Science

Researchers estimate the UK’s lateral flow testing programme has produced enough plastic waste to fill 200,000 bathtubs or 19 Olympic swimming pools. Scientists at the Energy and Environment Institute at the University of Hull argue once we learned that Covid-19 spread more through the air than via surfaces, the UK government should have started recycling

In the past month, floods in eastern Australia have killed 22 people and inundated thousands of homes. The crisis has focused continuing anger on politicians over their responses. In this video, two locals tell their dramatic stories of being stranded and helping others – and why they feel let down still. Video by the BBC’s

Pearce Jarrett is a machine learning engineer and founder of Gwaan, a motivational fitness app that uses AI technology. The 28-year-old began the app 18 months ago and it has since won a UKRI Young Innovators Award. Fewer than 2% of academic staff working in science, technology, engineering and maths are black according to new

Scientists have developed a technique that could prevent diseases in plants, including one threatening bananas. Grafting involves taking a shoot from a vulnerable plant and placing it on to the root of one that is disease-resistant. It was previously thought the method did not work with monocot [single seed leaf] plants but it could now

Video captured by underwater robots of the shipwreck shows Endurance to be in remarkable condition. The ship sank 107 years ago and has been missing ever since. But even though it has been sitting in 3km (10,000ft) of water for over a century, many of its features look just like it did on the day

David M’zee was 22 when an injury damaged his spine, leaving him paralysed 12 years ago. In 2017, an electrical implant to his spine enabled him to stand and walk slowly by boosting the nerve signals to his legs. He uses the device for short periods to exercise his muscles and practise walking, and says

Environmental campaign group Sea Shepherd filmed this footage of what they estimate to be “100,000 dead fish.” They’ve accused the Dutch-owned trawler FV Margiris of deliberately discharging the fish as “bycatch.” The fishing association PFA, speaking for the vessel, say the “rare occurrence” was due to a “rupture” in the fishing net, which it has

Longleat safari park has welcomed a new addition to its koala clan at England’s only koala colony. The southern koala joey arrived into the world six months ago and is the first of its kind to be born in Europe. Its mother Violet was brought to England from Australia over three years ago and has

Footage of beavers making themselves at home in a Derbyshire nature reserve has been captured. The dam-building rodents were filmed grooming each other and gnawing trees at Willington Wetlands, where they were released last year. Beavers were hunted to extinction in Britain in the 16th Century for their fur, meat, and scent glands. But they

The BBC has seen footage of what looks like untreated sewage being discharged into the River Thames in Oxfordshire. It appears to be coming out of an overflow pipe connected to the Cassington treatment works run by Thames Water. Local campaigners believe that the company could be in breach of its permit. Thames Water says

A group of children in Portugal are using human rights law to force European politicians to tackle climate change. After seeing the damage caused by wildfires in their home country of Portugal, André Oliviera, his sister Sofia and their friends are determined to make sure that leaders who pledged to reduce harmful emissions are forced

Misinformation about the Covid pandemic and climate change is slowing an effective collective response to these emergencies. BBC Monitoring’s experts Shayan Sardarizadeh and Kayleen Devlin explain the misinformation trends they have seen in 2021 and the effects they have had on lives around the world. Video produced by Suniti Singh

Around the US, an estimated three million oil wells have been abandoned. Many of the wells are emitting harmful methane gases, which are more harmful to the environment than carbon dioxide. That’s why Curtis Shuck, a 30-year veteran of the oil industry, has stepped in. He’s created Well Done, a not for-profit organisation dedicated to

The most ambitious astronomy mission ever attempted is set to begin. The James Webb Space Telescope has been 30 years in the making – now it’s nearly ready to launch. The $10bn (£7bn) project, a collaboration between Nasa, the European Space Agency and the Canadian Space Agency, hopes to look further back in time than

New Zealand’s southern right whales were almost hunted to extinction a century ago. Their recovery now depends on the health of the oceans – but where exactly do they feed? The answer has surprised scientists and provided hope for the species amid climate change. Video by Isabelle Rodd. Footage credited to the ​​University of Auckland

On an industrial estate just outside Didcot in the south of England, an experiment is taking place that will create temperatures hotter than the Sun. The BBC’s climate editor, Justin Rowlatt, went to see the nuclear fusion reactor in action and to find out what possibilities the technology could hold for generating vast amounts of