The new Facebook? Not exactly - Microsoft's social network So.Cl meets mixed reception
Tue, 22 May 2012 17:45:17 GMT

The service lets people share search results with other users, and has a ‘video party’ mode similar to Google+’s hangout feature.

From concept to completion: McLaren lifts lid on state-of-the-art factory for new £170,000 supercar - and see how it compares to Henry T Ford's production line of 1912
Thu, 24 May 2012 19:08:06 GMT

The factory in Woking is a far cry from the dawn of the car industry, when Henry Ford laboured to perfect his methods in Trafford Park, Manchester, exactly 100 years ago.

Men like meat 'because it is strong and powerful, not wimpy like soy' (say study authors, who do not mince their words)
Thu, 24 May 2012 18:09:11 GMT

The authors said that men eating soy 'would have to give up a food they saw as strong and powerful for a food they saw as weak and wimpy.'

Scientists build robot which can design its own tools
Thu, 24 May 2012 18:08:52 GMT

In the video below, the un-named robot uses the glue gun to build itself a cup, which it then glues on to itself to transport water from one dish to another.

The beautiful monsters of the deep: The jellyfish in Norway which look more like aliens than sea-dwellers
Thu, 24 May 2012 18:04:03 GMT

The beautiful animals, which are between one centimetre and a metre in size, swarm in their hundreds as they emerge from the murky depths.

Is the desire to 'sext' naked pictures hard-wired into human brains? Being wanted is important to women in particular
Thu, 24 May 2012 17:56:58 GMT

Nevada scientists say our willingness to share naked picture of ourselves with others might actually not be our fault - it could be hardwired into our brain.

Mystery of Mars's organic carbon deepens - meteorites from Red Planet DID carry building blocks of life
Thu, 24 May 2012 17:18:20 GMT

Molecules containing large chains of carbon and hydrogen - the building blocks of all life on Earth - are one of the main 'targets' of Man's missions to Mars, say Carnegie researchers.

The secret quirks of Twitter revealed: Why sending a 'get well' tweet will make your message vanish
Thu, 24 May 2012 15:57:50 GMT

Start a two-word message with the word 'Get', and your message will disappear into the ether, never to be seen again, purely because of quirks on Twitter.

Pornography websites are NOT the most dangerous place on the web any more - more viruses are spread by blogs
Thu, 24 May 2012 15:57:08 GMT

Security experts Symantec released their annual report on the state of malicious software, and pornographic sites now rank 10th, whereas 20% of blogs are infected

NASA time-lapse shows Lyrid meteor shower from space - as well as the Aurora Borealis and lightning strikes hitting the earth
Thu, 24 May 2012 15:09:32 GMT

ISS astronauts captured a cameo appearance from the Lyrid metorite shower, as well as lightning and glare from city lights in Florida.

App unlocks crazy 'ticket splitting' trick that makes many British train journeys far cheaper
Thu, 24 May 2012 15:04:15 GMT

The new app works out the ABSOLUTE cheapest way to get between two points - which is often, illogically, to buy two separate tickets for your journey. It can save hundreds per year.

One-third of e-book readers admit to using gadgets to hide that they're reading erotic novels
Thu, 24 May 2012 13:51:00 GMT

In a poll of 1,863 people conducted in Britain this week, 34% admitted to having read erotic novels on the devices.

The new space race heats up: Russia plans 'permanent' bases on moon
Thu, 24 May 2012 13:45:00 GMT

'We're not talking about repeating what mankind achieved 40 years ago,' said Vladimir Popovkin, head of Russian space agency Roscosmos. 'We're talking about establishing permanent bases.'

Mammoth-bone flute proves that German cavemen were playing music more than 40,000 years BC
Thu, 24 May 2012 13:14:30 GMT

European's earliest ancestors were playing musical instruments and showing artistic creativity more than 40,000 years ago, a Tubingen University study has shown.

Twilight vampire films 'take the place of religion' for teenagers
Thu, 24 May 2012 12:56:02 GMT

Many teenagers no longer seek the answers to life's 'big questions' from religion - and find them instead in films such as the Twilight series, say Copenhagen researchers.

SpaceX capsule Falcon 9 prepares to fly by the ISS in advance of historic docking tomorrow
Thu, 24 May 2012 12:08:18 GMT

The Dragon space capsule, launched on Tuesday, signals the dawn of a new 'space race', but one founded on profit and competition rather than nationalistic pride.

