Shipwreck find could be legendary 'sunstone'
An oblong crystal found in the wreck of a 16th-century English warship is a sunstone, a near-mythical navigational aid said to have been used by Viking mariners.
Personality traits probed in high-res brain scans
US researchers on Tuesday published incredibly detailed images of the human brain as part of an international project aimed at uncovering how brain architecture influences personality.
HIV cured in baby for the first time: scientists
Researchers said Sunday they had, for the first time, cured a baby born with HIV -- a development that could help improve treatment of babies infected at birth.
New study links extreme weather to climate change
Scientists said Monday they have identified a physical mechanism behind the extreme weather that has plagued many parts of the world in recent years -- and that it is tied to climate change.
China's Geely to set up research centre in Sweden
Chinese automaker Geely, owner of Sweden's Volvo Cars, said it would set up a research and development centre in the Scandinavian country to capitalise on advanced European technology.
Zuckerberg, Brin join forces to extend life
Famed founders of Internet rivals Google and Facebook joined forces on Wednesday to back big-money prizes for research aimed at extending human life.
Lifelike ears created with 3D printing
Researchers said Wednesday they had engineered artificial human ears that look and act like the real thing thanks to 3D printing, giving hope to patients missing all or part of their ears.
NASA scrambles for better asteroid detection
NASA, universities and private groups in the US are working on asteroid warning systems that can detect objects from space like the one that struck Russia last week with a blinding flash and mighty boom.
US launches Earth observation satellite
The United States launched its latest Earth observation satellite Monday, enhancing an array of orbiting eyes that help with everything from climate change study to urban planning.
Bionic eye gives hope to the blind
After years of research, the first bionic eye has seen the light of day in the United States, giving hope to the blind around the world.
Furry crabs may be healing Great Barrier Reef
Furry crabs once thought to be damaging the Great Barrier Reef may in fact be helping save the coral by stopping the spread of disease.
Man will have smaller fish to fry, biologists warn
As fish get smaller under Man's environmental impact, they become more exposed to predators, which means a crucial food source will become more endangered than thought.
Cities affect weather thousands of kilometres away
Heat from large cities alters local streams of high-altitude winds, potentially affecting weather in locations thousands of kilometres (miles) away.
DNA shows ancestry of present-day Asians, Native Americans
Present-day Asians and Native Americans are descended from a group of people who were already in China 40,000 years ago, according to an analysis of fossil DNA published this week.
Epilepsy drug has long-term effect on child IQ: study
A drug found to affect the cognitive ability of toddlers born to women who took the medication for epilepsy has a longer-term impact on their IQ.
Obese likelier to die in car accidents: study
Obese people face a much higher risk -- of up to 80 percent -- of dying in a car collision compared with people of normal weight, researchers reported Monday in a specialist journal.
DNA test sheds light on mystery deaths
A new DNA test can restore at least part of the identity of long-dead people who left no trace of their image.
Insulin breakthrough could see end to needles
Breakthrough Australian research mapping how insulin works at a molecular level could open the door to novel new diabetes treatments, ending daily needle jabs for millions.
Study reveals new info on how bacteria survive drugs
Researchers have disproved a long-held theory about how some bacteria survive antibiotics and opened the door to new treatments to fight drug-resistant bugs.
US study says El Nino, climate change link fuzzy
The frequency and volatility of El Nino, a weather pattern that hammers the tropical Pacific Ocean every five years or so, does not seem linked to climate change.