This content is from the BBC News website
Greatest free-kick 'was no fluke'Physicists explain one of football's most spectacular free-kicks, showing that Roberto Carlos's 1997 "impossible goal" was not a fluke.'Lights out' help migratory birdsA growing number of New York sky-scrapers switch off their lights at night to help reduce the number of migratory birds hitting the buildings.Ants protect trees from elephantsA species of acacia tree found in Eastern Africa seems to be protected from elephant damage - by the ants that live on it.Weather clash caused snowy winterThe collision of two major weather events can explain unusually large snowfall in the US and Northern Europe, researchers say.Worm brain clue to evolutionResearchers map the nervous system of worms to try and understand how the human cerebral cortex evolved.Ancient reef uncovered in PacificAn ancient reef may provide scientists with clues about what will happen to coral when sea temperatures rise.Floods swamp south Sudan regionSome 57,000 people have been forced from their homes because of dramatic floods in south-western Sudan over the past month, officials say.Rare Roman lantern found in fieldA metal detecting enthusiast finds what is believed to be the only intact Roman lantern made out of bronze ever discovered in Britain.Clue to ancient Antarctic seawayScientists have found evidence for an ancient sea passage linking currently isolated areas of Antarctica.US East Coast on hurricane alertAreas along the US East Coast declare states of emergency as Hurricane Earl churns towards the region, forecast to brush land on Thursday night.Big rocket booster in second testA further test ignition takes place on the giant booster intended to power Nasa's next big rocket.Earthquake recorded in North SeaAn earthquake is recorded in the North Sea about 155 miles east of Aberdeen.Old star wallows in 'steam bath'Europe's Herschel space telescope spies an aging star that has surrounded itself in hot water vapour.Memristor revolution backed by HPA potentially revolutionary circuit component, once a laboratory curiosity, is to be mass-produced for the first time.Creation was Godless says HawkingThere is no place for God in theories on the creation of the Universe, Professor Stephen Hawking concludes in a new book.Stone Age funeral feast unearthedThe remains of a huge 12,000 year old feast have been found in a cave in Northern Israel.Killer space blast 'off the hook'The theory that the great beasts living in North America 13,000 years ago were killed off by a space impact can now be discounted, a new study claims.Beefy dino sported fearsome clawsFossils of a new type of dinosaur, which looks like a beefy version of the predatory Velociraptor, have been unearthed in Romania.Facial cancer hits Tasmanian devil CedricA Tasmanian Devil who experts hoped was immune to a facial cancer that threatens the marsupial species is euthanised after developing tumours.Double space impact 'killed dinosaurs'The dinosaurs were wiped out by at least two space impacts rather than a single strike, say scientists.Glass of milk stops garlic breathDrinking a glass of milk can stop garlic breath, scientists discover.Stricter checks for climate bodyThe UN's climate science body needs stricter checks to prevent damage to its credibility, an independent review concludes.UK biofuels 'fail on green goals'The vast majority of biofuels sold on UK forecourts are imported and do not conform to environmental standards, figures show.Wheat genome boost to food supplyThe draft sequences of the wheat genome released by UK scientists may prove to be a vital contribution to the efforts of securing global food supply.Plants send SOS signal to insectsPlants are able to summon insects to their aid to avoid being eaten by caterpillars, scientists discover.Brazil green light for Amazon damBrazil's government approves the controversial construction on a tributary of the Amazon of the world's third biggest hydroelectric dam.Copycat octopus impersonates fishDNA study of the Indonesian mimic octopus reveals how its ability to impersonate other sea life evolved.Gorillas 'play tag like humans'Great apes play tag in similar way to humans, an international team of scientists finds.Rare tree flowers after 23 yearsA rare Chinese tree has flowered for the first time in 23 years at Kew's country estate in West Sussex.Nasa booster rocket passes testOne of the giant booster rockets intended to power the first stage of flight on Nasa's next rocket has been tested in the US.GM potatoes beating killer blightResearchers working on trials of genetically modified crops in Norfolk have grown potatoes which resist disease.Free kick study boost for footballersDr Andy Harland of Loughborough University analyses what new free-kick trajectory findings mean for footballers.Making money from Peruvian bird pooAn island off Peru is making money from selling bird poo to use as organic fertiliser.Video reveals Titanic's conditionNew pictures have emerged of the shipwreck of the Titanic, almost 25 years since it was first discovered.Fishermen welcome new sole quotaFishermen from Suffolk and Essex have welcomed a new quota agreement which allows smaller boats to start catching sole again.Cairo zoo puts lions on the pillVets at Cairo's Giza Zoo are experimenting with the human birth control pill in an attempt to slow their rapidly expanding population of lions.Darwin's secretWhy Darwin's little-known "project" in the South Atlantic is still causing debate todayHow flat is flat?Surveying the world's first 1,000mph race trackHarrabin's NotesWhere now for the UN's climate science body?Go with the flowSwarms of turbines could tap energy from Gulf Stream
