Archived news

Devastating wildfires rage in Los Angeles

A series of devastating wildfires are raging in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and surrounding regions of southern California, USA. They began on 7th January when a powerful...
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Parker Solar Probe makes closest ever approach to the Sun by a human-made object

On 24th December 2024, NASA's Parker Solar Probe will fly approximately 6.1 million kilometres (3.8 million miles from the surface of the Sun, thus making the closest solar...
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Wolves in Europe under threat as their protected status is removed

On 3rd December 2024 the European Commission agreed on measures to downgrade the protected status of the grey wolf in EU countries. The species will now be moved from Annex II...
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Archaeologists discover a lost Mayan city using laser mapping

Archaeologists have discovered an ancient Mayan city lost in the dense jungle of Campeche, a state in southeastern Mexico. Named Valeriana after a nearby freshwater lagoon, the...
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Conditions deteriorate as 25,000 Sudanese refugees cross into Chad in a week

Aid agencies have warned of deteriorating conditions in overcrowded and underfunded refugee camps in Chad. Intensifying violence of the Sudanese civil war and a severe hunger...
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Earth to gain a second moon

In a few days' time, Earth will have a second moon. On 29th September, a small asteroid will be captured by Earth’s gravitational pull and join our own Moon in orbit around our...
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Pantanal wetland under threat from an industrial shipping route

The world’s largest wetland, the Pantanal, is under threat. The Brazilian government wants to develop the upper 700 kilometres (435 miles) of the Paraguay River into an...
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Heatwave in the Antarctic winter brings about Earth's record warmest day

Ground temperatures across large parts of the ice sheets of Antarctica soared by an average of 10°C above normal during July 2024. On some days, temperatures climbed to an...
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Researchers find evidence for a cave on the Moon

Scientists have for the first time discovered a large cave on the Moon that is accessible from the lunar surface. The cave can be reached from an open pit in the Mare...
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A tiny Pacific island nation leads the world on tackling plastic pollution

In 2018 the government of the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu became one of the first in the world to ban the sale of plastic bags and straws. Two years later, in 2020, it...
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Were Neanderthals wiped out by infectious diseases carried by Homo sapiens?

How the prehistoric humans Neanderthals went extinct while modern humans, Homo sapiens, survived is one of the biggest unanswered questions in the story of our species. One theory...
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The first mission to collect rock samples from the far side of the Moon, lifts off

China has launched a space probe to collect rock samples from the far side of the Moon. If the Chang'e 6 mission is successful, it would be the first time this feat will have been...
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Blue tides of alien-like creatures blanket US beaches in increasing numbers

Tiny ocean creatures called Velella velella, or by-the-wind sailors, wash up on the beaches of the US west coast in their millions every spring. Brilliant blue in colour, the...
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Webb Telescope finds a "waterworld with a boiling ocean" in deep space

Astronomers at the University of Cambridge studying an exoplanet (a planet outside our Solar System that orbits another star) known as TOI-270 d, say its surface could be entirely...
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Deadly wildfires devastate parts of central Chile

Hundreds of people are missing as wildfires rage through central and southern Chile. The worst affected area is the Valparaíso Region, with some residential areas of the...
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Japan’s SLIM Moon probe is working normally after landing in the wrong position

Japan’s space agency JAXA says its SLIM Moon probe, known as the "Moon Sniper", is now operating normally. Images taken by one of its rovers, Sora-Q, showed that SLIM had landed...
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The year 2023 smashes record for world’s hottest year

Scientists at the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service (CCCS) have confirmed that 2023 is the hottest year on record, smashing the previous record by a huge margin. The planet...
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World leaders set to discuss tackling climate change at Cop28 in Dubai

Cop28, the 28th annual United Nations climate meeting, where governments discuss how to limit and prepare for future climate change, takes place in Dubai, UAE, from 30th November...
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Antarctic sea ice winter maximum is lowest on record

Satellite images show that the extent of sea ice surrounding Antarctica has fallen to a record low. This could have far-reaching consequences for Earth’s climate. Scientists...
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A barren Caribbean island becomes a haven for wildlife

The tiny Caribbean island of Redonda has been transformed from a desolate rock into a wildlife haven in just a few years. Black rats once preyed on the island's reptiles and ate...
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Morocco declares three days of mourning following a devastating earthquake

A devastating earthquake has struck Morocco. The 6.8-magnitude quake happened at just after 23:10 local time on Friday 8th September. Its epicentre was in a remote cluster of...
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India becomes the first nation to land a spacecraft near the Moon's south pole

“India is on the Moon,” declared Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, the chair of the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO) as the Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s Vikram lander...
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James Webb Space Telescope celebrates first year of operation with jaw-dropping image

An “unprecedented” close-up image of the nearest star-forming region to Earth was released by NASA on Wednesday 12th July 2023. The release marked the first year of operation...
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Smoke from Canadian wildfires offers a stark reminder of the climate emergency

This year, Canada has been hit by the worst wildfire season in history. Eleven provinces and territories have been affected, with large fires in Alberta, Nova Scotia and Ontario...
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Light pollution threatens to obliterate our view of the stars

Research has revealed that light pollution, the presence of excessive artificial lighting at night, is causing the night sky to brighten at a rate of around 10% a year. This...
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Dust cloud discovered around one of the brightest stars in the night sky

High-resolution images from the James Webb Space Telescope have revealed an asteroid belt and an enormous cloud of dust and rubble surrounding one of the nearest and brightest...
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Scientists discover a microbe that hungrily devours carbon dioxide

Scientists have discovered a microbe (micro-organism) living in the sea near the volcanic island of Vulcano in the Mediterranean Sea that devours carbon dioxide extremely quickly...
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NASA selects astronauts for the Artemis II mission to the Moon

The US space agency NASA has named the four astronauts—three Americans, one Canadian—who will crew the first mission to the Moon since Apollo 17 in December 1972. The...
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Earth’s wild land mammals now make up just 2% of the mammal kingdom

A new study has found that the total weight of Earth’s wild land mammals is now less than 6% of the combined weight of humans living on the planet. Scientists at Israel’s...
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Scientists warn that the Great Salt Lake will disappear in five years

Scientists warn that, unless action is taken, the Great Salt Lake in Utah will completely disappear by 2030—if not sooner. The largest salt lake in the western hemisphere, it has...
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Earth's spinning inner core may be slowing down compared to the rest of the planet

Thousands of kilometres beneath your feet, something very odd is going on. The Earth's inner core, which, according to many scientists, spins faster than the rest of the Earth, has...
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Why is the Swedish town of Kiruna being moved?

