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Last year Science by Email reported how 3D printers could print out chemicals. Now scientists from Oxford University are using 3D printing to create materials that mimic biological tissues.

Humans have been modifying their bodies for millennia. The 5000-year-old, freeze-dried remains of a man found in the Ötztal Alps of Europe was tattooed with lines. People from cultures around the world still mark their bodies with scars, stretch their lips and earlobes, or undergo painful ceremonies to adorn their bodies with symbols and markings.

Written by Beth Askham The winners of this year’s BHP Billiton Science and Engineering Awards have been announced! The award ceremony wrapped up an exciting four days where the finalists traveled to Melbourne for a science camp they will never forget.

Recent interviews with cyclist Lance Armstrong made headlines around the world. He admitted to the use of performance-enhancing drugs to win the Tour de France. Scientists have overcome many hurdles to develop the drug testing that underpins this revelation.

As this year draws to a close, let’s have a look at some of the big stories in science for 2012. In July, physicists at the Large Hadron Collider announced they may have found evidence of the existence of the Higgs boson.

The 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine has been jointly awarded to Sir John B. Gurdon and Professor Shinya Yamanaka. They received the award ‘for the discovery that mature cells can be reprogrammed to become pluripotent’. What does that mean?

Create a taste illusion with this fun recipe!

Bionic vision technology aims to help people who are blind or vision-impaired regain their sense of sight. Like with the cochlear implant, or bionic ear, Australian researchers are again leading the way, this time to develop a bionic eye.

What do the electromagnetic force, rip currents, humpback whales and lizards have in common? They are just some of the subjects of work that won Eureka Prizes this year.

The Olympic Games have finished in London, which means it’s time for the Paralympics to begin. Like their non-disabled counterparts, elite athletes with a disability rely more and more on science and technology for that winning edge. But is it fair for everyone?