It isn't only physicists who are fascinated by light. Poets too have been entranced by its powers. Photons have mysterious properties. Perhaps this is why we like to light candles when we're feeling contemplative.

Li-Fi, short for "Light Fidelity" is a wireless technology that uses LED light to share data. It is faster and safer than regular WiFi. And it could soon be put into practice.

Blanketing the Antarctic ice sheet in artificial snow might sound outlandish. But could geoengineering help to counteract runaway climate change? One thing is clear: many of the ideas could be very risky.

Africa’s first climate monitoring station is located on Mount Mugogo in Rwanda. Scientists there monitor levels of various greenhouse gases. They hope their data will help strengthen Africa’s position at international climate negotiations.

This week’s viewer question comes from Osman Maiga in Uganda.

In the Gorongosa National Park, young female scientists are cataloguing flora and fauna for a global genetic database. It will enhance our understanding of the diversity of life on earth and the roles different species play.

If sap could be manipulated to make a plant more attractive to various pollinators, it would help secure harvests. A common plant pest is helping researchers in the process.

Whether hard drives or electric motors, rare earth elements play a key role in a range of technologies. The metals mostly come from China. To ease dependence, researchers at the RWTH Aachen University are working on recycling the precious elements.

Travelling up and down the river, Alexander von Humboldt was ravished by the beauty and variety of the landscapes, flora and fauna. Today nature conservationists are battling to preserve the region's many threatened species.

The Humboldt Current along the coast of Peru is bursting with life. With its nutrient-rich water from the depths, the ocean current discovered by Humboldt is vital for a huge ecosystem. But climate change is now disrupting it.

German scientist Alexander von Humboldt was intrigued by the way of life of indigenous peoples in South America. In that spirit we visit members of the Achuar people, who live in relative isolation deep in the Amazon forest.

When Alexander von Humboldt traveled to Ecuador, he found dozens of volcanoes. The discovery prompted him to dub the area the "Avenue of the Volcanoes," and to this day, 17 of them remain active. DW went to see them.

Humboldt's Tableau Physique, shows the distribution of mountain vegetation as a function of altitude. Today scientists use the data to investigate changes due to global warming. But there are discrepancies, as Pierre Moret and his team discovered.

ESA astronaut Matthias Maurer could soon be joining a lunar mission. He's training on the Canary Island of Lanzarote, where the volcanic landscapes resemble the surface of the moon. He's also learning how to collect moon rock samples.

From Brussels to Barcelona in an hour – a dream that could soon become a reality. Join us on a high-speed trip to the Netherlands and learn more about the vision of a pan-European Hyperloop transit network!

Almost every battery in the world contains lithium, a rare metal that harms the environment. Are there alternatives? Sodium or magnesium are in plentiful supply, and magnesium can provide more energy than lithium.

Urban centers are usually loud. But when do the sounds of the city become noise? And why is that a problem? DW reporter Anna Sacco went in search of answers and a bit of peace and quiet in the urban jungle.

The Helios university hospital in Wuppertal is conducting a two-year study on the impact of color on health, trying to find out if the color of hospital rooms affects patients' recovery.

Could an app could save you a trip to the GP when you're sick? Medical chatbots like #tellAda are now used around the world. But how reliable are they? Could AI help us to live longer, healthier lives?

The elephant population in South Africa's Kruger National park is growing, and the big animals can be destructive. But like humans, elephants are afraid of bees. So one zoologist is testing whether the insects can ward off the hungry pachyderms.

The history of science is usually portrayed as the history of male scientists. But women have also played crucial roles in science. We travel in time, from the world's first chemist more than 3,000 years ago to a 2018 physics Nobel laureate.

As part of the ICARUS project, animals are equipped with transmitters and observed from the ISS. The project could help monitor the spread of disease, climate change and natural disasters.

On the Indonesian island of Sumatra, orangutans are being released into the wild. The female ape, Dora, who was raised in captivity, went to primate school at a reintroduction station, to prepare for release into the wild.

This viewer question comes from Katwiy-Afukeze Achuo-Dze from Bamenda in Cameroon.

Latest research suggests mother's milk is tailor-made for each baby. It's all in the mix. Breastfeeding may also bring health advantages for the mother as well. Why that might be is not fully clear.