In the depths of winter, when conditions are just right, glittering clouds turn the polar skies into a spectacle of colour. Rainbow clouds – also known as ‘nacreous’ or ‘mother-of-pearl’ clouds after their resemblance to the iridescent shells of some

It's a rather delicious irony that one of the most valuable things to come out of the space programme wasn't the ability to look into the deepest regions of the Universe, but to look back at Earth; to see our world as a beautiful disc of white clouds

A pioneering approach is enabling scientists to monitor human development during the latter stages of pregnancy. By growing miniature organs – known as organoids – from stem cell samples collected during an active pregnancy, scientists can now open t

The world's population is undergoing an enormous shift because the average person is living longer. According to the World Health Organization, in 2020 there were more people aged 60 and over, than there were children under five. In the UK, there are

Whether cats or dogs are cleverer is a perennial question. There's no denying dogs normally have bigger brains (especially if they're a bigger breed). But pooches also have more neurons – one golden retriever was found to have 623 million neurons in

On 8 April 2024, a slice of land across North America was treated to the rare and wondrous sight of a total solar eclipse. The awe-inspiring event saw the Sun completely blotted out by a perfectly positioned Moon, temporarily turning day into night.

The Frankenstein's monster of the ebike world, BMW's new CE 02 looks like a bike made with parts from at least three others. The end result is modern and stylish, can cover 90km (55 miles) on a full battery, will go from 0-50km/h (0-30mph) in three s

PENCILS AT THE READY! 7 Majestic lager's re-ordered (5) 9 Personnel reduced in top style (4,3) 10 Family member misses initial happiness (7) 11 Set fire to hill beside church (5) 12 Fancy hat also accessible (2,4) 13 Breaking news from city trial (6)

Yes, black holes can die, but in a very slow and mundane fashion. Empty space isn't actually empty. Although it contains no mass or energy, the ‘quantum fields’ that define mass and energy still exist. These fields, because they're not required to ha

The star Arcturus is an iconic sight in the spring night sky. It's easy to locate by extending the arc of the handle of the Saucepan (aka Plough) away from the pan. Arcturus lies on this curve, shining with a noticeable orange hue. For those of us wh

Scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to make a discovery about prostate cancer that has the potential to save thousands of lives. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer to affect men, with 52,000 cases of the disease diagnosed in the

Samsung is the market leader when it comes to TVs and has been since 2006. Quickly and successfully embracing new tech and trends has helped the company maintain that position. Hence, we've seen Samsung's big-screen models go from having 4K resolutio

Slow running is a fitness trend with some hard and fast science behind it Deceleration isn't really in the runner's vocabulary. For many of the people who do it, from Olympic champions to 5K enthusiasts, running is the pursuit of speed itself; a spor

Some pre-packaged foods, such as pasta and rice, are staples that many of us eat as part of a balanced diet. Others, such as crisps and sugary snacks, are clearly not health foods. But for some packaged and processed foods, the claims on the label ca

Imagine a world where the sun never rises. A planet that doesn't even have a sun. A place with no pastel-painting-sunsets and no dawn choruses, just a constant veil of faint stars twinkling in a perpetual, indelible inky night. This unfamiliar scenar

M ay I have your attention, please? I'll try and be quick, as I probably only have about 47 seconds before your mind starts wandering. That, according to psychologist Dr Gloria Mark, from the University of California, Irvine, is now our average atten

Under the swirling surface of the Solar System's biggest planet, unseen forces hold clues to what is hidden inside the gas giant. Now, a team of scientists from Harvard University say changes to Jupiter's magnetic field indicate the presence of myste

Bed bugs have been around longer than humans. When researchers used bed bug DNA to get an idea of when they first evolved, they found that the ancestors of today's bed bugs were already tiny but successful predators over 115 million years ago, during

TURIN, ITALY This might look like something pulled from the depths of your unconscious mind during a nightmare, but in reality, it could be the key to eliminating global hunger. One of the Sustainable Development Goals set by the United Nations is to

Orcas may not have the same fearsome reputation as great white sharks, but, as surprising new footage reveals, they're more than a match for Hollywood's favourite predator of the deep. Videos captured by tourists and scientists aboard a boat off the

If you think normal tornadoes are scary, buckle up: scientists have created one so strong that I it resembles a black hole. In fact, the lab-based vortex mimics black holes so well, that it holds huge possibilities for black hole research. An artific

Earth is constantly bombarded by ‘micrometeorites’; tiny bits of asteroids and comets. Scientists have measured the typical accretion rate of these particles at between 20 and 60 million kilograms per year. So, on average, more than 100,000kg fall to