The DNA of a rare, sexually transmissible cancer has been decoded. It arose in a single, husky-like dog 11,000 years ago and has survived through millions of genetic changes. The only other known transmissible cancer is the facial cancer currently devastating our Tasmanian devils.

A newly discovered species of Brazilian river dolphin is the first new river species found since 1918. Named the Araguaia river dolphin, it's estimated that there are about 1,000 of these creatures living in the river that flows northward for more than 2,600km to join the Amazon.

Good news for all those caffeine-addicted students out there, new research has suggested that drinking two cups of coffee after learning could boost your memory. A team of US scientists found that 200 mg of caffeine can enhance certain memories for at least a day after they're formed. But before you start overdosing on coffee, remember too much caffeine can be toxic, and some researchers are pointing out that more work needs to be done before these results can be confirmed.

Lions are now critically endangered in West Africa. Although they once ranged continuously from Senegal to Nigeria, new research has revealed only around 250 adult lions survive in the region, and only one of the four isolated populations contains more than 50 individuals. 

A female Halictus ligatus bee covered in pollen, photographed by Sam Droege, head of the US Geological Survey Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory in Maryland. 

The furthest object we can see with the naked eye is the Andromeda galaxy 2.6 million light years away.

A glowing cylinder of 238PuO2

The Large Magellanic Cloud galaxy in infrared light.

DEM L 159 and two clusters KMHK 840 (top left) and KMHK 831 (bottom right).

N44 region in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

SNR 0543-689 in the LMC. 

LHA 120-N11 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

The star formation region NGC 2035 imaged by the ESO VLT

Two very different glowing gas clouds in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

 
M1-67 is the youngest wind-nebula around a Wolf-Rayet star, called WR124, in our Galaxy.

HD 184738, also known as Campbell’s Star. This is actually a planetary nebula and the central star is an old low mass star unlike the main class of young massive Wolf-Rayet stars.

The nebula around Wolf–Rayet star WR124, which is located at a distance of about 21,000 light years.

Supernova remnant N 63A lies within a clumpy region of gas and dust in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

The pulsar in the Crab nebula is travelling at 375 km/s relative to the nebula.

The atypical subluminous type II SN 1997D

Multiwavelength composite image of the supernova remnant N49 in the Large Magellanic Cloud.

Multiwavelength composite image of the remnant of Tycho's supernova, SN 1572.

Multiwavelength X-ray, infrared, and optical compilation image of Kepler's supernova remnant, SN 1604.

Eta Carinae, in the constellation of Carina, one of the nearer candidates for a future hypernova.

Wavemeter for measuring in the Ku band.

Magnetron with section removed to exhibit the cavities. The cathode in the center is not visible. The waveguide emitting microwaves is at the left. The magnet producing a field parallel to the long axis of the device is not shown.

 
Cutaway view inside a cavity magnetron as used in a microwave oven

This is the streamlined, two-person watercraft that breaches and submerges just like the Orcinus orca after which it is designed. A pilot protected beneath its watertight 1/2″-thick acrylic canopy pushes and pulls twin control levers to articulate the whale’s pectoral fins for rolls and stealthy dives. With a finger on the right lever’s throttle trigger, steering is provided by dual foot pedals that control the vectored thrust of the craft’s 255-hp supercharged Rotax axial flow engine, enabling realistic behaviors such as porpoising or skyhopping.

It turns out snails can move pretty quickly when threatened. Unfortunately, these conch snails will lose their extraordinary jumping ability as a result of rising carbon dioxide emissions, new research involving James Cook University has revealed. The international researchers found that the snail either stops jumping or takes longer to jump when exposed to the levels of CO2 projected for the end of this century.

Fish glow in the dark! A new study has shown that 180 species of fish, such eels and lizardfishes, have fluorescent coatings. The researchers found that these fish emit bright green, orange and red colours, discovering new fluorescent proteins that could help scientists in the development of better medical techniques.

Thousands of bats rained down on Queensland’s residents over the weekend. Apparently the poor creatures couldn’t survive the recent heatwave that hit the region.

Mexican scientists found a recently deceased conjoined grey whale calves. The specimen, which measures 2.1 m, was discovered in Laguna Ojo de Liebre, near Baja California, and it’s now being analysed. This may be the first documented discovery of conjoined grey whales.

Fact: The average human produces about 100 watts of power while resting, and that number can rise to 2000 watts during intense exercise. 

Cleopatra's underwater palace, Egypt.

  

Cancun Underwater Museum - A series of sculptures by Jason deCaires Taylor placed underwater off the coast of Isla de Mujeres and Cancún, Mexico.

Derby Line, Vermont - Border between United states and Canada .

Fireworks at Sydney, Australia New Year 2014 celebrations.

The Closest door to the sky : Pura Lempuyang Door, Indonesia .

Los Angeles: The Moon, Venus and Jupiter over night.

Beautiful Ice sculpture.

Hubble Space Telescope image of Wolf–Rayet star WR 124 and its surrounding nebula. Wolf–Rayet stars are candidates for being progenitors of long-duration GRBs.

Artist's illustration of a bright gamma-ray burst occurring in a star-forming region. Energy from the explosion is beamed into two narrow, oppositely directed jets.

Blue Crowned Pigeon.

NASA's Swift Spacecraft launched in November 2004.

Artist's illustration showing the life of a massive star as nuclear fusion converts lighter elements into heavier ones. When fusion no longer generates enough pressure to counteract gravity, the star rapidly collapses to form a black hole. Theoretically, energy may be released during the collapse along the axis of rotation to form a gamma-ray burst.

The Compton Gamma Ray Observatory during deployment from Space Shuttle Atlantis.