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State leaders given league table of environmental performance.

Archaeologists have failed to learn the secrets of Mexico's largest ancient monument. Particle physicists might save the day, says Michael Hopkin.

This creature was way out in front.

Cockatiels demonstrate recipe for a happy union.

Join Michael Hopkin at the American Association for the Advancement of Science's yearly jamboree, where members of the world's biggest science society tackle weighty (and not-so-weighty) matters in the worlds of science, technology and medicine.

Do clinical trials actually benefit the volunteers who take part? Is scientific research used as a tool by political spin doctors? And just how impossibly glamorous is the life of a science journalist? All of these questions and more will be posed at the BA Festival of Science, an annual fixture in the British scientific calendar that features exhibitions, lectures and public debates, and aims to engage the public with science. In the week of 6 September, Michael Hopkin brings you updates on the biggest talking-points from Exeter, UK.

Michael Hopkin travels to Canada - home of spectacular wilderness and wildlife - to discover the state of the world?s ecosystems, and hear about how they can be safeguarded for the future.

Michael Hopkin finds out about this week's earthquake, which spurred waves that killed more than 500 people in Java, Indonesia.

Researchers to climb Everest for a better understanding of acclimatization.

Wooden weapons are a first in animal kingdom.

The galectin family of secreted lectins are important regulators of immune cell function; however, their role in B cell responses is poorly understood. Here, the authors identify IgM-BCR as a ligand for galectin-9. In resting naive cells, they show that galectin-9 mediates a close association between IgM and CD22.

Gene silencers get something to shout about.

The biggest project in the history of ecology is nearing its dawn. Can its organizers pull off the seemingly impossible and unite a disparate field behind its vision to observe the ecosystems of the United States? Michael Hopkin reports.

Proponents of animal testing out in force for first time at rally

Changes in tree communities underline humans' pervasive influence.

Ecologists paid by industry to assess the effects of businesses on the environment are often accused of selling their souls. But isn't scientific expertise exactly what is needed? Michael Hopkin investigates.

Can primate studies really tell us anything useful about child abuse in human families? Michael Hopkin thinks not, and says we should spare the monkeys the pain.

The great apes? chance for survival in the wild is still slender.

Many of us who write on scientific issues have our work distorted by others, but that doesn't mean we should retract our words, says Michael Hopkin.

Electrode cap allows users to think themselves along a virtual street.

A project that gives Congolese pygmies new ways to tell logging companies about the trees that are important to them, and their own radio station to discuss community issues, is really putting their interests on the map, says Michael Hopkin.

Zambia, with help from partners around the world, is stepping up its battle against malaria. Michael Hopkin reports from the rural front line.

Homo erectus had an unexpected neighbour, and a surprising lifestyle too.

Increased drought, flood and disease 'will hit poorest hardest'.

Natural bone damage highlights need to protect whales from military sonar.

Politicians in the United Kingdom and United States have launched efforts to extend daylight-saving measures — hoping to save lives, cut power use and combat carbon emissions. But energy experts say that it's not that easy. Michael Hopkin reports.

Attention is now turning to the developing world, where those least equipped to handle it will bear the brunt of global warming. Michael Hopkin reports.

Monsoon records link demise of the Tang in China and Maya in Mexico.

Killer bug could breed inside microscopic water-borne organisms.

Powerful yet gentle compound excels at delicate reactions.

Filtration technique could make transfusions safer, its inventors say.

Daylight-saving measure fails to gain enough support.

Close ally of Tony Blair unexpectedly leaves post.

The ancestor of today's crocodiles was probably Australian.

Microscopic particles would take drugs to where the body needs them.

Boosting badger movements also boosts infection risk, study finds.

Sexy pictures and lacy underwear take men's minds off getting a good deal.

Expert says current anti-pollution measures are not good enough.

Legal first means girl could one day give birth to her own half-sibling.

Policy experts call for measures to go even further.

Researchers identify likely scenes of tomorrow's conservation battles.

Meteorologists unsure how hard the storm will re-strike.

Evolution of species is more leisurely in the tropics.

Fossil hunters find the first Jurassic specimen of this fearsome family.

Man who 'awoke' after 19 years shows how nerve cells can regrow.

Score once and you're more likely to score again, say statisticians.