Mystery of 20 million years of missing fossils solved with five new species
An 'explosion' of evolutionary diversity occurred when four-legged animals took their first steps on land.
Historic Soyuz spacecraft that took Tim Peake to the ISS bought by London's Science Museum
The Russian-made spacecraft will go on display in London at the Science Museum.
Evolutionary hunger pangs mean yo-yo dieting is a recipe for weight gain
Repeat dieters often lose the battle with evolutionary instincts to make up for lost fat.
Creative people might turn to art to put death in perspective
If creativity is central to your worldview you are less likely to dwell on morbid thoughts.
The Sahara Desert used to be lush and full of vegetation – researchers find clues to what killed it
Shifts in atmospheric circulation quickly created the Sahara Desert less than 6,000 years ago.
Vietnam's forests could be saved from destruction if coffee growers go Fairtrade
Climate change will halve Vietnam's coffee plantations by 2050, but destroying forests for more plantations would make the problem worse.
Body builders are injecting coconut oil into their muscles in the latest dangerous trend
Coconut oil injections create internal scar tissue and cause permanent, painful damage to muscles.
The size of extreme cluster tornadoes hitting the US has doubled in 50 years – and no one knows why
The overall number of tornadoes hasn't increased, but they're coming in bigger, more dangerous clusters.
When was the worst time to be alive?
The decade saw freakishly bad weather – and if the cold didn't kill you, famine, disease or poverty might.
Disgusted at Brexit? Love the Monarchy? Baffled by 2016? Take a survey to help psychologists find out why
Inaccuracy of polling prompts psychologists to take another look at why we vote the way we do.
Iron Age Turks wouldn't be seen dead without Cypriot ceramics at dinner parties
Elite Turkish feasts drove demand for elaborate pottery 3,000 years ago.
Upright-walking early human ancestor Lucy liked to hang out in trees
Lucy probably had a funny walk due to an inefficient gait.
The latest breakthroughs in Aids and HIV research in 2016
This year has seen promising steps towards a cure for HIV and Aids, but we're not there yet.
Where are we now in the fight against Aids and what is there left to do?
The world is making progress in tackling the Aids epidemic, but there is still no cure yet.
The largest ever all-women expedition is going to Antarctica
The expedition aims to tackle gender inequality in science and boost female leadership in fighting climate change.
Giant manta ray gets its food from the deep – and may be at risk as fisheries expand
The iconic sea creature feeds on plankton well beneath the surface, isotope analysis shows.
Your brain on God: How religion triggers the same response as love and drugs
The study authors say that the link between reward and decision-making could aid research into religious extremism.
Deep cracks are appearing inland at Pine Island Glacier in Antarctica
Fast-melting glacier is breaking apart in a manner previously unseen in an Antarctic ice sheet.
Indigenous Arctic people race to adapt to climate change as 'warning bells' ring on tipping points
A report from the Arctic Council identifies approaching social and ecological tipping points.
Curiosity rover left Earth 5 years ago – here are its top 5 moments on Mars
Top finds include organic molecules, traces of an ancient thick atmosphere and the remains of a surface stream-bed.
A Peruvian farmer is suing German energy giant RWE over climate change
Churup Glacier in Peru is melting due to climate change and a resident is suing RWE.
Those who believe invasive species aren't a problem are jumping on the post-truth bandwagon
The science of invasive alien species is increasingly being denied, conservationists say.
The North Pole is at melting point now, when it's normally -20°C at this time of year
Warmer oceans and winds plus higher temperatures combine to begin a 'vicious circle' of warming in the Arctic.
What is a fogbow and why are they so hard to spot?
Almost as large as rainbows, but its form is usually colourless and has a flatter shape.
Single-toothed sea monsters haunted imaginations of inland Maya people
Terrifying sea monsters are depicted in 3,000-year-old art from Mesoamerican sites far away from the coast.
If you need to nap after a meal it isn't your fault – food comas are a real phenomenon
Protein, salt and the overall quantity of food eaten make naps more necessary after a meal.
2,000-year-old pet cats unearthed in Roman graveyard in Egypt
The way the cats were buried suggests that they were well-cared-for pets that died of natural causes.
'A terrible place' - the fastest-melting glacier in Antarctica started disappearing in the 1940s
The Pine Island Glacier began melting due to extreme El Niño activity, and is now responsible for 5% of global sea-level rise.
World's last wild tigers may be wiped out by bad planning of roads and railways
There are less than 4,000 tigers left in the wild and their habitat is at risk from bad infrastructure planning.
Viral graph shows catastrophic polar ice loss due to extreme weather
Scientists say extreme events are partly due to climate change but had different causes.
