It gives a whole new meaning to ‘going with the flow’ Continue reading...

Discovery of GS-9209, one of the furthest from the Milky Way, adds to evidence that large black holes prevent star formation, astronomers sayA supermassive black hole discovered at the heart of an ancient galaxy is five times larger than expected for the number of stars it contains, astronomers say.Researchers spotted the immense black hole in a galaxy known as GS-9209 that lies 25bn light-years...

The challenge seems daunting. But we have overcome terrifying dangers beforeIt started with an ick. Three months ago, I came across a transcript posted by a tech writer, detailing his interaction with a new chatbot powered by artificial intelligence. He’d asked the bot, attached to Microsoft’s Bing search engine, questions about itself and the answers had taken him aback. “You have to listen...

Concerns about birth defects first raised in 1960s but evidence for causal link to pregnancy test remains contentious• Families lose bid for compensation over PrimodosThe high court in London has struck out a bid by families who believe their babies were harmed to sue the pharmaceutical company behind the hormone-based pregnancy test Primodos. Scientists first published concerns about birth...

Therapy could help you figure out why you still resort to this coping mechanism from your past – which is one I can relate toSince childhood I have bitten the skin off my fingers, often leaving them bloody and painful. I am in my 50s now and my poor fingers look dreadful after years of chewing. I understand this to be a form of self-harm but it is such ingrained behaviour I seem unable to stop....

The prehistoric age has been stuck in a cultural rut since Jurassic Park. As a palaeontologist, I’m glad to see this era is overThe utterly extraordinary Prehistoric Planet has returned this week for a second season and, as a palaeontologist, I remain utterly enthralled by the whole thing. You might think I’d be spoiled for choice with the apparently unending parade of movies, video games and...

Since being laid low with the virus more than a year ago, Catherine Heymans can only operate in half-hour bursts. But her work could still change the way we understand the universe Continue reading...

After the ‘great dimming’, the closest red giant star to Earth is pulsating twice as fast as usual and lighting up the southern hemisphere’s early evening skyOne of the brightest stars in the sky is behaving strangely, pulsating from bright to dim twice as fast as usual and giving scientists an unprecedented insight into how stars die.Betelgeuse, the closest red giant to Earth, has long been...