A skull fragment found in a tray of unsorted fossils collected more than a century ago leads to discovery

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A prehistoric fossil, hiding in plain sight in museum storage for more than a century, has revealed that giant echidnas once roamed Victoria.

The Owen’s giant echidna,...

Amid growing evidence of fungi’s key role in ecosystems and storing carbon, mycologists seek greater recognition of the need to preserve ‘funga’ as much as flora and fauna

Madagascar has long been celebrated for its remarkable wildlife, with the vast majority of its species – from ring-tailed lemurs to certain species of baobab trees – found nowhere else on the planet. But when discussing...

Alongside the oil and gas stranded in the strait of Hormuz is another commodity vital to today’s economy: helium. It is a critical element in all kinds of areas from MRI machines to the Large Hadron Collider, and even deep-sea diving. It is also integral to the AI boom. And this isn’t the first time its fragile global supply chain has been threatened. So why is helium so useful, and what...

Rassie van der Dussen has officially retired from international cricket after a remarkable and consistent career across formats. The experienced batter confirmed his decision through an emotional statement shared with fans and the wider cricketing community. His announcement came on April 2 via social media, where he reflected deeply on representing South Africa (7.51) at […]

MASLD affects one in six people now and is projected to rise because of population growth, obesity and high blood sugar

Metabolic liver disease will affect 1.8 billion people worldwide by 2050, driven by rising obesity and blood sugar levels, a study suggests.

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), previously known as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), is one...

Trump has pushed unfounded claims of Tylenol use in pregnancy being tied to ‘a very increased risk of autism’

Taking acetaminophen – known in the US by the brand name Tylenol – during pregnancy has no effect on later autism diagnoses, according to a sweeping new study from Denmark published Monday.

The Trump administration has targeted Tylenol use in pregnancy as a major cause of autism in...

Exclusive: Pre-chemotherapy tests previously did not look for gene variant that put some ethnicities at higher risk of serious side effects

Thousands of cancer patients from minority ethnic backgrounds will have access to “groundbreaking” genetic testing on the NHS that previously discriminated against them.

This routine form of genetic testing, used before chemotherapy treatment, could save...

The incident marks the second time the games giant has been hacked by young, English-speaking hackers.

A draft scoping report says the site is the most viable, but a heritage protection order could complicate the process.

Participants reported enjoying the human connection regardless of whether they thought the topic was dull

The human aversion to dull experiences was nailed by the author Paulo Coelho when he declared: “I can stand defeats, pain, anger. But I can’t stand boredom.”

But the natural desire to avoid boring conversations comes at a cost, according to researchers, who found that people enjoyed...

With 144m daily users, the gaming company is extending its tech to introduce two age‑specific accounts.

We send the voice of the dead across space as an act of continuity and care, while on Earth we tally the bodies. Which do we choose to become?

Four people are sleeping 19,000 miles from the moon when the voice of Apollo 13’s commander arrives.

“Hello, Artemis II. This is Apollo astronaut Jim Lovell. Welcome to my old neighborhood.”

Flynn Coleman is an international human rights lawyer,...

Experts say natural kratom may offer benefits and blame synthetic derivatives for surge in poisonings noted by CDC

A recent Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) report shows that kratom poisonings have soared in the US, but experts say this is probably due to synthetic derivatives like 7-OH, and that blanket kratom bans could harm people using natural kratom to aid pain management...

Social media platforms need to stop young users wasting hours doomscrolling, British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said.

Fear of job loss is driving some employees quietly to sabotage AI projects, a global study has found.

PhenMap tool could spare thousands of patients from treatment that would be ineffective for them

A new AI-driven way of identifying how patients with advanced bowel cancer will respond to a drug that was recently introduced by the NHS has been announced.

Researchers at London’s Institute of Cancer Research and the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences in Dublin have developed the...

A trio of tricky teasers

Tanya Khovanova is a luminary of the recreational mathematics scene. She is one of its foremost bloggers and also runs Number Gossip, a site where you can sumbit a number and she “will tell you everything you want to know about it but were afraid to ask.”

Tanya has now written her first book, Mathematical Puzzles and Curiosities, in collaboration with two other puzzle...

The new moon will be particularly beautiful – at just 2.6 days old, only about 7.5% of its visible surface will be illuminated

The brilliant beacon of planet Venus is now unmistakeable in the evening sky, appearing to the naked eye well before the twilight has fully faded into night.

This week, the planet will be joined by a young crescent moon on the nights of 18 and 19 April. The chart shows...

Astronauts make first remarks at jubilant homecoming in Houston after their record-breaking moon flyby

Still marveling over their moon mission, the Artemis II astronauts received a thunderous welcome home on Saturday from hundreds who took part in setting a record for deep space travel during the US space agency Nasa’s lunar comeback.

The crew of four arrived at Ellington Field near Nasa’s...