Where do all those numbers in the newspapers come from? Here's a funny thing. The Commons committee on science and technology is taking evidence on "scientific developments relating to the Abortion Act 1967".

Between 1968 and 1972, nine American spacecraft travelled to the moon, and 12 men walked upon its surface. This documentary brings together surviving crew members from every single Apollo mission, and allows them to tell their story in their own words. In this gallery, we single out the most important mission of all - Apollo 11, which landed the first men on the moon.

Response: Stirring up fears about scientific research will make our shortage of scientists worse, says Michael Rennie.

· UN report bemoans lack of urgency by governments· Five-year study involved more than 1,400 scientists

Scientists have identified a brain region that is essential for experiencing drug cravings.

As a way of meeting your maker, this one at least had the benefit of originality. On October 15 1972, a farmer in Trujillo, Venezuela, heard a sonic boom in the sky. The next day he discovered a cow lying dead in the field, its neck and shoulder pulverised. The bemused farmer found a boulder lying nearby, which he took away to use as a doorstep.

The DNA pioneer James Watson retired yesterday from his post as chancellor of Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York state.

Biofuel plantations, logging and hunting are stealing habitats from our closest relatives, says report.

· Beijing to put astronaut on moon by 2020 · Military implications of mission concern US

A new documentary tells the story of the Apollo moon landings in unprecedented detail. Sarfraz Manzoor hears how its makers tracked down the surviving astronauts.

The public health minister defended the 24-week limit for abortions in front of a committee of MPs yesterday.

The return to GMT this Sunday may help us get back in tune with the natural rhythm of night and day, according to research by German academics.

· IVM uses fewer drugs and is cheaper than IVF · Five pregnancies achieved with 'safer' technique

U.S. space shuttle Discovery blasts off from Cape Canaveral for a 14-day mission.

Lord Steel, architect of the 1967 Abortion Act, says today that abortion is being used as a form of contraception in Britain and admits he never anticipated 'anything like' the current number of terminations when leading the campaign for reform.

The space shuttle Discovery successfully launched today despite last-minute concerns about a chunk of ice discovered on its fuel tank.

Letters: Breast cancer is talked about openly now, but it has always been there ('We've had war, we've had plagues, but never this...', G2, October 22). In the late 60s I started my nurse training. Breast cancer sufferers, young ones among them, did not have the benefit of the drugs or screening of today, and often endured highly invasive surgery as well as radiotherapy.

· Killing wild animals 'can limit spread of cattle TB' · Comments contradict independent report

Madeleine Bunting: Synthetic biologists say their technology could tackle climate change and feed the hungry, but its dangers are terrifying.

Scientists have welcomed the European Commission's decision to drop new rules that would have outlawed the use of MRI scanners in hospitals and medical research laboratories by next year.

Scientists have found a gene that regulates lifespan in mammals which could one day lead to treatments to hold off ageing and its related illnesses such as Alzheimer's, cancer and heart disease.

· Flight goes ahead despite cracks in thermal shield· Two missions commanded by women for first time

Johnjoe McFadden: Like the eugenicists of the early 20th century, James Watson betrays his fear of a changing world.

Nobel Prize winner James Watson has flown home to America with the taunts of his critics ringing in his ears. But should he have been shunned after his explosive remarks on race?