The UK-based Cloud Appreciation Society (CAS) is lobbying for the cloud (pictured in Perthshire, Scotland) to be formally recognised by the World Meteorological Organisation and be included in the International Cloud Atlas, after it was first spotted in Iowa in 2006. If they are successful it will be the first time a new cloud type has been added since 1951. ...read
Science big picture gallery
A study of French cave art - in which animals appear to have multiple limbs, heads and tails - has found the paintings are primitive attempts at animation.
Riddle of the 3,000- year-old British mummies made up of the bodies of DIFFERENT people
The skeletons excavated in Cladh Hallan are said to be the first evidence that Britons preserved their dead using mummification. But the identities of the oldest mummies ever found in Britain remain shrouded in mystery as scientists have gruesomely discovered they were made from body parts of several different people.
- A night at the pictures, caveman style: Prehistoric artists 'used cartoon-like techniques to make their paintings move'
- Starlight from eight BILLION years ago: First images received from the world's most powerful digital camera
- Has anyone seen my Mojo? Hunt for toy spaceman last seen 20 MILES above Earth on a weather balloon
- Too-wit too-who are you? New species of 'owl faced' monkey discovered - after its unique bright blue bottom was spotted
- Bit of a grey area: Undulatus asperatus could be the first new cloud to be officially recognised for 61 years
- Getting a final polish: The massive mirrors which will make up Nasa's latest space telescope when Hubble retires in 2018
- Hackers claim they cracked iPhone 5 just EIGHT HOURS after its release
- Google’s revenge: Search giant plans map app for iPhone after being dumped from device and replaced with Apple’s own flop
- Facebook-stalking your ex stops your broken heart from mending (and a third of us do it)
- Humans began eating plants 180,000 years ago - allowing us to leave the fish-filled lakes and migrate across Africa
- Curiosity rover captures incredible snap of Martian moon moving across the sun creating a mini-eclipse
- Britain's two oldest mummies preserved for 3,000 years 'were made up from remains of several different people'
- Violent images in movies, TV or computer games CAN act as triggers for aggression, says new report
- The speech jammer, and why leaning left can make the Eiffel tower look smaller: Annual Ig Nobel awards for weird and wonderful discoveries announced
- The shower that washes your clothes at the same time (the catch? It uses your grey-water to clean your undies)
- Cancer row over GM foods as French study claims it did THIS to rats... and can cause organ damage and early death in humans
- Scientists create first 'atlas of the brain' - and release it online so researchers across the world can unlock our mind's secrets
- Super-earth close to red dwarf star Gliese 163 'top contender' for supporting life
- How all men really are trainspotters: Researchers say women are best at recognising animals, but men excel at spotting vehicles
- The leather jacket even vegetarians can wear: PayPal billionaire backs firm promising to grow leather in the lab
- Hackers claim they cracked iPhone 5 just EIGHT HOURS after its release
- A night at the pictures, caveman style: Prehistoric artists 'used cartoon-like techniques to make their paintings move'
- Google’s revenge: Search giant plans map app for iPhone after being dumped from device and replaced with Apple’s own flop
- Genetic study challenges theory that modern humans came from just one place in Africa
- Curiosity rover captures incredible snap of Martian moon moving across the sun creating a mini-eclipse
- What do the most dedicated fans do as soon as they get their iPhone 5? Why, tear it to pieces of course
- I've got one! Jubilant Apple fans around the world finally get their hands on the iPhone 5 - so what IS all the fuss about?
- The speech jammer, and why leaning left can make the Eiffel tower look smaller: Annual Ig Nobel awards for weird and wonderful discoveries announced
- Bet Apple wish they could turn the clock back: Swiss firm accuses iPhone 5 of copying their iconic face design
- Getting a final polish: The massive mirrors which will make up Nasa's latest space telescope when Hubble retires in 2018
- Humans began eating plants 180,000 years ago - allowing us to leave the fish-filled lakes and migrate across Africa
- She won't forget about this in a hurry: Blind elephant has huge cataract operation to bring back her sight
- How do cats earn their stripes? It's all in the DNA, as scientists find gene which could solve mystery of animal coat patterns
- Pyramids on Mars? Curiosity discovers mysterious rock on the red planet (and Nasa name it Jake after late scientist)
- The fear factor: Researchers discovery technique to erase short newly formed memories
- As the iPhone 5 is released... How the first 'mobile phone' was launched in 1922 - and it even had a rudimentary form of iTunes
- From the coffee machine that can recognise its owner to the foam maker that can replicate every flavour, the gadgets that will change the kitchen forever
- MOST READ IN DETAIL
GAME REVIEWS
THIS WEEK'S TOP TEN VIDEO GAMES
The ten best-selling titles of the week, according to Blockbuster.co.uk
GADGET REVIEWS
SMARTPHONES? IT'S YOUR CALL
The ultimate non-iPhone smartphone guide...