A huge project is under way in Sweden to move the town of Kiruna about 3 kilometres (nearly 2 miles) east. Subsidence from the world’s biggest iron ore mine located nearby...
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The world's largest plane completes its longest test flight

The massive Stratolaunch Roc aeroplane, currently the world's largest plane by weight and wingspan, completed its ninth and longest test flight on 13th January 2023. Taking off...
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Are the US and China competing in a new Space Race?

Both the US and China have advanced plans to send astronauts to the Moon and to establish permanent bases on the lunar surface. In an interview published in January 2023, NASA's...
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Cop15 ends with agreement to take action to halt and reverse biodiversity loss

The United Nations Biodiversity Conference (Cop15) ended in Montreal, Canada, on 19th December 2022 with an agreement to guide global action on nature through to 2030. Called the...
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North Atlantic right whales at risk of extinction

The North Atlantic right whale is one of the most endangered species on Earth. Just 340 individuals, including only about 100 breeding females, are believed to remain (down from...
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World Cup kicks off in Qatar amid controversy

The 2022 FIFA World Cup, the men's international football championship, kicks off on 20th November when the hosts, Qatar, take on Ecuador at the Al Bayt Stadium. Unlike previous...
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Governments come together at Cop27 to discuss action on climate

Governments from across the world are meeting to discuss action on climate at Cop27. This year the annual summit is being held in Sharm El Sheikh in Egypt from 6th to 18th...
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Crisis in Somalia as famine is set to return

While the War in Ukraine has grabbed the world's attention, a humanitarian crisis is rapidly unfolding in Somalia in the Horn of Africa. Hundreds of thousands of Somalis are now...
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Experts say switching to renewable energy could save trillions

The costs of producing renewable energy, such as wind and solar power, has been falling for decades. Since 2010, they have fallen sharply—much faster than predicted. By contrast...
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Heavy monsoon rains and melting glaciers cause floods in Pakistan

Pakistan has been hit by devastating floods. They have been brought on by a combination of weeks of heavier-than-usual monsoon rains and melting glaciers in the north, the result...
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Perseid meteor shower gets under way in the night skies of the Northern Hemisphere

The Perseid meteor shower, clearly visible in night skies from late July to the end of August, is due to provide a spectacular show of meteors, otherwise known as shooting stars...
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NASA publishes first images from the James Webb Space Telescope

NASA has published the first images received from the James Webb Space Telescope, the largest and most powerful space-based observatory ever built. The collection of images from...
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Scientists find a new way to grow plants in darkness using artificial photosynthesis

Plants use the energy from sunlight to power the natural process of photosynthesis. This is the chemical reaction by which the carbon dioxide plants absorb from the air combines...
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NASA's InSight probe nears the end of its life on Mars

NASA's InSight space probe, which touched down on the surface of Mars less than four years ago, is nearing the end of its operational life. Martian dust has, over time, accumulated...
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Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is celebrated

The Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II is being celebrated in 2022 in the Commonwealth of Nations to mark the 70th anniversary of the Queen's accession to the throne on 6th...
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Supermassive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way Galaxy revealed

The enormous black hole lying at the centre of our Galaxy has been pictured for the first time. Known as Sagittarius A*, or Sgr A* for short, it is four million times the mass of...
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Magnets made by bacteria could be used to treat breast and prostate cancer

Scientists at Sheffield University have discovered a new way of guiding anti-cancer viruses to their target. By fitting the viruses with microscopic magnets—produced naturally by...
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Parts of India and Pakistan suffer a severe spring heatwave

An intense heatwave has brought temperatures 4.5 to 8.5°C (8 to 15°F) above normal to east, central and northwest India as well as parts of Pakistan. India's highest...
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Large Hadron Collider begins the hunt for a fifth force of nature

The Large Hadron Collider (LHC) restarts on Friday 23rd April 2022 after a three-year break. Upgraded with significantly improved technology, the atom-smashing machine may lead to...
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Fossil of a dinosaur that may have died on the last day of the dinosaurs is revealed

A team of palaeontologists examining the fossil remains of a dinosaur, a Thescelosaurus, discovered in the US state of North Dakota, have come to a stunning conclusion. They think...
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Ice volcanoes detected on Pluto, indicating the dwarf planet has an internal heat source

Scientists using images from the space probe New Horizons, which flew by Pluto in 2015, have discovered evidence that suggests two of the dwarf planet’s mountains, Wright Mons...
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Wreck of Shackleton's ship, Endurance, discovered in Antarctic waters

The wreck of Endurance, the ship of the Antarctic explorer, Sir Ernest Shackleton, has been discovered. She was located on 5th March 2022, 107 years after she sank, by the search...
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Fusion success raises hopes of creating low-carbon energy

Researchers at the Joint European Torus (JET), a nuclear fusion experiment in Oxfordshire, have successfully generated 59 megajoules of heat (11 megawatts of power) during a...
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James Webb Space Telescope reaches its final destination in orbit

