Science

A team of volunteers is hoping a “tiny forest” planted at a community farm will make a big difference to the environment. Rachel Richards designed the Miyawaki-style forest, inspired by Japanese botanist Akira Miyawaki, which has been planted at the farm in Screveton, Nottinghamshire. “Akira Miyawaki found trees naturally grew much faster if planted closer

When a drone pilot captured footage of an enormous group of whales off the New South Wales coast last year, it sent scientists into a frenzy. A pod of that size – known as a super-group – and the “bubble-net” feeding behaviour they were displaying had never been documented off Australia before. A research paper

Electric scooters – which are already being tried out in more than 30 towns and cities across the UK – are now being introduced to six London boroughs. The government is assessing the risks and benefits of the scooters, but critics say they are a menace to pedestrians and other road users. One woman, Elaine,

Police riot shields have turned over a new leaf after a force started transforming them into greenhouses. PC Richard Thomas of South Wales Police came up with the idea when he was asked to dispose of a pile of old shields during lockdown – and he could not bear to see the non-recyclable plastics head

A Hungarian couple came across two rare white-tailed eagles, at risk of drowning, while taking part in a challenge to raise awareness of Danube river pollution. The birds were clasped together, likely after a fight. Klaudia Kis and Richard Varga took it upon themselves to rescue the pair before continuing on their journey, travelling from

Across England, there have been efforts to tame traffic in our towns and cities. Many communities are also seeing new restrictions on cars to create low traffic neighbourhoods, and the BBC’s Justin Rowlatt reports, some residents are going to great lengths to step in when the equipment for blocking the traffic doesn’t work.

A seal has been saved after it was found with a black bin bag wrapped round its neck. Nicknamed Gnocchi, it was brought into the East Winch Wildlife Centre, in Norfolk, in March having been rescued from Walton-on-the-Naze, in Essex, with a “horrific” injury. Vets examined the seal and found an infected wound with a

With indoor pools closed for most of 2020, swimming in the UK’s rivers saw an exponential rise in popularity, creating a growing public concern around the state of the UK’s waterways. The national ocean conservation charity, Surfers Against Sewage, is launching its Safer Seas & Rivers App to provide the UK’s only real-time water quality

Around 6,500 schools across the UK are in areas with high levels of air pollution, and among them is St Ambrose RC primary school in Manchester. It sits on one of Europe’s busiest roads where particle pollution levels exceed WHO limits. Coronavirus lockdowns made way for less traffic and cleaner air but as measures continue

Stan Renton and his wife Audrey, have been heating their home with coal for their entire married lives. New rules, in England, on the sale of coal for burning in households have recently come into force to try and cut air pollution. People will still be able to use open fires but they will need

Vietnam is one of the biggest producers and exporters of rice in the world, but the livelihood of some farmers is under threat. Seawater intrusion has long been a problem in the low-lying Mekong Delta, where more than half of the country’s rice is grown. During the dry season, the salty water can leach into

US climate envoy John Kerry has said that 50% of carbon emission reductions needed to get to net zero will come from technology not yet invented. Speaking to The Andrew Marr Show ahead of a visit to London, he also said that we didn’t have to give up our current quality of life to achieve

Conservationists have come up with an ingenious way to help an endangered species – the Javan slow loris. They’ve built a network of mid-air walkways to help them move between treetops, across land that has been cleared for growing crops. And the farmers who own the land are keen to co-operate because the walkways have

China has successfully landed a spacecraft on Mars, state media announced early on Saturday. It used a protective capsule, a parachute and a rocket platform to make the safe descent. Before now, the US had been the only ones to master landing on Mars. Read more: China lands its Zhurong rover on Mars

Charles Darwin, one of the most influential figures in human history, has been studied and written about numerous times over the years – but it’s his relationship with his childhood garden in Shropshire which is the subject of a new book being published this week. Unlike Down House in Kent, The Mount has been largely

Sir David says the problems that await the world in the next five to 10 years because of climate change are greater than the coronavirus pandemic. His comments come as he is named People’s Advocate for climate change ahead of the UN COP26 summit in Glasgow in November. The meeting is viewed as crucial to