BBC News

A team of international scientists have discovered a new species of rat in Indonesia.

A diesel engine run in a lab shows just how far manufacturers' emissions tests fall short, scientists say.

A carnivorous plant uses raindrops as a power source to bounce ants into a trap, researchers find.

See how a carnivorous pitcher plant uses raindrops as a power source to fling ants to their death.

A global assessment concludes that almost one-third of cactus species face extinction due to unsustainable harvesting and illegal trade.

The Chernobyl exclusion zone now has more wildlife than before the 1986 nuclear accident, researchers say.

Chile announces the creation of two new marine reserves off its coast which together will cover more than a million sq km.

One man's mission to upload 13,000 photographs that Nasa said it didn't have the resources to publish.

Many shoppers in England will have to pay 5p for plastic carrier bags from Monday in a bid to slash the 7.6 billion handed out every year.

Scientists have discovered a species of ancient mammal that survived the event that led to the extinction of the dinosaurs.

The island hoping to become the greenest in the world

Biologist Dr Pennie Lindeque from Plymouth Marine Laboratory explains how plastics in the marine environment get into the food chain.

Photos shortlisted for Royal Society of Biology prize

Farmers in Michigan uncover a woolly mammoth skeleton in a soybean field.

A global collaboration will aim to unravel the mysteries of neutrinos - also known as "ghost particles".

Ponies on Dartmoor are to have reflective paint put on them in a scheme that aims to cut the number being killed by vehicles.

Chemical engineers develop an additive for jet fuel that could prevent explosions without compromising engine function.

Divisions between rich and poor countries re-emerge as nations submit their plans for tackling climate change to the UN.

The British Geological Survey says a large sinkhole which opened in St Albans, Herts, may be linked to an old brickworks which used to be on the site.

As England prepares to introduce a charge for plastic bags, Science Editor David Shukman reports on the possible threat to the food chain, by the plastics broken down into tiny fragments in our oceans.

Pluto's major moon, Charon, takes centre stage in this week's release of new pictures from the New Horizons mission.

A massive sinkhole opens up on a street in St Albans, forcing the evacuation of several families during the night.

Zimbabwe is to ban electric water heaters and require all new properties to use solar power, in an attempt to tackle big power shortages.

Modernising Africa's agriculture sector to attract young people will help tackle youth unemployment and food insecurity, a report suggests.

Former Labour science minister Lord Drayson says his government made a mistake in promoting diesel cars as they are "killing people".

Can people be persuaded not to use so many bags?

A satellite designed to provide high-speed internet services to 200,000 Australians living in rural areas is launched from South America.

The UK has 34 universities in the Times Higher Education ranking of the world's top 200 institutions, with Oxford climbing to second best globally.

The discovery of plastic in the guts of Thames fish highlights the need for everyone to take greater care with how they dispose of rubbish, say campaigners.

A "grumpy" 31-stone (200kg) tiger with an infected canine tooth, is treated by a Mayfair dentist.

The team behind Nasa's Dawn mission to Ceres releases striking new images, but remains unable to explain the dwarf planet's most intriguing mystery.

Free energy from the air. It sounds like a fantasy but that is what entrepreneur Lord Drayson has just unveiled at London's Royal Institution.

Scientists record the first video footage of tiny killer flies catching prey in mid-air, in a study of how the creatures pick their targets.

Leading figures in the scientific community argue for a lift in public research spending to boost the British economy.

Neuroscientists have recorded the first video footage of a tiny killer fly catching its prey in mid-air.

Can we visit Mars if it's wet?

Conservationists have identified six areas in the Western Highlands as places where the wildcat has the best chance of surviving, as Graham Satchell reports.

UK scientists germinate seeds from the endangered Japanese Birch, a species with only 21 known survivors in the wild.

New Zealand reveals plans to turn an area of the South Pacific ocean about the size of France into a marine reserve.

The US space agency says it believes dark stripes on Mars are caused by trickling water.

Researchers working on the wreck of the HMS Erebus have shared new photos of what they have found below the icy waters.

Scientists think they can now tie dark streaks seen on the surface of Mars to periodic flows of liquid water.

Scientists think they can now tie dark streaks seen on the surface of Mars to periodic flows of liquid water.

The rubber duck-shaped comet being followed by Europe's Rosetta probe used to be two separate objects, scientists say.

The first drilling results were not positive – and Shell’s political problems in America also weighed heavily.

Royal Dutch Shell abandons Arctic exploration off the coast of Alaska after "disappointing" results from a key oil well.

Lunar eclipse images from around the world

People around the world observe a rare celestial event, as a lunar eclipse coincides with a so-called "supermoon".