Gennady Danilkin/Shutterstock In the 2012 film “Robot and Frank”, the protagonist, a retired cat burglar named Frank, is suffering the early symptoms of dementia. Concerned and guilty, his son buys him a “home robot” that can talk, do household chores like cooking and cleaning, and reminds Frank to take hisContinue Reading
Artist impression of Mars Insight. NASA/JPL-Caltech As I write this, Nasa’s Perseverance Rover is hurtling toward Mars at a speed of more than 80,000 km/h and is set to land at the Red Planet on February 18. Landing on Mars is no mean feat – the spacecraft will have toContinue Reading
Landing on Mars is extremely difficult. NASA/JPL-Caltech Following “seven minutes of terror” after it reaches Mars’ upper atmosphere, NASA’s Perseverance rover is expected to land on the surface of the red planet at 20:55 GMT on February 18. This is incredibly hard to do, with only about 40% of missionsContinue Reading
muratart/Shutterstock Every year, billions of songbirds migrate thousands of miles between Europe and Africa – and then repeat that same journey again, year after year, to nest in exactly the same place that they chose on their first great journey. The remarkable navigational precision displayed by these tiny birds –Continue Reading
Children's brain development rely on interaction with other kids. sutadimages/Shutterstock Do you remember the excitement and anticipation of your first day at school? Perhaps you were looking forward to making new friends. Or maybe you were shy and anxious. Research shows that such excitement and stress are the two mostContinue Reading
Dmytro Khlystun/Shutterstock.com Around 975 Durex condoms are sold every minute. The global condom market is predicted to grow to over US$11 billion (£8 billion) by 2023, and Durex is in the privileged position of being the world’s most popular brand. Yet until recently, the young man who invented Durex’s mass-producedContinue Reading
It was better in the old days. Deflector Image/Shutterstock People tend to be extremely nostalgic about the music they listened to when they were young. If you were a teenager in the 1970s, chances are you will love Queen, Stevie Wonder or ABBA. And if you were young in theContinue Reading
Porknite. Anders Moden Pigs might not be able to fly, but they can play video games. In a new study, researchers from Purdue University in Indiana, US have shown that pigs can use a digital screen and joystick, operated by their snout, to move a cursor around for rewards. ThisContinue Reading
Erik Karits/Shutterstock Arachnophobes often cite spiders’ unpredictable movement as the basis of their fear, pointing out how each spindly leg seems to lift, flex and probe with a menacing degree of autonomy. Perhaps unsettlingly, research conducted by my colleagues and I has revealed that each one of a spider’s legsContinue Reading
Glass windows like these could be replaced with wood. Shutterstock/Visions-AD Wood is an ancient material humans have been using for millions of years, for the construction of housing, ships and as a source of fuel for burning. It’s also a renewable source, and one way to capture excess carbon dioxideContinue Reading