Shadow over Mars: Nasa's Rover Opportunity 'sees itself' as it looks towards the misty blue Endeavour crater on Martian surface
Thu, 24 May 2012 11:12:12 GMT

Nasa's Mars Rover Opportunity captured a spectacular view of the Endeavour crater and sent the image back to Earth. Endeavour is the largest impact crater the rover has explored in its eight-year mission.

Yahoo takes on Firefox and Chrome with 'Axis', a visual browser which switches seamlessly between desktop and iPad
Thu, 24 May 2012 10:58:16 GMT

Rather than try to break this stranglehold, Yahoo has created a plug-in that installs into these browsers and brings a new visual style to the table.

Pesticide kills bee colonies by turning insects into 'picky eaters' who crave sweeter nectar - and ignore nearby food
Thu, 24 May 2012 07:44:53 GMT

The research could shed light on one of the main culprits suspected to be behind the recent declines in honey bee colonies, say University of California San Diego researchers.

The day one boat gave another a piggyback following suicide bomber attack on US Navy ship
Thu, 24 May 2012 06:44:07 GMT

This intriguing image is not a Photoshopped picture or a disaster of Titanic proportions, instead it is one ship, designed to carry tremendous loads, giving a piggyback to a holed U.S. Navy ship.

Entirely new 'grapefruit-sized' organ found in jaws of giant whales - is it a 'second brain' built to help them eat more?
Wed, 23 May 2012 17:17:36 GMT

A new sensory organ has been discovered in the jaws of giant whales that may help them ‘lunge feed’ to swallow huge numbers of crustaceans and small fish, say Smithsonian researchers.

First official Angry Birds theme park opens as game's creators look to become as big as Disney
Wed, 23 May 2012 17:09:06 GMT

Angry Birds Land recently opened inside Sarkanniemi Amusement Park in Tampere, Finland. The colourful attractions represent the astonishing rise of the game.

'Black magic' of ancient curse revealed after Roman tablet found hidden in museum
Wed, 23 May 2012 16:34:00 GMT

Stone tablets hidden in the Museum of Bologna's archives may contain a terrible, ancient curse calling a devil-goddess to bind a victim.

Men and women both love to gossip - but chatter tends to make males closer, whereas it can tear women friends apart
Wed, 23 May 2012 15:14:25 GMT

Women tend to chat a lot about physical appearance, and this can actually threaten their friendships - whereas men gossip about communal activities such as sport, which tightens friendships, say Edmonton researchers.

Men who have diets forced on them by wives often get FATTER - after binging on 'landslides' of food away from home
Wed, 23 May 2012 11:03:23 GMT

Only couples who negotiate a new 'healthy' diet make progress. Otherwise, men tend to slink off to an all-you-can-eat buffet, say University of Michigan researchers.

Sci-fi becomes reality as DNA is turned into living drive able to store, read and erase data
Wed, 23 May 2012 07:48:28 GMT

The information - stored in the DNA code - can be rewritten and erased at will, so could be used to study ageing cells, and even 'turn off' cells before they turn cancerous, say Stanford researchers.

Oxford University project starts serious hunt for Yeti using DNA samples from around the world
Wed, 23 May 2012 07:26:34 GMT

An Oxford college is to analyse samples of Yeti hair and teeth in one of the most serious attempts yet made to track down the elusive and possibly mythical species.

Watch celebrities become hideously ugly as strange 'flashed face' video effect works its horrible magic
Tue, 22 May 2012 18:22:42 GMT

Liv Tyler's face warps into the image of hideous old crone, and Tom Cruise's chin distorts beyond all recognition - thanks to a strange effect of 'flashed' human faces.

We DON'T want to live forever: Why a growing movement believe we shouldn't obsess over increasing life expectancy
Tue, 22 May 2012 14:53:29 GMT

An Oxford academic who has written extensively on the ethics of extending our lives, said over the last 150 years we have extended our average life span from 40 years to 80 years and the trend is going upwards.

The ultimate sneaker for a geek: Nike trainers made with materials used to make NASA astronaut spacesuits
Fri, 18 May 2012 11:47:53 GMT

In partnership with artist Tom Sachs, the trainer maker will be releasing a capsule collection of jackets, bags and shoes - dubbed NikeCraft - which is set to become the ultimate in geek chic.