When did people start building houses with corners?
Rectangular buildings became common from about 10,000 years ago, as seen in this reconstruction of the ancient city of Çatalhöyük
Hair conditioner made from wood is black and smelly, but eco-friendly
The black hair conditioner on the left is derived from the wood powder on the right Fengyang Wang/Stockholm University This
Can Google’s new research assistant AI give scientists ‘superpowers’?
Google’s AI “co-scientist” is based on the firm’s Gemini large language models Raa/NurPhoto/Shutterstock Google has unveiled an experimental artificial intelligence
Earth wouldn’t have ice caps without eroding rocks and quiet volcanoes
Antarctic ice on 1 Jan 2024 NASA’s Scientific Visualization Studio Earth’s climate isn’t easy to cool down – especially if
Oil firms’ plans for net-zero oil extraction labelled as ‘PR spiel’
An oil drilling rig in California’s Central Valley Ashley Cooper / Alamy Fossil fuel companies are experimenting with using carbon
Distant exoplanet may be the most volcanic world ever found
Illustration of the volcanic exoplanet L 98-59 b NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center An alien world with a seemingly sulphur-filled
AI chip smaller than a grain of salt uses light to decode data
A chip on the end of an optical fibre University of Shanghai for Science and Technology in China An artificial
Bonobos can tell when they know something you don’t
Kanzi, one of three captive bonobos whose mental abilities were tested in the study Ape Initiative Bonobos are quick to
Salamanders fill their toes with blood to release sticky grip
The translucent toes of a wandering salamander William P. Goldenberg How salamanders manage to move around on uneven, vertical tree
Experimental XB-1 aircraft goes supersonic for the first time
The XB-1 supersonic aircraft Boom Supersonic The experimental XB-1 aircraft, made by US company Boom Supersonic, flew faster than the