Talk time: 9.5hr (7hr playback, 55hr music)
Spec: 3.7in (800x480 pixels) AMOLED screen, 16GB, 1.4GHz Windows Mango, 8MP camera, 720p HD video
Verdict: This combination works wonderfully. It's a pleasure to use and Nokia's Drive GPS app is impressive. We've rated these iPhone alternatives from Ace down to Five - and the Nokia is at the head of the pack.
Talk time: 8.5hr
Spec: Android Ice Cream Sandwich OS, 1.2GHz dual-core processor, 4.65in (720x1,280) AMOLED screen, 5MP camera, 1080p video, 16GB memory
Verdict: It's got a beautiful screen, intuitive operating system and cool features like face-recognition security, but battery life doesn't quite match the hype.
Talk time: 6hr 50min
Spec: Windows Phone 7.5 Mango, 1.5GHz, 4.7in (480x800) screen, 16GB, 8MP camera, 720p HD video
Verdict: The Titan is slim, light and has the largest screen on any Windows device. Shame they didn't give it better screen resolution.
Talk time: 4hr
Spec: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 1 GHz, 4.3in (800x480) screen, 8MP camera, 1080p HD video, 8GB memory
Verdict: The sharp lines and thin bezel give a professional look while the monochrome interface screams class. One for the fashionistas.
Talk time: 5hr 20min
Spec: BlackBerry 7 OS, 1 GHz, 2.45in (480x360) screen, 5MP camera, VGA video, 8GB memory
Verdict: Beautifully made and with a battery life most handsets would kill for, but the OS is limiting and even with its touch screen it can't compete.
Talk time: 7hr 35min
Spec: Android 2.3.4 Gingerbread, 1.4GHz, 4.2in (854x480) screen, 1GB internal, 8GB MicroSD memory (included), 8.1MP camera, 720p HD video
Verdict: Motorola take note, this is how you do slim and sexy. The camera is let down by a poor menu and awful shutter button, but Sony's social media widget 'Timescale' is a time-saving stroke of genius.
Talk time: 10hr
Spec: Android 2.3.5 Gingerbread, dual-core 1.2 GHz processor, 4.3in Super AMOLED (540x960) screen, 8MP camera, Full HD video, 16GB
Verdict: Light and impossibly thin, but even with its rigid Kevlar frame it feels limp and lopsided in the hand. Shame, as the screen is exceptional and the interface is bursting with neat tricks including the ability to resize the icons you use most.
Talk time: 4hr 30min
Spec: Android 2.3 Gingerbread, 800MHz processor, 3.5in (800x480) screen, 5MP camera, 512 MB internal memory, 2GB microSD card (included)
Verdict: Never going to induce envy but if you want smartphone functionality without budget busting it's hard to fault. Navigation is intuitive; battery life excellent.
Talk time: 4hr
Spec: Android 2.3 Gingerbread OS, 3.5in (800x480) screen, 5MP camera, 800MHz processor, 512MB memory, 2GB microUSB card, GPS
Verdict: The Vivacity is essentially the San Francisco II with iPhone looks, and while it lacks the fluidity of its more expensive cousins, you can get app-happy on a budget.
Talk time: 4hr 30min
Spec: Android 2.2 Froyo, 2.8in (240x320) screen, 2MP camera, 130MB memory, 2GB microSD card
Verdict: It might be cheap, small and pocketable but as a smartphone it's cramped, slow and the minuscule memory limits the number of apps.
She won't forget that in a hurry: Elephant rubs her eye in disbelief after cataract op to restore her sight
Elephants are the largest creatures on the surface of their planet, so naturally they have an eyeball to suit. But seeing one close-up is certainly an intriguing sight - and thanks to surgeons at Paignton Zoo, Devon, this elephant will also be able to see things close up after a hopefully-successful cataract operation today.
BMWs made before September 2011 at risk of theft from £18 cloned key-fobs (but company says it is 'not legally obliged to help out')
All around the world... and beyond
British photographers Fiona Rogers and Anup Shah captured apes in Indonesia and Borneo - and highlighted how human our evolutionary cousins are.
What do the most dedicated fans do as soon as they get their iPhone 5? Why, tear it to pieces of course
- I've got one! Jubilant Apple fans around the world finally get their hands on the iPhone 5
- Police hunt for iPhone 5 thief who stole 250 of the phones before they even went on sale
This is standard practice for the iFixit team, who always deconstruct products to figure out the value and provenance of the components inside. The insides of a phone can be quite revealing to tech fans. You can see if corners have been shaved, or no expense spared on the components inside.