Alison Francis Senior Science Journalist Watch: BBC goes behind the scenes at Kew Gardens ahead of major Palm House renovation It’s a makeover on a massive scale – it involves moving 1,300 plants, replacing 16,000 panes of glass and cleaning up hundreds of tonnes of iron. This is the ambitious £50m plan to renovate the…
Mark Poynting, Jess Carr and Phil Leake BBC Climate and Verify data journalism teams Getty Images Many reservoirs in northern England, like Lindley Wood in Yorkshire, have hit extremely low levels Millions of people in England are in regions hit by drought, and further parts of England are at risk of following if dry weather…
A new material developed by researchers from University of Toronto Engineering could offer a safer alternative to the non-stick chemicals commonly used in cookware and other applications. The new substance repels both water and grease about as well as standard non-stick coatings — but it contains much lower amounts of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS),…
Science that makes living in our homes safer and cooler in a changing climate. Source link
Georgina Rannard Climate and science correspondent Reporting fromBritish Antarctic Survey, Cambridge PNRA/IPEV The end of the ice cores are a 1.5 million year or even older time capsule An ice core that may be older than 1.5 million years has arrived in the UK where scientists will melt it to unlock vital information about Earth’s…
Helen Briggs BBC environment correspondent•@hbriggs Getty Images Conditions this year are more favourable for wasps than last year John Horsley was gardening when he felt a wasp crawl down his T-shirt. “That stung me a few times in the back,” he says. “It wasn’t a pleasant experience.” Part of the British Pest Control Association, John…
Mark Poynting Climate and science reporter, BBC News Getty The long-awaited review into England and Wales’ troubled water sector has been released. There’s much to pick through in the 465-page report – but here are the key points. 1. All sides to blame – but Ofwat gets the boot The independent Water Commission, led by…
The playful pair of Rozi the cheetah cub and Ziggy the labrador-kelpie-collie mix show that sibling bonds can transcend species boundaries. Rozi was born in late February at Western Plains Zoo in Dubbo, Australia, by emergency caesarean after her mother, Siri, went into labour early. Siri never produced milk, and because Rozi was critically unwell…
A new study offers the first direct evidence that deep-dwelling mesopelagic fish, which account for up to 94 percent of global fish biomass, excrete carbonate minerals at rates comparable to shallow-water species. The findings validate previous global models suggesting that marine fish are major contributors to biogenic carbonate production in the ocean. Scientists at the…
Jadarite has been likened to Superman’s ‘kryptonite’ based on their similar chemical compositions. It was discovered in the Jadar Valley of Serbia and officially recognized as a new mineral in 2006. Whilst lacking any actual superpowers, jadarite has great potential as an important resource of lithium and boron. Kryptonite’s twin on Earth Described as ‘Earth’s…
