Threatwatch: Mother virus of China's deadly bird flu
Ten years after H5N1, yet more deadly bird flu has emerged from China. Is it time to do something about the virus spawning them all?
Green sky thinking: Astronomy's dirty little secret
Astronomy produces a lot of carbon emissions, but it could be one of the greenest sciences if observatories harness their solar and wind resources
Star next door may host a 'superhabitable' world
The closest star to the sun, Alpha Centauri B, is just the right type to host a planet even better suited to life than Earth
Give the gift of life by donating your medical records
There are huge benefits to using confidential records in England for research purposes, says charity leader Sharmila Nebhrajani
Feedback: And then there were lawyers
First the polar bears whimpered and then there were lawyers, wandering pole problem, the internet before its time and more
Too much sugar in food? Follow the salt solution
The food industry is already weaning us off salty food. Time to follow suit with the sweets
Healthy-weight toddlers protected from later obesity
Young children that don't become overweight are at less risk of future obesity, researchers say – so what's the best way to keep under-5s a healthy size?
First graphene radio broadcast is a wireless wonder
IBM's successful transmission to a radio chip made using graphene hints at the cheaper, less power-hungry wireless devices of the future
First glimpse of how HIV swamps the gut's immune cells
Researchers have captured high-resolution, 3D images of HIV virus lurking in the intestines of mice with "humanised" immune systems
First brain map of speech units could aid mind-reading
The map is the first to show brain areas devoted to distinct types of phoneme – it could allow what someone is hearing to be read from a brain scan
Conversation app helps parents boost child's language
A smartphone-based system that listens to parents talk to their child can build the child's language skills by offering the parents cues in real time
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