Fiercest meteor shower on record to hit Mars via comet
Comet Siding Spring will arrive at Mars next year, bringing with it an epic and beautiful meteor shower that could pose a danger to orbiting spacecraft
A healthier diet costs $1.50 more per day
It costs $550 each year to make wholesome food choices in high-income countries – which could be a barrier to healthy eating for low-income families
To kill a black hole, recruit a cosmic string army
The only way to speed up the demise of a black hole is to use cosmic strings – but even they could do more harm than good
Magic of mushrooms: Dawning of the Fungus Age
Whether it's fashion, fuel, medical implants or green cleaners, fungus is set to be the smart material of the 21st century, says Richard Webb
The night: Hello darkness, my old friend
Night-time is under assault from our 24-hour world, but Valerie Jamieson finds that reclaiming the night could be easier than you think
Send wireless power long range with lasers and balloons
An idea for beaming power over hundreds of kilometres could help provide emergency power where it is needed
Feedback: Band on bankers
Our unexpected influence, to what is aisle 42 the answer, magic knickers not upheld, when software had negative mass and more
Drawing on a moon brings out people's best and worst
A collaborative art website launched by artists Ai Weiwei and Olafur Eliasson lets people draw on the surface of a moon-like orb – with surprising results
Is it time to stop worrying about global warming?
Surface temperatures may not be rising as quickly as they were, but that's just one small part of a much bigger and more troubling picture
The night: The heat of the night is intensifying
It always gets cooler as the sun goes down, but not as cool as it used to get – the consequences vary from bumper wine years to deadlier heatwaves
Mandela's unsung legacy of science in Africa
Africa's full liberation requires strong science and technology institutes – something Nelson Mandela knew well, says Calestous Juma
Astrophile: Dancing black holes near their grand finale
Strange ribbons of matter spiralling out of a bright galaxy suggest that it hosts a pair of black holes that are about to collide
Look to mosquito smell neurons to find new repellents
Watch out, DEET – identifying which neurons mosquitoes use to sniff us out is paving the way for more effective, and more pleasant, repellents
Ultra-thin fault caused gravity-distorting Japan quake
Slippery clay in an unusually slim fault zone produced the huge slip seen in the Tohoku quake of 2011, which has even changed the local gravity field
Dyslexia's roots traced to bad brain connections
People with dyslexia struggle with reading and writing because one part of the brain that deals with sound doesn't "talk" to an area dealing with language
Soaring dementia rates prompt call for global action
The number of people with dementia worldwide is predicted to jump from 44 million today to 135 million in 2050
Species are being lost in a sea of sand
Mammals in the Sahara are struggling to survive, possibly as a result of hunting in the region
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