By Pallab Ghosh Science correspondent Chinese researchers have unveiled an ancient skull that could belong to a completely new species of human. The team has claimed it is our closest evolutionary relative among known species of ancient human, such as Neanderthals and Homo erectus. Nicknamed “Dragon Man”, the specimen represents a human group that lived in […]
By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent China has launched three astronauts into orbit to begin occupation of the country’s new space station. The three men – Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo – are to spend three months aboard the Tianhe module some 380km (236 miles) above the Earth. It will be China’s longest […]
Jonathan Amos Science correspondent @BBCAmoson Twitter Nature often takes us by surprise. Its power is all too frequently underestimated, with catastrophic consequences. So it was with the Chamoli disaster back in February, when the flank of a Himalayan mountain failed and fell into the valley below. It set in train a cascade of debris that claimed over […]
By Jonathan Amos BBC Science Correspondent Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic space plane has conducted the first of three key test flights that should enable it to enter commercial service. The Unity vehicle, with pilots Dave Mackay and CJ Sturckow at the controls, powered to a height of 89km (55 miles), and then glided back […]
