Science News Headlines - Yahoo! News UK

Has Lost City Of Gold Been Uncovered?

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:57:29 +0100

Researchers believe they may have discovered an ancient city deep in the Honduran rainforest, which could be a legendary metropolis known as the City of Gold.

Tiny genetic code strands observed

Mon, 20 May 2013 00:02:54 +0100

Scientists say they have formed the most complete picture yet of how the body controls the production of proteins needed to stay healthy.

Sleep problem Alzheimer's 'warning'

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:01:40 +0100

Breathing difficulties during sleep may be an early warning sign of future Alzheimer's disease, researchers believe.

Ginger 'helps alleviate asthma'

Sun, 19 May 2013 19:01:40 +0100

Spicing up asthma medications with ginger may make them more effective, a study has shown.

Bold action, big money needed to curb Asia floods

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:29:47 +0100

Asia's flood-prone megacities should fund major drainage, water recycling and waste reduction projects to stem deluges and secure clean supply for their booming populations, experts said Sunday.

Dire outlook despite global warming 'pause': study

Sun, 19 May 2013 17:19:38 +0100

A global warming "pause" over the past decade may invalidate the harshest climate change predictions for the next 50 to 100 years, a study said Sunday -- though levels remain in the danger zone.

Mice, gerbils perish in Russia space flight

Sun, 19 May 2013 15:44:15 +0100

A number of mice and eight gerbils sent into space in a Russian capsule destined to find out how well organisms can withstand extended flights perished during their journey, scientists said Sunday as the month-long mission touched back down on Earth.

German energy shift faces headwinds

Sun, 19 May 2013 14:18:24 +0100

Tense engineers have their eyes peeled on complex colour-coded diagrams on a wall-sized screen that makes their control room look like the inside of a spaceship.

Flax plant 'can fight infection'

Sun, 19 May 2013 07:25:13 +0100

A plant first used by prehistoric man 30,000 years BC can help fight infections, according to scientists following a four-year research project.

China 'will not accept' carbon tax on EU flights: report

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:38:22 +0100

China will not pay for CO2 emissions by its airlines on flights within Europe, a top civil aviation official reportedly said after the European Commission warned eight Chinese firms face fines for nonpayment.

Morocco to harness the wind in energy hunt

Sat, 18 May 2013 11:19:50 +0100

Morocco is ploughing ahead with a programme to boost wind energy production, particularly in the southern Tarfaya region, where Africa's largest wind farm is set to open in 2014.

Hong Kong launches first electric taxis

Sat, 18 May 2013 06:49:33 +0100

Hong Kong saw its first electric taxis hit the streets on Saturday in a step towards reducing the city's high levels of roadside pollution.

Chinese, Indian airlines face EU pollution fines

Fri, 17 May 2013 21:58:16 +0100

Eight Chinese and two Indian airlines face fines of up to several million euros for not paying for their greenhouse gas emissions during flights within the bloc, the European Commission said on Friday.

First baby due in new IVF technique

Fri, 17 May 2013 18:16:17 +0100

The first baby to be conceived using a breakthrough IVF technique will be born in Scotland next month, a clinic has said.

Scientists await QE2 asteroid scan

Fri, 17 May 2013 14:20:05 +0100

An asteroid nine times larger than the QE2 is due to sail past the Earth later this month.

New test for malaria developed

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:07:40 +0100

Scientists have developed a new blood test for malaria which could potentially save lives by speedily diagnosing the tropical disease.

Jab fear 'linked to weak knowledge'

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:07:40 +0100

People who have poor general knowledge about science are more likely to be fearful of getting vaccinations for themselves or their children, a poll has suggested.

Single-pixel device may spot cancer

Fri, 17 May 2013 00:07:40 +0100

A new method of producing 3D images could improve cancer screening tests, scientists have said.

Star Canadian spaceman back on Earth, relishing fresh air

Thu, 16 May 2013 23:56:02 +0100

A thud, dirt in the window of his capsule and the fresh smell of spring on the Kazakh steppe: Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield recalled Thursday his safe return from a five-month mission to space.

Shrinking glaciers behind a third of sea-level rise: study

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:38:04 +0100

Water from the world's shrinking glaciers was responsible for almost a third of the rise in sea levels between 2003 and 2009, new research showed Thursday.

Depression link to stroke risk

Thu, 16 May 2013 21:07:44 +0100

Depressed middle-aged women have almost double the risk of suffering a stroke, according to research.

