Airline pilots can be exposed to the same amount of UV-A radiation as if they visited a tanning bed, because airplane windshields do not completely block UV-A radiation.

In 2009, researchers detected methane on Mars, suggesting the planet may be biologically or geologically active. 

Now NASA's Mars Curiosity rover has measured a tenfold spike in methane in the atmosphere around it and detected other organic molecules in a rock-powder sample collected by the robotic laboratory's drill. 

A man relaxes in some decidedly un-Scottish weather outside the venue for this year's Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. AAP Image/ Dave Hunt

By Andrew King, University of Melbourne; David Karoly, University of Melbourne and Sophie Lewis, Australian National University

It’s clear: 2014 has been a scorcher. As well as probably being the hottest year on record globally, regional and local climate records have tumbled too.

In an era where hackers can easily hack into department store credit card records or Sony Corporation and the US National Security Agency is spying on everyone, it's no surprise people with a choice opt not to have all of the electronic medical records available - even if it puts them at risk.

The first real-world trial of the impact of patient-controlled access to electronic medical records found that 49 percent of the patients who participated withheld clinically sensitive information in their medical records from some or all of their health care providers.

Migraine headaches have been linked to double the risk of a nervous system condition that causes facial paralysis, called Bell's palsy, according to a new study published in the December 17, 2014, online issue of Neurology. 

Bell's palsy affects between 11 and 40 per 100,000 people each year. Most people with Bell's palsy recover completely.  Headaches are the most common disorder of the nervous system, affecting about 12 percent of the US population. 

Big data may be taking over the fashion industry's runways, according to an analysis of relevant words and phrases from fashion reviews.

At the Workshop of Information Technology and Systems in Auckland, researchers analyzed 6,629 runway reviews of 816 designers from Style.com, covering 30 fashion 'seasons' from 2000 to 2014, and have able to identify a network of influence among major designers and track how those style trends moved through the industry, said Heng Xu, associate professor of information sciences and technology, Penn State.

Everyone needs to understand the basics of science to participate fully in the democratic process. shutterstock.

By Jonathan Garlick, Tufts University.

New molecules known as synthetic antibody mimics (SyAMs) attach themselves simultaneously to disease cells and disease-fighting cells. The result is a highly targeted immune response, similar to the action of natural human antibodies;  with both the targeting and response functions.

Games appear in galleries, does that make them art? blakespot, CC BY

By Ashok Ranchhod, University of Southampton and Vanissa Wanick Vieira, University of Southampton.

Mistletoe wasn't always for annoying co-workers at office parties, and it wasn't always just desperate men who think it has magical powers. In previous times, it was held in high regard because it was rootless, green and thriving when the tree it was on looked dead. Celtic druids latched onto it as some sort of supernatural fertility symbol - everything was a fertility symbol to druids - and it crept into popular culture from there.

Today we know it is simply a parasite, which isn't extending its use at office Christmas parties too far.