Scientists have discovered kelp off the coast of Scotland, Ireland and France that has survived since the last ice age, around 16,000 years ago. Experts from Heriot-Watt University's Orkney campus analysed the genetic composition of oarweed from 14 areas across the northern Atlantic ocean. The team found three distinct genetic clusters.

The site of a Scottish nuclear power facility should be available for other uses in 313 years' time, according to a new report. Dounreay, near Thurso, was the UK site for the development of fast reactor research from 1955 to 1994. The facility on the north Caithness coast is in the process of being closed down, demolished and cleaned up. However, the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority said it would be 2333 before the 148-acre site is safe for reuse.

Invasive species are killing wildlife and damaging habitats - and experts warn that more threats are on the horizon.

MSPs will fail the people of Scotland if they do not reduce the dominance of large, traditional sporting estates, according to the Scottish environment minister.

A bill which allows same-sex weddings to take place in Scotland has been passed by MSPs in the Scottish Parliament. MSPs voted by 105 to 18 in favour of the Marriage and Civil Partnership (Scotland) Bill.

RAQUEL ROLNIK, who came to Scotland to investigate the bedroom tax, said the benefits claw-back must be suspended immediately because of its tough impact on the poor and disabled.

The leader of Scotland's separatist movement predicted on Friday that the United States would not try to stand in the way of the breakup of Britain, Washington's staunchest ally for decades, if Scots vote for independence at a referendum this year.

A new Scottish cultural landmark has been lit up for the first time, days before the public get a chance to take a closer look at the colossal structures.

A few years before giving up its independence, Scotland took a bold gamble to secure a brighter future, founding a colony on the isthmus of Panama to corner trade.

Scotland’s nationalist first minister, is known to enjoy a flutter on the horses. He must therefore have felt his political racecard had turned hot in 2011 when Colin and Chris Weir, two lifelong members of the Scottish National Party, won a lottery jackpot worth £161m. That win, remarkably, has probably shortened the odds on a Scottish exit from the United Kingdom, after the independence referendum due in September. It has also helped reveal just how deeply the vote is dividing Scotland.

Two men and a woman have been killed in a collision between a vehicle and spectators at the Jim Clark Rally in the Scottish Borders, police have said.

JK Rowling, the multimillionaire author of the Harry Potter novels, has donated £1m to the campaign against Scottish independence after warning that it could be a "historically bad mistake" to leave the UK.

The dead walk again: an arachnid that lived 410 million years ago has crawled back into the virtual world.

The mother of three-year-old Mikaeel Kular has admitted killing her son and hiding his body in a suitcase, sparking a major search operation.

In a little-noticed move, a small number of police officers are now routinely carrying sidearms while on patrol in parts of the mainland UK. How did this come about, and does it alter the relationship between the constabulary and the public?

Gretna Green has been a hotspot for tying the knot since the 18th Century. But why do people still choose to walk down its many aisles?

Once completed, the project is expected to provide enough energy to power 175,000 homes.

The "Yes" camp finally achieve majority support in polls 12 days before the Scottish Independence Referendum.

Owen Jones: The union will likely be gone within a decade. It’s not just the Tories in our bankrupt establishment that are to blame

North Korea is quietly backing the Yes vote in Scotland and would be keen to improve trade with a newly independent Edinburgh, according to officials of the Pyongyang regime. "I consider that independence would be a very positive issue for Scotland," Choe Kwan-il, managing editor of the Choson Sinbo newspaper, told The Telegraph.