UK lab animal numbers holding steady

Here is the latest Science News from the BBC.

UK lab animal numbers holding steady
New figures show that animal experiments in UK labs are continuing at an almost identical rate to recent years.

Cuckoo migration ‘now more perilous’
Britain has lost more than 70 percent of its cuckoos in the last 25 years, but tiny tracking devices fitted to some of the birds may have solved the mystery of their decline.

Scots offshore wind ‘pretty much dead’, former minister claims
A former UK energy minister claims the offshore wind industry in Scotland is “pretty much dead” after a legal challenge to four projects.

Infrastructure ‘still faces flood risk’
Britain’s roads, bridges, railways, hospitals, electricity, gas, water and internet remain at risk from floods, a government review will soon concede.

Brexit ‘damaging science’, UK academies warn
An open letter to the government from UK academies representing science, medicine and engineering warns that Brexit is already harming science.

Cuckoo decline finally mapped
Forty-two tiny tracking devices fitted to cuckoos in the UK may have solved the mystery of the birds’ decline.

Cuckoos count cost of shortcut home, say scientists
The cuckoo is in decline in the UK, and its migratory habits may be to blame, according to a study of tagged birds.

UK scientists speak about Brexit pain
BBC News speaks to UK researchers already feeling the effects of Brexit on their research.

Dolly’s sisters
Scientists are studying Dolly the sheep’s “siblings” in order to study the health of cloned animals.

Original Bramley apple tree in Southwell is dying
The original Bramley apple tree – planted more than 200 years ago and the “mother” of all modern Bramley apples – is dying from a fungal infection.

F1 tech behind ‘flying’ boat’s cup bid
Could F1 and aeronautical tech help Sir Ben Ainslie’s ‘flying’ catamaran win the America’s Cup?

Navy sonar broke whale protection laws, says US court
A US appeals court has ruled that sonar approved for use by the US Navy broke marine laws.

Academies warn Brexit ‘damaging science’
An open letter to the government from UK academies representing science, medicine and engineering warns that Brexit is already harming science.

Mercury 13
In the early 60s, 13 women undertook secret tests at Nasa to see if they could become astronauts.

Could these cyborg beetles save lives?
Scientists in Singapore have created cyborg beetles that they believe could help save lives.

Storage device writes information atom-by-atom
The quest for storage devices that pack ever more information into a small space has reached a new limit, with memory that writes information atom-by-atom.

Ancient barley DNA gives insight into crop development
An international group of scientists have analysed the DNA of 6,000 year old barley, showing that it is remarkably similar to modern day varieties.

Farming and forestry can deliver food security, says UN
Improving co-operation between nations’ farming and forestry sectors will help reduce deforestation and improve food security, a UN report suggests.

Iraq marshlands named Unesco World Heritage Site
The United Nations cultural agency Unesco names Iraq’s southern marshes – once decimated by Saddam Hussein – a World Heritage Site.

DNA sequencer sent to space station
Nasa has sent a DNA sequencer to the International Space Station in an effort to help astronauts monitor their own health.

Moonlit launch for SpaceX rocket carrying ISS supplies
A SpaceX cargo rocket is bound for the International Space Station after a successful launch from Florida.

1,000mph car
Andy Green says the Bloodhound 1,000mph supersonic car project has to file a mountain of paperwork before it can go racing in South Africa next year.

Damien Hirst formaldehyde artworks ‘posed no risk to public’
A scientific paper that claimed a 2012 exhibition of Damien Hirst works led to the release of dangerous formaldehyde fumes is retracted by one of its authors after further tests.

First farmers had diverse origins, DNA shows
Analysis of DNA from some of the world’s first farmers shows that they had surprisingly diverse origins.

Countryside faces Brexit anxiety
Farmers and environmentalists alike are facing anxiety as the shadow of Brexit looms over Britain’s countryside.

Scientists warn of ‘unsafe’ decline in biodiversity
An international team of scientists has issued a warning that biodiversity is dropping below safe levels for the support and wellbeing of human societies.

Outdoor learning ‘boosts children’s development’
Outdoor learning can have a positive impact on children’s development but it needs to be formally adopted by national curricula, a report suggests.

Tim Peake: ‘Brexit will affect science’
British astronaut Tim Peake says that he is concerned about the future of scientific research in Britain, following the vote to leave the European Union.

Government axes climate department
The government has axed the Department of Energy and Climate Change (Decc) in a major departmental shake-up.

Europe backs lunar drilling technology
The European Space Agency has signed a contract to build a prototype drill and chemistry lab that will be flown on a Russian mission to the Moon in 2021.

‘Britain’s Pompeii’ was ‘Bronze Age new build’ site
A Bronze Age village dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii” which yielded an “extraordinary window” on the period burnt down after just months, it emerges.

Predatory dinosaur had tiny arms like Tyrannosaurus rex
A new meat-eating dinosaur has been discovered in Argentina that possessed stubby arms like Tyrannosaurus rex.

‘Three centuries’ to catalogue all Amazon tree species
So many tree species are present in the Amazon basin that it would take 300 years to catalogue them all, scientists say.

Rescued koala’s rare condition
This koala has heterochromia, so its rescuers called it Bowie; David Bowie actually had anisocoria, unequal pupil sizes.

Microscope observes life of the ocean floor
Marine scientists from Israel and California have developed a microscope that for the first time provides a window into the small scale behaviour of marine life.

Solar Impulse: Zero-fuel plane lands in Cairo
The Sun-powered aircraft Solar Impulse finishes its penultimate flight, landing in Egypt’s capital, Cairo, after a 24-hour flight from Seville.

Juno probe returns first in-orbit Jupiter photo
The American space agency’s new Juno mission to Jupiter returns its first imagery since going into orbit around the gas giant last week.

Hidden red hair gene a skin cancer risk
People can carry a “silent” red hair gene that raises their risk of dangerous skin cancer, experts warn.

Flavour changing neutrinos give insight into Big Bang
Neutrinos and their antimatter counterparts have shown a small difference that may explain why the universe did not destroy itself during the Big Bang, scientists have reported at major conference.