Michael Irving

Imagine a glow-in-the-dark designer desk, or wooden fence posts that guide you home with their eerie light. Scientists in Switzerland have developed a way to make glowing wood, with the help of a fungus.

The first direct visualization of the shape of a photon has been created. These particles of light are impossible to photograph, but physicists at the University of Birmingham have now calculated their wave function to produce an accurate image of a photon as it’s emitted.

People with photosensitive epilepsy could soon be able to watch TV without worry. Scientists in the UK have created glasses that can block out specific wavelengths of light known to cause seizures.

Plumbed drinking water in developed countries is pretty clean, but invisible contaminants can still lurk. One mysterious “phantom chemical” has haunted drinking water for decades, and now researchers have identified it – and found it’s completely new to science.

It’s not just the Mulders of the world watching the skies anymore – the Scullys are getting involved. The US Department of Defense (DoD) has released its latest report on UFOs, with some intriguing stats and stories.

Genetic studies have revealed that when male mosquitoes lose their hearing, they also lose their sex lives. The surprising discovery could lead to new ways to reduce mosquito populations and the diseases they spread.

Cranking up the air conditioner is one way to keep buildings cool, but it guzzles energy. Passive materials can regulate interior temperatures more efficiently, and now scientists in South Korea have developed a new coating that keeps glass much cooler, while still being transparent.

An annual photography competition, celebrating scientific microscopic images, has unveiled this year’s winners. A startling cross-section shot of a flower has been awarded the fifth annual Evident Image of the Year Award, leading a mesmerizing gallery of miniature marvels.

In a restaurant or at a party, background noise can make it hard to hear people talking, even up close. But soon we could be wearing headphones that use AI to filter out noise that’s more than a few feet away, creating a “sound bubble” that lets you focus on your own conversation.

Back in July, the Japanese government outlined an intriguing idea to connect major cities with what sounded like a giant "conveyor belt" for cargo. Now we have a clearer picture of what that “Auto Flow Road” will look like.