BBC

From the first direct evidence for black holes, to a rocky planet circling a neighbouring star, 2016 was packed with amazing science stories.

Japan scraps a 22-year-old experimental nuclear reactor that has cost $9bn but barely ever worked.

Baby gorilla Afia born in a rare emergency caesarean section cuddles up to her surrogate mother.

Barack Obama has permanently banned offshore drilling in the "vast majority" of northern US waters.

Direct recordings have revealed what happens in our brains as we make sense of speech in a noisy environment, scientists say.

Uncertainty over the nature of the UK's future relationship with the EU is having a "corrosive" effect on science.

Surgeons describe a new treatment for early stage prostate cancer as "truly transformative".

Scientists at Cern have found a new way to unlock the secrets of antimatter.

A deep sea octopod, dubbed Casper after the film ghost, may be at risk from mining, scientists say.

Scientists say Earth's outer core contains a kind of "jet stream" - a fast-flowing river of liquid iron that is surging westwards under Alaska and Siberia.

Prehistoric pottery shows plants and grains were cooked as early as 10,000 years ago.

British-Chinese cameraman Jacky Poon is one of a few professionals documenting endangered animals in China.

An app that turns a smartphone into an earthquake detector helps citizens monitor tremors.

The UK fishing industry will need continued access to EU markets after Brexit, a House of Lords report warns.

Mexican authorities try to save the world's smallest porpoise by seizing illegal fishing nets.

A global map of areas without roads shows large tracts of wilderness remain unprotected.

Why scientists are weighing the rainforests with lasers.

European scientists have flown instruments back and forth across the South Pole to map its hidden depths.

The Atacama Desert - the driest desert on Earth - may once have had lakes and wetlands, scientists report.

Limiting access to federal research would do an "enormous disservice" to the US and the world according to former Nasa chief scientist.