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Parts of the structure are younger than expected while an east wind blows the whole thing across the desert, researchers findThey are impressive, mysterious structures that loom out of deserts on the Earth and are also found on Mars and on Saturn’s biggest moon, Titan.Experts from universities including Aberystwyth in Wales have now pinpointed the age of a star dune in a remote area...

Team at Imperial College London say techniques could be used to flag warning signs during surgeryIt is a high-stakes scenario for any surgeon: a 65-year-old male patient with a high BMI and a heart condition is undergoing emergency surgery for a perforated appendix.An internal bleed has been detected, an anaesthetics monitor is malfunctioning and various bleepers are sounding – before an urgent call comes...

Attack on juvenile is thought to be first known time a lone orca has hunted down a great whiteIt is a smash and grab that has stunned scientists: in less than two minutes, a killer whale attacked and consumed a great white shark before swimming off with the victim’s liver in its mouth.Experts say the event off the coast of Mossel Bay in South...

Phrixus and Helle are depicted in vibrant colours with exquisite artistry in remarkable discoveryIn a remarkable discovery at the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, archaeologists have unearthed a fresco depicting the Greek mythological siblings Phrixus and Helle.Gabriel Zuchtriegel, the director of Pompeii Archaeological Park, described the find as a poignant reflection of history unfolding once more. Continue reading...

Report says Xiangguo Qiu secretly worked with Wuhan Institute for Virology and posed a ‘threat to Canada’s economic security’A leading research scientist at Canada’s highest-security laboratory provided confidential scientific information to Chinese institutions, met secretly with officials and posed “a realistic and credible threat to Canada’s economic security” according to newly released intelligence reports.The dismissal of Xiangguo Qiu and her husband, Keding Cheng, has...

Four-minute video features drag queens, twerking, ballerinas, a classical Indian dancer and a bunch of friends from CanberraFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe former Canberra scientist Dr Weliton Menário Costa said it “felt like winning Eurovision” when he learned he had won the global “Dance Your PhD” competition, for...

Intuitive Machines, private company behind lander, says mission will end after five days rather than the expected to seven to 10Flight control engineers expect to lose contact with the private US moon lander Odysseus on Tuesday, cutting short the mission five days after its sideways touchdown, the company behind the spacecraft, Intuitive Machines, said.It remained to be seen how much scientific data might be...

Unmanned Slim spacecraft responds to signal from Earth after touching down at awkward angle in JanuaryJapan’s moon lander has responded to a signal from Earth, suggesting it survived the two-week lunar night, the country’s space agency has said.The unmanned Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (Slim) touched down last month at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way. But as...

The environmentally friendly LignoSat probe – set to orbit this summer – has been created to combat harmful aluminium particlesJapanese scientists have created one of the world’s most unusual spacecraft – a tiny satellite that is made of timber.The LignoSat probe has been built of magnolia wood, which, in experiments carried out on the International Space Station (ISS), was found to be particularly stable...

Space agency announces ‘successful liftoff’ and says rocket has already released one micro-satelliteJapan’s space agency has successfully launched a second test model of its new flagship rocket H3, in a welcome boost to its space program after last year’s inaugural flight failed.The launch further burnishes the country’s space credentials after the historic “pinpoint” moon landing of Japan’s Slim spacecraft last month. Continue reading...

Fresh from controversially suggesting adding salt to tea, Michelle Francl says eating fruit can prolong caffeine rush from your cuppaIf you find yourself feeling the energising effect of your morning cuppa has worn off before the bus arrives, the scientist behind controversial advice to put salt in tea has some more palatable advice: try some grapefruit.Michelle Francl, a professor of chemistry at Bryn Mawr...

Researchers used samples from populations deemed by experts and campaigners to be vulnerable to exploitation, including Uyghurs and TibetansA genetics journal from a leading scientific publisher has retracted 18 papers from China, in what is thought to be the biggest mass retraction of academic research due to concerns about human rights.The articles were published in Molecular Genetics & Genomic Medicine (MGGM), a genetics journal...

