Clean energy tech needs to be pursued despite the mining it involves ENVIRONMENTALISTS making the case for a transition to renewable energy have often found the prevailing wind blowing in their faces. Solar and wind power have been dismissed as too expensive, too inefficient, too unreliable or too ugly. In recent years, however, the wind has changed direction. Even if these criticisms were once true, they no … News
Life Nursery web spiders woo mates with food wrapped in chemical-laced silk Chemicals in the silk of male nursery web spiders help them attract a mate when used as gift wrap News
Space Sterile neutrinos could explain dark matter – if we can find them There are good reasons to think that neutrinos have a shy cousin that could explain dark matter, but searches have so far come up empty, writes Chanda Prescod-Weinstein News
Life Amazing aerial photos show humanity's impacts on Earth Photographer David Maisel THESE dazzling shots of transformed landscapes paint a stark picture of our effect on the world, and what we leave behind. They are part of artist and photographer David Maisel's latest exhibition, The Expanded Field. Over three decades, Maisel took aerial photos of environmental change and human activity, such as desertification zones … Regulars
ÎçÒ¹¸£Àû1000¼¯ºÏ The surprising upsides of the prions behind horrifying brain diseases Infectious proteins called prions that turn brains to sponge have been implicated in some horrible diseases, but it turns out that we couldn't survive without them Features
Sticky review: Everything you could ever want to know about surfaces Book Sticky: The secret science of surfaces Laurie Winkless Bloomsbury WATCHING paint dry isn't normally a very exciting affair . But it turns out there is more happening at the surface – and indeed all surfaces – than meets the eye. Understanding what is going on there might help us improve how we design and … Culture
Puzzle #139: Can Chloe and Clive fit the cube packs in the box? #139 BLOXO cubes Chloe and Clive are hard at work packing BLOXO kids' blocks in the warehouse. There are two kinds of block: yellows, which are a set of four cubes stuck together to form a 2×2 square, and blues, which come as single cubes. With a pile of blocks in front of them and … Regulars
Sinking under the mortgage costs of ‘new normal’ undersea homes Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Regulars