BBC News - Science & Environment

The latest stories from the Science & Environment section of the BBC News web site.

VIDEO: Art by animals goes on show

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:06:30 GMT

A work of abstract expressionism by a chimp and a still life of a flower by an elephant are part of a new exhibition in London of artworks created by animals.

Rhino poachers in SA get 25 years

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 11:20:21 GMT

Three Mozambicans are sentenced to 25 years each in a South African court for rhino poaching, according to the South African national parks body.

Malaria toll 'is twice as high'

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:07:13 GMT

The number of deaths worldwide from malaria has been underestimated, according to data published in the medical journal the Lancet.

VIDEO: Lifting the Cutty Sark into place

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:22:16 GMT

The historic tea clipper will be reopened to the public in spring 2012. Part of the conservation work included lifting her 3m off the ground.

Strangford life

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 18:38:55 GMT

Wildlife, landscape and heritage of Strangford Lough

Super-Earth 'could support life'

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 15:51:09 GMT

Astronomers have found a fourth planet with conditions similar to Earth, which they say could support life.

Isolated Peruvian tribe pictured

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 17:00:56 GMT

A Spanish archaeologist has snapped the most-detailed pictures ever seen of an "uncontacted" tribe in the Amazon.

'Supergiant' found in deepest sea

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 08:54:42 GMT

A huge crustacean called a supergiant - more than 30cm long - has been discovered 7km down in the waters north of New Zealand.

Self-steering bullet researched

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 16:57:47 GMT

US researchers are developing a bullet that guides itself to a laser-illuminated target. But an expert is concerned it may be sold to the public.

Humble moss 'brought on ice ages'

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:52:50 GMT

Research shows that primitive moss-like plants could have helped cool the Earth 470 million years ago, bringing on mini ice ages.

Totally tropical at Kew

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:46:13 GMT

A tour of Kew's Royal Botanic Gardens' exotic orchids

Pythons link to mammals decline

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:15:29 GMT

Non-native Burmese pythons are the likely cause of a severe decline in mammals living in Florida's Everglades region, a study suggests.

More Galileo satellites ordered

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:03:01 GMT

The German-UK consortium building the operational spacecraft for Europe's Galileo sat-nav system wins a contract to provide an additional eight units.

Largest optical telescope created

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 10:15:02 GMT

Astronomers at the Paranal observatory combine four telescope to create the world's largest virtual device with a 130m-mirror.

Olympics shoot for green medal

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:14:34 GMT

Will London 2012 fulfil its â??greenest Olympicsâ?? pledge?

Prince optimistic for fisheries

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:44:01 GMT

Prince Charles says there are reasons to be optimistic about the state of the world's oceans, but it is "critically urgent" to tackle overfishing.

Brains may be wired for addiction

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:03:24 GMT

Abnormalities in the brain may make some people more likely to become drug addicts, according to scientists.

VIDEO: Bats find shelter in Israeli bunkers

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 22:25:22 GMT

Bats are finding a surprising haven in abandoned Israeli bunkers, researchers say.

VIDEO: How do you weigh a polar bear?

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 15:15:27 GMT

Staff at Highland Wildlife Park are trying to weigh Walker the polar bear who is thought to be about 400kg (63 stone).

Spider web's strength explained

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:01:53 GMT

Explaining the remarkable strength of spiders' webs

MP's call to pardon 'hero' Turing

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:10:06 GMT

An MP tables a motion calling for computer pioneer Alan Turing to be posthumously pardoned over a conviction for gross indecency.

Anti-fracking demo in Enniskillen

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 18:10:29 GMT

About 100 people gather in Enniskillen to demonstrate against the use of fracking to extract gas from shale rock in County Fermanagh.

Gorillas grin 'to reassure pals'

Tue, 31 Jan 2012 02:22:34 GMT

Gorillas bare their teeth in a playful "grin" to reassure one another as they play, scientists discover.

Spider sex trick boosts paternity

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 10:35:52 GMT

Some male spiders voluntarily "castrate" themselves during sex in order to increase their chances of fathering offspring, according to a new study.

VIDEO: Thai poachers target elephants for meat

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 14:32:25 GMT

Thailand's wildlife experts say that elephants could face extinction if they continue to be hunted as a source of meat.

Oil spurs Canadian PM China visit

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 03:03:01 GMT

Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper will visit China next week to discuss Canada's oil products, after the US blocked a key pipeline.

Ancient giant crocodile discovery

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 14:41:06 GMT

'Shieldcroc' is an ancient, extinct crocodile that's been discovered by scientists studying fossils in Missouri in the US.

Canada firm halts Argentina mine

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 03:00:26 GMT

After protests by Argentine environmental campaigners, a Canadian mining firm is suspending its exploration work on a project in La Rioja province.

Search for Cuba offshore oil begins

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 17:34:31 GMT

Search begins for Cuba's offshore oil deposits

Search for black squirrels begins

Mon, 30 Jan 2012 16:53:00 GMT

Scientists want the UK public to report their sightings of black squirrels, in order to estimate the rate at which they are spreading.

Seagrass age surprises scientists

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:31:11 GMT

Meadows of seagrass, a keystone species in marine ecosystems, found in the Mediterranean Sea are likely to be tens of thousands of years old, a study shows.

Striking galaxy image from Hubble

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 09:35:10 GMT

The Hubble space telescope captures an image of a "barred spiral" galaxy that could help us better understand our own Milky Way.

Green void looms after Huhne departure

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:01:46 GMT

What Huhneâ??s departure means to 'the greenest government ever'

Meet the galanthophiles

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 01:29:41 GMT

The strange world of snowdrop fanciers

'Big cat' theory ruled out by DNA

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 12:37:44 GMT

Scientists fail to find any evidence that "big cats" killed two roe deer found dead in Gloucestershire.

VIDEO: Science converts thoughts into speech

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 19:34:50 GMT

Scientists have unveiled a new technique for decoding human brainwaves and then converting them into speech.

Giving an invasive water pest the bullet

Fri, 03 Feb 2012 00:05:48 GMT

Wrestling one of the UK's most invasive pests

In pictures: Science meets art

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 19:14:49 GMT

Winners of science photography contest dazzle

VIDEO: 'Green' tour of London Olympics site

Thu, 02 Feb 2012 22:55:10 GMT

A look around the site of what is pledged to be the "greenest ever" Olympic Games.

Do the dead outnumber the living?

Sat, 04 Feb 2012 00:42:27 GMT

Do the dead outnumber the living - or is it the other way round?

Mega volcanoes 'may be predicted'

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 18:09:54 GMT

The eruption of some of the largest volcanoes on the planet could be predicted decades before the event, research suggests.

AUDIO: Bus-sized asteroid to pass by Earth

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 09:02:22 GMT

Astronomers are watching for an asteroid the size of a double-decker bus which will pass within 70,000km of Earth on Friday.

Science decodes 'internal voices'

Wed, 01 Feb 2012 04:29:41 GMT

Researchers turn brain waves from thoughts of words into actual words, in a breakthrough that could benefit comatose and locked-in patients.