Synthetic life could aid space exploration

When packing for a manned mission to Mars or the Moon, the best thing to bring may not be food or fuel, but specially designed organisms that can create those things for you.

Can wasps help save Britain's conker trees?

Wasps, regarded by many as a pest, could be the salvation of Britain’s imperilled conker trees currently under threat by an ‘alien’ species of moth that is rapidly spreading damage across the country’s horse chestnut ...

Conker trees facing peril from alien invaders

(PhysOrg.com) -- Conkers, a favourite playground game in British schools, could soon be just a fond memory if a serious threat to horse chestnut trees continues to spread. Now academics from the Universities of Hull and Bristol ...

How climate change drives the spread of invasive plants

As the climate warms, the number of alien species on every continent is expected to increase 36% by 2050. Some alien species—that is, plants or animals that live outside their natural range—are invasive and can harm ecosystems ...

How to talk to extraterrestrials

In Steven Spielberg's 1977 film "Close Encounters of the Third Kind," extraterrestrials communicate with humans through a catchy five-note sequence. In Spielberg's 1982 blockbuster "E.T.," a diminutive alien learns basic ...

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