Billions of pieces of plastic waste are devastating the world's coral reefs
Reefs are crucial to the health of the marine ecosystem which humans rely on, but they are dying around the globe.
Chinese scientists to build laser so powerful it could rip apart space itself
Laser pulse device capable of generating 100 million billion watts of power - greater than the total annual power output of humanity.
Climate change: Brits' sandwich habit has the same environmental impact as eight million cars
Researchers found that the sandwiches with the highest carbon footprint were those containing pork meat, cheese or prawns.
The common treeshrew may look unremarkable, but it breaks evolutionary rules
The animal defies the 'island rule' and 'Bergmann's rule' which describe patterns of geographical variations.
Straight out of science fiction: Scientists create 3D 'holograms' in thin air
Researchers have developed a ground-breaking technique for creating moving three-dimensional images viewable from all sides.
Meet Zhong Zhong and Hua Hua: Chinese scientists create two adorable monkey clones in a world first
Researchers have created two genetically identical monkey clones using the same technique that produced Dolly the sheep.
World's smallest fly discovered - and it's named after Arnold Schwarzenegger
Megapropodiphora arnoldi measures just 0.395 mm in length and is only known from a single female specimen.
Thousands of preserved Iron and Bronze Age artefacts discovered after ice glacier melts in Norway
Glacial archaeologists found 4,000-year-old arrows, Iron Age and Bronze Age clothing items and even a ski with its binding from 700 AD.
Nasa's Kepler telescope discovers three 'Super-Earths' orbiting cool dwarf star
The Kepler telescope has so far identified more than 2,300 confirmed exoplanets since beginning operations in 2009.
NASA is set to reveal its plans to send humans to the moon once again - on Trump's orders
The announcement will come two months after Donald Trump signed a new space policy directive instructing Nasa to return to the moon.
These tiny, unremarkable crystals can help to predict volcanic eruptions
Volcanic eruptions are notoriously difficult to predict, but new research could lead to more effective warnings which could save lives.
This astrophysicist has just proposed a new definition for planets
"While we think we know how planets form in a big-picture sense, there's still a lot of detail we need to fill in," says Kevin Schlaufman.
One of last two undecoded Dead Sea Scrolls manuscripts finally deciphered
The Dead Sea Scrolls are a spectacular collection of 900 ancient Jewish manuscripts discovered in the Qumran caves outside Jerusalem in 1947.
Common pet flea treatments are poisoning Britain's rivers
High levels of the chemical imidacloprid have been detected in a number of waterways across the country.
This skateboard helmet has induced extraordinary mystical experiences in people
A new study conducted at a Dutch music festival demonstrates the extraordinary powers of the placebo effect.
Tractor beam that could one day levitate humans created by scientists
A new acoustic tractor beam uses rapidly rotating 'tornadoes' of sound to suspend objects in mid-air.
Have scientists just gifted bio-terrorists a doomsday smallpox virus?
Smallpox is estimated to have killed between 300-500 million people in the 20th century alone, before being eradicated in the late 70s.
Ancient skeletons with smashed skulls reveal mysterious burial rituals at 5,500-year-old cave site
It is thought that the skulls may have been smashed and larger bones deliberately removed after the bodies decomposed.
Spotify for chemistry? Breakthrough could let you 'print' almost any drug at home
The technique involves sending a digital code to a specialized 3D printer, which can synthesize drugs at the click-of-a-button.
Millennials are stuck in adolescence until the age of 24, experts reveal
An expanded and more inclusive definition of adolescence is essential for the appropriate framing of laws, social policies, and services, researchers argue.
Life on Mars: The search for aliens has begun in the Canadian Arctic
Current instruments designed to search for alien life tend to be relatively large, heavy and power-hungry. In addition, they can only detect indirect biological signatures.
These hunter-gatherers in the Malay Peninsula have a 'special' sense of smell
The Jahai, who are native to the Malay Peninsula, have an unusually keen ability for describing odours.
Rainbow clouds: Incredible images emerge of rare phenomenon in Australia
Rare spectacle above Darwin is result of ice crystals in sky bending sun's rays so that they appear iridescent.
Remarkable 4,500-year-old engineering feats discovered on ancient Greek 'pyramid' island
Skilled builders carved massive terrace walls into a rocky headland on the Greek island of Keros, creating what looks like a man-made stepped pyramid.
Penny-sized robot that could carry out surgeries developed by scientists
The milliDelta is a miniaturised version of Delta robots deployed in many industrial processes.
Mesmerising DNA close-up images shed new light on one of life's most fundamental processes
The new research could lead to the development of new types of cancer treatments, according to scientists
Lost medieval castle unearthed in Ireland after 700 years could be Galway's oldest building
A team of archaeologists unearthed limestone wall segments from the fortress during restoration works on a 15th century townhouse.
Nanomaterials: Researchers capture fascinating images of individual atoms
Microscopic materials created on atomic scale being used in increasing number of manufacturing processes.
In the era of Trump and fake news, Americans are less interested in 'facts' than ever
When discussing public issues, Americans are significantly less reliant on facts than they were two decades ago, the report suggests.
Black Death 'spread by humans, not rats' claims shocking new study
Common belief that killer plague was spread mainly by parasites on rats undermined by research that points blame at human fleas and lice.
