Here is the latest in Science News from BBC News.
Europe’s rarest seabird ‘faces extinction’
The Balearic sheerwater will be extinct within 60 years, according to a new analysis.
Mars mission targets Monday launch
All looks good for an on-time launch on Monday of the joint European and Russian ExoMars mission, which will try to track down the Red Planet’s sources of methane.
Drone to police massive marine reserve
An ocean-going drone will be helping to spot illegal fishing in the world’s largest, continuous marine reserve.
Brexit leaves environment ‘vulnerable’
A new report suggests that a UK departure from the EU would leave Britain’s environment “in a more vulnerable and uncertain position.”
360 tour of Large Hadron Collider
An interactive 360-degree tour of the Large Hadron Collider
Reptile fossil discovery ‘extraordinary’
A newly discovered 250-million-year-old fossil reptile from Brazil gives an insight into life just before the dinosaurs appeared.
Tree planting ‘can reduce flooding’
Planting trees around rivers could reduce the height of flooding in towns by up to 20%, new research says.
VIDEO: Leaving EU ‘a disaster for UK science’
Some of Britain’s leading scientists including Professor Stephen Hawking have called for a vote to remain in the European Union at the coming referendum.
VIDEO: Footage captures glacier collapse
Part of one of Argentina’s biggest attractions, the Perito Morenio Glacier known as the “White Giant”, has collapsed crashing into the water.
Lack of seeds limits African yields
An assessment of smallholder farmers’ access to seeds says greater engagement from global seed companies would help boost yields and food security.
CO2 ‘wake-up call’ for climate deal
Carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere increased more in past 12 months than at any time in the past 56 years.
Fukushima exclusion worse than radiation?
Is the exclusion zone worse than the radiation itself?
Google AI wins second Go game
Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence project beats a top Go player for the second match in a row.
Hawking – Brexit ‘disaster’ for science
Prof Stephen Hawking has called for Britain to stay in the EU, saying that a Brexit would be a “disaster for UK science”.
Fossil of oldest pine tree discovered
Scientists have discovered the oldest-known fossil of a pine tree, dating back 140 million years to a time when wildfires raged across the land.
The slippery physics of slithering
The slippery physics of slithering
VIDEO: African rhino death rate increases
The number of African rhinos killed by poachers has increased for the sixth year in a row.
Rhino slaughter continues unabated
The mass slaughter of rhinos increases for a sixth consecutive year, despite a drive to fight poachers by various means.
‘Stunning’ operation regenerates eye lens
A pioneering procedure to heal the eye has been described as one of the “finest achievements” in regenerative medicine.
Meat eating accelerated face evolution
Eating raw meat and making stone tools may be behind the smaller teeth and faces of humans compared with their ancient relatives.
Google AI beats Go master in first game
In the first of five games between the world champion of Go and Google’s artificial intelligence (AI), machine beat man by a narrow margin.
China clue to white-nose syndrome
Researchers have found new clues about the deadly white-nose syndrome, a disease that has wiped out millions of bats in North America.
VIDEO: Rare whale spotted off Madagascar coast
An Omura’s whale and its calf has been spotted off the coast of Madagascar
Asia and Pacific set for solar eclipse
Millions of people across Indonesia and the Pacific are about to be treated to a total solar eclipse.
Clues to why the ‘sea dragons’ died out
A dramatic shift in the Earth’s climate killed off marine reptiles that swam at the time of the dinosaurs, according to a new study.
AI battle: Can Google go all the way?
Search firm’s AI team battles the world Go champion
Mercury’s ‘pencil lead crust’ revealed
The planet Mercury may once have been encased in an outer shell of graphite, the same material used as pencil lead.
Climate deadline for Africa’s crops
Researchers produce a timetable for the “transformations” needed to minimise the impact of climate change on African agriculture and food security.
Grey seal twin pups ‘a world first’
Two seal pups born on a Norfolk beach are the first wild grey seal twins to ever be recorded.
‘Dodgy diesel’ threatens biofuel market
There are growing concerns about cheap biodiesel imports from Poland that are alleged to be damaging the European market in biofuels.
VIDEO: Video shows Northern Lights over UK
Spectacular displays of the Aurora Borealis, better known as the Northern Lights, were spotted in parts of the UK last night.
The 20 best science images of the year?
From multicoloured scans of the human body, to vivid photos of creatures up close – the finalists of the annual Wellcome Image Awards.
VIDEO: Filming ‘world’s deepest’ under-ice dive
Russian explorers claim they have set a new record for the world’s deepest under-ice dive.
VIDEO: Burning skin and more… after 340 days in space
Scott Kelly is back in the United States after spending 340 days in space, aboard the International Space Station.
Ghost-like ‘Casper’ octopod discovered
Scientists say a translucent, “ghost-like” octopod discovered in ocean depths near Hawaii is “almost certainly” a new species.
