A government plan to shoot up to 184 wolves from a helicopter to reduce their population and save caribou herds in western Canada drew sharp criticism from conservation groups Friday.

British Columbia said the killings are needed to save herds in the South Selkirk Mountains and South Peace regions of the province from possible extinction due to wolf predation.

Smoke rises from a volcano some 65 km south-west of the South Pacific nation Tonga's capital Nuku'alofa, as seen in this image from New Zealand's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, released on January 15, 2015View Photo

Smoke rises from a volcano some 65 km south-west of the South Pacific nation Tonga's …

SpaceX has released dramatic footage of its booster rocket trying to land on a floating ocean barge after a launch — an unprecedented attempt that ended in a fiery explosion.

The video released Friday shows the 14-story rocket hitting the football field-sized barge at an angle, lighting up the night sky off the Florida coast.

A British-built space probe that disappeared without trace more than a decade ago has been spotted on the surface of Mars, the UK Space Agency said on Friday.

The Beagle 2 lander "has been found partially deployed on the surface of the planet, ending the mystery of what happened to the mission," the UK Space Agency said in a statement.

A new species of legless amphibian resembling a giant earthworm or a snake has been discovered in a remote but threatened area of Cambodian rainforest, conservationists said on Friday.

The grey-brown creature -- Ichthyophis cardamomensis -- was found in Cambodia's southwest Cardamom Mountains, an area under threat from habitat loss, according to Fauna and Flora International (FFI).

Japanese scientists say they are on their way to being able to create custom-made skin, bone and joints using a 3D printer.

Several groups of researchers around the world have developed small masses of tissue for implants, but now they are looking to take the next step and make them functional.

Pollution levels soared in Beijing on Thursday to readings more than 20 times WHO recommended limits, as an annual bout of intense smog returned to haunt the Chinese capital despite government vows to address the plague.

Levels of PM2.5 particulates -- the smallest and most dangerous, with a diameter small enough to deeply penetrate the lungs -- were recorded at 568 micrograms per cubic metre by the U.S. embassy during the afternoon.

Scientists are unraveling a mystery behind a fairly common disease that leads to heart failure: Why do some people with a key mutated gene fall ill while others stay healthy?

Researchers tested more than 5,200 people to tease apart when mutations really are harmful or are just bystanders. The work could help in screening families prone to heart failure but also has broader implications as more people undergo genetic tests that can turn up unnecessarily worrying results.

Astronauts at the International Space Station rushed to take shelter Wednesday after a system failure signaled a possible ammonia leak, but NASA said later it was likely a false alarm.

The six-member crew donned emergency masks and hurried to the Russian side of the orbiting lab two separate times after the problem was noticed at around 4 am (0900 GMT).

France should build a new generation of nuclear reactors to replace its ageing power stations that provide a majority of the country's electricity, the energy and environment minister said Tuesday.

Despite French firms being world leaders in nuclear energy, the country's Socialist government has been keen on ending France's status as the world's most nuclear-dependent country.