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Why a zoo dissected Marius the giraffe for kids

The young giraffe killed and fed to lions at Copenhagen Zoo had no place in the herd – but did provide an eye-opening science event for visitors


Red star rising: China's ascent to space superpower

China's new-found footing off-world is changing the rules of today's space race – find out how the rest of the world is rethinking its strategies


Worried sick: What's up with today's rampant anxiety?

Anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness of our age, but it wasn't always so. Two books approach the topic from two different perspectives


Nukes over wind turbines? UK R&D policies are warped

Weapons of mass destruction get five times as much public research cash in the UK as renewable energy. Time for a rethink, says Stuart Parkinson


Global child vaccination needs a data boost

Vaccinating the world's children saves millions of lives, but the system of monitoring such efforts needs a revamp, says Seth Berkley of the GAVI Alliance


Why so munchy? Cannabis shown to ramp up sense of smell

A study in mice has provided the most complete explanation yet for why marijuana triggers intense hunger pangs, elucidating the role of smell


Climate slowdown? Just wait until the wind changes

The hiatus in global warming can be fully explained by strong winds across the Pacific. But when they end, warming will come back with a vengeance


US 'climate hubs' to save farms from extreme weather

The US government is creating seven new "climate hubs" designed to help farmers handle the effects of global warming, such as droughts and invasive pests


Oldest human footprints outside Africa found in UK

An ancient hominin male and several children were foraging along an estuary in Norfolk almost a million years ago


Matrix villain spawns 177,000 ways to knot a tieMovie Camera

Inspired by a style from the film The Matrix Reloaded, mathematicians have found thousands of new ways to knot a tie. Not all will make it to the catwalk


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