Living bandages tailored to individuals could help cure the incurable. Early studies suggest the dressings, which are coated with the patient’s own cells, can mend wounds that otherwise refuse to heal
Science may rewrite history if bones found under an Italian church prove to be those of Cannibal Count Ugolino, one of the darkest historical figures to make an appearance in Dante’s Inferno
A secret group of developed nations conspired to limit the effectiveness of the UN’s first conference on the environment, held in Stockholm in 1972. The existence of this cabal, known as the Brussels group, is revealed in 30-year-old British government records that were kept secret until this week
The spectre of smallpox has haunted humanity for more than three millenniums and this year should have marked its final, irrevocable demise. However, a plan to destroy remaining stocks of the virus is about to be abandoned because of fears that one of history’s greatest scourges may now be in the hands of a rogue state
The European Space Agency has hit back at American proposals to scale down the operations of the International Space Station
Ever wondered how much snot you swallow in a day — a litre — or why your feet smell? Sylvia Branzei could tell you straight off. Disillusioned with the way children are being taught science, she invented Grossology — the science of really gross things
A US astronomer claims he has found the first mention of the star of Bethlehem outside the Bible. The reference is in a 4th-century manuscript written by a Roman astrologer and christian convert called Firmicus Maternus
The joke that was voted for as the best in the world is released by the scientific team who conducted the Web-based experiment
High school students are learning to track cougars as part of a groundbreaking research project that pairs wildlife officials and public schools in an effort to study Washington’s wildcats
A research team from CSIRO Minerals is developing a novel 3D imaging camera as part a worldwide push for faster and safer ways to clear land mines. The United Nations estimates that 26,000 people are killed or maimed each year by land mines. Of these, 80 per cent are civilians, especially women, children and farmers in developing countries
The top scientific breakthrough of 2001 has been learning to wire up the tiny electronic components created from individual atoms and molecules by nanotechnology researchers
An obscure metal discovered 90 years ago has been used to demonstrate a feasible solution to a core problem facing computer chip makers. Their problem centres on chip insulation, as chip makers cram in more transistors to make chips more powerful
Genetic fingerprinting studies indicate that the anthrax spores mailed to Capitol Hill are identical to stocks of the deadly bacteria maintained by the US Army since 1980, according to scientists familiar with the most recent tests
The Mars Odyssey spacecraft has uncovered preliminary yet tantalising evidence for water near the surface of Mars and away from the permanently frozen north polar ice cap
Scientists at Britain’s University of West England have developed the SlugBot, a prototype robot capable of hunting down more than 100 slugs an hour
Scientists have found a simple solution to the problem of having to wrestle the lids off jam jars — don’t screw lids on so tightly in the first place
Dog owners get less exercise than non-dog owners, according to surprising new Australian research
A clever species of crow is causing scientists to puzzle over how most human beings came to be right-handed
The poison on an arrow that paralyses a wild beast in the jungle and a pill that can relax our tense muscles have something in common — they both come from the curare plant discovered by Brazilian Indians. Now, the indigenous people of Brazil want this type of link between primitive hunting trick and modern pharmaceutical technology to be recognised as a property right that could bring much-needed cash to needy tribes, some of them on the brink of extinction
Scottish and Southern Energy is planning to build a 100 megawatt wind farm in southern Scotland which will involve an investment of 60 million pounds
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