BBC News

BBC News - Science & Environment

More solar farms on the way after record renewables auction

Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:19:08 GMT

The results have been welcomed by climate and clean energy groups but could face opposition from local communities.

SpaceX pulls off Starship rocket launch in much-needed comeback

Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:00:47 GMT

The Starship rocket is critical to the company's hopes of one day carrying people to the Moon and Mars.

Plaid promises Welsh communities share of renewable energy profits

Wed, 18 Feb 2026 14:54:24 GMT

Plaid Cymru says renewable energy projects would have to hand over stakes of up to 25% to local communities.

Asteroid contains building blocks of life, say scientists

Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:07:12 GMT

Bennu contains minerals and thousands of organic molecules, including the chemical components that make up DNA.

Nasa's mega Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for Artemis II mission

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 01:22:46 GMT

Final preparations now get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

The science of soulmates: Is there someone out there exactly right for you?

Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:01:47 GMT

For many, the idea of soulmates still shapes how love is understood.

Future of space travel: Could robots really replace human astronauts?

Tue, 31 Dec 2024 01:46:51 GMT

Advances in technology raise questions about the need to send people to space - and the risks and cost

UK company sends factory with 1,000C furnace into space

Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:26:41 GMT

A factory in space has been switched on and has reached temperatures of about 1,000C.

Trump eyes Venezuela visit – but obstacles to his oil plan remain

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:50:58 GMT

The US president wants American energy firms to start extracting the crude but they are reluctant.

The truth about life on other planets - and what it means for humans

Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:11:47 GMT

Could discoveries of alien life ever change the human psyche in how we view ourselves and each other?

The debate about whether the NHS should use magic mushrooms to treat depression

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:47:15 GMT

Many clinical trials to test the use of psychedelic medicines for conditions such as depression have been underway since 2022 - with surprising results

These robots can clean, exercise - and care for you in old age. Would you trust them to?

Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:04:09 GMT

It sounds like something from a sci-fi film - but some scientists believe this clever new tech could help alleviate strains on the UK care system

Nasa to put nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 - US media

Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:36:24 GMT

The reactor would provide power for humans on the Moon but there are questions about feasibility.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The science of barbecue recorded at Abergavenny Food Festival 2025.

New study on moons of Uranus raises chance of life

Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:00:05 GMT

The planet Uranus and its five biggest moons may not be the sterile worlds scientists have long thought.

UK launches plan to tackle 'forever chemicals' amid growing concerns

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:06:49 GMT

Increasing testing for PFAS is part of the UK's first ever national plan for tackling the substances.

'Smiling' fossil discovered on Holy Island

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 05:07:07 GMT

The unusual looking fossil is estimated to be a few hundred million years old dating to the Carboniferous period.

COP30: Trump and many leaders are skipping it, so does the summit still have a point?

Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:09:19 GMT

The US president is notably absent from these UN climate talks, as are other world leaders, all of which prompts questions about the purpose of COP today.

'It's harder to be a parent than a space shuttle commander', trailblazing Nasa pilot tells BBC

Tue, 21 Oct 2025 02:34:44 GMT

The BBC speaks to astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a Nasa spacecraft.

Nasa boss says Boeing Starliner failure one of worst in its history

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 01:44:48 GMT

The agency released a critical report that puts the Starliner incident at same mistake level assigned to the fatal Columbia and Challenger shuttle disasters.

Global temperatures dipped in 2025 but more heat records on way, scientists warn

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:44:07 GMT

The last three years were Earth's hottest on record, as humanity's carbon emissions continue to heat the planet.

Are wetter winters and frequent flooding here to stay?

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:59:08 GMT

Many places across the UK have experienced their wettest January in more than 100 years.

SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:00:42 GMT

A SpaceX Falcon 9 crashed to Earth last year. Now scientists have measured the pollution it caused.

UK homes to get £15bn for solar and green tech to cut energy bills

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:06 GMT

The government has announced the details of its long-awaited Warm Homes Plan which promises to cut energy bills.

