Mushroom used in Chinese medicine ‘slows weight gain’
A mushroom used for centuries in Chinese medicine reduces weight gain in animals, say researchers in Taiwan. The study, published in Nature Communications, suggested Ganoderma lucidum slowed weight...
Google’s self-driving car hits public roads
Google’s self-driving cars have been allowed on public roads for the first time – the latest development in the company’s ambitious project to transform the way people commute. The...
Scientists in South Asia struggle to understand heatwave
Scientists in India and Pakistan say higher temperatures were just one factor behind the recent heatwaves and other causes have yet to be established. They say low air pressure, high humidity and an...
Convincing Australians that bats aren’t so bad
“Fruit bats are a pest. They defecate on your car at night.” A middle-aged worker on a campground near Cairns in northeastern Australia is sweeping the kitchen floor, complaining....
An army of bees takes on deforestation in Tanzania
Thousands of drones buzz over the plains of Tanzania, each surveying its environment through thousands of tiny lenses. The male bees may not come with the high-tech gadgetry of their robotic...
From toddlers to teens, a digital world
“It’s totally amazing how they handle these things,” says a young mother about her three and five year old children and how deftly they handle computers and smart phones. And the...
Trippy Hallucigenia: A worm so early, there was no bird
In 1977, scientists identified Hallucigenia, which measured 1-5 centimeters (0.4-2 inches), as its own organism, but then spent decades puzzling over the spikes on its’ back (which they...
Are we nosediving towards a resourceless future?
“The Stone Age didn’t end because of a lack of stones,” Franz-Josef Radermacher tells an amused audience, implying that innovative energy solutions could be a better way to deal...
