Author Archives: Ian Sample
8th May, 2013
European and Asian languages descend from same tongue
Languages spoken by billions of people across Europe and Asia are descended from an ancient tongue uttered in southern Europe at the end of the last ice age, according to research. The claim, by scientists in Britain, points to a common origin for vocabularies as varied as English and Urdu, Japanese and Itelmen, a
Languages spoken by billions of people across Europe and Asia are descended from an ancient tongue uttered in southern Europe at the end of the last ice age, according to research. The claim, by scientists in Britain, points to a common origin for vocabularies as varied as English and Urdu, Japanese and Itelmen, a
3rd May, 2013
Scientists find key to aging process
Scientists have found a biological command centre for the aging process in a lump of brain the size of a nut.
Scientists have found a biological command centre for the aging process in a lump of brain the size of a nut.
22nd March, 2013
1977 space probe enters the unknown
A SPACECRAFT that took off from Cape Canaveral 35 years ago is continuing its journey out of the solar system, according to America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).
A SPACECRAFT that took off from Cape Canaveral 35 years ago is continuing its journey out of the solar system, according to America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration (Nasa).
5th March, 2013
Experts counsel caution: Doctors claim curing child born with HIV
DOCTORS in the United States have made medical history by effectively curing a child born with HIV, the first time such a case has been documented.
DOCTORS in the United States have made medical history by effectively curing a child born with HIV, the first time such a case has been documented.
25th January, 2013
Antibiotic resistance on the rise
BRITAIN’S most senior medical adviser has warned MPs that the rise in drug-resistant diseases could trigger a national emergency comparable to a catastrophic terrorist attack, pandemic flu or major coastal flooding.
BRITAIN’S most senior medical adviser has warned MPs that the rise in drug-resistant diseases could trigger a national emergency comparable to a catastrophic terrorist attack, pandemic flu or major coastal flooding.
18th December, 2012
Woman controls robotic arm by thought
A woman who is paralysed from the neck down has stunned doctors with her extraordinary skill at using a robotic arm that is controlled by her thoughts alone.
A woman who is paralysed from the neck down has stunned doctors with her extraordinary skill at using a robotic arm that is controlled by her thoughts alone.
28th November, 2012
Life found under Antarctica’s frozen surface
LONDON: Scientists have found life in an Antarctic lake that was sealed off from the outside world by a thick sheet of ice several thousands of years ago.
LONDON: Scientists have found life in an Antarctic lake that was sealed off from the outside world by a thick sheet of ice several thousands of years ago.
16th November, 2012
No Higgs breakthrough
SCIENTISTS working at the Large Hadron Collider have found no evidence that the new particle discovered earlier this year is anything but the simplest — and most boring — variety of Higgs boson.
SCIENTISTS working at the Large Hadron Collider have found no evidence that the new particle discovered earlier this year is anything but the simplest — and most boring — variety of Higgs boson.
9th October, 2012
Nobel prizes and surprises
Once more honour rests on the words of a secretive bunch of Scandinavians, who, on naming the latest members of the world’s most prestigious club, the Nobel laureates, unleash joyful celebrations, acrimonious protests, and a collectively mumbled “Who?
Once more honour rests on the words of a secretive bunch of Scandinavians, who, on naming the latest members of the world’s most prestigious club, the Nobel laureates, unleash joyful celebrations, acrimonious protests, and a collectively mumbled “Who?
29th September, 2012
Ancient riverbed found on Mars: Nasa
A SHALLOW river once coursed through a great crater on Mars, according to the latest surface images, which suggest the dusty planet was more hospitable in ancient times.
A SHALLOW river once coursed through a great crater on Mars, according to the latest surface images, which suggest the dusty planet was more hospitable in ancient times.
21st September, 2012
Scientists map human brain
A COMPREHENSIVE atlas of the adult human brain that reveals the activity of genes across the entire organ has been created by scientists.
A COMPREHENSIVE atlas of the adult human brain that reveals the activity of genes across the entire organ has been created by scientists.
18th September, 2012
Cutting edge medical procedures
THE UK government's fertility regulator has launched a public consultation to gauge people’s attitudes towards controversial new medical procedures designed to avoid serious genetic diseases.
THE UK government's fertility regulator has launched a public consultation to gauge people’s attitudes towards controversial new medical procedures designed to avoid serious genetic diseases.
1st September, 2012
Genetics reconstructed of girl who died 50,000 years ago
Scientists have reconstructed the entire genetic makeup of a girl who lived and died in a Siberian cave more than 50,000 years ago. The young woman belonged to a long extinct group of humans called Denisovans, their existence known only from meagre fossil remains uncovered at the Denisova cave in the Altai
Scientists have reconstructed the entire genetic makeup of a girl who lived and died in a Siberian cave more than 50,000 years ago. The young woman belonged to a long extinct group of humans called Denisovans, their existence known only from meagre fossil remains uncovered at the Denisova cave in the Altai
5th August, 2012
Nasa braced for Mars landing
IN the silence of space on the approach to Mars a US probe is warming up for an unprecedented act of theatre.
IN the silence of space on the approach to Mars a US probe is warming up for an unprecedented act of theatre.
19th May, 2012
First big step towards privatisation of space
Today (Saturday), a rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission to deliver a capsule full of supplies to the International Space Station.
Today (Saturday), a rocket is scheduled to lift off from Cape Canaveral in Florida on a mission to deliver a capsule full of supplies to the International Space Station.
13th April, 2012
Why quake did not trigger a devastating tsunami
THE earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia began with a sudden shift in a strike-slip fault, a line of weakness in the sea floor where two huge bodies of rock can slide past one another
THE earthquake off the coast of northern Sumatra in Indonesia began with a sudden shift in a strike-slip fault, a line of weakness in the sea floor where two huge bodies of rock can slide past one another
29th February, 2012
Upper class people more likely to behave selfishly: study
LONDON: A raft of studies into unethical behaviour across the social classes has delivered a withering verdict on the upper echelons of society.
LONDON: A raft of studies into unethical behaviour across the social classes has delivered a withering verdict on the upper echelons of society.
8th February, 2012
Forest love song of the Jurassic cricket
LONDON: A love song that carried on the wind through the ancient forests of the late Jurassic era has been reconstructed by scientists in Britain
LONDON: A love song that carried on the wind through the ancient forests of the late Jurassic era has been reconstructed by scientists in Britain
