Image copyright Wayne OsbornImage caption Researcher Mark Meekan diving with a whale shark Data from atomic bomb tests conducted during the Cold War have helped scientists accurately age the world’s biggest fish. Whale sharks are large, slow moving and docile creatures that mainly inhabit tropical waters. They are long-lived but scientists have struggled to work […]
Technology
Coronavirus: Tiger at Bronx Zoo tests positive for Covid-19
Image copyright Corbis via Getty ImagesImage caption One of the Bronx Zoo’s Malayan tigers A four-year-old female Malayan tiger at the Bronx Zoo has tested positive for the coronavirus. The tiger, named Nadia, is believed to be the first known case of an animal infected with Covid-19 in the US. The Bronx Zoo, in New […]
Coronavirus: Putting the spotlight on the global wildlife trade
Image copyright Getty ImagesImage caption Sun bear rescued from wildlife traffickers in Indonesia Conservation experts say the coronavirus pandemic, which likely originated at a market selling wild animals in China, is a watershed moment for curbing the global wildlife trade, which can drive extinction and spread disease. When Adam Peyman walked into a restaurant in […]
10 years to save ‘world’s most threatened sea turtle’
Image copyright fundaoprncipe_ffiImage caption Numbers are declining due to accidental fishing and egg collecting The largest turtle in the ocean, the leatherback gets its name from its tough, rubbery skin. Migrating long distances a year, the turtle can cross the Pacific Ocean. But with threats like getting tangled in fishing gear, the future for one […]
Dr William Frankland, allergy scientist pioneer, dies aged 108
Image copyright Getty Images Dr William Frankland, a British immunologist who transformed the world’s understanding of allergies, has died aged 108. His pioneering work included developing the idea of a pollen count to help hay fever sufferers. Dr Frankland, whose medical career spanned 70 years, was known as “the grandfather of allergy”. As a British […]
Coronavirus will transform UK work and travel, says AA
Image copyright AFPImage caption Is the infrastructure we need for the future better motorways or broadband super-highways? The aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis will transform the way we live, work and travel in the UK, the AA says. It predicts a permanent reduction in the demand for travel because people have learned during the crisis […]
Conifer is top tree in urban sound absorption test
Image copyright Ed Suominen/FlickrImage caption The bark of larch trees was found to offer the most effective sound absorption Scientists say trees have a role to play in combating noise pollution in urban environments and have identified the best species for the job. The larch was found to be the most effective tree when it […]
Three human-like species lived side-by-side in ancient Africa
Image copyright ScienceImage caption The remains recovered from the cave complex include the earliest example of Homo erectus – a direct human ancestor Two million years ago, three different human-like species were living side-by-side in South Africa, a study shows. The findings underline a growing understanding that the present-day situation, where one human species dominates […]
UK using 1.2 billion tonnes of material a year
Image copyright Getty Images The UK is using 1.2 billion tonnes of materials a year – that’s the equivalent of 18.5 tonnes of material for every person in the country. The materials include food, timber products, metals, construction materials and fossil fuels. They are vital to the economy, but the figures show the UK is […]
Coronavirus forces postponement of COP26 meeting in Glasgow
Image copyright SECImage caption The Scottish Events Campus in Glasgow, which is due to host COP26, includes the Armadillo and the SSE Hydro buildings A key climate summit in Glasgow will be delayed until next year due to disruption caused by the coronavirus. The announcement was made in a joint statement from the UK and […]
Oceans can be successfully restored by 2050, say scientists
Image copyright R.Hucke-Gaete Despite being treated as humanity’s rubbish dump for decades, the oceans of the world are proving remarkably resilient, says a new scientific review. Building on that resilience could lead to a full recovery within three decades, the researchers argue. Climate change, and the challenges of scaling up existing conservation efforts, are the […]
‘Dinosaurs walked through Antarctic rainforests’
Image copyright AWI/James McKayImage caption An artist’s impression of what it might have looked like in West Antarctica 90 million years ago Scientists drilling off the coast of West Antarctica have found the fossil remains of forests that grew in the region 90 million years ago – in the time of the dinosaurs. Their analysis […]