The mysterious hum of Earth and what scientists think is causing it. Earth is constantly humming with an ultra-low-frequency vibration that can be picked up right across the globe and has puzzled seismologists for decades. Growing evidence suggests it is the collective sound of the world's oceans constantly moving.

Discovery of 30-million-year-old fossilised fruit changes evolutionary story. The fruit has challenged what scientists previously believed about how and when Melastomataceae plants arrived in Australia.

Africa bigger, US smaller as UN votes to adopt a new world map. The United Nations has voted to adopt a map that makes Africa and Australia bigger while shrinking North America and Europe.

Rare and beautiful: Owl population booms following mouse plague. (Midwest and Wheatbelt regions, Western Australia)

Did This Duke Poison His Brother? A New DNA Analysis May Solve the Centuries-Old Medici Mystery. Researchers found evidence of malaria in Francesco I de' Medici's bones, leading them to argue "with scientific certainty" that it was disease, not arsenic, that led to his death in 1587.

Three varieties of "vegan Dracula" plant-eating lampreys found in unlikely places. Scientists are working to determine the full range of the ancient and elusive creatures that have lain hidden for 150 million-odd years.

With its suction-cup mouth and circular rows of sharp teeth, a close-up view of an Australian brook lamprey is rather frightening. But unlike many bloodthirsty lampreys around the world, this species prefers a plant-based diet, gobbling up organic matter on creek beds instead.

Better late than never as high school receives library book 72 years late. Murray Bridge's Malcolm Blight held on to the adventurous The Kon-Tiki Expedition for more than 70 years, during which time he was inspired to undertake several journeys of his own.

Ancient clash with Kraken galaxy 12 billion years ago helped form Milky Way. A new study suggests one of the most significant clashes in the history of the Milky Way, dubbed the Low-energy-Kraken-Heracles merger, happened 12 billion years ago.

"Seismic shift": Māori set to invest in First Nations projects in Australia under new deal. One of the biggest and wealthiest Māori tribal authorities, the Waikato-Tainui, has signed a deal to invest in large-scale First Nations projects in Australia in renewable energy, mining, agriculture and more. Indigenous business groups say it's a watershed moment towards greater economic self-determination.

Once-in-a-lifetime discovery found in cave hidden beneath paddock. There are very few places on Earth that remain untouched and unseen by humans. For true explorers, the final frontier is not a distant speck in the sky, it is the underground realm beneath our feet. (Buchan, in East Gippsland, in Victoria, in Australia)

"Created something beautiful": Wildflower meadows are taking over cities. You may have spotted more native plants popping up in your local park or on the side of the road. It's part of a push to create hardier, more beautiful council plantings across Australia.

Do dolphins grieve the way humans do? A dolphin mother has carried its calf's remains for 11 days in what researchers believe could potentially reveal something new about dolphin mourning.

We've never seen the Sun in this much detail before. The highest-resolution imagery of the Sun's surface ever taken reveals dizzying currents, and clues about our star's magnetic fields.

Gliders were thought to eat swift parrots. Cameras showed something different. For over a decade, sugar gliders have been considered a major threat to the critically endangered swift parrot. But new research has called that into question.

Ancient bone-crunching thylacine femur uncovered near Alice Springs. An 8-million-year-old intact femur from the bone-crunching Northern Territory tiger has been found for the first time at the Alcoota fossil beds north-east of Alice Springs. Thylacines are also called "Tasmanian Tigers", but this Thylacine fossil was found 2216 kilometres (1377 miles) away from Tasmania.

Orchids return to grassland after 28 Years Later filming. Fountains Abbey staff left grounds unmown to appear abandoned for film shoot - and orchids returned for the first time since the 1850s. (North Yorkshire, Britain.)

There had been no record of the flowers on the abbey site since the 1850s and the orchids had not been seen in living memory. 170 Years Later, nobody knows where they have come from or why they have germinated once again.

Shipwreck cargo reveals 400-year-old global trade secrets. An analysis of cargo from one of Australia's best-known shipwrecks uncovers complex global trade routes from nearly 400 years ago.

Digging for Neanderthals under a medieval Welsh castle. Unscathed by destructive Victorian-era excavations and modern tourism, Wogan Cavern may provide scientists with a glimpse into the lives of early people. Paywalled original link is here.

The female artists who shaped botanical illustration in Australia. Female botanical illustrators have translated the science of our landscapes for centuries, today the craft is as important as ever.

Twitchers excited by sighting of rare migratory shorebird. The sighting of a redshank on the Cairns Esplanade is the talk of the birdwatching community. It is believed to be just the second time the species has been spotted in Queensland.

Artefacts from across the globe returned to southern Western Australia. Menang artefacts returned from museums across London, Edinburgh, Melbourne and Sydney are being showcased in a special exhibition in Albany.