Pressure, frictional heating and a disordered layer of molecules on top of the ice make skating possible

It was the image that launched a cultural icon. In 1967, in the northern Californian woods, a seven foot tall, ape-like creature covered in black fur and walking upright was captured on camera, at one point turning around to look straight down the lens. The image is endlessly copied in popular culture—it's even become an emoji. But what was it? A hoax? A bear? Or a real-life example of a mysterious species called the Bigfoot?

Study suggests moderate caffeine intake might reduce dementia risk and slow cognitive decline.

Scientists have mapped how genetics and life experiences leave lasting epigenetic marks on immune cells.

The playwright Tristan Bernard is said to have eaten lunch at the Eiffel Tower every day, but not because he liked the menu in its café: rather, because it was the only place in Paris with no view of the Eiffel Tower.

The biggest crab in the world has a leg span of nearly 4 metres and weighs 13.6kg

New research shows that parents who read to their 6- to 8-year-olds nightly boost their children’s creativity and empathy.

The material properties change gradually from base to tip for better navigation, more precise manipulation.

Wild orangutans in the Borneo rainforest have been observed washing themselves with soap – but researchers weren't sure why

Miles Wu folded a variant of the Miura-ori pattern that can hold 10,000 times its own weight

These oft-anonymous messages took aim at pretentious poets, unhelpful salespeople, suffragists and secessionists alike

It’s the heaviest, largest, most densely populated bird nest… that's been built and extended over decades

'Sharkansas' contains entire fossilized skeletons dating back 320 million years.

The coco-de-mer, a native tree of the Seychelles, has record-breaking seeds which can reach a whopping 40-50cm in diameter. But why do they grow so big?

Their winter survival trick is a months-long power-save mode—and scientists think it could help humans, too.

Blood tests revealed that the beverage elicited an immune response, according to preliminary research. But far more safety and efficacy testing would be needed before this vaccine could become available

The carbon filament used in Edison’s 1897 light bulbs generated the right amount of heat to produce graphene—useful for quantum exploration and supercomputing.