Science

From fleas to mosquitoes, there's no shortage of organisms we consider pests. But thanks to new genetic detective work, scientists have named and shamed the resilient, highly adaptive – and frustratingly hard to kill – bug that got to us first.

Drawing parallels with other species, not naming names, the voices of female frogs are being drowned out by their much louder and boisterous male counterparts – so much so we don't know how nearly 99% of the ladies even sound.

One of the worries about microplastic pollution is the possibility that the particles may accumulate harmful bacteria in the environment, then pass them on to us. Well, that capability could soon put the particles to work as sewage monitors.

A US startup is looking to our closest satellite to fill a resources gap here on Earth. Interlune and partner Vermeer have revealed a full-scale excavator prototype that forms a key component of its lunar resource Harvester.

If you're hoping that reef-restoring coral larvae will settle down in damaged reefs, you can't just sit around and wait for it to happen. You have to get out there and entice the larvae, which is exactly what a new algae-based gel is designed to do.

On May 31, Voyager 1 will be the guest of honor at what may be the most exclusive concert in history. To mark the 200th birthday of Johann Strauss II, ESA will beam a live performance of "By the Beautiful Blue Danube" to NASA's deep space probe.

An elusive nocturnal beast of a rat that lives high up a mountain has been filmed and caught for the first time, in what is akin to winning the zoology lottery. It's only been seen once in 30 years, and all we know of it stem from old museum specimens.

One type of parasite, Entamoeba histolytica, has developed a very intriguing way to evade the defences of our immune system. It rips pieces off human cells and steals the proteins to wear them as a disguise.

The existence of orange cats dates back to the 12th century, but the DNA driving this color has been a mystery – until now. Scientists have solved the puzzle, finding a surprise variant that triggers ginger fur, one not seen in any other orange animal.

Nobody likes buildings that are too hot in the summer or too cold in the winter. That's where the FlectoLine facade comes in, as it uses two bio-inspired mechanisms to regulate how much solar thermal energy gets through a building's windows.