Researchers have found a new type of microbe that can survive on air alone – and say it could change the way we hunt for alien life. The microbe can scavenge hydrogen, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide from the air to stay alive in extreme conditions. It is the first time the behaviour has been …

Stonehenge was built as part of a fertility cult with the stones positioned to cast phallic shadows inside the monument during Midsummer, a new study suggests. Archaeologist Professor Terence Meaden, examined nearly 20 stone circles throughout Britain, filming their changing silhouettes during sunrise on ritually significant dates of the year. Experts already knew that the …

For the first time in 14 years, an American college didn’t crack the top two in a ranking of the best universities in the world, the Independent reports, citing Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2018 list. United Kingdom-based Oxford and Cambridge Universities came in No1 and No 2, respectively. Times Higher Ed reviews the …

An asteroid that could have obliterated an area the size of New York city skimmed past Earth at speeds of nearly 5.5 miles per second (9km/s). The whale-sized space rock – called 2017 VL2 – was just 73,000 miles (117,480 km) from our planet when it sped by – which is just a third of …

Scientists who fitted heart rate-monitoring tags to Arctic narwhals have discovered a strange paradox in how the animals respond to threats. When these tusked whales are frightened, their hearts slow, but at the same time they swim quickly to escape. Scientists say the response could be “highly costly” – because they exert themselves with a …