Structure stretches for almost a kilometre off coast of Germany and may have once stood by a lakeA stone age wall discovered beneath the waves off Germany’s Baltic coast may be the oldest known megastructure built by humans in Europe, researchers say.The wall, which stretches for nearly a kilometre along the seafloor in the Bay of Mecklenburg, was spotted by accident when scientists operated...

Exclusive: Rothamsted Research is having to pause ‘non-essential’ work, according to a letter from its directorThe UK’s leading agricultural research facility is facing a funding crisis with its future work in jeopardy, it can be revealed.Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is one of the oldest agricultural research institutions in the world, having been founded in 1843, and its research has been credited with preventing...

National Museums Scotland restores soldier’s brass guard, only the third of its kind known to existA spectacular brass guard that would have protected the sword arm of a high-ranking Roman soldier some 1,800 years ago has been reconstructed from more than 100 fragments found at Trimontium, the Roman fort complex in Scotland.The extraordinary jigsaw puzzle has been pieced together by National Museums Scotland (NMS)...

Slim spacecraft landed on the moon and is communicating with earth but is not generating electricityJapan’s Slim spacecraft lands on moon but struggles to generate power(I’m really enjoying the soft piano music being played in the background of this Japanese space agency live feed. Very calming in a tense situation!)The probe is now “scanning the surface” and looking for a place to land, space...

Bone strength is set in childhood so better park access could prevent fractures in older people, study findsChildren with more green space near their homes have significantly stronger bones, a study has found, potentially leading to lifelong health benefits.The scientists found that the children living in places with 20-25% more natural areas had increased bone strength that was equivalent to half a year’s natural...

In launch event on Friday, agency shared plans to test over US cities to see if it’s quiet enough by engaging ‘the people below’Nasa has unveiled a one-of-a-kind quiet supersonic aircraft as part of the US space agency’s mission to make commercial supersonic flight possible.In a joint ceremony with Lockheed Martin Skunk Works in Palmdale, California, on Friday, Nasa revealed the X-59, an experimental...

US biotech firm designs cheaper, less invasive multi-cancer screening test it says could be ‘gamechanger’Scientists have developed a simple DNA test that can identify 18 early-stage cancers that experts say could represent a medical “gamechanger”.Cancer accounts for one in every six deaths worldwide, but early detection can significantly improve outcomes. Existing screening tests have drawbacks, including invasiveness, cost and low levels of accuracy for...

After four-month journey, Aditya-L1 will measure and observe sun’s outermost layersIndia’s solar observation mission has entered the sun’s orbit after a four-month journey, the latest success for the space exploration ambitions of the world’s most populous country.The Aditya-L1 mission was launched in September and is carrying an array of instruments to measure and observe the sun’s outermost layers. Continue reading...

Despite a surplus of eggs at fertility clinics around the country, very few end up being donated to research or other prospective parentsThe vast majority of eggs frozen by prospective mothers go unused, causing headaches for IVF clinics and preventing potentially groundbreaking research.Scientists are decrying a wasted opportunity as thousands of frozen eggs sit unused in storage instead of being used in potentially valuable...

Extending the limit could help uncover causes of recurrent miscarriage and congenital conditions, experts sayScientists are calling for a review of the 14-day rule on embryo research, saying that extending the limit could help uncover the causes of recurrent miscarriage and congenital conditions.Until now, scientists studying the earliest stages of life have been restricted to cultivating embryos up to the equivalent of 14 days...

Exclusive: Study published in 2019 used blood and saliva samples from 203 Uyghur and Kazakh people living in Xinjiang capitalConcerns have been raised that academic publishers may not be doing enough to vet the ethical standards of research they publish, after a paper based on genetic data from China’s Uyghur population was retracted and questions were raised about several others including one that is...