Study debunks illegitimacy 'myth'
The rate of illegitimate births in the population is lower than many people believe, according to a major study of male ancestry.

'Arctic unicorns' in icy display
Remarkable footage of elusive narwhal in the Arctic ice is captured by a BBC team.

Hadron Collider relaunch delayed
The Hadron Collider could be switched back on in September - a year after it shut down and months later than expected.

'Silver sensation' seeks cold cosmos
The European Space Agency's Herschel observatory will study the processes that form stars and galaxies.

Photosynthesis viewed in a flash
Using ultra-short laser pulses, scientists hope to understand how plants harvest the Sun's energy.

Climate history 'helps conserve'
Understanding a region's climatic history can help conservationists find new species, a study suggests.

Call for rural energy guarantee
A call is made for more to be done to help Scottish communities benefit from energy efficiency measures.

Dog gene 'may aid wolf survival'
A gene for dark coat colour in wolves was introduced through mating with domestic dogs, scientists report.

Fossilised snake would have been 'as long as a bus'
The discovery of fossilised remains belonging to the world's largest snake has been reported in Nature journal.

Composer imagines the music that rocked the Neanderthal world
Composer imagines the music that Neanderthals rocked out to

Why the environmental movement can't ignore the population issue
Environmentalists must accept that uncontrolled population growth threatens to undermine efforts to save the planet.

Reality check for deforestation debate
The suggestion that tropical forests' biodiversity is more resilient than previously thought may be a little too optimistic.

Water quiz
How much do you know about the precious resource?

Treasure islands
Meet the unique inhabitants of Darwin's Galapagos

Boiling point
Why we are failing to solve the world's water woes

Pinpoint picture
RAF's new spy plane takes to the Afghan skies

Pipe dream
Zimbabwe shows health hazards of unclean water

Flying giant
The great Jumbo - four decades of the Boeing 747

Darwin at home, 200 years on
Darwin's Kent home restored for his bicentenary

Ancient sponges leave their mark
The oldest evidence of animal life on Earth is found in 635-million-year-old rocks from Oman, scientists say.

UN chief in India climate warning
UN chief Ban Ki-moon warns a climate change conference in India that failure to tackle the issue will lead to global economic upheaval.

Research debate call sparks fears
The science minister calls for a debate on how much of the research budget should go to areas that benefit the economy.

Telescope sees small exoplanet
The smallest planet yet found outside the Solar System is detected by a French space telescope.

EU gives shark protection teeth
The European Commission unveils proposals to conserve sharks, many of which are threatened with extinction.

Insecticide malaria impact clue
Scientists pinpoint genetic variations which may determine whether insecticides will kill malarial mosquitoes.

Sweden aims to lift nuclear ban
The Swedish government unveils plans to lift a three-decade-old ban on the construction of new nuclear reactors.

Liberian crop pest mystery solved
The mystery caterpillar which is plaguing farmers in Liberia and Guinea has finally been identified, says the UN food agency.

UK to scrap 'toxic' carrier
A French aircraft carrier, which was too toxic to break up in India, is on its way to be scrapped on Teesside.