Icy pools are oases for unique glacier ecosystems
Water bears, not polar bears, rule the glacial holes that are hotspots for invertebrates. But the very dust which helps the holes form may lead to their demise
All hail the Anthropocene, the end of Holocene thinking
The Anthropocene geological era is not just the sum of our environmental problems, says Christian Schwägerl. It may also prove to be the age of humility
Risky business: Why algorithms are the bookie's friend
Bookmaker Alan Glynn explains how he needs both mathematical models and human judgement to set betting odds
Conifer seed fossils caught learning helicopter flight
Millions of years ago, plant seeds started spinning like rotors in order to be dispersed by the wind, but they had to lose one of two wings to do it well
Feedback: Occam's razor blunted a bit
Conspiracy counterclaims, journal jinx jamboree, Simpsons' scholarly scam, precise pi day next week and more
Chance: Is anything in the universe truly random?
After centuries pondering whether we are fortune's fools, we are still struggling to work out if the cosmos is predictable or ruled by chance
World's biggest and strongest rocket booster fires up
A rocket booster designed to blast rockets into deep space has had a successful major ground test
Rich nations are laying road to ecological Armageddon
The G20 countries want to pour $70 trillion into new infrastructure worldwide. It's a disaster in the making, warns environmental scientist William Laurance
Vibrating magnetic balls stimulate brain wirelessly
Deep brain stimulation has promise for treating depression, but it involves invasive surgery. Nanoparticles inspired by chilli could make it more palatable
Barry Whites of horse world get all the mares
Stallions with high voices need not apply: Female horses prefer males with deeper whinnies – a trait linked with size and fertility
Warming Arctic blamed for worsening summer heatwaves
As the world warms, the Arctic is warming faster than mid-latitudes – a pattern that disrupts northern hemisphere weather systems, causing longer heatwaves
Explosive eruptions rocked the youthful moon
The Chinese Jade Rabbit lunar rover reveals that the moon's geological history is complex and violent
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