A team of astrophysicists based in Australia and England has uncovered evidence that the laws of physics are different in different parts of the universe. The report describes how one of the supposed fundamental constants of Nature appears not to be constant after all. Instead, this 'magic number' known as the fine-structure constant -- 'alpha' for short -- appears to vary throughout the universe.

Organic molecules in Mars meteorites did not originate in alien microbes.

Also in the works: A computer than can tell when you are pissed at it.

The strange Medusae Fossae Formation may be 2 billion years older than previously thought.

Dramatic changes in pressure did not appear to harm hitchhiking mollusks.

A new petition asks to make taxpayer-funded research free to everyone to read. Startups and small businesses would benefit, they say.

NASA's Cassini probe is preparing to tilt its orbit around Saturn dramatically.

According to a study done by MIT, most people smile when frustrated. They have gone on to create a computer program to differentiate between happy smiles and frustrated smiles. This research is done in part to better understand autistic behavior.