Healing by faeces: Rise of the DIY gut-bug swap
As regulators struggle to classify faecal transplants, people are doing it themselves to ease symptoms of colitis, Parkinson's disease and even autism
Super-rice defies triple whammy of stresses
A strain of genetically modified rice can thrive in drought, salty soils and without fertiliser. It could help rice farmers cope with climate change
Curry cure: Chillies are the hot new thing in medicine
Understanding why mint tastes cool and chilli is hot could bring new cures for chronic pain, obesity and even cancer
Crime rates could rise as climate change bites
As temperatures soar, so do crime rates – suggesting climate change will lead to millions of extra offences in the coming decades
The WhatsApp edge: Why it was a must-buy for Facebook
As the dust settles on Facebook's $19 billion WhatsApp takeover, a social networking researcher explains what really lies behind the deal
'Great curtains of delicate light hung and trembled'
An X-class solar flare – the most powerful kind – caused spectacular displays of the aurora borealis over the UK last night
Father of big bang carries its hiss on his cellphone
Fifty years after discovering the big bang's afterglow, Robert Wilson carries its sound in his pocket and admits to ordering a hit on pigeons for science
Feedback: All shall have pills
Pill inflation, enthusiasm for exercise, determinism of heart health and more
Sensor backpacks for oysters say when they are happy
At an oyster farm in Tasmania, shellfish are having sensors strapped onto their backs to monitor their health
Pancreatic cancer's killer trick offers treatment hope
Each pancreatic tumour evolves its own mechanism for generating the energy that lets it proliferate wildly. Good news: we have drugs that target the process
Rule-breaking black hole blows weirdly powerful winds
A black hole is eating faster than a cosmic speed limit allows, suggesting that small black holes may play a larger role in galaxy evolution than realised
Location-aware Wi-Fi lets fans be part of the show
A system for getting Wi-Fi access to every fan at a gig or match gives a whole new meaning to the concept of audience participation. Mexican wave, anyone?
Some breastfeeding benefits questioned by US study
A study comparing siblings fed either by breast or bottle hints that the long-term benefits of breastfeeding may have been distorted by social factors
Music-making card turns objects into wacky instruments
A simple credit card sized device lets you transform a plant into a piano or make a glass of water behave like a drum
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