A probe designed to delve into the "Big Bang" that created the cosmos has uncovered an enigmatic fog of microwave radiation in the center of our galaxy, European astronomers reported on Monday.

Planck, a billion-dollar European space telescope launched in May 2009, found "a mysterious haze of microwaves that presently defies explanation" during a scan of the center of the Milky Way, the European Space Agency (ESA) said.

Sharks killed twice as many swimmers and surfers last year than in 2010, with the increase due largely to a growth in tourism and changing shark patterns due to global warming.

There were 12 deaths in 46 shark attacks in 2011, a mortality rate of more than 25 percent compared to an average of under seven percent in the last 10 years, according to statistics from the University of Florida.

Europe on Monday successfully launched a new lightweight rocket carrying a test payload, culminating a more than 12-year quest to master the entire range of space launchers.

Cheers, tears of relief and even a soccer-style chant greeted the maiden flight of Vega, a billion-dollar bid for a stake in the market to launch small satellites.

Once billed as a miraculous material, asbestos has turned into a nightmare for countries that used it for decades, with more workers across the world falling ill because of its cancer-causing properties.

Here are some facts about the material:

Police investigating a report of a body being dumped in a river in France's Loire region made an unusual discovery on Monday -- a 2.2 meter (7.2 foot) catfish wrapped in a sheet.

A police spokesman told AFP a local resident in the village of Unieux in south-central France called police to report having seen several people dump a body wrapped in a sheet in the Loire River on Thursday.

Tests involving chickens have raised questions about the impact on health from engineered nano-particles, the ultra-fine grains commonly used in drugs and processed foods, scientists said on Sunday.

Chickens exposed to high oral doses of polystyrene particles 50 nanometers (50 billionths of a meter) across absorbed less iron in their diet, according to their study.

The World Health Organization said Friday it will meet next week to determine whether scientists can publish research on a bird flu virus that may be easily passed among humans.

The two-day discussion will relate to research on a mutation of the H5N1 virus that international scientists halted on January 20 citing fears of the devastation it could wreak were it to escape the laboratory.

A purple squirrel captured by an American couple had the Internet buzzing Friday over how the critter came by his unusual color -- a question that is driving many people nuts.

"We have no idea whatsoever. It's really purple. People think we dyed it, but honestly, we just found it and it was purple," said Percy Emert, who found the animal with his wife Connie.

The surface waters of the Danube River froze completely on Saturday near the port of Silistra, the first time in 20 years that Europe's busiest waterway froze in Bulgaria, said the Danube exploration agency.

The Danube was last totally sealed by ice in Bulgaria in the winter of 1984-1985, they said.

A Japanese-developed robot that mimics the movements of its human controller is bringing the Hollywood blockbuster "Avatar" one step closer to reality.

Users of the TELESAR V don special equipment that allows them not only to direct the actions of a remote machine, but also to see, hear and feel the same things as their doppelganger android.