Ditch the phone, don't stand too close and strive for optimal eye contact: the evidence-based approach to painless holiday schmoozing

Fancy bidding on a Christmas present steeped in science history? Find out what they'll set you back, and which present-day artefacts might be worth investing in

They’re safer than other kinds of road junction, require less energy for lights and result in less pollution from vehicles. But will they ever conquer the world?

When asteroid Armageddon is upon us, we can't just call Bruce Willis. Meet the people who really do watch the skies – and make detailed plans for our survival

The discovery of a link between anxiety, depression, OCD and more is set to revolutionise how we think about these conditions – and offer new treatments

It’s the ultimate scientific quest – to understand everything that there is. But the closer we get, the further away it seems. Can we ever get to grips with the true nature of reality?

What our senses allow us to experience may not reflect what actually exists. It may be a creation of our own consciousness, or a computer simulation designed by superintelligent beings

Our largest encyclopedia overwhelmingly recognises the achievements of white men. For physicist Jess Wade, fighting this bias has been an uphill battle

Fifty years ago, psychiatrist David Rosenhan went undercover in a psychiatric hospital to expose its dark side. But his shocking findings aren't what they seem, reveals Susannah Cahalan

With the help of their webs, spiders are capable of foresight, planning, learning and other smarts that indicate they may possess consciousness

In a universe that unthinkingly follows the rules, human agency is an anomaly. Can physics ever make sense of our power to change the physical world at will?

By closely tracking how cancer cells evolve in our bodies, we can identify their hidden weaknesses and find powerful new ways to treat tumours

Christiana Figueres and Tom Rivett-Carnac led the 2015 Paris climate negotiations. They tell us why they’re hopeful for the future, and explain how fighting climate change is “the most exciting experiment in history”

Move over Martians, Earth has already been invaded by little green aliens, but how did parakeets become one of the most successful invasive species ever?

Most molecules exist in mirror-image forms, and yet life prefers one over the other. How this bias began and why it persisted is one of the most baffling questions in biology – but now we have an answer

An alligator carcass dropped in the deep ocean reveals the bizarre ecosystems of the seabed - including zombie worms that fed on prehistoric reptiles

Whether you are at home alone or juggling work and family, those working in mental health share their advice on how to cope with the covid-19 pandemic

To figure out what makes some people more vulnerable to severe cases of covid-19, we need to rethink what we know about infection

Four decades ago, we introduced a standard way of encoding digital sound. Its first ever upgrade could lead to new genres of music and ways of experiencing sound

* Tourism, travel, hospitality business hit the hardest by COVID

Villagers placed the bodies of three victims of a deadly gas leak from an LG Polymers plant in southern India at the gates of the site on Saturday, and demanded the factory be shut down immediately and its top management arrested.

South Africa's central bank has temporarily prohibited the use of debt issued by the Land Bank as collateral after the state agricultural lender was downgraded deeper into junk status and missed $2.7 billion in loan repayments.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) on Saturday approved emergency use authorization (EUA) to Quidel Corp for the first COVID-19 antigen test.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, the wife of one of President Donald Trump's senior advisors, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the second White House staffer to be diagnosed with the illness. This report produced by Chris Dignam.

Not to be beaten by the virus, Landshut pub-owner Patrick Schmidt took his tent, rolled up the sides and condensed the annual Bavarian 'Dult' experience, where locals feast and drink on local specialities to their heart's content, into a drive-through culinary delight.

Not to be beaten by the virus, Landshut pub-owner Patrick Schmidt took his tent, rolled up the sides and condensed the annual Bavarian 'Dult' experience, where locals feast and drink on local specialities to their heart's content, into a drive-through culinary delight.

With MLS players starting to return to their teams' respective training facilities, the league is considering a resumption of the season in June or July, with the possibility of all games in Orlando at the outset, the Washington Post reported.

Eight-time Grand Slam winner Ivan Lendl said whoever ends up winning the most majors among the 'Big Three' of Roger Federer, Rafa Nadal and Novak Djokovic should be considered the greatest male tennis player of the Open era.

College sports will not resume until all students are back on campus, NCAA president Mark Emmert said Friday.

Gymnasts around the world have been trying to stay fit amid tough restrictions during the COVID-19 crisis, and Italy is no exception.      With the country's gym clubs and training facilities closed for more than two months as part of government measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus, gymnast Marco Lodadio, a silver medallist in the rings event at the 2019 world championships, turned his garden into a fitness studio.      Without the sophisticated faci

While most film and TV production around the world has shut down, one UK network has made a new drama series "Isolation Stories" about life under lockdown. Edward Baran reports.

Whitney Houston is headed back to the big screen in a feature film about the singer's life that took her to the heights of fame but ended in drug addiction and tragedy.

The United States' Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating an incident in which actor Harrison Ford was piloting a small plane that wrongly crossed a runway where another aircraft was landing, U.S. media reported late on Wednesday citing an FAA statement.

David Rhodes, the former president of CBS News who started his career at Fox News, is returning to Rupert Murdoch's News Corp to help the company's News UK operations in the video business, a source familiar with the matter said.

Florian Schneider, co-founder of pioneering German electronic band Kraftwerk, which influenced generations of pop and dance musicians with mesmerising tracks such as "Autobahn", has died of cancer aged 73, longtime bandmate Ralf Huetter said.

Chinese e-commerce company Alibaba set the stage for the biggest IPO ever as it looks to raise $21 billion sometime in September. Conway G. Gittens reports.

Frustrated Southwest Airlines customers have been forced to wait in long lines for a second day as the airline tries to solve a technical problem with its electronic booking system. In the meantime, passengers are being told to prepare for delays. Katharine Jackson reports.

Britain's Tate Modern gallery in London reveals additional building called the 'Switch House' which will open to the public on June 17.

Tara Reade, the woman who alleges Joe Biden sexually assaulted her in 1993, said in a video interview on Thursday that he should withdraw from the White House race. Gloria Tso reports.

The sting of the Asian giant hornet can kill and that's not just an expression of speech. Since their discovery in 2019 in the US, traps have been set to see if Asian giant "murder hornets" have settled in the state. Libby Hogan has more.

Priest Don Giuseppe Castelvecchio hasn't been able to conduct services in his San Fiorano church for two months. In the town where restrictions are easing, his sermons delivered from a loud speaker in a car are a welcome relief. Joe Davies reports.

Rival lawmakers scuffled in Hong Kong's legislature on Friday in a row over electing the chairman of a key committee, a fresh sign of rising political tension as the coronavirus pandemic tapers off in the Chinese-ruled city. Francesca Lynagh reports.

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's press secretary, the wife of one of President Donald Trump's senior advisors, has tested positive for the coronavirus, the second White House staffer to be diagnosed with the illness. This report produced by Chris Dignam.

Climate models show that as the world warms, tropical cyclones will travel more slowly, dumping more rain in one place and making high-speed winds batter buildings for longer

A cheap, lightweight smartphone-heated device can test for DNA in blood, urine and other samples in a fraction of the time it takes to test in a lab

In a small trial, implanting electrodes into the brain helped women with severe anorexia gain weight and feel less anxious and depressed

Lessons learned from natural disasters and the military can help guide our responses to help people's mental health during the covid-19 pandemic

In TV series Devs, a tech company has built an extremely powerful quantum computer. The show is both beautiful and captivating, says Rowan Hooper

It can be difficult for doctors to assess the level of consciousness in people who have had serious brain injuries, but observing their reaction to strong odours may help

A robot that uses artificial intelligence to find and remove weeds could eventually be used as an alternative to chemical insecticides