Mathematical crime-fighter helps hunt for alien worlds
A statistical tool called Benford's law has been shown to fit existing exoplanet data, supporting the notion that the galaxy is brimming with alien worlds
'Soft' biometrics is the new way to monitor people
The US government is challenging researchers to use cameras to ID people by unique features like their gait or the shape of their ears
The night: The nocturnal journey of body and mind
Explore the still-unfamiliar world of the night: the eerie ways it can transform us, the creatures that thrive in it, and our efforts to banish it
Crunch time as comet ISON hurtles towards the sun
It is make or break time for comet ISON as it nears its closest approach to the sun, set to occur just a few hours from now
Smart software uses drones to plot disaster relief
A coordinated army of smart software and pilotless aircraft could help emergency workers save lives and mitigate damage after disaster strikes
Quantum lab is dazzling vision of computer chip future
Dizzying light, a pervasive stillness and a longing to play video games are all part of Jacob Aron's visit to the lab that's shrinking down quantum computers
Inbreeding shaped the course of human evolution
Many early humans were highly inbred, according to a new genetic analysis. Their isolation may explain why modern behaviour took so long to arise
If diabetes causes Alzheimer's, we can beat it
Evidence is growing that Alzheimer's could actually be a late stage of type 2 diabetes – if it is, we all have another big reason to live healthier lives
Cleaned-up Bitcoins could change commerce forever
Bitcoin may be notorious as the currency of black marketeers, but the technology behind it may power the next online revolution
Oxygen drop makes people with spine injury more mobile
Brief exposure to low oxygen levels, similar to those found on top of mountains, improves walking speed and endurance for people with spinal injuries
Piercing steers wheelchairs with a flick of the tongue
A magnetic barbell-shaped tongue piercing gives paralysed people the fastest way yet of controlling their electric wheelchair
Whirling dervish skirts are ruled by hurricane physics
The mesmerising patterns created by the flowing skirt of a whirling dervish dancer are governed by the same Coriolis force responsible for hurricanes
Are Alzheimer's and diabetes the same disease?
People with type 2 diabetes often have memory problems. That may be a result of Alzheimer's-like brain changes – changes which can be reversed in rats
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