BBC News

Why are placebos getting more effective?

Having more than 11 moles on one arm could be an indication of a higher risk of skin cancer or melanoma, research suggests.

The UK government's cuts in support for renewable energy are criticised by the UN's chief environment scientist, Prof Jacquie McGlade.

Epic quest to reach the loneliest place on the Arctic ice

Policy and business leaders use a major food conference to highlight the need for more women in the global agriculture sector.

A US jury orders technology giant Apple to pay more than $234m in damages for patent infringement to the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

The US announces new curbs on oil and gas exploration off Alaska's northern coast, after Shell stopped its Arctic operation there.

The European and Russian space agencies are to send the first spacecraft to land near the south pole of the Moon, to lay the groundwork for a possible permanent settlement.

Dr James Carpenter of the European Space Agency explains why an unexplored area of the moon may be rich in resources for a human colony.

Ecologist Margaret Couvillon explains how she discovered that honeybees were hooked on caffeine.

A study of modern hunter gatherer societies suggests our ancestors may have only slept 6.5 hours a night.

Leaders of ten of the world's biggest oil companies have offered their qualified support for a new global climate treaty.

It may be possible to prevent schizophrenia by calming down the brain's immune system, say scientists.

When polar bears come to town

The first scientific paper to come out of the New Horizons probe's historic flyby of Pluto is published and raises questions about its formation.

The Dutch team who have grown the world's first burger in a lab say they hope to have a product on sale in five years.

Agreement on the subsidy for the £1bn Swansea tidal lagoon project is "desperately needed", Welsh Economy Minister Edwina Hart says.

An experiment with artificial nectar shows that bees are attracted to and even 'drugged' by caffeinated plants.

The Australian government gives its approval for one of the world's biggest coal mines to be built by Indian company Adani in Queensland.

A 125-million-year old mammal fossil is unearthed with its skin, fur and internal organs intact.

The Ecomobility World Festival is taking place in Johannesburg in South Africa, with people being encouraged to walk, cycle, and use public transport.

Why hasn't the US eradicated the plague?

An image of warring foxes has won the 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Celebrities have condemned plans by the Australian government to cull two million feral cats.

Fossil teeth from a cave in China are shaking up the traditional narrative of humankind's dispersal from Africa.

A giant panda has given birth to twins at Toronto Zoo - the first panda cubs to be born in Canada since the zoo was loaned two of the bears by China in 2014.

Visual effects artist Richard Stammers reveals the secret of how to make Matt Damon walk on Mars

New ultra-high definition imagery, rendered in 4K, has revealed details of Jupiter's famous Great Red Spot.

A picture of a red fox standing over the bloodied body of an Arctic fox wins the prestigious 2015 Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition.

Wolves have been hunted to extinction across much of Europe but it seems where they have been thriving, their growing numbers may be causing problems.

Society must offer the world's poorest farmers a helping hand in order to break the cycle of poverty, a key United Nations report concludes.

A team of wolf-hunters is operating in a region of the French Alps to kill wolves that are seen as a threat to livestock.

Claire Marshall attempts to track wolves in the French Alps with expert tracker Troy Bennett.

Neuroscientists say they can distinguish between individuals using a map of how different brain regions "pair up" in brain activity scans.

Europe's climate change chief says he is astonished at the positive progress by governments towards a global deal on CO2.

Cardiff University researchers study whether the predictive nature of the brain could explain why people suffer hallucinations.

A gene-editing method could one day make pig organs suitable for use in people, scientists say.

Conflict is "development in reverse" and a key factor that is leaving almost 800 million without enough food, the 2015 Global Hunger Index observes.

Opium, maths and Victorian computing in Ada Lovelace exhibition

A £200m polar research vessel is to be built by a shipyard on Merseyside, which is named as the preferred bidder against international competition.

The Governor of Alaska tells the BBC that expanding the state's search for oil is necessary to pay for the damage caused by climate change.

Alaska is seeking to boost on-shore drilling in the wake of Shell's decision to abandon the Arctic, but there is significant political opposition.

The UN climate negotiations need a major overhaul if they are to succeed, scientists say.

Are promises on carbon emission reductions enough?

The pilots who risk their lives to fly tiny planes over the Atlantic

A sustainable energy project in Northern Ireland is proving controversial, as Andy Martin reports.

A jaguar on a breeding loan to Delhi zoo is being sent back as he is too fat to mate, keepers say.

Ancient bones from a North Yorkshire cave, including the remains of rhinos, bears and hyenas, are to be transformed into a digital museum.

Ancient bones from a North Yorkshire cave, including the remains of rhinos, bears and hyenas, are to be transformed into a digital museum.