Ellen Phiddian

What makes a perfect cup of tea ? According to a team of Chinese scientists, the answer is not the right pot, temperature, or the sacrilegious addition of salt – it's microbes.

Scientists have found a new way of observing electrons – an astonishing feat given the speeds they move at.

When you fire a laser at a solid-state battery, it turns out the particles inside aren't tossed into chaos. This has surprised a team of US and UK researchers.

But Atlantic expansion might not be inevitable. A new modelling study suggests that in about 20 million years – soon, in geological terms – the Atlantic will have an encroaching ring of fire of its own.

The giant Antarctic sea spider ( Colossendeis megalonyx ) has a parenting style that has puzzled ecologists for more than a century.

Astronomers have found the fastest-growing black hole ever recorded – a colossus that absorbs the equivalent of one Sun every day.

When crises like war or natural disasters strike, science is often held up as a solution.

“ Modern AI is amazing,” says Simon Lucey . “It's something to behold. Nobody thought they could scale to the heights they are at.

An Australian startup has developed samples of a commercial garment made out of recycled nylon.

It's a favourite ice cream flavour and garnish of cold drinks, but does mint really taste ‘cool'? And what about chillies – how similar is that ‘heat' to physical heat?