We tend to think of animals like snakes, rats and even cockroaches as pests, but in her new book, biologist Marlene Zuk says there's a lot we can learn from these less than desirable creatures, if we just give them a chance.

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A case of mistaken identity: The truth about the world's 'oldest' octopus fossil

From the archives: Carl Sagan on the worlds beyond our solar system

The evolutionary cost of our relationship with fire

We're not speaking as much as we used to — and scientists are concerned

There's been a growing movement to develop new technologies to replace at least some of the animals used in scientific research. Researchers across Canada are working to create these tools, to usher in a new animal-free era for medical science.

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• Harbor seals can 'talk' thanks to their parrot-like brains
• 'Flaming hot' water ice may explain Neptune and Uranus' strange magnetism
• A thigh bone that could represent the oldest evidence of our human lineage
• The ravens of Yellowstone remember where wolves typically kill their prey

On their mission around the moon, Jeremy Hansen and his crewmates will become the only four people on Earth to ever lay eyes on the entire far side of the moon. Since joining the space program, the Artemis astronauts have been undergoing intensive geological training to help train their eyes to look for lunar features that satellites can't pick up.

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• How Neanderthals skillfully hunted and butchered a giant elephant
• Filming fish over their lifetime reveals behaviours that lead to longevity
• How our food environment shapes our tastes — and health