SCIENCE

Steadfast lifestyle changes seem best to improve cognitive decline

Regular exercise could help keep us sharp YOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP via Getty Images A structured course of exercise, diet, cognitive challenges and social engagement seems to

SCIENCE

Solar drone with wingspan wider than jumbo jet could fly for months

The Skydweller drone Skydweller A solar-powered surveillance drone with a wingspan larger than a Boeing 747 jumbo jet could fly for weeks or months at

SCIENCE

Ancient ‘terror birds’ may have been no match for hungry giant caimans

Artist’s impression of an encounter between an ancient caiman and a terror bird Julian Bayona Becerra About 13 million years ago in a vast South

SCIENCE

Your chance of having a boy or girl may not be 50/50

A woman’s age may determine whether she has only sons or daughters Marko Pekic/Getty Images You may assume that a woman’s chance of having a

SCIENCE

Neanderthal groups had their own local food culture

An illustration of a Neanderthal group preparing food LUIS MONTANYA/MARTA MONTANYA/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Neanderthals may have had traditional ways of preparing food that were particular

SCIENCE

LIGO has spotted the most massive black hole collision ever detected

Illustration of merging of black holes Shutterstock / Jurik Peter A record-breaking black hole smash-up just expanded our view of the universe’s most extreme inhabitants.

SCIENCE

Hay fever relief could come in the form of a nasal ‘molecular shield’

Sneezing and coughing are common hay fever symptoms mohammad hosein safaei/Unsplash People with hay fever could one day benefit from a first-of-its-kind “molecular shield” that

SCIENCE

Forests’ vanishing snow is also bad news for carbon storage

Forests like Mount Mansfield State Forest in Vermont are losing their snowpacks Douglas Rissing/Getty Images Many forests are losing their winter snowpack as global temperatures

SCIENCE

Ancient mass extinction shows how Earth turned into a super-greenhouse

Global warming is causing forest die-offs today, just as it did during the Permian-Triassic extinction event INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images After a sharp rise

SCIENCE

Ancient DNA reveals make-up of Roman Empire’s favourite sauce

A modern recreation of garum, a fermented fish sauce dating back to Roman times Alexander Mychko / Alamy Fermented fish sauce, or garum, was an