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.
'Black Beauty' could yield Martian secrets
A fist-sized meteorite nicknamed "Black Beauty" could unlock vital clues to the evolution of Mars from the warm and wet place it once was to its current cold and dry state.
Life in the fast lane: Solo pop stars more likely to die young
Solo rock stars are twice as likely to die prematurely as counterparts who perform in groups, a study published in the journal BMJ Open said Wednesday.
Hans Christian Andersen's first fairy tale found
A Danish researcher has stumbled across the first fairy tale written by Hans Christian Andersen in Denmark's national archives.
Gene sleuths track spread of hospital superbug
Gene detectives on Sunday said they had pinpointed how a hospital superbug arose in North America in the early 2000s and spread to Europe before becoming a source of global concern.
World's biggest, oldest trees are dying: research
Scientists Friday warned of an alarming increase in the death rates of the largest living organisms on the planet, the giant, old trees that harbour and sustain countless birds and wildlife.
Scientists say NASA's budget inadequate for its goals
NASA suffers from a "mismatch" between its goals and the budget it has been given to achieve them, according to a panel that said the US space agency may need a complete overhaul.
Australian scientists develop coconut-tasting pineapple
Australian researchers are working on a new breed of pineapple -- one that is not only sweet and juicy but which has the added tropical taste of coconut.
Sulphur gas boosts theory of Venus volcanoes
European scientists said on Monday they had found tantalising clues to back theories that Venus -- Earth's cursed sister -- has active volcanoes.