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A pair of physicists say their simple theory may explain dark matter – the mysterious, invisible form of matter that makes up 85% of the universe.Professor Robert Scherrer and post-doctoral...

Astronomy, Physics

Mars – warm, wet and rusty long before Earth

July 4, 2013

New evidence from the NASA Mars rover suggests that the red planet was wet, warm and had oxygen billions of years before Earth's atmosphere became oxygen rich.Differences between Martian meteorites...

Astronomy, Physics

UK leads the way in ‘legal high’ analysis

July 4, 2013

A team at the University of Lincoln, UK, is leading the way in new research aimed at detecting the vast amount of substances available on the legal highs market.The method...

Biological Sciences, Drugs & Pharmaceuticals

Putting the physics into spin

July 4, 2013

As the Ashes series gets underway next week, physicists from Australia have been exploring the physics behind the spin of a cricket ball. Siblings Garry and Ian Robinson, Honorary Visiting...

Physics, Solid State Physics

Coral reef skeleton can survive even in acidic oceans

July 3, 2013

For the first time, scientists have described the biological process of how corals create their skeletons to form massive and ecologically vital coral reefs in the world’s oceans.The team at...

Biological Sciences, Zoology

Einstein’s theory aids planet-hunters

June 24, 2013

A team of astrophysicists have discovered an exoplanet using a new method that relies on Einstein’s special theory of relativity.The exoplanet known as Kepler-76b is like a hotter, larger Jupiter....

Astronomy, Astrophysics, Physics

Fibre-optic pen aids understanding of dyslexia

June 21, 2013

A fibre-optic pen developed at the University of Washington will help scientists to see inside the brains of children with learning disabilities while they read and write.The tool has been...

Biological Sciences, Developmental Biology, Medical Diagnostics, Neuroscience

New layer of human cornea discovered

June 21, 2013

Research at University of Nottingham has uncovered a previously undetected layer in the cornea, the clear window at the front of the human eye.Detailed in Ophthalmology, the breakthrough could help...

Biological Sciences, Developmental Biology, Physiology

Printing artificial bone

June 21, 2013

Researchers at MIT have developed a method to design synthetic bone-like materials and quickly turn the design into reality using computer optimisation and 3D printing.The research, detailed in Advanced Functional...

Biological Sciences, Biotechnology, Developmental Biology

Why strawberries taste like strawberries

June 21, 2013

Researchers have discovered what gives ripe strawberries their characteristic aroma. According to the team at Technische Universität München (TUM) in Munich, 4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone (HDMF) plays a fundamental role in producing the...

Biological Sciences, Botany

Universe evolved ability to make black holes

June 19, 2013

The maths underpinning Darwin’s theory of natural selection might explain how the universe may be designed to make black holes.Researchers from Oxford University propose that if new universes are born...

Astronomy, Physics

Neutrons reveal potential dangers of pharma’s golden bullet

June 17, 2013

Gold nanoparticles are projected to be the ‘magic bullet’ of drug delivery, but scientists working at the Institut Laue-Laugevin have revealed the potential dangers of the tiny particles at high...