The secret behind Mona Lisa's smile

The secret of how Leonardo da Vinci produced the optical effects that created the Mona Lisa's enigmatic smile can be revealed for the first time.

Solar tsunami to hit Earth Tues., Scientists warn

The Earth is in the path to be hit by a wave of violent space weather as early as Tuesday after a massive explosion of the sun that happened few days ago, scientists have warned.

Whaling moratorium talks break down-delegates

Talks on replacing a moratorium on whaling with a controlled cull have hit an impasse and will be suspended for a year, delegates at a meeting of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) said on Wednesday.

Roman Gladiator Remains Found in England

Dozens of headless skeletons excavated from a northern English building site appear to be the remains of Roman gladiators, one of whom had bites from a lion,

Fish may be smarter than we think

Fish are scared of their own reflection - a new finding that suggests their brains are more sophisticated than originally thought, say biologists.

Paris art theft raises questions of museum security

Five masterpieces stolen from the Museum of Modern Art in Paris earlier this week. It was not the first such art theft from a French museum, and it has raised serious security concerns at museums across the nation.

World Cup 2010 star players who will miss out on finals

Ronaldinho, Ruud van Nistelrooy and Karim Benzema have failed to make the cut for their nation's World Cup squads. Here are some others who have been snubbed

1 in 7 Babies Born to Mom 35 or Older

New mothers in the U.S. are increasingly older and better educated than they were two decades ago, according to a study on the state of American motherhood released Thursday by the Pew Research Center.

Picasso painting fetches record $106m at auction

A Pablo Picasso painting has set a new record for the most expensive art work sold at auction, fetching $106m (£70m).

North-south divide in bird numbers

The worst affected area was the South East, where numbers fell by 23 per cent, because of development and intensive farming.

2-million-year-old fossils offer look at human evolution

The middle-aged woman and the young boy, perhaps her son or simply another member of her tribe, were out hunting on the African plains or maybe looking

Plants flower five days earlier for every degree of global warming

In an example of "citizen science", researchers looked at more than 400,000 records collected by Victorian vicars, dog walkers and the viewers of the BBC series Springwatch.

CT scans: How much radiation is too much?

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration began meetings on the risks of CT scans for colon cancer screening as scientists said the agency ignored their concerns.

Tobacco Companies Defend Use of Menthol in Cigarettes

WASHINGTON—Officials from the top makers of menthol cigarettes defended their products Wednesday before a Food and Drug Administration panel that is trying to determine whether the cigarettes' minty additive lures people into smoking and makes it harder for them to quit.

Tanzania, Zambia want one-off ivory sales

A proposal by Tanzania to weaken the 21-year-old ban on ivory sales was rejected by a UN conservation meeting Monday over fears the east African country

Tim Burton talks about Alice in Wonderland and Cannes

Hollywood director Tim Burton stopped off in the City of Lights to talk about his eagerly awaited 3D film adaptation of Lewis Carroll’s classic book,

Breast Cancer Treated by Freezing Tumors

Breast cancer patients may one day be able to opt for a simple outpatient procedure to freeze their tumors as an alternative to surgery. In a small but promising study, researchers were able to kill breast cancer cells by

Study: Chemical in Bananas Could Help Fight HIV

The chemical, a lectin known as Ban Lec, was found in laboratory tests to be as strong as two top HIV drugs. Lectin is found in plants as a sugar binding protein, and can successfully recognize and latch on to foreign invaders in the body. By connecting to the HIV-1 envelope protein that is high in sugar content, gp120, Ban Lec is able to stop HIV from entering the body.

Short days after Chile quake moved earth's axis

The powerful earthquake that shook Chile on Saturday probably shifted the Earth's axis and made days slightly shorter, a NASA scientist said.

A Prophet takes best picture at 35th annual Cesar awards

"A Prophet", a film about prison life directed Jacques Audiard (pictured), won the best film prize Saturday at the 35th annual César awards, along with a string of top awards at the French film industry's highest tribute to cinema.

The Boneyard: world's biggest plane cemetery up close

Dubbed The Boneyard, but officially known as the 309th Aerospace Maintenance and Regeneration Group (AMARG) facility, this sprawling US airbase is reputed to be the world's largest military aircraft cemetery.

Fashion Vets Raise Flags Over Runway Teens

At New York's just-concluded Fashion Week, the talk was as much about the look of the models as the look of the clothes.

Astronauts move old space station docking port

Astronauts did some rearranging at the International Space Station for the second night in a row Monday, moving an old docking adapter into a new position.

Men need better-fitting condoms

Badly fitted condoms do not just reduce the pleasure of sex for men and women - they raise the risks of infection and pregnancy, researchers say.

Unlocking sun's secrets key to Earth's security

Like a local meteorologist, a NASA satellite set to launch this morning from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station hopes to deliver the solar system's weather report.