No 2008 record for Arctic sea ice

Final plea on Earth observation
Leading Earth observation scientists urge Gordon Brown to back Europe's environmental monitoring project, GMES.

Rare penguin took over from rival
Human arrival in New Zealand led to the extinction of one penguin species to the advantage of another, scientists suggest.

New radar helps predict rainfall
A team of Oxfordshire scientists develop new technology which will help forecast rain more accurately.

Spiders' secrets unwoven at Isis
Their silk is stronger than steel, so how do spiders spin it? The new Isis 2 target station will help scientists solve the riddle.

'Super-microscope' opens at Isis
A new £200m neutron source at Isis, Oxfordshire, will allow scientists to probe matter at the atomic level.