Launched on 25th December 2021, NASA's James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has now entered into orbit around the Sun, 1.5 million kilometres (about 930,000 miles) from Earth. Its...
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Tsunami alerts are triggered across Pacific Ocean after a volcano erupts in Tonga

Hunga Tonga-Hunga Haʻapai, an underwater volcano close to the island nation of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean, has erupted. The volcano, which lies 65 kilometres (40 miles)...
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Antarctica's Thwaites Glacier could be about to shatter into hundreds of icebergs

The ice shelf formed by Thwaites Glacier in western Antarctica is in danger of breaking up, researchers have warned. At roughly the size of Florida, Thwaites is one of the largest...
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NASA launches a mission to crash a spacecraft into an asteroid

NASA has launched a mission to deliberately crash a spacecraft into an asteroid in order to change its orbit. The aim is to test a planetary defence system, one that could prevent...
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Are China's sponge cities the answer to dealing with floods caused by global warming?

As global warming causes temperatures to rise, more moisture evaporates into the atmosphere, leading to heavier rain. Climatologists predict that rainfall will be a lot more...
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As Cop26 meets, world faces a 2.7°C temperature rise

The Cop26 event is a meeting of world leaders (called a "summit meeting") about the climate emergency and how countries are planning to tackle it. Delayed from last year because of...
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Lucy space probe mission to distant asteroids is launched

The Lucy space probe blasted off into space atop an Atlas V rocket launched from Cape Canaveral, Florida on 16th October 2021. Lucy is heading for a group of asteroids, small rocky...
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Cumbre Vieja volcano in the Canary Islands bursts into life

Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma, one of the Canary Islands (part of Spain), began erupting on 19th September 2021, 50 years since it last did so. Molten rock poured from several...
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New treatment of Covid from llamas shows promise

A new treatment for Covid-19, developed with the help of a llama called Fifi, has shown "significant potential" in early trials. The treatment uses nanobodies, which are small...
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Up to half of the world’s tree species could be at risk of extinction

At least 30% of the world’s wild tree species are threatened with extinction. They include well-known oaks and magnolias, as well as some tropical timber trees. The warning comes...
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Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide than it absorbs

A scientific study has found that the Amazon rainforest is now emitting more carbon dioxide (CO2) than it absorbs. According to the researchers, the forest is producing about 1.5...
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Heatwave shatters temperature records in British Columbia

Much of the Pacific Northwest and western Canada has been sweltering under a blistering heatwave. Record temperatures in British Columbia, Alberta, Yukon and Northwest Territories...
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Australia suffers its worse mouse plague for decades

Swarms of mice are infesting rural parts of New South Wales, Australia, in what has been described as the worst plague in memory. A bumper harvest, following prolonged rainfall...
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Scientists convert used plastic bottles into vanilla flavouring

Scientists have developed a process for converting waste plastic bottles into vanilla flavouring. It is the first time a high-value chemical has been produced ("upcycled") from...
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Fears of environmental disaster as ship carrying oil and chemicals sinks off Sri Lanka

A container ship the X-Press Pearl, has partially sunk in the waters off Colombo, capital city of Sri Lanka, following a fire. The ship was carrying hazardous chemicals and plastic...
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Cutting methane emissions is most effective way to slow global warming

In 2020, there was a record rise in the amount of the gas methane in the atmosphere. According to a new report for the United Nations, methane emissions are increasing faster now...
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Scientists predict that up to 90% of the world's glaciers will vanish by 2050

A study of nearly all the world's glaciers has revealed that they are melting fast, and at an accelerating rate. A French-led team of researchers has found that the glaciers lost...
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Beijing is hit by a third sandstorm in five weeks

A third major sandstorm in five weeks has turned Beijing’s skies yellow and the sun blue. The storms—actually dust storms made up of much finer particles than sand—sent...
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Ingenuity Mars helicopter set to make historic first flight

The Mars helicopter, called Ingenuity, is preparing for a historic take-off as NASA attempts the first powered, guided flight on another world. The tiny robot helicopter was...
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Eruption of Vesuvius killed people of Pompeii in 15 minutes, study finds

The ancient city of Pompeii was devastated in AD 79 when the volcano Mount Vesuvius erupted, killing an estimated 2000 people in the city, as well as overwhelming the nearby town...
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Can red wolves return from the brink of extinction?

The red wolf was once thought to be a subspecies of the grey wolf, but most scientists now consider it a separate species. Smaller than their grey relatives (closer in size to...
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Perseverance rover makes a successful landing on the surface of Mars

Perseverance, NASA's Mars rover, has landed safely on the surface of Mars. Launched on 30th July 2020 from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station (CCAFS) in Florida, the space probe took...
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New chameleon species may be world’s smallest reptile

Scientists have discovered a tiny new species of chameleon living in the mountain rainforests of northern Madagascar. Called a nano-chameleon (scientific name Brookesia nana), it...
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Polar researchers to investigate a vast iceberg lying close to South Georgia

A vast iceberg, called A68a, has been spiralling northwards across the Southern Ocean from Antarctica for the past year, at one point seeming to be on collision course for the...
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Underwater seagrass meadows remove plastic from the sea

Researchers have discovered that a type of seagrass is trapping millions of tiny pieces of plastic and removing them from the sea. Neptune grass (scientific name Posidonia...
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Murder hornets threaten honeybee colonies in US and Canada

Since the autumn of 2019, Washington state and the Canadian province of British Columbia have been invaded by Asian giant hornets, nicknamed "murder hornets". These huge insects...
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Jupiter and Saturn line up close together in a Grand Conjunction

On 21st December 2020, the Solar System's two largest planets, Jupiter and Saturn, will line up in the night sky, appearing closer than they have since the Middle Ages. What...
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The world's highest mountain is now even higher

