Category: Technology

Battlefield robots were once thought of as the stuff of science fiction. But the Ukraine war has put paid to that view, with uncrewed ground vehicles (UGVs) – or ground robots – taking on an increasingly visible role. In September 2026, Mykhailo Fedorov, the former defence minister of Ukraine – who is generally credited for […]

Invasive alien brambles have been spreading across South Africa since the early 1900s, having come from North America and Europe. All brambles fall within the genus Rubus. Their common names in South Africa are braam (Afrikaans), ijingijolo (isiZulu) and monoko-metsi (seSotho). Over the decades, these plants have crept into tree plantations, pastures and native grasslands. […]

AstroStar/Shutterstock Autumn can feel bittersweet. The nights are drawing in quickly, and spending time outdoors becomes less appealing. For stargazers, however, the longer nights bring more opportunities to explore the sky. Read more: Day and night aren’t equal length on an equinox – here’s why But where to start? Perhaps the August 2026 solar eclipse […]

Memo Ossa/Shutterstock For decades scientists have argued about where bats originated. A recently published study in the journal Nature offers new evidence to address that question. This new international study combining DNA and fossils supports Europe as bats’ likely birthplace. The problem thus far has been that, unlike birds, which have a superb fossil record […]

Every couple of years, the same false stories come back. A claim that an election was rigged before a single vote was cast. An old video of violence, stripped of its date and place, presented as breaking news. For fact-checkers, this means repeatedly investigating claims they have already debunked, even as new false stories emerge. […]

Two Moths, Two Chyrsalides, and Other Insects by Joris Hoefnagel (1575-1580). Rawpixel/Shutterstock/Canva Moths seem to be made for Halloween. They’re largely nocturnal, often outlandish in appearance and bear creepy names such as Lunar Thorn, Cloaked Carpet, Bordered Gothic and (best of all) Puss Moth. The webs of the ermine moth caterpillar cover trees like ghostly […]

Cast your mind back to your secondary school science classroom: the fiery glow of Bunsen burners, scratched safety goggles that never quite fit, and a giant periodic table pinned to the wall. When you learned about the breakthroughs that shaped our world and the people who made them, whose names were attached? From Newton’s laws […]

frantic00/Shutterstock Devices that link human minds to computers are progressing rapidly. Already, these brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) are allowing patients with severe paralysis to communicate, use digital devices or control smart homes with their brains. Trials are also exploring whether they could help restore patients’ speech or control robotic machinery. One British patient with a spinal […]

Machines don’t have to become superintelligent to cause catastrophic harm. As artificial intelligence spreads through military decision-making, they just have to be wrong – and trusted by the humans in charge. In 1991, Terminator 2: Judgement Day gave us one of popular culture’s most enduring images of AI gone wrong. Humanity builds Skynet, an artificial […]

The fossilised skull of a new species of mysterious meat-eating dinosaur from the Isle of Wight has been rediscovered in the collections of the Natural History Museum after over 100 years in storage. Over its nearly 150-year history, this London museum has become home to over 30 million specimens, making it fairly easy to forget […]