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Aircraft contrails are a climate menace. Can we rid the sky of them?

17 March 2021

The wispy cloud trails left by aircraft cause more warming than the carbon emissions from their fuel. Now there might be a simple way to stop them forming

Here's hoping for robo-swarms very soon

10 March 2021

Eagle-inspired robot flies by flapping its feather-covered wings

3 March 2021

A robot that looks like a bird, flaps its wings like a bird and flies like a bird could be used as a stealthy, camouflaged drone

How to spend a trillion dollars to fix climate change and end poverty

24 February 2021

Let’s imagine you have inherited a fortune and want to solve the world’s most pressing problems. Here’s the best way to spend your money to make a difference to climate change, disease and poverty

What’s next for the Mars Perseverance rover? Your questions answered

19 February 2021

Now that NASA’s Perseverance rover has landed safely on Mars, it will start taking samples and release the Ingenuity helicopter to test flying drones on other planets

The US Army is building the most powerful laser weapon in the world

19 February 2021

The US Army is building a laser blaster over a million times more powerful than any used before. It is intended to take down fast-moving targets like missiles and drones

Perfect encryption may not be worth having (3)

17 February 2021

Insect brains will teach us how to make truly intelligent robots

16 February 2021

We need a revolution in artificial intelligence and learning from insects will help us achieve it, says James Marshall

Dragonflies do a backwards roll to fly upright – even when unconscious

10 February 2021

To get out of an upside-down position, dragonflies do a backwards roll to stabilise their flight – even when they’re unconscious, and if their wings are propped open, they do it when they’re dead

Bats soar to heights of 1600 metres by riding late night winds

4 February 2021

By fitting bats with GPS collars we have discovered that the nocturnal fliers seek out slopes where late night winds are swept upwards, carrying them high into the air