Mount Everest is very slightly higher than previously thought. China and Nepal have long disagreed over the exact height of the world’s tallest peak, which straddles the...
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Three vaccines against Covid-19 likely to become available soon

The likelihood of an end to the coronavirus pandemic has improved immensely, with the recent news that three vaccines against Covid-19 have reported good results in final clinical...
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Wildlife and livelihoods in the Mara River region of East Africa are under threat

A report by the nature conservation group WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature) highlights the environmental threats to the Mara river in East Africa. The river is a vital habitat and...
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Discovery of water on the Moon could make a lunar base possible

NASA scientists have discovered firm evidence for the existence of water on the Moon. With no atmosphere to protect it from the Sun’s rays, water in its liquid form cannot exist...
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California's catastrophic wildfires are the largest in the state's modern history

To date, more than 8000 fires have raged in California, burning more than 4 million acres (1.7 million hectares) of forest, an area equivalent to more than 4% of the state's total...
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Rescuers work to save pilot whales in worst mass stranding in Australia's history

About 380 pilot whales stranded on Tasmania's west coast have been confirmed dead. Rescuers are fighting to save the remaining 30 that are still alive. In the worst known mass...
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Coronavirus and pollution concerns force changes to the Ganesh Hindu festival

Ganesh Chaturthi, the Hindu festival of the elephant-headed god of new beginnings, takes place over 10 days at the end of August and the beginning of September each year. Statues...
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An ocean may exist beneath the crust of the dwarf planet Ceres

A team of scientists from the United States and Europe have discovered that the dwarf planet Ceres, which lies in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter, may have an "extensive...
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Indigenous Americans and Polynesians encountered each other around the year 1200

A new study has found that Indigenous Americans (native inhabitants of the Americas before Europeans arrived following Christopher Columbus's voyage of discovery in 1492) and...
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Scientists reveal there are likely to be 36 alien civilizations in the Galaxy

According to new calculations, there could be 36 intelligent civilizations in the Milky Way Galaxy today that are capable of communicating with others. Christopher Conselice...
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Britain's largest prehistoric structure discovered near Stonehenge

A team of researchers from the universities of St Andrews, Birmingham, Warwick, Bradford, Glasgow and the University of Wales Trinity Saint David have announced the discovery of...
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Nesting marine turtles thrive while beaches around the world remain empty during lockdown

According to the latest reports, the number of marine turtles (most species of which are endangered) are on the rise. In India, for example, many more baby turtles have been...
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US spaceplane is successfully launched into orbit

The US Space Force has successfully launched a X-37B military spaceplane into orbit. Carried aboard an Atlas V rocket, it lifted off from Cape Canaveral, Florida, on 16th May 2020...
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Impact on the environment clearly seen as a result of coronavirus lockdown

With many countries around the world in lockdown in response to the Covid-19 pandemic, the sudden drop in air and car traffic and slowdown in economic activity has had a...
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What do we know so far about the coronavirus, and how can we halt the pandemic?

Coronaviruses have long been a threat to human health. At the milder end of the scale, several kinds are known to trigger common colds. At the other extreme, two coronaviruses have...
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The race to create a coronavirus vaccine

In the global effort to fight the Covid-19 pandemic, governments are limited to using what are called "containment strategies" to stop the coronavirus that causes it from spreading...
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Astronomers discover a planet where it rains molten iron

Wasp-76b is an exoplanet, a planet that orbits a star outside our Solar System. It lies around 640 light-years away, in the constellation of Pisces. Astronomers have discovered...
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The 1918–19 Spanish flu pandemic: how does the 2020 Covid-19 pandemic compare?

The rapid spread of Covid-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus Sars-CoV-2, is grabbing the headlines worldwide. Another pandemic gripped the world just over 100 years ago...
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UN refugee agency calls for urgent evacuation of people from Moria camp on Lesbos

The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, has called for the urgent evacuation of families and sick people from the Moria camp on the Greek Aegean island of Lesbos. The camp is housing...
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Swarms of locusts devastate vegetation in eastern Africa

Billions of desert locusts are swarming across Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia in East Africa. They have reached Tanzania and Uganda, and are approaching South Sudan. Some of the...
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Death toll rises as coronavirus spreads across China and the rest of the world

On 31th December 2019, several cases of pneumonia caused by an unknown virus were reported in Wuhan, Hubei province, China. One week later, on 7th January 2020, Chinese authorities...
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The year 2019 was the second hottest year on record

According to recent figures, the year 2019 was the second hottest on record for the Earth’s surface. Illustrating the scale of the climate emergency, the reports found that both...
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Bushfires threaten the survival of Australia's endangered wildlife

The bushfires currently raging in southeastern Australia have already made the 2019–20 season one of the worst in living memory. So far, an area of around 6.3 million hectares...
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Scientists reveal why the Neanderthals went extinct

The Neanderthals were a species of human that lived in Europe at the time when our ancestors, Homo sapiens, arrived there from Africa, around 45,000 years ago. The Neanderthals...
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Bushfires rage across Australia as spring temperatures soar

Scores of bushfires are currently raging in Australia, particularly along the coasts of New South Wales (NSW), Queensland and Victoria. As a result of a combination of strong...
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Delhi restricts local traffic in attempt to reduce air pollution

The authorities in India's capital, Delhi, have started restricting private vehicles using the city's roads, in an attempt to lower the city's dangerous air pollution levels. The...
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A giant asteroid dust cloud may have sparked new life on Earth 470 million years ago

Astronomers in Sweden have discovered new evidence that an exploding asteroid blanketed Earth's atmosphere with dust about 470 millions of years ago, causing the planet to cool...
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Calls for international support to help rid Angola of landmines