Running with the hyenas of Addis Ababa
Where an early morning jog attracts scary companions
VIDEO: Kelly’s first thoughts about Earth return
US astronaut Scott Kelly has been talking about his epic journey in space – and the effects that it has had on his body.
VIDEO: SpaceX rocket finally launches
Commercial space company SpaceX has successfully launched a satellite into space, but failed in an attempt to land a rocket booster on a platform at sea in order to re-use it.
SpaceX Falcon makes clean getaway
SpaceX has at last managed to launch its latest mission – for Luxembourg satellite operator SES – after a series of frustrating delays.
VIDEO: Evidence may link Zika and birth defects
Researchers in the United States say they may have found the first evidence that the Zika virus does cause birth defects in babies.
VIDEO: Can scientists clone extinct cave lion?
Scientists from South Korea and Russia want to clone an extinct cave lion from its DNA.
The paralysed man who can ride a bike
Darek Fidyka, who was paralysed from the chest down after a knife attack in 2010, can now ride an adapted tricycle.
Amber fossils reveal ‘lost world’
Lizards locked in amber for 99 million years give a glimpse of how chameleons and geckos evolved, scientists say.
Orangutan population up – threats remain
There are more Sumatran orangutans in the wild than previously believed, according to a new survey.
How much diesel pollution am I breathing in?
How much pollution am I breathing in?
Chilling at the UK’s funky Antarctic research station
Chilling at the UK’s funky Antarctic research station
Sentinel takes first ocean height data
Sentinel-3a, the EU’s latest Earth observer, uses its altimeter for the first time to gather information about ocean height.
‘Largest floating solar farm’ to open
The biggest floating solar panel farm in Europe is being constructed on a reservoir in south-west London.
Smart energy ‘could save £8bn a year’
The government’s infrastructure advisers say the UK could save up to £8bn a year by using electricity better.
VIDEO: Rare albino whale and calf filmed
A rare albino whale has been filmed off Mexico’s Pacific coast – apparently gliding through the waters with its calf.
Scientists ‘find cancer’s Achilles heel’
Scientists believe they have discovered a way to “steer” the immune system to kill cancers.
Hubble sets new cosmic distance record
The Hubble Space Telescope spies a galaxy that existed more than 13 billion years ago, very close to the dawn of star formation.
Less poaching but elephants decline
The number of elephants being killed for their tusks has stabilised but overall species numbers have continued to decline.
Bloodhound Diary: Forewarned is forearmed
Keeping a space eye on the world’s fastest race track
Banksy lawyers delayed profiling study
A study that tests the method of geographical profiling on the artist Banksy is published after a delay caused by legal discussions.
Renewables subsidy cuts ‘spook investors’
Sudden cuts to UK renewables subsidies have spooked investors and may lead to higher energy bills, say MPs.
Fears over Facebook wildlife trade
Environmentalists say they are worried about the emergence of Facebook as an online marketplace for trade in endangered species.
VIDEO: Why were astronauts in space for a year?
A Nasa astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut return to earth after spending nearly a year on board the International Space Station.
Powerful quake strikes off Indonesia
A 7.8 magnitude earthquake strikes off the coast of western Indonesia, the US Geological Survey reports, with local tsunami warnings in place.
Latest Sentinel debuts Earth images
Sentinel-3a, the EU’s latest Earth observer, returns its first pictures of the planet, featuring a collection of ocean and land margins.
Fungus is oldest known land fossil
The fossil of a microscopic fungus that dates back 440 million years is thought to be the oldest of its kind – and the earliest fossil evidence of land dwellers.
Shell is sued over Nigeria oil spills
Oil giant Shell is being sued in London for the second time in five years over spills in the Niger Delta but Shell says it is reviewing the claims and the case should be heard in Nigeria.
Himalayan seeds ‘illegally sold’ in UK
Seeds of exotic plants illegally collected in the Himalayas are being sold in the UK, a BBC investigation has found.
VIDEO: Photos of the moon from all angles
Millions of images of the moon taken from space
Pachauri charged with sexual harassment
The former head of the UN climate change panel (IPCC), Rajendra Pachauri, is formally charged in court in a case of sexual harassment.
‘Brain Prize’ for memory mechanisms
Three British researchers win a one million-euro prize for their work on how memories are stored inside the brain.
Museum of Lost Objects: The Temple of Bel
The 2,000-year-old temple at a desert oasis
Astronaut twin to end year in space
Nasa astronaut Scott Kelly and and Russian cosmonaut Mikhail Kornienko are set to return to Earth after spending almost a year in space.
‘Bright flash’ in skies reported
Sightings of a large, bright flash in the skies over Scotland prompt 999 calls to police in Aberdeen and Inverness.
