Holidaymakers have one major thing in common with scientists who are on the hunt for alien life: their plans are often thwarted by clouds. The clouds on alien worlds are such a long-standing issue – o

In 1977, the year the movie Star Wars: Episode IV – A New Hope was released, marine geologists laid eyes on a deep-sea hydrothermal vent for the first time. They were diving inside the submersible, kn

HUMANITY HAS CHANGED AN AWFUL LOT IN THE PAST 58 YEARS. THE MOON? NOT SO MUCH. It was in 1968 that astronauts first drew near the moon, and it will be early this year, if all goes as planned, that a c

The end is inevitable. Eventually, our Sun will grow old and die. When it does, how much of the rest of the Solar System will it take with it? The fate of Earth hangs in the balance… The end will star

Ayoush Lazikani The Medieval Moon A history of haunting and blessing 272pp. Yale University Press. £20 (US $30). Something fundamental changed in our relationship with the moon when we realized we cou

West Florence High School in South Carolina spent nearly a month between 25 August and 19 September plagued by a mysterious fæcal stench that disrupted classes, caused problems with the air conditioni