Visiting Cirico, Angola, in late September 2019, Prince Harry, grandson of Queen Elizabeth II, made a plea for international support to help with a project to clear landmines from...
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A smoky haze blankets large parts of Southeast Asia

A smoky haze is blanketing large parts of Southeast Asia, bringing grey skies and a lingering acrid smell now familiar to the local population. The haze—which occurs almost every...
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Complete skull of oldest-known human ancestor discovered in Ethiopia

A 3.8 million-year-old skull belonging to our oldest-known ancestor has been discovered in Ethiopia. The fossil belongs to an ancient hominin (human or human ancestor) with the...
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Discovery of microplastic pollution in Arctic snow prompts health concerns

High levels of microplastic pollution have been found in snow from the Arctic to the Alps, according to a recent study. It shows that there is significant contamination of the...
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Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing

On 20th July 2019, the world celebrates the 50th anniversary of the first manned Moon landing. On that day in 1969, US astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, landed the...
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Drone set to search for signs of life on Saturn's moon Titan

NASA is sending a drone to Saturn’s largest moon, Titan. There it will explore dozens of locations across the icy world, sampling and measuring its chemical composition, to find...
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The melting of Himalayan glaciers has doubled since 2000

A new study has shown that 8 billion tonnes of ice—the equivalent of 3.2 million Olympic-size swimming pools—is melting each year in the Himalaya Mountains, and is not being...
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Two million people at risk of starvation as drought returns to Somalia

Around 2.2 million people in Somalia could face starvation by September unless urgent action is taken to respond to the drought that has hit the country. Somalia is having one of...
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Arthur Eddington proves Einstein's Theory of General Relativity—100 years ago

Einstein's Theory of General Relativity, proposed in 1915, predicted that light would bend around a massive object, such as the Sun. Newton's laws of gravity, made in the 1680s...
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New research shows that the West Antarctic Ice Sheet is thinning fast

New research shows that ice is being lost from the West Antarctic ice sheet five times faster than in the 1990s. More than 100 metres (330 feet) of ice thickness has gone in some...
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Extinction Rebellion protests make a global impact

The Extinction Rebellion (XR) movement was founded in the UK in 2018, following the release of a report on global warming by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC...
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Astronomers capture the first image of a black hole

Astronomers have captured the first ever image of a black hole. They say it will greatly further our understanding of these mysterious objects. The image is of the Messier 87...
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Cyclone Idai causes catastrophic damage in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi

Tens of thousands of people are still trapped by floodwaters as rescuers in Mozambique race against the clock to bring essential supplies and help them to safety. Cyclone Idai made...
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Students' strike for climate movement gathers momentum

An international movement of pupils and students called School Strike for Climate, also known in different countries as Fridays for Future, Youth for Climate or Youth Strike 4...
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Do temperature extremes indicate that climate change is accelerating?

Since the beginning of 2019, hundreds of thousands of fish have boiled during the hottest month ever recorded in Australia. Parts of the United States and Canada have suffered much...
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Scientists find the remains of tiny animals in a lake deep beneath Antarctic ice

Scientists have found the remains of tiny animals in a lake one kilometre beneath Antarctic ice that has lain undisturbed for thousands of years. The minute carcasses of...
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Plant successfully grown on the Moon during Chinese space probe mission

For a brief period, a small green shoot grew on the Moon. A cotton seed germinated on board the Chinese space probe Chang'e 4, which successfully touched down on the Moon's surface...
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New Horizons space probe to fly by the most distant Solar System object yet

NASA's New Horizons probe has successfully flown by the most distant object in the Solar System ever visited. M69, renamed Ultima Thule, is a tiny world lying within what is known...
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Scientists discover a vast underground ecosystem

Scientists have released a study about a little-known ecosystem: the ground beneath our feet. Known as the "subterranean biosphere", it is almost twice the size of all the...
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Scientists agree to update the definition of a kilogram

Scientists will soon be updating the definition of a kilogram. Since 1889, the exact mass of one kilogram has been based on a lump of metal known as Le Grand K, a cylindrical...
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NASA’s InSight probe touches down on Mars

After a seven-month, 500-million-kilometre (300-million-mile) journey, NASA’s Mars InSight probe has successfully touched down on the Elysium Planitia, a vast, smooth lava plain...
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California wildfire is the deadliest and most destructive in the state's history

Wildfires are raging in both northern and southern California. The Camp Fire, which erupted on 8th November 2018, has become the deadliest and most destructive in California's...
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Remembrance Day falls on the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I

On Sunday 11th November, Remembrance Day services will be held in villages, towns and cities across the Commonwealth of Nations. Including a two-minute silence held at 11 a.m...
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The world's first hydrogen-powered train goes into service

Hydrail technology—trains that use hydrogen fuel to power their motors—has become a reality: the first hydrogen-powered trains have just entered service in Germany. Hydrogen...
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Astronomers announce the possible discovery of the first known moon outside our Solar System

Astronomers think they have discovered the first known moon beyond our Solar System. It is believed to be in orbit around a gigantic planet—an exoplanet—lying 8000 light years...
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Japanese robots successfully land on an asteroid

Two robotic rovers from space probe Hayabusa2, launched by Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), have landed on an asteroid. It marks the first time a mission has completed a...
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Rohingya shelter in the world's largest refugee camp

A refugee camp in the Cox's Bazar district of southeastern Bangladesh now holds more than 700,000 Rohingya people who have fled Myanmar. Meanwhile, Myanmar’s military has been...
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Are world insect populations in catastrophic decline?

