Netcraft says its trawling of the web could spot dubious sites before they trick customers into handing over financial details

After a series of conflicting test results, the suspected case is confirmed - but how the man got the virus remains a mystery

The average sperm count of men may have fallen by as much as 29 per cent over the past 12 years, finds the large study

Panoramic pictures of the NASA rover's landing site are now flowing in, allowing mission managers to start identifying targets for exploration

NASA's robotic explorer lands safely on an ancient lakebed, having remained in contact with mission control all the way down

NASA's Stardust mission emerges from its close encounter with Comet Wild 2 with the first ever samples of comet dust

The 30,000-year-old Arctic settlement reveals humans occupied lands near the Bering land bridge much earlier than thought

The comet-chasing craft Stardust is about to reach its target, as NASA's Mars rover approaches Mars

A ring-shaped band of stars circling the core of our galaxy meets the basic physical requirements to support complex life

The most popular stories as clicked on by readers included breakthroughs in physics, revelations about hiccups and a horrific venereal disease

A bogus email tricks recipients into opening an attachment for security reasons, but this may make their computers vulnerable

The US government declares infirm cows will not enter the human food supplies, after finding its first cow with BSE

Tests on the first suspected case of SARS in China since the epidemic ended are giving conflicting lab results

Hopes of finding survivors are fading, as attention turns to providing aid and preventing disease outbreaks

A sixth attempt to contact the wayward Mars probe has failed - it may have suffered communication problems or fallen in a crater

Computer viruses ran riot and the music industry took file-sharers to court, but robots and futuristic aircraft also made headlines

SARS rampaged across the world, super-lethal viruses were created, fertility doctors sparked outrage, while stem cell research offered hope

A safe landing on Mars by the British probe appears unlikely, as the lander misses its second opportunity to make contact

Mission managers for the Mars lander have not received its first signal, but refuse to give up hope

Disaster struck with the explosion of space shuttle Columbia, but the year got better with the sharpest map of the infant universe, evidence for dark energy and missions to Mars underway

A court has ruled that the creator of a popular Chinese computer game must return virtual belongings to a player whose account was looted

At least three people have been crushed in the largest earthquake to shake California in four years

Grains of soot darkening snow and ice may be twice as bad as carbon dioxide for global warming, says a new study

Living with their partner is good for men's mental health, but marriage is better for women's wellbeing

The program will let PC users search for aliens, predict climate change and perform biological research - all at the same time

Intel has taken the wraps off a secret technique it is using to increase the speed of its Pentium and Centrino chips

The man leading the US search for weapons of mass destruction is to resign, say reports - analysts argue it signals the end of a major hunt

The Mars lander gently spun away from Mars Express, to begin its solo voyage towards a touchdown on Christmas Day

Going for a spin in a silver vehicle is much safer than any other colour of car - black, brown and green cars are the most dangerous

NASA's final Great Observatory returns its first pictures from orbit, lifting the veil of dust that cloaks many astronomical objects

Their survival is being endangered by building in southern Norway - Canadian and Russian herds may soon face a similar threat