Our brains could be collateral damage in our body’s fight against infection; NASA's mission to touch the sun reveals 'rogue waves' and flipping magnetic fields; Songbirds are shrinking and climate change may be to blame; Ancient Indigenous people made durable rock paint from lake goo; Scientists surprised to discover women lacking olfactory bulbs can smell just fine; Do different species of birds understand each other’s tweets?

Climate scientists warn we’re on the precipice of disastrous ‘tipping points’; Thar she beats! The challenge of measuring a blue whale’s pulse; Think twice about posting once — breaking the fake news cycle; Imitating a swift-swimming fish helps researchers build a speedy 'tunabot'; The triumphant life of an 'under-wolf' in Yellowstone.

The psychedelic DMT modifies brain waves to produce ‘waking-dreams’; New device adds a sense of touch to virtual reality; The greatest ape — an extinct, half-ton monster — now has its place on our family tree; Machines on music - An AI figures out how music tickles your brain and your body; 'Now I have a lovely Scottish brogue' — The science behind foreign accent syndrome; Why are there fewer venomous animals in colder climates?

New high-powered radar gives scientists a 3D view of wildfires in real time; The return of race science — the quest to fortify racism with bad biology; Your laundry and plastic pollution — which fabrics shed the most microplastics; Tiny submarines could make a 'fantastic voyage' into our bodies; How do high-flying airplanes have enough oxygen for their engines?

The lionfish is an Olympic athlete of digestion — and that's an ecological disaster; After a 42-year journey, Voyager 2 goes interstellar; 'We have to do everything:' Why capturing carbon shows real promise; AI is reviewing scientists' old work and discovering things they missed; Fear and trauma are useful for animals — can we learn from them how to live without it?; Do animals ever have heart attacks or is it just humans?

Pollution sniffing investigators find air near roads is high in contaminants; A common fungus may drive tumour growth in pancreatic cancer; The universe was full of cold goop, then came the big bang; Infant eels use the moon and an internal compass to finish their trans-ocean migration; Pathway to Mars — what’s the biggest challenge, money or technology?

Females flinch from the mating call of the world’s loudest bird; A lemur from Madagascar has been hiding a sixth finger on its hand; Beer belly — a rare yeast infection makes the gut into a microbrewery; Climate science goes underground to understand the implications for earthworms; The patient researcher: a scientist’s cancer diagnosis changes her life’s work; What is indigestion and why is it so painful?

Understanding extinction — humanity has destroyed half the life on Earth; Could we prevent arthritis by regenerating cartilage?; Building a better cyborg leg — adding a sense of touch to artificial limbs; People with autism might be suffering from an oversensitivity to touch; Why isn't there a Lyme disease vaccine for humans?

Hear from Canadian-born cosmologist James Peebles about his Nobel Prize; The Quirks & Quarks science and environmental policy debate

Hear from the scientist who says red might not be so bad for us after all; NASA is testing a plan to deflect killer asteroids — by crashing into one; Could modern political strife be making us sick?; We're making tiny brains in the lab — should we be worried for them?; Hear from a researcher who’s investigating how evolution explains the female orgasm; How does 24 hour daylight impact animals in the far North?