Recent studies have confirmed that insect populations around the world are suffering a catastrophic decline. In 2017, entomologists (scientists who study insects) in Germany...
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Longest lunar eclipse of the century

On 27th July 2018 the longest total lunar eclipse of the 21st century will begin. As the Moon rises, it will start to fall behind Earth's shadow. Totality, the period when the Moon...
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Krill fishing companies agree to back Antarctic Ocean Sanctuary

Most krill fishing companies are to stop fishing krill in the seas around the Antarctic Peninsula. Krill, shrimp-like marine animals, are a crucial link in the Antarctic food...
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Antarctic ice is melting faster than ever

A new report shows that ice in Antarctica is melting at a record-breaking rate. The rise in sea levels that results from this could have catastrophic consequences for coastal...
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The FIFA World Cup tournament kicks off in Russia

The 21st FIFA World Cup football tournament kicks off on 14th June 2018, when hosts Russia play Saudi Arabia in the 80,000-seater Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow. A total of 64 matches...
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Is there a ninth major planet lurking in the outer reaches of our Solar System?

An asteroid recently discovered in the outer Solar System is proving of great interest to astronomers. They believe that its strange orbital path around the Sun can only be...
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Kilauea, one of Hawaii's active volcanoes, erupts

One of Hawaii's active volcanoes—which helped create the islands in the first place—has erupted. Since early May, it has been oozing lava from a number of fissures (cracks in...
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The Sun will become a glowing ring of gas and dust when it dies

Astronomers have long known that the Sun will die when it runs out of fuel. Until now, they have predicted that it would simply fade away into space. Now an international team of...
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Gorilla populations under threat, but numbers are higher than expected

A study has found that gorillas are far more numerous than previously thought—although the animal remains critically endangered. Researchers estimate there are more than 360,000...
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Gulf Stream current at its weakest in 1600 years

The Gulf Stream, the ocean current that brings warm temperatures and mild climates to northwestern Europe, is slowing down. New research shows that the current is now 15% weaker...
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Northern white rhinoceros dies, leaving only three left

One of the world's last three remaining northern white rhinos has died. Sudan, the “gentle giant” who lived in the Ol Pejeta conservancy in Kenya, was put down on Monday after...
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Scientists show that Archaeopteryx flew like a pheasant

A new study has shone light on a question that has long puzzled palaeontologists: could the winged, bird-like Jurassic dinosaur Archaeopteryx actually fly? From detailed analysis...
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Scientists uncover new facts about the ancestry of modern Britons

Almost the entire British population was replaced by newcomers about 4500 years ago. A study analysing DNA from ancient human remains has shown that only around 10% of the ancestry...
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Scientists show how feathers evolved from reptiles’ scales

Scientists have re-created the beginnings of the process by which scales evolve into feathers. We now have a greater understanding of how some dinosaurs came to be covered with...
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Cape Town awaits Day Zero when its water taps will be turned off

On 16th April 2018, engineers will turn off water for a million homes and businesses in Cape Town, South Africa, an event that is being called “Day Zero”. It will be the first...
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Bayeux Tapestry to be loaned to Britain for public display

On 18th January 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron announced that the Bayeux Tapestry will be loaned to Britain for public display—probably at the British Museum in London in...
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Astronomers to check interstellar object for signs of alien technology

One of the world’s largest radio telescopes is being used to check whether a mysterious object that is speeding through the Solar System has been created by aliens. Scientists on...
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Will Mount Agung, an active volcano on Bali, erupt?

A massive eruption of Mount Agung volcano on the Indonesian island of Bali could happen any time, scientists say. It has been giving off volcanic ash with increasing intensity...
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Potentially habitable planet found just 11 light years away

A potentially habitable planet, called Ross 128 b, has been discovered just 11 light years away from Earth. It is roughly Earth-sized and orbits its parent star once every 9.9...
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New species of orang-utan discovered in Sumatra

A colony of orang-utans, discovered in 1997 living in a remote mountainous region of the Indonesian island of Sumatra, have now been classified as a separate species. The new...
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Astronomers witness neutron stars colliding in space

The collision of two neutron stars, triggering a flash brighter than a billion suns and causing ripples through space-time, has been witnessed by astronomers for the first time...
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Scientists discover an underwater “city” built by octopuses

Scientists have spotted a group of 15 octopuses gathering together in one spot, communicating with one another and building dens out of shells. The team of marine biologists, led...
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The Cassini space probe goes out in spectacular style

The Cassini mission to Saturn is entering its final week. On 15th September in what is called its “Grand Finale”, the Cassini space probe will dive towards the planet and burn...
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Hurricane Harvey causes devastating floods in Texas

Hurricane Harvey is the first major hurricane to make landfall in the United States since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. Around 3.00 a.m. on 26th August, the hurricane reached Rockport...
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Missing link between Stegosaurus and T. rex may have been discovered

Discovered in 2004 by Diego Suarez, a seven-year-old boy from Chile, and named by a team of Argentinian and Chilean palaeontologists in 2015, Chilesaurus is proving to be one of...
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New evidence shows that people may have inhabited Australia 80,000 years ago

Finds at a rock shelter in Kakadu National Park suggest that humans have been living in Australia for least 65,000 years, and possibly even up to 80,000 years—far longer than...
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Martian soil found to contain lethal chemicals that can destroy life

The chances of discovering life on Mars have fallen following the discovery that the soil on the Red Planet contains toxic chemicals capable of wiping out living organisms...
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Discovery of 300,000-year-old remains rewrites story of human evolution

Fossil bones discovered in an old mine in Morocco, northwestern Africa, have challenged the idea that Homo sapiens—modern humans—first evolved in East Africa 200,000 years ago...
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Global Seed Vault threatened by floods caused by climate change

The Global Seed Vault, a secure bank of the world’s seeds located on a remote Arctic island, has flooded after the surrounding permafrost melted. Unusually high temperatures in...
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Space probe Cassini dives through the gap between Saturn and its rings

The space probe Cassini has begun its final sequence of orbits of Saturn, passing between the planet and its rings, and ending with a final plunge into the planet itself on 15th...
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“Hobbit” species may have been the first humans to migrate from Africa

A team of researchers has found that Homo floresiensis, a tiny prehistoric human species, probably evolved from a primitive ancestor in Africa—and not from the more recent Homo...
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Dinosaur family tree may be completely redrawn

For more than a century, dinosaurs have been classified into two basic groups. But now a group of researchers have discovered evidence that, if proved correct, could mean a...
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Which country has been declared the happiest in the world?