Researchers make embryonic stem cells from skin

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:39:26 +0100

US researchers have reported a breakthrough in stem cell research, describing how they have turned human skin cells into embyronic stem cells for the first time.

EU says emissions down, but pollution scheme falters

Thu, 16 May 2013 20:01:17 +0100

EU greenhouse gas emissions, blamed for global warming, dropped slightly last year but the much-vaunted system for cutting such pollution ran into even more trouble, the European Commission said on Thursday.

Nearly 1,000 protest against China chemical plant

Thu, 16 May 2013 19:04:52 +0100

Nearly 1,000 people took to the streets of the Chinese city of Kunming on Thursday in a renewed protest against a proposed chemical plant, media reports said, with Internet users voicing support.

Snake's ultra-black spots may aid high-tech quest

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:45:00 +0100

Scientists have identified nanostructures in the ultra-black skin markings of an African viper which they said Thursday could inspire the quest to create the ultimate light-absorbing material.

'Scissor-handed' creature named after Johnny Depp

Thu, 16 May 2013 18:27:51 +0100

The science world has paid homage to Johnny Depp by giving his name to an extinct creepy-crawly with "scissor hand-like" claws reminiscent of one of the Hollywood actor's best-known roles.

Italy judge says deadly L'Aquila quake was foreseeable

Thu, 16 May 2013 15:58:36 +0100

A deadly earthquake in the Italian town of L'Aquila in 2009 which killed 309 people "was not unforeseeable", a judge said Thursday, reigniting a heated scientific debate over whether experts should have warned the population beforehand.

Ocean search for new medicines

Thu, 16 May 2013 12:46:10 +0100

Micro-organisms in the world's oceans could produce cancer cures and antibiotics, according to researchers.

Australia pushes for ocean 'fertilisation' ban

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:36:57 +0100

Australia said it was pushing for a ban Thursday of any commercial use of a pioneering technique to reduce the impacts of climate change by "fertilising" the world's oceans with iron, warning of significant risks.

Sun unleashes four potent solar flares

Thu, 16 May 2013 06:28:29 +0100

The Sun has unleashed four potent solar flares this week, marking the most intense activity yet this year and causing limited interruptions to high-frequency radio communications.

Swine flu transmitted to seals

Wed, 15 May 2013 22:02:19 +0100

Swine flu has been transmitted to elephant seals living off the coast of California.

NASA's Kepler planet hunter appears broken

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:57:54 +0100

NASA's planet-hunting Kepler spacecraft appears to be hobbled by a faulty wheel and may be near the end of its four-year mission, space agency scientists said Wednesday.

Canada pushes development as it takes over Arctic Council

Wed, 15 May 2013 20:43:24 +0100

Canada said Wednesday it will promote unprecedented industrial development in the far north as it takes over the helm of the Arctic Council, while activists called for a ban on oil drilling.

Brazil court overturns conviction in US nun's murder

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:41:06 +0100

Brazil's Supreme Court has overturned the conviction of a landowner found guilty of the 2005 murder of US nun Dorothy Stang, ruling that his lawyer did not have enough time to prepare his defense.

EU ministers reach deal on fisheries reform

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:32:52 +0100

EU ministers agreed early on Wednesday a reform of the EU's fishing quota system that must now be approved by the European Parliament, where lawmakers are set on curbing overfishing.

Study into billion-year-old water

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:10:45 +0100

Scientists are looking for signs of life in a wellspring of ancient water more than a billion years old.

Mayan pyramid razed for road fill: Belize officials

Wed, 15 May 2013 19:02:34 +0100

A construction company owned by a local politician demolished a 2,300-year-old Mayan temple in northern Belize to use the rubble as gravel for road repair work, authorities charged.

Apes and monkeys go way back: study

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:52:39 +0100

Newly unearthed ape and monkey fossils prove that the cousin species lived side-by-side in Africa as long as 25 million years ago, a study said Wednesday.

Life-giving elements found in prehistoric water: study

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:47:12 +0100

Scientists said Wednesday they had found life-giving chemicals in water at least 1.5 billion years old, which they are now combing for signs of microscopic organisms surviving from a prehistoric age.

Stem cell 'milestone' revealed

Wed, 15 May 2013 17:12:02 +0100

One of the obstacles to human cloning has been cleared by scientists who successfully used skin to generate embryonic stem cells.