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Plankton bloom can be seen from space

A plankton bloom covering a huge swath of the English and Bristol channels is being monitored by scientists

Leading geneticist says human evolution is over

Professor Steve Jones says evolution is grinding to a halt because of a shortage of older fathers in the West

Nobel Prize row as HIV scientist excluded

Two scientists were given Nobel Prizes for identifying HIV, but there were claims that work of a third was overlooked

'Lives at risk' in failure to fight ozone

A co-ordinated worldwide approach is needed to combat the threat to human health and food crops, the Royal Society says

Autism genes can add up to genius

Scientists have found that the genes thought to cause autism may also confer intellectual gifts on people without the condition

Asteroid blast may have thwarted life on Mars

A giant asteroid could have destroyed Mars’s chances of evolving into an Earth-like blue planet

The Grid powers up to save lives and seek the God particle

Funding shortfall at seed bank project

The Millennium Seed Bank is facing a £100m black hole that could force it to halt operations within a decade of opening

So much more than a fascinating collection

The seed bank is more than a collection for collecting’s sake, it plays an important role in training botanists world-wide

This year’s improbable research prize goes to . . .

French researchers who discovered that fleas on a dog can jump higher than fleas are honoured at the 2008 Ig Nobel Prizes

Britain's reputation as physics leader 'harmed'

Government funding body criticised over handling of £80m hole in budget that could have closed Jodrell Bank

Botanist may have planted 'discoveries'

Confidential records at Natural History Museum suggest professor gathered seeds on travels then planted them in Hebrides

Sexy maths: Primes of passion

A new column explores the human side of maths, starting with one of the greatest enigmas: the primes

Hubble trouble delays shuttle mission

Delaying the $1.5bn Atlantis mission while it prepares necessary repairs to the telescope will cost Nasa $10m a month

Hubble trouble as telescope breaks down

Nasa has decided to postpone an Atlantis shuttle mission so that it can be reconfigured to fix the orbiting telescope