Released to coincide with the UN International Day of Happiness on 20th March, the World Happiness Report measures how happy people are in different countries, and why. According...
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Mystery of what caused the woolly mammoth to go extinct may be solved

Towards the end of the last Ice Age, around 12,000 years ago, woolly mammoths roamed across Siberia and the colder regions of North America. A warming climate and human hunters led...
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Seven Earth-like planets discovered orbiting around a single star

Astronomers have discovered seven Earth-sized planets found orbiting a nearby star in the constellation of Aquarius. Three of these exoplanets, as they are called, orbit in what is...
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Scientists may have solved the mystery of why dinosaurs went extinct

Scientists may have solved the mystery of why the dinosaurs became extinct at the end of the Cretaceous period—while amphibians, birds, mammals and other reptiles all survived...
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The fall armyworm is on the march in Africa, destroying maize crops as it goes

Governments are struggling to tackle a serious pest that is destroying maize crops as it spreads rapidly across Africa. According to the Centre for Agriculture and Biosciences...
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Dippy the Diplodocus is being prepared for his tour of the UK

Dippy the Diplodocus, a plaster-cast replica of a dinosaur skeleton, is leaving London’s Natural History Museum to go on a two-year tour of the UK. Made up of 292 bones, Dippy...
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Tooth repair drug may replace fillings

Tooth fillings could be a thing of the past. A study has shown that our teeth’s natural ability to repair themselves can be boosted using a drug. Called Tideglusib, it has been...
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Deep crack in the ice forces Antarctic research station to relocate

A research station on the Brunt Ice Shelf in Antarctica run by the British Antarctic Survey is to be relocated. A deep crack has opened up in the ice nearby, and the station risks...
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Record low extent of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean expected this winter

The Arctic is currently experiencing hot sea surface and air temperatures, making it very difficult for sea ice to form. A record low extent of sea ice in the Arctic Ocean is...
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A 14-year-old girl who died of cancer has been cryopreserved

A 14-year-old girl, who asked before she died of cancer to have a chance of living longer, has been allowed by the British high court to have her body frozen. The hope is that, one...
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Biggest supermoon in nearly 69 years

On Monday 14th November the Moon will arrive at its closest point, its perigee, to the Earth in 2016: 356,508 kilometres (221,524 miles) away. This distance—measured from the...
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United States prepares to elect a new President

On the morning of 9th November 2016, the world woke up to the news that Donald Trump had been elected the 45th President of the United States. His victory was announced just after...
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Hurricane Matthew wreaks havoc in the Caribbean and southeastern US

Hurricane Matthew, a strong tropical cyclone, is travelling north along the southeastern coast of the US. It is a Category 5 hurricane, the most powerful on the scale. Matthew...
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Illegal trading in pangolins and other wild animals threatens them with extinction

More than a million pangolins may have been caught and sold in the last 10 years. With sales thought to be worth around $19 billion a year, pangolins are now the most illegally...
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DNA tests confirm the cause of the Great Plague in 1665

A DNA test has finally confirmed what caused the Great Plague which ravaged London in 1665. Taking samples from the human remains in a burial pit—discovered during the...
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A “ring of fire” appears over Africa

On 1st September 2016, a spectacular "ring of fire" appeared in the sky over parts of Africa, as the Moon almost—but not completely—blocked out the Sun. This was what is known...
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Are the strange signals from a distant star an “alien megastructure”?

A star called KIC 8462852, known as "Tabby's Star", lying approximately 1500 light years away from Earth, is displaying a strange pattern of dimming. A long period of gradual...
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Controversy continues over fracking

Vast quantities of shale gas can be extracted from under the ground through a process known as hydraulic fracturing, or fracking. This is a technique designed to recover gas and...
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Britain to decide whether to stay in or leave the EU

On Thursday 23rd June 2016, the people of Britain will vote in a referendum to decide whether the UK should remain in the European Union (EU) or leave it. Supporters (“Remain”...
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Marshlands of southern Iraq named as a World Heritage Site

UNESCO (the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) has named the Mesopotamian Marshes in southern Iraq, known locally as the Ahwar, a World Heritage...
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Juno space probe nears the planet Jupiter

On the morning of 5th July 2016, the Juno space probe, which has been travelling through the Solar System since its launch in 2011, will go into orbit around Jupiter. To do so, it...
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Centenary of the Battle of the Somme

On Friday 1st July, ceremonies across Britain and in France mark the centenary of the Battle of the Somme, which began on 1st July 1916. The main event takes place at the Thiepval...
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El Niño causes severe droughts across the world

El Niño, a weather event that happens roughly every three to five years, has triggered the worst global food crisis of the last 25 years. Much of India, Latin America and parts of...
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Evidence shows that prehistoric humans settled in the Americas much earlier than thought

Evidence has been found of people living in Florida 14,550 years ago—more than 1000 years earlier than previously thought. Stone tools, along with the butchered bones of a...
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Driverless taxis could be on the streets within a year

Driverless taxis could soon be a common sight on our streets after two private car-hailing apps, Lyft and Uber, both recently announced plans to test them on US roads “within a...
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Scientists discover gravitational waves

A team of US scientists announced today that they have detected gravitational waves. These are the ripples in “space-time” that were predicted a century ago by the great German...
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Study shows that noise from ships seriously affects whales and dolphins

