We've been nattering less and less each year since 2005

From water hunting on the Moon to the closest planet to the Sun

From bull semen to a commercial airliner, it doesn't get much weirder than this

Our best research – studies that looked at the health records of millions of children – has, to date, found no causal link between taking acetaminophen (otherwise known as paracetamol and sold under the brand name Tylenol in the US) during pregnancy and the onset of autism. In fact, as rates of autism diagnoses have gone up, acetaminophen use during pregnancy has actually gone down. So why do some high-profile US politicians suggest otherwise? Well, there was a study, published a decade ago, that looked at data collected on almost 2,650 children, which did find an effect. But it’s possible that this research was actually observing the effect of whatever symptom the drug was meant to treat – not the drug itself. The backdrop to this row is the undeniable observation that autism diagnoses are on the rise. One in 59 children were thought to have the condition in the US in 2015; that figure is now one in 31, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Most experts attribute this rise to improvements in identifying autism. Indeed, we’ve gotten better at understanding what autism looks like in all its forms. And therein lies some clarity. Just as we’re beginning to understand that there are different types of autism, there are likely to be several factors that can shift the dance between genetics and the environment as your brain develops during pregnancy. Timing is everything in the womb, which is why one scientist is growing tiny human brains (or at least parts of them) in a lab – to find out when and where the first signs of autism appear.

Skyquakes are very real. What causes them, however, is shrouded in mystery.

The largest-known group of wild chimpanzees has split in two. The aftermath has been brutal

Above Earth, there is a void, a no-go zone that spacecraft enter at their own peril

Giving pandas a run for their money, no matter how much sleep you’re getting? These tricks will help you always look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed