Buenos Aires to shut scandal-prone zoo

Here is the latest Science News from the BBC.

Buenos Aires to shut scandal-prone zoo
The mayor of Buenos Aires announces his administration has taken over the running of the city’s zoo after a series of scandals.

Scientists hungry to deliver food system paradigm shift
Eight universities across northern England join forces to form a scientific powerhouse at the launch of a five-year, £16m global food research programme.

Frog rescue: Last hope for endangered amphibian
How a shipping container became a last sanctuary for one of the world’s most endangered amphibians, the mountain chicken frog.

Rise of border fences hampers wildlife movements
The growth of border fences in Central and Eastern Europe in recent years is a “major threat” to wildlife, according to a new study.

Solar Impulse on track for Seville landing
The zero-fuel aeroplane, Solar Impulse, is aiming to complete its Atlantic crossing on Thursday with a landing in Seville.

Diesels more polluting below 18C, research suggests
Pollution from many popular diesel cars is much worse when it is colder than 18C outside, new research suggests.

‘Last breath’
In June 1997, astronauts on the Russian space station Mir faced disaster after the worst collision in the history of manned space flight.

Warmer winters play important role in EU emissions drop
Milder winters have contributed to a significant drop in greenhouse gas emissions across the EU over the past quarter of a century.

Tim Peake: ‘I saw flames outside the window’
British astronaut Tim Peake describes his dramatic journey home to Earth from the International Space Station.

Iceland’s fishing industry ‘better off outside’ EU
Iceland’s fishing minister says the country would “never join the European Union” because the industry is thriving outside the bloc.

Peake: ‘I would return to space in a heartbeat’
Tim Peake says he would go back into space “in a heartbeat” after his six-month mission to the space station.

New crop varieties ‘can’t keep up with global warming’
Temperatures around the world are rising faster than scientists can develop varieties that can cope with a warmer world, according to a new study.

China builds world’s most powerful computer
The 93 petaflop Sunway TaihuLight in China has topped a newly published list of supercomputers.

Project re-ignited
Andy Green says a new source of funding means preparations to run the Bloodhound 1,000mph supersonic car in South Africa next year can resume.

Tim Peake: The UK astronaut’s best photos and comments
Has Tim Peake got the best photo album on (and off) Earth? As his space mission comes to an end, we compile some of his best shots along with his comments.

How early mammals evolved night vision to escape dinos
Night-time vision evolved millions of years ago in early mammals, a study suggests.

Solar Impulse sets off on 90-hour Atlantic crossing
Solar Impulse 2 aircraft sets off from New York to cross the Atlantic – the longest leg an attempt to fly around the globe using solar energy.

British astronaut Tim Peake’s ‘incredible experience’
British astronaut Tim Peake has said he is elated to be back on earth after six months onboard the international space station.

President Obama in Yosemite: ‘Climate change is a reality’
President Barack Obama draws attention to the dangers of climate change while on a visit to Yosemite National Park in California.

UK astronaut returns: The moment Peake fell to Earth
Footage shows the descent of UK astronaut Tim Peake and two other crew members as they touched down in Kazakhstan.

UK astronaut Tim Peake returns to Earth
UK astronaut Tim Peake is safely back on Earth after a historic mission to the International Space Station.

Final handshakes in space station
British astronaut Tim Peake has boarded the spacecraft that will return him to Earth following an historic six-month mission to the space station.

Tim Peake: A look at Sokol spacesuit used for re-entry
As British astronaut Tim Peake ends his mission, BBC News takes a look at the spacesuit used for launch and re-entry.

Tim Peake will be wobbly after landing – Helen Sharman
Tim Peake is likely to feel unsteady after landing says fellow British astronaut Helen Sharman.

Mars crater named after Nepal quake village Langtang
A crater on Mars is named Langtang, in tribute to one of the worst-hit villages during the 2015 Nepal earthquake.

Advance of the giant spider crabs
A horde of giant spider crabs has amassed in waters near Melbourne. Australian aquatic scientist Sheree Marris filmed this incredible footage.

Nasa-style mission needed to map ocean floor
Ocean experts call for international action to generate the kinds of maps of global seabeds that space missions have already returned for the Moon and Mars.

Melt ponds suggest no Arctic sea-ice record this year
Arctic sea-ice may have hit a record low in May but that does not mean September will set a new minimum mark, say polar experts at Reading University, UK.

Giant crab horde gathers in Australia
A massive population of giant spider crabs amasses in waters off the Australian city of Melbourne.

Study unlocks surprising behaviour of soil bacteria
Newly sequenced genomes of soil bacteria have led to questions about how differing land management affects the organisms’ behaviour, on agriculture and emissions.

Tim Peake to return to ‘ground control’ on earth
British astronaut Tim Peake is due back to earth six months after blasting off into space.

Deep Atlantic: Scientists launch ocean mission
Biggest ever deep Atlantic exploration mission launched by UK scientists.

UK astronaut Tim Peake prepares for return to Earth
British astronaut Tim Peake is preparing to return to Earth after an historic six-month stay aboard the International Space Station.

Dead Sea drying
The Dead Sea is one of the great ecological treasures of the world but it is shrinking at an alarming rate, as Kevin Connolly reports.

UK-funded ice breaker in ‘elite’ Arctic tourism row
Government-funded ice breaker criticised for guiding luxury cruise in the Arctic as worries grow over the environmental impact of tourists.

How Tim gets back from space
How UK astronaut Tim Peake will get back from the International Space Station (ISS).

Tim Peake: Watch key moments from UK astronaut’s mission
As UK astronaut Tim Peake comes back to Earth, BBC News has compiled some of the best Esa videos from his six-month mission.

Tree planting at ‘an all time low’
Official figures released today by the Forestry Commission show that the government is falling far short of its own tree-planting targets

Tortoise given wheels to help her walk
A female tortoise in southern India is given a new lease of life after losing both legs.

European Space Agency still backing Mars rover project
Member states of the European Space Agency have reaffirmed their commitment to launch a rover to Mars in 2020.

More gravitational waves detected
Scientists announce the detection at Earth of another burst of gravitational waves coming from a black hole merger.