A seal boards a Royal Navy amphibious-assault ship as it prepares to carry out military exercises near Carnoustie.

The rock with a hard place in history

Professor Andrew Coats from UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory says Nasa is missing out on "basic science exploration".

A rare celestial object called a blazar randomly flares up - flooding the sky with the Universe's highest-energy light - just after telescopes point to it.

Why the government and EDF can't agree a new reactor deal

The "extraordinary level of conservation" of the tulip tree's mitochondrial genome redefines our understanding of flowering plants' evolution, say researchers.

Drinking a cup of beetroot juice can lower blood pressure, researchers say.

A look at London museum's most precious specimens

The most shocking bra you are ever likely to see

The US Supreme Court hears arguments questioning whether the human genome can be claimed as intellectual property.

Researchers at the American Physical Society meeting report three tentative clues in the long-running hunt for dark matter.

A kidney "grown" in the laboratory has been transplanted into animals where it started to produce urine, US scientists say.

Experts say the sticky substance that has killed hundreds of seabirds is almost certainly the same as that which affected scores in February.

One of the world's largest species of snail, which feeds on more than 500 types of plant, has descended on Florida.

The UK is increasingly concerned there is evidence that chemical weapons have been used in Syria, Foreign Minister William Hague says.

Just a tiny taste of your favourite tipple can excite the brain and increase the urge to drink, even without any effect of alcohol - a study says.

Digging deep in the search for life beyond Earth

South African anti-fracking campaigner Jonathan Deal is one of six winners of this year's Goldman Prize, a prestigious environmentalist award. He spoke to BBC Africa.

Up to 200 birds might have died after being covered in a sticky substance, the RSPB says.

South Florida is battling a growing infestation of the giant African land snail.