BBC Science
The latest stories from the Science & Environment section of the BBC News web site.
Updated: 10 min 58 sec ago
American settlers 'turned cannibal'
Newly discovered bones prove the first permanent British settlers in North America turned to cannibalism over the winter of 1609-10, US researchers say.
US scientists develop smart paper
US scientists have developed RFID-enabled paper that could be used to create banknotes that are easy to authenticate.
Images 'reveal Nigeria army abuse'
Satellite images reveal that 2,275 homes were destroyed during a military raid to hunt down militant Islamists in the northern Nigerian town of Baga last month, a rights group says.
Bloodhound diary: Sticky and hot
The sticky challenge of bonding supercar parts together
Atoms star in world's smallest movie
IBM scientists use a few dozen atoms as stars in their film A Boy and his Atom, which has garnered the title of world's smallest movie.
'White graphene' to clean up spills
A material called boron nitride - originally touted as useful for next-generation electronics - turns out to be a high-performance pollutant absorber.
A springtime walk in the woods
The Tree council launch their annual woodland festival
Laboratory flies turn to cannibalism
Scientists find lab-dwelling fruit flies will eat one another - a discovery that could shed light on the biology of cannibalism.
Smoking 'poses bigger risk to women'
Women may be more vulnerable to smoking-related diseases than men, a study of 600,000 medical records suggests.
Future highways may glow in the dark
Glow-in-the-dark ice alerts and other road revamps
VIDEO: Falcon chicks hatch on city roof
Three peregrine falcon chicks have successfully hatched on the ledge of a city centre building belonging to Nottingham Trent University.
Cern closes in on antigravity answer
Researchers from the Alpha experiment at Cern report results from their first bid to determine if ghostly antimatter is a source of "antigravity".
One-way Mars trip captures imagination
Web debate reveals huge public interest in proposed mission to Mars
VIDEO: Why would you want to live on Mars?
A group of space enthusiasts have spoken to the BBC about why it might be worth living on Mars.
Mental tasks 'impaired in the air'
Mental tasks are impaired at high altitude, meaning big decisions are best avoided, says the first UK professor of aerospace medicine.
Wind farm ban plan for scenic areas
A revamp of planning rules in Scotland could see wind farms being outlawed in the country's national parks and designated scenic areas.
Volcano catastrophe idea 'dismissed'
The idea that humans nearly became extinct because of a super-volcano eruption 75,000 ago is not supported by new data from Africa, scientists say.
Spanish doctor convicted over doping
A Spanish doctor accused of running one of the world's largest sports doping rings is given a one year suspended sentence for endangering public health.
VIDEO: Spaceship makes first powered flight
The spaceplane being developed by UK billionaire Sir Richard Branson has made its first powered flight.
Sweaty babies 'are less aggressive'
Babies who sweat more when faced with scary situations show less aggression at the age of three, according to research by Cardiff University.