Science & technology
Ice and fire
Glaciers on volcanoes could serve as early-warning systems
They could also skew measurements of climate change
Storming the fortress
Sticking together makes bacteria nearly invincible
New treatments are trying to drive them apart
Bacterial warfare
Colonies of bacteria could save the Pentagon billions
America’s armies hope to make use of beneficial biofilms
It’s grim down south
Antarctic sea ice is at a record low
The continent seems to be following in the Arctic’s footsteps
Godforsaken rocks
Finding aliens means studying new sorts of planet
But the places extraterrestrial life can be looked for are not the places it is most likely to thrive
Creation and destruction
A chunk of asteroid is coming to Earth
It could shed light on the origins of life—and how to protect it
PANDA-monium
How common infections can spark psychiatric illnesses in children
And why many doctors do not realise it
Robot scientists
Could AI transform science itself?
Previous scientific revolutions have been led by academic journals and laboratories. Robots might create the next one
AI Science (1)
How scientists are using artificial intelligence
It is already making research faster, better, and more productive
Easy fieldwork
Animals can be tracked by simply swabbing leaves
DNA gets everywhere. Now it is possible to harvest it