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Crops don't generally thrive in desert-like ground, but 1000 years ago farmers in Israel utilised refuse such as ash and bones to turn sand into fertile land

A new look at fossils from the Cambrian Period around 500 million years ago has revealed that some of the earliest animals spent time on mudflats that were sometimes exposed to the air – a find that could rewrite the story of when life first left the oceans

For more than 40 years, Jonathan McDowell has tirelessly catalogued the space industry. Now he is planning to retire, and looking to pass on his extensive collection of knowledge

A UK start-up is producing dyes made by bacteria and yeast rather than fossil fuel-derived chemicals, which could help clothes manufacturers cut energy use and pollution

Fossil teeth of extinct megalodon sharks have grooves made by other megalodon teeth, hinting at violent encounters between these giant predators

Bioethanol made from fermented agricultural waste can be turned into zero-carbon hydrogen through a new process that uses much less energy than other sources

Seismic measurement of Los Angeles’s depleted aquifers show a year of heavy precipitation hasn’t been enough to refill them

Conservation projects in wealthy but nature-depleted countries can cause food and timber production to “leak” into poorer, biodiverse nations 

In mice, the neurons that dictate the feeling of being full are also the ones that cause sugar cravings, potentially explaining why people are still able to eat sweets after a filling meal

A survey of workers who used generative AI to complete tasks found that they used critical thinking less when they trusted the AI to do the task accurately

Batteries built on quantum principles could offer fast charging and discharging – and the technology may just have moved a little closer to the real world

Ancient DNA from 348 individuals suggests that pale skin became the predominant characteristic of people living in Europe much later than assumed

In a step towards suspended animation of people, slices of mouse brains have shown near-normal activity after being stored at -150°C for up to a week

Fast-moving stars zooming through our galaxy might have been slingshotted from a black hole inside the neighbouring Large Magellanic Cloud

A comprehensive analysis pours cold water on claims that using carbon dioxide captured from the atmosphere to drive oil extraction can result in carbon-neutral fossil fuel

Software developers entering the International Obfuscated C Code Contest must write programs that look baffling, but perform unusual, unexpected or catastrophic tasks

Children may have a higher risk of developing ADHD if their mothers used paracetamol – also known as acetaminophen – during pregnancy, adding weight to the contested link between the painkiller and fetal brain development

Lunar: A history of the moon in myths, maps and matter tells the story of the coexistence between humanity and the celestial body through striking images and detailed maps

James Wong had always dismissed the idea aspirin was beneficial to plants. But digging into the science brought some surprises

Definitively convicting rapists is only possible thanks to one woman's efforts to create a forensic chain of evidence. A new book explores the rape kit and how we still fail survivors