The US military lost contact with an unmanned hypersonic aircraft shortly after it was launched atop a rocket in California, defence officials say.

Scientists say they have found the first evidence that giant sea reptiles - which lived at the same time as dinosaurs - gave birth to live young.

An "electronic tattoo" could herald a revolution in medicine and even computer gaming, say US scientists.

Researchers spot the darkest known alien world, TrES-2b - describing it as "blacker than the darkest coal".

The UK is unlikely to see another giant volcanic ash cloud in this lifetime, according to a study of 7,000-year record of ash deposits.

The Perseid meteor shower, one of the highlights in the skygazers' calendar, is set to peak in the early hours of Saturday morning.