BBC

From tractor beams to warp drive, sci-fi has inspired serious real-life research.

Astronaut Peggy Whitson has lifted off into space for her third mission to the International Space Station.

UK scientists are coming up with strategies to deal with the prospect of leaving the EU.

Nasa astronaut Peggy Whitson, 56, breaks more records as she heads to the ISS for the third time.

Delegates from more than 190 countries meeting in Marrakech issue a united call for action on climate change.

A genetic technique makes plants produce more food from sunlight - a key step in feeding the growing global population, scientists say.

A genetic technique makes plants produce more food from sunlight - a key step in feeding the growing global population, scientists say.

The asteroid impact that wiped out the dinosaurs moved rock huge distances as it dug out a crater in what is now the Gulf of Mexico, scientists say.

Scientific analysis of one of the world's oldest cobs of corn shows how maize became one of our most popular cereals.

Astronomers claim to have discovered the roundest object ever measured in nature.

Private rocket firm SpaceX applies for US government approval for a large network of internet satellites.

A lump of faeces stored in the back of a Danish museum is traced back to a 17th-Century bishop.

The UK is poised to ratify the world's first comprehensive agreement on tackling climate change.

With an initial service soon to go live, Europe is extending its Galileo satellite-navigation system by putting up another four spacecraft.

One of the UK's most endangered songbirds is no longer on the brink of extinction, the RSPB says.

A third structure is found within the famous Kukulkan pyramid in eastern Mexico, experts say.

Pluto may harbour a slushy water ocean beneath its most prominent surface feature, known as the "heart".

Sampling DNA from seawater may be one way to check up on ocean life, according to research.

New research indicates that for brain connections to be properly formed in babies' brains, they need to feel safe, secure and loved.

The US secretary of state John Kerry says that the overwhelming majority of US citizens support the US taking action on climate change.