Deer culling to be made easier to protect trees and crops

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 22:58:13 GMT

The government unveils a long awaited 10-year deer management plan that will identify priority culling areas.

BBC plans David Attenborough celebration for 100th birthday

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 09:20:22 GMT

The corporation will look back on the veteran wildlife broadcaster's career for his birthday in May.

More than 90 deaths this season: Are we seeing more avalanches?

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:57:01 GMT

Recent deadly incidents in California and Europe are putting avalanches - and how to avoid them - in the spotlight.

When does the Nasa Moon mission launch and who are the Artemis II crew?

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 16:54:33 GMT

The first crewed Moon mission in 50 years could launch in February, ahead of a future lunar landing.

Nasa's mega Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for Artemis II mission

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 01:22:46 GMT

Final preparations now get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.

Bats are seeking sanctuary in churches - but they're making an unholy mess

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:34:03 GMT

A new study estimates that about half of all churches in England have bats living in them.

Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 astronaut, dies aged 97

Sat, 09 Aug 2025 07:01:11 GMT

The commander of Apollo 13 famously rescued his men from near certain death in space.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:00:00 GMT

New research on how forever chemicals get into our environment.

SpaceX Starship test fails after Texas launch

Fri, 17 Jan 2025 02:27:56 GMT

Officials at Elon Musk's company said the upper stage was lost, minutes after it launched.

Why scientists are counting tiny marine creatures, from Space

Tue, 04 Feb 2025 01:59:32 GMT

Differences in seawater colour could reveal how tiny Antarctic creatures are faring in a warming world.

SpaceX rocket fireball linked to plume of polluting lithium

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 16:00:42 GMT

A SpaceX Falcon 9 crashed to Earth last year. Now scientists have measured the pollution it caused.

Astronauts Butch and Suni finally back on Earth

Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:14:48 GMT

Dolphins circled their capsule after it landed off the coast of Florida.

Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse

Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:00:18 GMT

Archaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.

Britain's energy bills problem - and why firms are paid huge sums to stop producing power

Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:14:11 GMT

Could the government's radical plan to change the way the UK distributes electricity really bring down bills - or just lead to a postcode lottery?

Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men

Fri, 08 Aug 2025 21:31:57 GMT

Of the 24 Nasa astronauts who travelled to the Moon in the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, just five remain.

Street where residents are terrified of flooding to be bulldozed

Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:24:59 GMT

Homes on a street at severe risk of flooding will be bought by a local council.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 19 Feb 2026 21:00:00 GMT

And how can future civilisations remember where we put it?

BBC Inside Science

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 21:00:00 GMT

What would it really take to build a city on the moon?

Intriguing finds could solve mystery of women in medieval cemetery

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:34:29 GMT

There is growing evidence that the women were part of an early female religious community.

Rare Iron Age war trumpet and boar standard found

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:02:51 GMT

The discoveries are "extraordinarily rare", say the archaeologists who helped find them.

Soviet-era spacecraft 'likely' to have re-entered Earth's atmosphere

Sat, 10 May 2025 15:32:19 GMT

The spacecraft, which launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus, circled Earth for over five decades.

Sunken Thames barges create new island for birds

Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:02:44 GMT

The National Trust describes the Northey Island project as "a bold marine engineering feat".

Ancient bone may prove legendary war elephant crossing of Alps

Mon, 16 Feb 2026 17:26:49 GMT

It would be the first hard evidence that elephants were used in battle by General Hannibal.

Rocket launch challenges Elon Musk's space dominance

Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:12:27 GMT

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's space company blasts its first rocket into orbit in a challenge to Elon Musk.

Are wetter winters and frequent flooding here to stay?

Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:59:08 GMT

Many places across the UK have experienced their wettest January in more than 100 years.

Nasa targets early March to send humans back around the Moon

Fri, 20 Feb 2026 17:00:26 GMT

Nasa sets the launch date following a successful "wet dress rehearsal" of the Artemis II mission.