Winged submarine is Ferrari of the depths
The world’s first production “winged submersible” should prove a boon for research and movie-making – and for those that can afford it, says Peter Aldhous – thrills too
'Lone' longitude genius may have had help
The legend of John Harrison suggests he was a carpenter who single-handedly built marine clocks of unprecedented accuracy – but new evidence suggests he had assistance with the tricky bits
Molecule of life emerges from laboratory slime
Two essential elements of RNA have finally been made from scratch – under conditions similar to those that likely prevailed during the dawn of life
Climate change diagnosed as biggest global health threat
Doctors warn that global warming will worsen virtually every health problem we know of over the coming century
Space shuttle's robotic arm captures Hubble telescope
After floating alone in space for years, Hubble is now ensconced in the shuttle Atlantis's payload bay – on Thursday, astronauts will begin a series of five spacewalks to fix the telescope
Lost robot crosses city by asking directions
A wheeled robot called ACE can find its way around a city without using GPS or even a map: it just asks pedestrians to give it directions
Swine flu vaccine won't be ready for next wave
The vaccine industry is waiting for a WHO decision on whether to keep making regular flu vaccine, or whether to switch to vaccines for the current swine flu outbreak
The science of voodoo: When mind attacks body
The placebo effect has an evil twin – the nocebo effect – which can make you think yourself ill, or even dead
Comet crystals created in stellar burps
An analysis of the dust surrounding the outburst of a young star suggests an explanation for how the crystals inside comets are formed
Will designer brains divide humanity?
We're on the brink of technological breakthroughs that could augment our mental powers beyond recognition – but what will this mean for the future of humanity?
The man who discovered greenhouse gases
People were debating the greenhouse effect 150 years ago – until Irish physicist John Tyndall showed conclusively that the effect is real
Experts urge caution in bringing Mars samples to Earth
Since soil and rocks brought back from Mars might contain potentially dangerous life-forms, NASA should build a super-secure facility to house them, experts say
Cancer's one-way ticket to the brain
The discovery of a genetic "ticket" that grants cancer cells entry to the brain in mice could lead to drugs that would stop human cancers spreading in the same way
Nanoscale origami folds DNA into 'medicine cabinet'
Drugs could soon be delivered from minuscule lockable containers made of DNA thanks to an advance in "DNA origami".
Prairie dogs issue warnings in glorious technicolor
Not only do the rodents' alarm calls tell others about the type and size of approaching predators, but they also seem to warn of the color of an imminent threat
Mars rover may not escape sand trap for weeks
NASA's Spirit rover is stuck in the sand up to its hubcaps, and a quick escape does not look likely
Migrating blue whales rediscover 'forgotten' waters
Parts of the northern Pacific that once saw blue whales hunted out of existence seem once again to be on the migration route
Swiss find sweet way to test water purity
A common sweetener has provided a way to follow water from treatment plant out into the environment – with surprising results
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