BBC News

Using high-speed cameras, scientists glimpse songbirds doing a rapid-fire dance that is invisible to the naked eye.

Scientists capture high-speed footage of songbirds performing a rapid-fire "tap dance" that is invisible to the naked eye.

Should politicians have more say on science funding?

US regulators have given the go-ahead to genetically modified salmon, making it the first GM animal destined for human consumption.

A government-commissioned review says UK science funding should be determined by a single independent agency, and overseen perhaps by the chancellor himself.

Reflective paint, which could "save hundreds" of Dartmoor's livestock from being killed by vehicles, is put on ponies after an initial trial is deemed a success.

Scientists say the contribution of a melting Antarctica to sea level rise this century will be significant and challenging, but that some nightmare scenarios are just not realistic.

Bees exposed to widely-used nicotine-like pesticides are not as good at pollinating crops, according to a study.

The UK's remaining coal-fired power stations will be shut by 2025, energy secretary Amber Rudd proposes.

For the first time, researchers eliminate a devastating amphibian fungal disease in a population of toads.

A new study sheds light on unanswered questions about the risks of pesticides to bees.

Scientists say a particular fold at the front of the brain tends to be shorter in those schizophrenia patients who experience hallucinations.

A new calculation fixes the total amount of groundwater on the planet, held in rock and soil below our feet, at 23 million cubic km.

Wet and cold spring and summer weather is blamed for one of Scotland's rarest breeding birds having a poor season.

Some of the UK's dung beetle species are becoming scarcer and could even face extinction, according to scientists gathering information on the insects.

The "huge dependency" of refugees on wood and charcoal-based fuels has horrific consequences on refugees' health, a report has warned.

This year's El Niño weather event is expected to gain in strength before the end of this year according to the latest research.

Geneticists have detected a fourth ancestral "tribe" which contributed to the modern European gene pool.

The sequence for firing up a supersonic car

A humpback whale is freed by fishermen from a buoy and rope that were attached to lobster pots.

Actor Peter Sarsgaard talks about his challenging new movie Experimenter about the 1961 electric shock experiment that stunned the world.

Human societies will soon start to experience adverse effects from manmade climate change, a prominent economist has warned.

The villagers living next to a burning dump 15m tall

The world's largest crystal structure model - a 3D replica of the repeating ionic lattice found in table salt (NaCl) - is assembled in Vienna's city hall.

The European Commission says it will provide seven million euros (£5m) for research into a disease that poses a "very serious threat" to the continent's olive production.

Scientists are using a neutron beam to study what happens when human bones burn - tackling a problem that plagues both archaeology and forensics.

DNA analysis of a child mummy sheds light on the genetic history of the Inca civilisation.

Star City in Moscow continues to function as a space training centre, oblivious to events in the outside world.

Global investment portfolios could be hit hard amid changes in short-term market sentiments, triggered by climate impact concerns.

The UK is "ignoring known risks of flood and erosion at the coast" and immediate action is needed to manage the threats, the National Trust warns.

The people whose land is turning to dust

A ceremony is held to mark the start of construction of one of the key astronomical facilities of the next decade - the Giant Magellan Telescope.

Astronomers hunting distant worlds say they have made one of their most significant discoveries to date - what could be a kind of hot twin to our Venus.

Humans have been exploiting honeybees for almost 9,000 years, according to archaeological evidence.

British astronaut Tim Peake is going through a gruelling round of final training before liftoff to the International Space Station next month.

Astronomers have identified the most distant object yet in the Solar System - a likely icy body three times further away than even far-flung Pluto.

Scientists are hoping to digitally preserve the world's most important heritage sites.

An atomic-scale fingerprint could boost the security of connected devices, according to the British scientists who have developed it.

Energy Secretary says the government remains committed to meeting renewable energy targets set by the EU following controversy over a leaked letter suggesting a shortfall.

The SeaWorld theme park in the US state of California is to phase out public displays by killer whales, its chief executive says, following public outcry.

A world-famous animal theme park is planning to phase out its killer whale displays, following years of pressure from campaigners.

Energy Secretary Amber Rudd is accused by Labour of misleading MPs about meeting mandatory EU energy targets on renewable power.

An international team of architects and scientists have observed "thermal anomalies" at the pyramids of Giza, Egyptian officials say.

An increasingly warped sense of humour could be an early warning sign of impending dementia, say experts.

A new model of the Moon's formation suggests it developed in two stages, leading to inner and outer layers with different compositions.

Russia should be suspended from athletics competition, a World Anti-Doping Agency commission report recommends.

The government's energy policy changes since the general election are likely to increase CO2 emissions, according to analysis by BBC News.

Two possible cryo-volcanoes are identified on the surface of Pluto - huge mountains with a hole in the top that may spew a slurry of ices.

The test model for what will become the "back end" of the Orion spaceship is sent from Europe to the US for evaluation.

The winners of science and maths prizes worth $22m have been announced at a glittering ceremony in Silicon Valley.