NEWS:  02:00 17 November 2012

Charting new words in tweets shows they originate in cities with large African American populations before spreading to areas with similar demographics

NEWS:  15:00 16 November 2012

Analysing images to find what aspects evoke which feelings could allow computers to create art that packs an emotional punch

13:59 16 November 2012

The story of the disgraced former CIA director shows how easy it is to piece together someone's online secrets

13:00 16 November 2012

Jimi Hendrix sang: "Excuse me while I kiss the sky." You might have the same urge when you look at the purple haze in this image of a supernova remnant

12:18 16 November 2012

Some South American katydids seem to have evolved super-sensitive ears on their legs which may help them tell potential mates from foes

12:15 16 November 2012

Delayed by five years, a report warns of the huge damage that sabotage of the US power grid could cause. But much has changed since it was written

THIS WEEK:  12:10 16 November 2012

New strategies could stop breast cancer roping in normal cells to help it spread

11:50 16 November 2012

Sony's Wonderbook: Book of Spells for PlayStation 3 goes beyond gimmickry with augmented reality that is integral to an engrossing gameplay experience

11:03 16 November 2012

See how a brain stimulation cap can help you improve your mathematical ability while you play a video game

THIS WEEK:  10:00 16 November 2012

For the first time, the patterns of brain activity that represent the meaning of specific words have been identified

INSIGHT:  09:00 16 November 2012

A new generation of colour-changing LED light bulbs may help you relax, concentrate, or even improve your sleep habits

19:00 15 November 2012

The quintessential Stone Age hunting spear – with a stone tip – was used by an ancestor of humans and Neanderthals

18:21 15 November 2012

With wrinkled crust and cracked filling, the unusual formations are unlike anything seen on other rocky planets

16:38 15 November 2012

A worldwide weather simulation reveals a stunning high-resolution view of the aerosols that envelop our planet

16:11 15 November 2012

A study of genetic mutations which slow the body's breakdown of alcohol has teased out the true relationship between drinking and its effect on a fetus

15:05 15 November 2012

An odd object drifting with a small caravan of stars may be the closest known orphan planet

14:50 15 November 2012

The Israeli Defence Forces posted a picture of the dead Hamas leader Ahmed al-Jabari on its Twitter account – opening up a new era of military communication

THIS WEEK:  10:25 15 November 2012

A new breed of voting forecasters won't replace pundits but elections of the future could be won by the party with the best stats

THIS WEEK:  08:00 15 November 2012

How much will Earth warm this century? A study has narrowed the range of likely temperatures

22:00 14 November 2012

Neuroscientists have mixed up music from two types of scan to create the brain's most human-sounding performance yet. Hear it here

18:13 14 November 2012

The blooming bacteria that makes its home in your navel is pictured by the Belly Button Biodiversity project

THIS WEEK:  18:00 14 November 2012

Climate predictions of intensifying drought are based on an oversimplified picture, a new analysis finds

THIS WEEK:  18:00 14 November 2012

The new laws in Colorado and Washington should provide a testing ground for health effects and for how people behave when drug laws are relaxed

17:51 14 November 2012

Rumours that the space agency wants to park a spaceport in orbit near the moon carry a ring of truth, space policy experts say

15:38 14 November 2012

The first update since the particle's discovery in July shows it behaving exactly as predicted – giving no clues about how to explain things like dark matter

15:19 14 November 2012

Illacme plenipes almost merits the name "millipede", with its 750 legs – and it can squeeze silk out of the hairs on its back

13:33 14 November 2012

Whole genome sequencing of an MRSA outbreak has identified the person who unwittingly spread the bacteria around a hospital, stopping further infection

UPFRONT:  10:51 14 November 2012

Campaigners linked to the Nordic Cochrane Centre have called on European governments to sue the Swiss pharmaceutical giant Roche

10:49 14 November 2012

The Russian government blocked traffic to a file-sharing site and an online library, citing a new law that many fear could curtail internet freedom

IN BRIEF:  22:00 13 November 2012

A quick sniff of oxytocin causes men who have a female partner to put more space between themselves and other women

18:10 13 November 2012

A small partner circling a black hole would make the hole wobble and reduce its temperature