Lightning is a terrifying yet majestic force of nature, especially when you see it from an aeroplane. But scientists have recently discovered that lightning can sometimes be invisible—and it could be bombarding planes with radiation as they fly. Read More >>

Poop has been around for as long as there have been animals to produce it. It's a constant, brown, smelly presence in all of our lives. But over the long stretch of history, humanity has come up with some brilliant and clever uses for it. Advance apologies for spoiling your lunch. Read More >>

There are all kinds of dangers on a trip to Mars. Muscle atrophy, cramped quarters, social/isolation stress, being in space. Take your pick. One of the biggest though, is being exposed to all manner of radiation and cosmic rays without an o-zone layer to keep you safe. The solution? An O-zone layer of poop. Basically. Read More >>

The wonders of graphene never seem to cease. Desalinisation, flexible semiconductors, and now nuclear waste clean-up. It turns out graphene-oxide is fantastic for clumping up around radioactive waste making it easier to get rid of the stuff. Read More >>

Everyone thinks it would be cool to travel at the speed of light, which is why scientists devote their lives to working out if it would be possible and NASA is trying to develop its own warp drive. But easy, tiger: turns out super-fast space travel would be fatal. Read More >>

During last year's nuclear disaster, the deadly radiation inside Fukushima 1 became one with the surrounding environment contaminating everything. Things aren't getting any better. Record quantities of the deadly radioactive isotope cesium-137 have just been discovered in the fisheries around Fukushima. Read More >>

Since the Fukushima nuclear crisis occurred, there has been widespread speculation about the global impact of the disaster. Fortunately, a team of Stanford researchers has thrown their brains at the problem, and the answers are fairly reassuring. Read More >>

The above video shows a live nuclear bomb test from 1953, complete with the original background noises, whoops and chit-chat of the innocent viewers who'd been invited to watch it all go off. Read More >>

The failures, explosions, leaks, and subsequent radioactive dead zone that will stain Japan for decades all started with an earthquake. Nobody can stop earthquakes. But after a thorough review, the Japanese government admits humans are responsible for the entire mess. Read More >>

Japanese mobile network Softbank has announced a plan to release a mobile phone that can detect radiation in post-nuclear-apocalyptic areas of the region, and no, it's not just some silly joke app or a clumsy add-on. Read More >>

What a difference a year makes: none. Reactor #2 at Fukushima Daichi is still leaking enough radiation to kill you. Read More >>

There are no hospitals in space. The closest A&E is back on Earth, and astronauts can't exactly jump in a cab to get there. So what happens if the sun burps out a massive blast of radiation while an astronaut is space-amblin' by? Read More >>

Last march when the Fukushima-Daiichi nuclear plant was disastrously damaged by a tsunami, plant technicians used seawater to cool the meltdown situation. At the time, that was probably the best way to avoid an even worse situation. Read More >>

Using radiation meters to map out radioactive hotspots is a time consuming process. So to assist the cleanup efforts around Fukushima City, Toshiba has developed a portable video camera that provides real-time visualisations of where those dangerous hotspots might be. Read More >>

Problem: nobody knows just how bad the radioactive contamination is at Fukushima, nine months later. Prediction: still pretty bad. Solution: send in a bunch of monkeys armed with radiation meters and GPS collars, and hope for the best. Let's do it! Read More >>