Chimpanzee brain power is strongly heritable
Variations in chimpanzee intelligence have been shown for the first time to be strongly dictated by genetic inheritance, echoing findings in people
Electrifying feet help geckos keep their grip
Electrostatic forces may play a key role in the legendary stickiness of geckos' feet, says a team that gently dragged the creatures across several surfaces
Chronicling a revolution in digital art
Retro arcade games, cutting-edge special effects and interactive birdmen are all on show at a major retrospective of digital art at London's Barbican Centre
Exoplanet names will be put to public vote
The international group that names cosmic bodies is crowd-sourcing names for exoplanets – but will you be able to name a planet Alderaan or Westeros?
Australia's epic scheme to farm its northern wilds
The government wants to dam northern rivers to create a giant food bowl – but no one knows how it will affect the environment or Indigenous people
Time for some grains of truth about wheat and gluten
The current epidemic of gluten intolerance says more about our psychology than our physiology
Medical app amasses evidence against war-zone rapists
Hundreds of women are raped in the war-torn Democratic Republic of the Congo every day. A new app for doctors could help prosecute some of the perpetrators
Should you eat wheat? The great gluten debate
A staple food for millennia, wheat is now accused of causing everything from gut ailments to mental disorders. Linda Geddes separates the facts from the chaff
Swimming, climbing robots explore the hostile Arctic
The biggest experiment of its kind is camped out on the ocean north of Alaska. The machines could revolutionise our understanding of Arctic sea ice
Evolution of placentas upended fish sexual politics
When animals evolved placentas to feed their young, it may have allowed them to be less picky about their sexual partners
Killer frog fungus could be its own nemesis
Dead spores of a lethal chytrid fungus could serve as a vaccine to protect amphibians against the disease
Colour-changing metal to yield thin, flexible displays
Nanoscale sheets of a unique alloy can take on different hues with the flick of a switch, offering a way to make full-colour displays for wearable computers
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