NASA has proved the existence of "dark energy", a cosmic force that counteracts gravity and will keep the universe expanding forever. The discovery effectively demolishes the theory that life will be wiped out in a "Big Crunch" when the universe collapses, and should end decades of academic dispute over the forces at work on the universe.
FORGET dangers from giant meteors: Earth is facing another threat from outer space. Scientists have come to the conclusion that two mysterious explosions in the 1990s were caused by bizarre cosmic missiles, or "strangelets".
Scientists have found the first evidence that a devastating meteor impact in the Middle East might have triggered the mysterious collapse of civilisations more than 4,000 years ago.
Clouds of trillions of atoms have for the first time been linked by quantum "entanglement" - that spooky, almost telepathic link between distant particles. The feat opens new possibilities for quantum communication systems and sci-fi-style teleporting of objects from one place to another.
New research based on Einstein's general theory of relativity suggests that wormholes large and stable enough to allow intergalactic travel really can exist.