New legal threat over UK air pollution
Environmental law firm ClientEarth warns the government to drastically reduce air pollution or face renewed legal action.
VIDEO: Scott Kelly’s year in space
Astronaut Scott Kelly returns home after spending a year in space. He documented his journey on Twitter and Instagram.
VIDEO: In search of the Anthropocene Epoch
Scientists are pretty sure we have entered a new geological epoch – the Anthropocene. But when exactly did this “age of humans” really start to shape our planet?
VIDEO: ‘Dragon mum’ guards her precious eggs
Infrared footage shows a female olm – a bizarre, blind amphibian – guarding her eggs in a Slovenian cave.
Tests begin for gravity mission
The European Space Agency Lisa Pathfinder probe is about to begin testing the technologies needed to detect gravitational waves in space.
VIDEO: The power station inside a mountain
Scottish Power is planning to double the size of its hydro-electric power plant which creates and stores energy.
VIDEO: ‘Two, one, zero…’: Rocket aborts launch
A rocket launch by Californian company SpaceX was called off just when the countdown reached zero, as onboard computers raised an alarm.
Museum of Lost Objects: The Winged Bull of Nineveh
In the ancient city of Nineveh, a statue of a winged bull survived undamaged for 2,700 years – until IS took a pneumatic drill to it last year.
The art that shows what goes on deep in the human brain
Sleep paralysis and imagined memories – exploring the edges of human consciousness.
SpaceX calls last-second rocket abort
The California rocket company experiences a dramatic, last-second abort, as onboard computers shut down the engines on a Falcon 9 right at the moment of lift-off.
Scottish push for ‘pumped hydro’ power
Scottish Power is asking for government support to expand its pumped storage hydro-electric power plant.
Tense wait for baby Slovenian ‘dragons’
In a Slovenian cave visited by a million tourists each year, a bizarre and rare amphibian is guarding a significant clutch of eggs.
VIDEO: Rise in butterfly numbers ‘inspirational’
The number of Monarch butterflies travelling thousands of kilometres south for winter is ‘inspirational’ conservationists say.
EU exit ‘risks British science’
Prof Sir Paul Nurse says that research in the UK would suffer if the country decided in the forthcoming referendum to leave the EU.
Can Serbia’s farming heritage survive?
Can Serbia’s agricultural traditions survive?
Methane leak ‘largest in US history’
A leaking natural gas well in southern California vented almost 100,000 tonnes of methane into the atmosphere before it was plugged.
Lab-grown sperm makes healthy offspring
Sperm have been made in the laboratory and used to father healthy baby mice in a move that could lead to infertility treatments.
France’s oldest ‘Muslim burials’ found
Researchers have identified what may be the earliest Muslim burials in France.
How European waters soak up CO2
The seas around the UK and other parts of northern Europe take up about 24 million tonnes of carbon a year – the mass equivalent to two million double-decker buses.
VIDEO: Footage of icebreaker as storm moves in
Footage from the Australian Antarctic Division show the Aurora Australis at Mawson station before the ship broke free of it’s mooring
Beetle bumps inspire better droplets
Scientists have drawn inspiration from the bumpy shells of Namib desert beetles to improve the collection and transport of water droplets.
Fukushima meltdown alert ‘was delayed’
The operator of the Fukushima nuclear power plant hit by the 2011 tsunami admits it should have announced a nuclear meltdown at the site sooner.
Radio flash tracked to faraway galaxy
Astronomers pinpoint the source of an explosive ‘fast radio burst’ for the very first time, and use it to measure the density of the cosmos.
Remarkable robot puts up with bullying
A Google-owned robotics company builds a humanoid that demonstrates remarkable balance – even when taunted by humans.
Milky Way gas survey completed
Astronomers publish a detailed map of where dense, very cold gas – the stuff of which new stars are made – is found across the Milky Way.
VIDEO: Nasa releases Apollo 10 ‘weird music’
Astronauts in the 1960s say they heard “weird music” coming from the far side of the moon.
Large space rock burns up over Atlantic
The biggest fireball since the Chelyabinsk explosion has plunged through the atmosphere over the Atlantic Ocean.
Climate stirring change under the waves
Human-induced climate change is triggering changes in phytoplankton communities that could have a long-term effect on marine food webs, a study suggests.
Pollution link to 40,000 deaths a year
Air pollution contributes to about 40,000 early deaths a year in the UK, doctors warn, with tobacco, deodorants and wood-burning stoves among the causes.
‘Limited role’ for gas in UK future
The use of gas for electricity generation in the UK may have to decline significantly over the next 30 years, according to a new study.
Monstrous fossils ‘were armadillos’
A study of 12,000-year-old DNA shows that the fearsome, car-sized, club-tailed glyptodonts were cousins of modern armadillos.
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