Beijing’s monopoly over rare earths is a key bargaining chip in its trade negotiations with the US.

If we really want to grasp what animals are ‘saying’, we need to understand their communication on their terms, not ours

Another day, another cute story about how dogs can grasp elements of human language and use them to communicate with us.

First, there was Mr Waffles, the Yorkshire terrier that“talks” to his owners by pressing electronic buttons that have been pre-programmed with words...

Investigators say evidence collected from the 29-year-old’s devices showed an AI image of a burning city.

This year’s Nobel prizes in chemistry, physics and physiology or medicine have celebrated work that paves the way for the next generation of quantum technology, the creation of porous materials that have been compared to Hermione Granger’s handbag and the discovery of the hidden army inside us that helps to keep our immune system in check. To find out more, Madeleine Finlay talks to our...

3I/Atlas is only the third interstellar comet to be seen and contains material from other star systems that can be observed closeup

You wait ages for an interstellar comet to arrive and then three come along at once. Or at least over the space of a decade. The latest interloper from another star system is the 3I/Atlas comet, which was first detected in July. As space agencies track the speeding...

Trio honoured for developing revolutionary porous materials for applications ranging from gas storage to drug delivery

The Nobel prize in chemistry 2025 has been awarded to three scientists for developing revolutionary porous materials for applications ranging from gas storage to drug delivery.

Susumu Kitagawa, at Kyoto University, Richard Robson, at the University of Melbourne, and Omar Yaghi,...

Research could offer hope for ME patients – but some experts urge caution and say more studies needed

Scientists say they have developed the world’s first blood test to diagnose myalgic encephalomyelitis, also known as chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS).

There is no currently no test for the condition and patients tend to be diagnosed based on symptoms, which means many can go undiagnosed for...

Our brains are wired to believe new information, especially if it aligns with our views. But mistruths can have serious consequences

Ernest Hemingway famously said that every good writer needs a built-in BS detector. But in 2025 we all need one. High levels of scientific misinformation are threatening the wellbeing of families and our society, and the problem is worsening at an alarming...

Hackers were said to have stolen the photographs, names and addresses of about 8,000 children.

My father, Edgar Neufeld, who has died aged 92, was a Jewish refugee from the Nazis who became a scientist and senior IBM executive. He then dedicated himself to charitable work in education, for which he was made an OBE in 2003.

After the family escaped from Vienna in 1938, Edgar grew up with his parents, Martha (nee Fuchs) and Sigi Neufeld, and his sister, Inge, in Manchester in a block of...

Researchers in Australia find 16 genetic variants linked to depression in women but only eight in men

Women carry a higher genetic risk of depression, a new study has found.

Claiming to be the largest genetic study to date on sex differences in major depression, the research published Wednesday in Nature Communications has found 16 genetic variants linked to depression in women and eight in...

Fred Ramsdell’s wife switched on her phone and screamed – it was full of messages congratulating her husband

Out on a digital detox in the western US backcountry, scientist Fred Ramsdell was startled when his wife let out a yell. He feared she had spotted a grizzly bear, only to discover a far better surprise – he had won the Nobel prize in medicine.

The Nobel committee had been unable to reach...

Analysts estimate cyber-criminals linked to Pyongyang have taken more than $2bn so far in 2025.

He says he’s worried about what will happen to millions of creators when AI videos are as good as normal ones.