A chimpanzee can recognise distorted words spoken by a computer, suggesting apes are more capable of perceiving speech than previously thought.

A female grizzly bear kills a man in the US hiking with his wife in Yellowstone National Park after the couple apparently surprised the bear and its cubs.

The Japanese government's plan to hold further safety tests on nuclear plants before reopening them is denounced by local officials and critics.

Global investment in green energy grows by more than 30% during 2010 to reach a record US$ 211bn, a UN study reports.

The maternal ancestors of modern polar bears were from Ireland, according to a DNA study of ancient brown bear bones.

Surgeons in Sweden have carried out the world's first synthetic organ transplant, using an artificial windpipe coated in stem cells.

The James Webb Space Telescope remains central to Nasa's mission, its deputy chief says, despite calls to scrap the project.