Giant viruses raise questions about life

The discovery of two giant new viruses has made scientists ponder the origins of life.  The so-called Pandoraviruses are at least twice the size, both in terms of their physical scale and genome complexity, of the previous record holder Mimivirus.

Snow lines reveal birthplace of planets

Astronomers have identified a ring of frozen carbon monoxide orbiting a newly-formed star, which could provide new clues into how planets first form.

DNA study unlocks microbial dark matter

Scientists have uncovered the genomes of 'microbial dark matter' - microbes previously unexplored by science - using cutting-edge DNA technology. The research provides new insight into bacterial genetics and helps create a more detailed picture of the evolutionary tree of life. Microbial dark matter refers to an enormous number of microbes that can't be grown in the laboratory. Consequently, their biology and genetics have been a mystery to science. Now, a new technology called single cell genome sequencing has allowed scientists in this study to uncover the genomes of 29 groups of these microbes.

Smart parrots solve five-step puzzle to unlock treat

A species of Indonesian parrot can solve complex problems that involve undoing a series of different locks — revealing new depths to physical intelligence in birds.

Neanderthals may have contributed to our languages

Neanderthal people may have possessed language, and their words might even have contributed to the languages of our species.

Model reveals Gondwana jigsaw puzzle

A new study pieces together Australia's breakup with Antarctica and India and paints a new picture of the demise of the supercontinent Gondwana.

Earth generates its own "solar" wind

Scientists have discovered that Earth produces a 'plasmaspheric wind' of ionised particles flowing from inside Earth's atmosphere into the outer magnetosphere.

Scans might reveal even past brain activity

Research hints that scientists could probe the brain and uncover the history of past experiences.

Particle may combine nature’s building blocks in new way

A newfound particle may consist of four quarks — fundamental units previously thought to group only

in twos and threes.

Ball-shaped robot

A new robot that’s basically just a rolling ball has been tested and seems to work fine, researchers say.  The developers deployed the little machine, dubbed RoSphere, into crop fields where it rolled around and took measurements of soil moisture using detectors on its surface.