This decade 'warmest on record'
The first decade of this century is "by far" the warmest since instrumental records began, latest assessments show.

Roll-out for Branson rocket plane
Sir Richard Branson shows off the rocket plane he will use to take fare-paying passengers into space.

EU and UN welcome US climate move
The EU and UN hail a US declaration that greenhouse emissions harm health, as climate talks are held in Copenhagen.

UK aviation 'needs room to grow'
Heathrow can expand and people can fly more without ruining carbon targets, the UK's official climate watchdog says.

Act now on climate, summit urged
Denmark's PM describes the UN climate summit in Copenhagen as an "opportunity the world cannot afford to miss".

Nasa tests for life on Mars clues
Scientists from Nasa are testing a mineral only found in Aberdeenshire to see if it can provide clues about life on Mars.

UK geology maps free to explore
The British Geological Survey's new OpenGeoscience portal allows anyone to study the rocks lying under their feet.

US deploys balloons... to test accuracy of online spread of info
US defence experts launch 10 red balloons across the country to assess the accuracy with which information spreads on the internet.

Have astronomers spotted the coolest exoplanet yet?
Astronomers have spotted what may prove to be the coolest planet outside our Solar System that has ever been seen directly.

Time to act
People want more than hot air out of Copenhagen

Climate views
What are the arguments made by climate sceptics?

What 'ClimateGate' really means
The 'ClimateGate' affair shows that we need a more concerted effort to explain and engage the public in understanding the processes and practices of climate change science and scientists,

Children's futures: up in smoke?
What price will children have to pay for the carbon excesses of past generations?

Feeding birds 'changes evolution'
Bird-feeders can affect the way our feathered friends evolve.

'Global surge' in rhino poaching
Rhino poaching around the world is on the increase, a report warns.

Mass cannibalism clues uncovered
Archaeologists uncover signs of mass cannibalism at a 7,000-year-old human burial site in Germany.

Software models aid genetics
Computer models of the workings of genes are helping unpick the process of aging and how toxins poison the body.

Record solar plane's first 'hop'
A solar-powered plane prototype has left the ground for the first time in its first stage towards a round-the-world journey.

Chair for climate e-mail review
Sir Muir Russell will head an independent review into e-mails leaked from a leading UK climate research unit.

Deadline stretch for Jason funds
European nations are given a few more weeks to find the money to fund a key Earth observation satellite.

Call for rise in water meter use
An independent review calls for a huge rise in the use of water meters to encourage people to use their supply more wisely.

Ocean's CO2 uptake measured
There are substantial variations in the amount of carbon being absorbed by the North Atlantic Ocean, a study shows.

E-mail row 'to affect Copenhagen'
E-mails hacked from a research unit suggest climate change is not caused by human activity, a UN negotiator tells BBC News.

Bhopal marks tragic gas leak
Residents of the Indian city of Bhopal mark 25 years since a gas leak killed thousands and made many more ill.