ABC Science

RED AND WHITE PLANET: Radar data from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter has given scientists an unprecedented glimpse into Mars' recent climatic history etched into the layers of its northern polar ice cap.

ALZHEIMER'S DEBATE: The protein that has been implicated as the cause of Alzheimer's disease, beta amyloid, fights microbial infection, a new study in animals has found.

ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR: Besides their owners finding them cute, short-nosed dogs are more affectionate and make better guard dogs than long-nosed dogs, a new study suggests.

ANTIBIOTIC USE: Cows that have been fed antibiotics produce more methane than those that haven't according to a new study that suggests antibiotic usage may have more far-reaching consequences for the environment than anticipated.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCIENCE: Need to calculate pi while fending off zombies? Dr Karl has found a way to solve both your problems.

WEEDS OF THE SEA: A surprising 60-year boom in global octopus, squid and cuttlefish numbers points to long-term changes taking place in the world's oceans, scientists say.

BODY IMAGE: Some women say the voice in their head gets kinder as they enter midlife, while other women become more critical of themselves - the difference appears to be related to acceptance of age-related changes, researchers find.

GENE LINK: One of the key genes responsible for the onset of type 2 diabetes has been identified, opening up possibilities to develop a drug to combat the condition.

MELTING ANTARCTICA: The Totten Glacier in East Antarctica has an unstable area that could collapse and contribute to more than two metres of sea level rise if climate change remains unchecked, say researchers.

SOCIAL NETWORKS: There is a limit to how many people you can have in your social network - now a study reveals why, and how many relationships you need to maintain that network.

EARLY LIFE: Seaweed-like fossils found in rocks in China dated to around 1.56 billion years ago are the earliest known examples of larger organisms made up of many cells built like our own.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCIENCE: Not all raw foods are good for you. Dr Karl explains why raw milk is one of the world's most risky food products.

BENDY BATTERIES: Scientists have developed thin, soft stretchy batteries and solar cells that can be applied to the skin like a band-aid.

SENTINEL OF CHANGE: An iconic shorebird is shrinking in response to rapid warming in the Arctic threatening its survival when it reaches its tropical feeding grounds.

DEEP-SEA RICHES: A global snapshot of thousands of close relatives of the starfish has provided an unprecedented view into the richness and diversity of deep-sea life.

SPACE DUST: The oldest fossils of cosmic dust ever discovered provide a glimpse into atmospheric conditions above the Earth more than 2.7 billion years ago and could do the same on other planets.

WORLD'S OLDEST AXE: A fragment of the world's oldest known ground-edge axe has been found in the remote Kimberley region of northern Australia.

GREAT MOMENTS IN SCIENCE: If you're a sucker for a good vampire movie, be warned ... Dr Karl takes two big bites out of the legend.

TRANSIT OF MERCURY: Sky watchers have had a rare opportunity to witness Mercury fly directly across the face of the Sun, a sight that unfolds about once every 10 years, as Earth and its smaller neighbouring planet came into perfect alignment.

THIN AIR: Air bubbles trapped in 2.7 billion-year-old lava flows in the Pilbara suggest the Earth's atmosphere weighed less than half that of today and was far thinner than previously thought.