The Cretaceous period was a great time for the dinosaurs. 89 million years ago, the climate was hotter than it is now, and, unsurprisingly, dinosaurs dominated the planet. In what we now know as Asia, huge “duck-billed” dinosaurs were particularly common, as evidenced by a large collection of dinosaur eggs in China. This isn’t just any collection of eggs, though, this is the largest collection of dinosaur e ...

Nearly everything we head about inbreeding leads us to believe that it is harmful to genetics. And we'd be right. It's when offspring are produced from the mating of individuals that are closely related, and can lead to genetic weaknesses and defects. But when a population shrinks to the brink of extinction, there isn't much choice in a mate, and so inbreeding occurs. One example of this is the mountain gor ...

A team of US scientists have built a prototype of what could become the first viable aluminium battery to hit the commercial market. But that's not all - this battery is cheap, safe, flexible, and only takes a minute to charge! Unlike conventional batteries that sit in a hard casing, the electrodes (cathode and anode) sit in a soft pouch, which is filled with a liquid salt solution. Also unlike conventional ...

The horseshoe crab is a marvel by today's standards. The creatures have been around hundreds of millions of years, making them living fossils and older than the dinosaurs. There are many features of the horseshoe crab that makes it extraordinary - their eyes, their blood, their ability survive all this time - and yet, they're in decline. So, what do we know about them and how can we help them? First things ...

There are lucky people out there who can spritz themselves with perfume first this in the morning, and the glorious scent is still hanging around at the end of the day. But for some people, the first hint of perspiration and the perfume is gone. For those people, they could finally be a sweet-smelling solution! A team of scientists in Northern Ireland have said they have developed a delivery system for perf ...

Who would have thought that something as simple as an eye remedy could be the key to killing superbugs resistant to antibiotics, like MRSA? But that's what scientists have found after recreating a treatment for eye infections found in an Anglo-Saxon manuscript. The manuscript in question is called Bald's Leechbook; a leather-bound book detailing remedies for various ailments. It is usually kept in the Briti ...

Blood, the extraordinary fluid that runs through our veins. It nourishes us and sustains us. If our skin is broken, blood clots and protects the wound. It regenerates our bodies. It is our lifeforce. Despite all of this and decades of research, we still know so little about blood, and we're only just beginning to learn how to exploit its full potential. Our past and ancient mythology are filled with example ...

The US is the latest nation to make a pledge for tackling climate change, making a formal offer to the United Nations. Altogether there are to be 196 of what are being called Intended Nationally Distributed Contributions. The wealthiest nations were given the informal deadline of March 31 to make their pledges, though some have failed to submit in time. This early date was set to make sure the submissions w ...

We're always happy to learn about potential new renewable energy sources! And that's just what a million homes across England could be benefiting from in the near future, according to the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC). Technology known as water source heat pumps relies on something called a heat exchanger to warm water coming from the sea, rivers, and other bodies of water. It uses a system ...

When it comes to plant life in Britain, it is generally thought that species introduced from other countries - "non-native species" - pose a risk to the plants that originate here. But according to University of York study that has recently been published in PNAS, these plants aren't quite as invasive as we thought. Not only are plants that have been introduced to Britain less widespread than native species ...