Noise from passing ships may disturb whales and dolphins far more than previously thought. A study led by Scott Veirs of Beam Reach Marine Science and Sustainability School...
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Tim Peake, Britain’s first astronaut, blasts off into space

Britain’s first European Space Agency astronaut, Tim Peake, is currently on a six-month mission to the International Space Station (ISS). The 310-tonne Soyuz rocket lifted off...
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Antibiotic defences against diseases under threat

The world may be about to enter a "post-antibiotic era”. Scientists have found that some bacteria have become resistant to certain drugs that are used when all other treatments...
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Britain commemorates the Gunpowder Plot on Bonfire Night

The exact date of Guy Fawkes’s birth is uncertain, although it is known that he was baptized on 16th April 1570 in York. Although his parents were Protestants, Guy converted to...
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Space probe Cassini flies through a spray of ice from Saturn’s moon, Enceladus

Saturn's moon Enceladus is to be closely examined for signs of life by the Cassini space probe. On Wednesday 28th October, it is to be steered through a fountain of icy spray that...
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Coral bleaching is taking place on a massive scale

The National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) in the US has announced that the rising temperature of ocean waters has triggered coral bleaching across tropical...
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Evidence of flowing water discovered on Mars

Images taken from the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter, a space probe in orbit around Mars, show long, dark streaks on the steep walls of the Red Planet's valleys and craters in the...
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Did prehistoric humans bury their dead?

Researchers have discovered the remains of a new species of ancient human in a cave in South Africa. It has been named Homo naledi, after the word for “star” in the local Sotho...
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Queen Elizabeth set to become the longest-reigning monarch in British history

Queen Elizabeth II becomes Britain's longest-reigning monarch on 9th September 2015. She takes the record held by her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria at around 5.30 pm on...
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Tutankhamun’s tomb may contain the secret burial chamber of Queen Nefertiti

An English archaeologist believes that the tomb of Tutankhamun, the “Boy King” of ancient Egypt, also contains the burial chamber of Queen Nefertiti, wife and chief consort of...
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New Horizons space probe nears Pluto

Nine years after it left Earth, Nasa’s New Horizons space probe became, on Tuesday 14th July, the first spacecraft to reach the dwarf planet Pluto. It took detailed images and...
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Scientists warn that Earth is entering a sixth extinction phase

A report by scientists at Stanford, Princeton and Berkeley universities has found that vertebrates (animals with backbones) are vanishing more than 100 times faster than normal...
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Can dinosaurs really be brought back to life?

The new movie Jurassic World features a genetically modified dinosaur, called Indominus rex ("Untamable king"). It's a kind of theropod (flesh-eating dinosaur) called an abelisaur...
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South Korean team wins the battle of the robots

A South Korean robotics team has won the Darpa Robotics Challenge. Team Kaist's Hubo humanoid robot defeated 22 others to win the $2 million first prize from the US Department of...
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New human ancestor from Ethiopia discovered

Fossil remains belonging to a new species of ancient human have been discovered in the Afar region of Ethiopia. Researchers unearthed jaw bones and teeth from four individuals...
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Australia and New Zealand prepare to mark 100 years since Gallipoli

On 25th April each year, Australia and New Zealand remember those who died at the Battle of Gallipoli during World War I. This year, Anzac Day as it is called sees the 100th...
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UK prepares for near-total solar eclipse

On Friday March 20th, UK residents will be able to witness a near-total solar eclipse. From around 8.30 a.m. the Moon will appear to move across the Sun, taking about an hour to...
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Solar-powered plane sets off on flight around the world

A record-breaking attempt to fly around the world in a piloted fixed-wing aircraft using only solar power has got under way. The flight is being made by Swiss aeronaut Bertrand...
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Work begins on the Nicaragua Canal

A new canal is being built across Central America, linking the Caribbean Sea with the Pacific Ocean. The 278-kilometre (172-mile) waterway will be longer, deeper and wider than the...
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Fossil of new species of marine reptile found on Skye

A fossil, first unearthed more than 50 years ago, has now been identified as a species of ichthyosaur different to any found before. The prehistoric marine reptile measured 4.25...
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Earth-like planet discovered in the constellation of Lyra

A new planet has been found by the Kepler space telescope—and is thought to be the most Earth-like exoplanet (one from another solar system) ever found. The planet has been named...
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Five trillion pieces of plastic in the ocean

A study has found that there are approximately 269 million tonnes of plastic polluting the ocean. Most pieces are smaller than 5 mm and come from clothing or food and drinks...
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Ebola virus epidemic in Africa

The current Ebola outbreak in West Africa was first reported in March 2014 and has now become the worst occurrence of the disease since it was discovered in 1976. The current...
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Rosetta Mission: Philae lands on comet

On 12th November, the Rosetta spacecraft launched its lander, called Philae, on to the comet 67P/Churyumov-Gerasimenko. The Philae lander has 10 instruments on board, including a...
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Rocket explodes just after launch

A rocket, launched on an unmanned mission to deliver supplies to the International Space Station (ISS), exploded shortly after lift-off. The incident took place at a NASA launch...
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New football pitch makes electricity

Brazilian footballing legend Pelé today opened a groundbreaking football pitch, which uses the energy of players’ steps to generate electricity. The pitch is in the shantytown...
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Crocodile still at large in Crete

A crocodile measuring 1.8 metres (6 feet) long is living on the Greek island of Crete. It was spotted two months ago in an artificial lake near the seaside town of Rethymno—and...
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Q-&-A: Please send in your tricky questions…

Parents flummoxed by their kids impossible-to-answer questions can breathe a sigh of relief. Q-files is coming to the rescue. We so often hear of parents, and sometimes even...
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