Strange Days: Science

For all Henny Penny's fears that the sky is falling, there really is a threat from the heavens

Seafarers’ tales of the “Ninth Wave” have long been dismissed as impossible by scientists. No longer.

Modern inventions constantly break new ground – but sometimes they merely rediscover the lost knowledge of older civilisations. David Hambling builds a case for the ancient construction trade.

The creation of the golem is a part of folklore, explains David Hambling, yet the idea of manmade beings lives on through modern robots, AI and computers.

Birds’ aerobatic displays, vast shoals of fish and termites building their mounds all demonstrate remarkable coordination – but is it intelligence or something else entirely?

European explorers found indigenous peoples unable to see their tallships – or did they?