Twig Newsdesk
Nobel Prizes 2012 awarded
Oct. 30, 2012, noon
A Nobel Prize in physics, chemistry or medicine is considered the highest scientific honour, recognising individuals who have made significant and historic contributions to their respective fields. This week, we profile the scientists amongst this year’s award winners.
Nobel Prizes 2012: Stem cell research
Oct. 26, 2012, noon
In 1962, Sir John Gurdon replaced the nucleus of a frog's egg cell with the nucleus of a mature cell taken from the intestine of a tadpole. The egg went on to develop into a perfectly healthy cloned tadpole, revealing that the genomes of mature cells still contain the DNA information that enables development into any other type of cell.
Volunteers discover a planet with four suns
Oct. 16, 2012, noon
Astronomers at the Keck telescope at Mauna Kea, Hawaii, have confirmed the discovery of an unusual planet, about 5000 light-years away from Earth.
Free film
Felix Baumgartner leaps into the World Record Books
Oct. 16, 2012, noon
Austrian daredevil Felix Baumgartner made history this week by leaping from ‘the edge of space’.Nobel Prize 2012: Groundbreaking stem cell research
Oct. 15, 2012, 1 p.m.
When he was 15 years old, Sir John Gurdon was told by his Biology teacher that his ambitions to move into scientific research were ‘quite ridiculous’ . He came last out of 250 pupils in his year and was told that his dreams would amount to a ‘sheer waste of time’.65 Years of supersonic flight
Oct. 9, 2012, 1 p.m.
When test pilot Charles ‘Chuck’ Yeager fractured two ribs just days before he was scheduled to take an historic flight, he refused to let it ground him.
The technology behind the 2012 summer of sport
Oct. 1, 2012, 1:34 p.m.
This summer, the Olympic and Paralympic games have showcased and celebrated incredible feats of the human body. In addition to the skill and endurance of the athletes, science and technology played a key role.
Chimp yawns are catching on
Aug. 17, 2012, 1 p.m.
Scientists studying chimpanzees at a zoo in the Netherlands have formulated a new theory for the behavioral quirk of contagious yawning.Free film
A breakthrough in CERN’s search for Higgs boson
July 14, 2012, noon
Nearly 50 years after it was first theorised, physicists at the European Organisation for Nuclear Research (CERN) have announced the possible discovery of the elusive Higgs boson.
Vaccination for nicotine addiction developed
July 9, 2012, noon
Researchers have developed a new form of vaccination, which has been shown to prevent nicotine addiction in mice.