BBC News

A new study adds crocodiles to the list of animals that apparently sleep with one brain hemisphere at a time.

Scientists say they have identified a new species of giant tortoise on the Galapagos Islands in the Pacific.

A team from Delft University in the Netherlands has won a 3,000km (1,800 mile) solar car race in the Australian outback.

A leading expert tells the BBC that rapid rates of warming will see permafrost in parts of Alaska start to thaw by 2070.

Environment correspondent Matt McGrath explores a US Army tunnel through permafrost in Alaska.

The Cuban government, working with a US environmental group, announces a long-term plan to protect shark populations swimming in its waters.

The robot rover that Europe is building to send to Mars is likely to be targeted at an equatorial region known as Oxia Planum.

EDF Energy reaches an agreement with China's CGN for a new nuclear power plant at Hinkley Point in Somerset.

Volunteers have mapped the UK coastline to identify the damage by industrial development.

At MIT's Media Lab, scientists are working to discover the fabrics and material that will influence the future.

A foal born as a result of IVF could be the first in a new lifeline for rare, traditional British breeds that are on the verge of disappearing.

A drug-resistant malaria parasite that is spreading across South East Asia can also infect different mosquito species in Africa, laboratory experiments show.

Scientists discover a layer of very well-organised fat molecules on the belly scales of snakes, which reduce friction and could be the key to safe slithering.

Questions surround a Russian military satellite that manoeuvred close to two US ones but experts say the risk of collision is tiny.

An entomologist who discovered a species of moth is auctioning the right to give it an official name, on eBay.

Japan acknowledges that a worker involved in clean-up work at Fukushima may have developed cancer as a result.

Nigel, Rhonda, Wendy and Steve are among the names chosen by the public to help identify future UK storms, the Met Office announces.

The ancestors of today's dogs were domesticated in Central Asia, according to the most comprehensive genetic survey yet.

One of the richest food baskets in the world is in jeopardy because of sand mining, rising sea water levels and dam building, the BBC's Navin Singh Khadka reports

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.