new species or sub-species over 100 timesA seaside snail found in rock pools on almost every stretch of coast around the UK has been named as the most misidentified creature in the world.Rough periwinkles are commonly seen on shorelines around the North Atlantic but come with so many colour and shape variations that they have confused scientists for centuries. Continue reading...

Nasa test-fires a beefed-up space shuttle Solid Rocket Motor in Utah on Wednesday. The 177-foot motor is 25% more powerful than the four-segment engines used to help lift the space shuttle. The two-minute test fire is considered a key milestone toward the debut flight of Nasa's deep-space launcher in 2018 Continue reading...

A new paper investigates when humans started screwing up the environment, and uses this as the symbol for the beginning of a new geologic age: the Anthropocene, or the Age of Humans. Continue reading...

The newly discovered prehistoric species, named Aegirocassis benmoulae, was an early ancestor of the modern spider and the oldest giant filter-feeder on recordA filter-feeding “lobster” as big as a human took the place of whales 480 million years ago, a new fossil discovery has shown.The two-metre prehistoric creature, whose remains were unearthed in Morocco, belonged to the family of anomalocaridids, the early ancestors of modern crustaceans, insects and spiders. Continue reading...

A new study finds the year to be a key point for the Anthropocene – marking the irreversible transfer of crops and species between the old and new worldsKing James was on the throne, Shakespeare’s Cymbeline was playing in the theatre and Galileo discovered four moons of Jupiter. In future, though, 1610 could be chiefly remembered as the geological time-point at which humans came to dominate Earth.Scientists have argued that it is time to draw a line under the current geological epoch and usher in the start of a new one, defined by mankind’s impact on the planet. Continue reading...

The latest findings in Australia add to a series of other studies proving that its preparations have no proven benefits to patients

Bright flames shoot out rocket for two minutes, marking the first full-duration burn of the enhanced solid-fuel shuttle booster rocketA beefed-up space shuttle solid rocket motor passed a two-minute test firing in Utah on Wednesday, a key milestone toward the debut flight of Nasa’s deep-space launcher in 2018, the US space agency said.Anchored horizontally to a test stand in the desert in Promontory, Utah, the five-segment motor, built by Orbital ATK, ignited at 9.30am local time. Continue reading...

Sarah Brightman, the recording star turned astronaut, speaks about her upcoming journey into space. The British soprano will blast off in September and plans to sing from orbit. 'I cannot explain in full why this is something that has been very strong within me,' she says. Brightman has been working with her former husband, Andrew Lloyd Webber, on a suitable tune which she says is both 'beautiful and simple' Continue reading...

Florida governor Rick Scott’s language prohibition for state employees is forefront of climate denialism as public policy Continue reading...

It’s inevitable: as science progresses, controversy happens. But sometimes, the public sees controversy where none exists. How to remedy that? Continue reading...

Quoting poetry in a science paper does not add to its research, but as the Wellcome Trust book prize reveals, our dry format benefits from well-written ways to gain wider readership

Altering the space between tiny crystals allows lizards to reflect a specific wavelength of light and camouflage themselves, study finds

What’s it like to turn your science into 90 minutes of TV? The researchers involved in Channel 4’s Drugs Live share their experienceRelated: Drugs Live: Cannabis on Trial - live blogScientists are increasingly encouraged to share their findings with wider audiences through public engagement activities like science fairs, festivals, comedy, and radio and TV broadcasting. Activities like this can be very worthwhile, both for the public and the scientists, but they do present some challenges. Continue reading...

Three men and their families will be eligible for personalised treatment designed to target their genetic defectsThree men from two families are the first patients to be diagnosed with rare diseases after volunteering to have their complete genetic codes mapped as part of the groundbreaking 100,000 Genomes Project.