Measuring people's sense of smell in later life could help doctors predict how likely they are to be alive in five years' time, a PLOS One study suggests. A survey of 3,000 adults found 39% with the poorest sense of smell were dead within five years (...)
Vesta is the only remaining example of the original objects that came together to form the rocky planets, like Earth and Mars, some 4.6 billion years ago. This assessment is based on data from the Dawn probe which has been orbiting the second (...)
Researchers have spotted a group of 53 cells within pigeons' brains that respond to the direction and strength of the Earth's magnetic field.
The question of how birds navigate using — among other signals — magnetic fields is the subject of much (...)
Taller women have a slightly higher risk of ovarian cancer, according to a review of studies.
Obesity is also a risk factor among women who have never taken HRT, say international researchers.
Previous studies have suggested a link, but there has (...)
There could be many billions of planets not much bigger than Earth circling faint stars in our galaxy, says an international team of astronomers. The estimate for the number of “super-Earths” is based on detections already made and then extrapolated (...)
Humans hunted Australia's giant vertebrates to extinction about 40,000 years ago, the latest research published in Science has concluded.
The cause of the widespread extinction has provoked much debate, with climate change being one (...)
Drinking coffee reduces the risk of getting Alzheimer's, scientists claim.
A four-year study of 124 people older than 65 found those who developed the early signs of the disease had 51% less caffeine in their blood than those who stayed (...)
The giant asteroid Vesta possesses many features usually associated with rocky planets like Earth, according to data from a Nasa probe.
Vesta has been viewed as a massive asteroid, but after studying the surface in detail, scientists are describing (...)
Police forces say they have received a number of calls reporting what is believed to have been a meteor.
A “huge fireball” was reported travelling from northern Scotland to southern England at about 21:40 GMT, amid fears a plane had (...)
There could be something shocking going on in our bodies. Well, perplexing at least. A team of mechanical engineers has found that the tough, flexible tissue that makes up blood vessels has surprising electrical properties.
What this could possibly (...)
Researchers have shown off the first images of the “charge distribution” in a single molecule, showing an intricate dance of electrons at tiny scales.
Charges on single atoms have been measured before, but capturing the dance within a complex (...)
Glacial ice has provided scientists new clues as to how the Earth's remote ecosystems have been influenced by the industrial revolution.
Globally, glacier ice loss is accelerating, driven in part by the deposition of carbon in the form of soot or (...)
The time of the day could be an important factor in the risk of getting an infection, according to researchers in the US.
They showed how a protein in the immune system was affected by changes in the chemistry of the body through the day.
The (...)
Europe's Vega rocket is finally set to make its maiden flight Monday.
The 30m-tall vehicle, first conceived in the 1990s, will launch on what is termed a qualification flight from the Kourou spaceport in French Guiana.
It will carry nine (...)
Concentrations of microplastic were greatest near coastal urban areas, the study showed
LONDON — Microscopic plastic debris from washing clothes is accumulating in the marine environment and could be entering the food chain, a study has (...)
The two merging clusters of El Gordo can be seen separated by a bright field of X-ray light.AUSTIN, Texas — The largest distant galaxy cluster has been spotted by astronomers using a telescope in Chile.
Galaxy clusters are the largest stable (...)
The next Ice Age is due within 1,500 years, researchers calculate - but greenhouse gas emissions mean it will not happen then.
LONDON — The last Ice Age ended about 11,500 years ago, and when the next one should begin has not been entirely (...)
A computer worm has stolen 45,000 login credentials from Facebook, security experts have warned.
The data is believed to have been taken largely from Facebook accounts in the UK and France, according to security firm Seculert.
The culprit is a (...)
A US teenager has become the youngest person to climb to the summit of the tallest mountains on each of the seven continents. Jordan Romero, 15, reached the summit of Mt Vinson Massif in Antarctica on Saturday, the final peak in a quest he started (...)
Exposure to sunlight may help impede the spread of chickenpox, claim researchers.
The University of London team found chickenpox less common in regions with high UV levels, reports the journal Virology.
Sunlight may inactivate viruses on the skin, (...)
The newly discovered black holes dwarf previously known heavyweights. — Courtesy photo
NEW YORK — A US team has found the two biggest “supermassive” black holes known to science, Nature journal reports.
Sitting at the centres of two nearby (...)
Scientists have found tiny bubbles beneath the blubber of dolphins that have beached themselves.
The bubbles were discovered by taking ultrasound scans of the animals within minutes of stranding off Cape Cod, US.
The team's findings help confirm (...)