SCIENCE

Following the confirmation on Monday that the skeletons of King Richard III were those found in 2012 under a former car parking lot, speculations are rife that the next kingly remains to be dug up are that of Alfred the Great.

Researchers from the James Cook University in northern Queensland initially blamed furry coral crabs for the damage on the Great Barrier Reef, but they are now considering tapping the crabs to heal the corals from the white syndrome disease.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 will make the closest flyby with Earth on February 15 but National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) scientists assured the people there is no possibility that the 150-foot-wide space rock will collide with the planet. NASA will reportedly conduct a media conference on February 7 at 11 a.m. PST (2 p.m. EST, 1900 GMT) to discuss and prepare for the asteroid’s flyby.

The month-long smog hanging over China had been blown over to Japan's skies, putting another strain to the relations of the two countries riled by a diplomatic rift over coveted Senkaku Islands.

Gripped by a toxic smog pollution which doesn't seem to abate, Beijing will be barring fireworks on heavily polluted days in the lead up to the Spring Festival holiday on Sunday as part of a package of measures aimed at dealing with air pollution in the capital.

An anonymous Virginia resident witnessed the unidentified flying object floating above sky while conducting a video recording at around 4 p.m. on January 27, 2013. The footage served as evidence on the puzzling UFO sighting which was recorded at the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) witness reporting database.

Adult film actress Coco Brown wants to make history by being the first porn star to travel to outer space. To show how serious is her intention to be known outside baring her body, Ms Brown paid ￡64,000 to be part of a private Dutch space mission in 2014.

In Florida, residents were recently stunned with strange unidentified flying objects in the dark sky hovering over the waters of Cape Coral. The Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), whose mission is to monitor and study UFO activities, was quick to solve the mystery in the area.

The number of hospital admissions related to respiratory complaints has risen in China and may continue to rise as the country's residents continue to experience yet again another toxic smog pollution which is seen could be exacerbated by a prevailing cold front.

Today is not only the first day of February but is also the day set by the UNESCO as deadline for the Australian government to submit its actions as to how it plans to preserve and protect the Great Barrier Reef, or otherwise risk losing its World Heritage status. The Australian federal government had said it was able to meet the deadline, but the question still floats - were its submitted to do actions really enough to save and salvage the great reef?

With Iran having hurtled into space its first space monkey, South Korea announcing the satellite it blasted on Wednesday is now successfully transmitting data and North Korea which seven weeks ago likewise did the same, it is no wonder that Asia is now slowly transforming to become the world's epicentre of space competition.

“Alien base on the moon” sounds like an element of science fiction. But to UFO watchers and people bent on presenting evidence of extraterrestrial life, proof is everywhere. Consider a man’s insight to an old lunar photo from NASA’s Apollo Image Atlas.

It won't be long before fresh air starts getting to be a luxury item in China. In fact, a Chinese entrepreneur had already thought of canning fresh air, similar to sodas in cans, and selling them to his fellowmen as heavy smog again griped China for the second time this month.

Mutual UFO Network (MUFON) has been receiving phone calls from startled residents of Cotulla, Texas who reported numerous UFO sightings in the area. The organization claims that their experts can solve the mystery surrounding the unidentified flying objects recently caught on camera.

Asteroid 2012 DA14 will fly by Earth on Feb. 15 in a "record-setting close approach," just 17,200 miles above the planet's surface, says NASA. The report came barely three weeks after another near-Earth asteroid had whizzed past the planet.

UFO sightings particularly in Cotulla prompted Texas-based KENS5 news channel to delve a bit deeper into witness reports, particularly the strange report from Eagle Ford oil hot spot. The site has been labeled the "mother ship of UFO sightings."

While several Australian states are now suffering from too much water the second year in a row, with just four deaths so far, the inundations are still mild compared to flooding that hit other nations the past few decades or centuries.

Torrential rains peaked at 10.7 meters in Maryborough, prompting major floods and evacuation in the northern area of Australia.

Besides destroying homes and placing lives of residents at risk, the flood water that has inundated New South Wales and Queensland is also threatening the two states' major source of income - coal.

Harvard geneticist George Church clarified on Monday reports that he is seeking an adventurous woman willing to allow science the use of her womb to give birth to a Neanderthal child from ancient DNA.

Rainfall poured down by ex-tropical cyclone Oswald has brought flowing to the eastern state of Queensland, Australia, where so far 20 have been rescued.

The year 2013 could be marked by sightings of two bright comets, one of which could be the brightest comet sighting in history. Astronomers, however, are careful not to spark too much anticipation because comets can be unpredictable. Here are five things to know from two comets observers could see this year until 2014.

Bob, the American software programmer who outsourced his tasks to Chinese developers and instead spent time watching feline videos, would surely disagree with a proposal by Gareth Morgan, a New Zealand economist. And so would other cat lovers too because Mr Morgan, in his Web site (http://garethsworld.com/catstogo/), suggested the gradual extinction of the country's cat population because of the threat the animals cause to native bird species.

Hard-working scientists made huge developments in the past ten years as they identify and track near-Earth asteroids. These scientific space developments have urged the new company, Deep Space Industries (DSI), to become the very first in executing the Asteroid Mining Mission on 2015.

Fifteen minutes of fame awaits an adventurous woman willing to lend her womb for scientific purposes. George Church, a genetics professor at Harvard School of Medicine, is seeking for that woman to create the first Neanderthal baby from DNA extracted from ancient fossils.

Two recent reports, released separately, forecast higher demand for coal in the next five years and its impact in terms of additional carbon dioxide releases.

A metal detail found by a man in Russia has reportedly been studied and found to be 300 million years old. Findings prompted speculations that the relic could have been left behind by aliens or extraterrestrials.

Eighth grade student Thidarat Boonlee created internet buzz with her photograph of an unidentified flying object (UFO) hovering over Sawang Dindaeng School in Sakon Nakhon, Thailand. The photograph was taken during the outdoor activities of the school in celebration of their Sports Day last December 25.

In the past two weeks, a man from Dunedoo, New South Wales has been spotting over 50 unidentified flying objects (UFOs) across the night sky. The man, who wishes to remain anonymous, contacted an expert to observe the weird UFO activity in the area.