BBC News

BBC News - Science & Environment

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 taken to secret location in Welsh mountains to find rare plant

Mon, 29 Dec 2025 12:26:19 GMT

BBC Climate Editor Justin Rowlatt travels to Eryri - also known as Snowdonia - to find a rare plant.

The before and after images showing glaciers vanishing before our eyes

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:28:17 GMT

They are melting like never seen before, changing landscapes around the world beyond recognition.

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.

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.

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.

Electric car discounts are unsustainable, says industry group

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 09:48:31 GMT

The SMMT warned of a growing gap between consumer demand and the government's ambitions for EVs.

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.

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

Red Tractor ad banned for misleading environmental claims

Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:40:44 GMT

The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint by environment charity River Action.

From Hollywood to horticulture: Cate Blanchett on a mission to save seeds

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:42:05 GMT

The Hollywood actor teams up with Kew’s Millenium Seed Bank as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.

'Year of octopus' declared after warmer seas lead to record UK numbers

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:49:25 GMT

The Wildlife Trusts say its is 'flabbergasted' by the sighting of the highest number of octopuses since 1950

Pictured: Winning entries for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025

Tue, 14 Oct 2025 23:04:11 GMT

South African photographer Wim van den Heever takes the main prize for his shot

Government rolls back nature protections to boost housing

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:51:04 GMT

Critics say government changes to a flagship biodiversity policy could stall nature recovery.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 25 Dec 2025 21:00:00 GMT

A weekly show exploring science, its mysteries, and the debates it sparks.

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.

Floods trap people in cars in Spain's Catalonia region

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 21:27:27 GMT

The highest red alert is declared in one coastal province, as residents are urged to stay indoors.

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.

Brazil's Amazon rainforest at risk as key protection under threat

Mon, 17 Nov 2025 01:10:54 GMT

Brazilian farmers want to end a ban on planting soya on cleared land, which critics say would spur deforestation.

More changes to farm inheritance tax plans ruled out

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:22:41 GMT

The government says it has listened to farmers and increased the proposed inheritance tax threshold.

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.

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

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 18 Dec 2025 21:00:00 GMT

President Trump continues to shake up science. We look at the impact it’s already having.

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.

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

'This is our future,' climate adviser warns as 2025 to break heat records

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 11:44:17 GMT

The Met Office says that 2025 is likely to be the UK's hottest year since records began.

Green turtle bounces back from brink in conservation 'win'

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:01:28 GMT

Once endangered due to hunting, it is making a strong recovery thanks to global conservation efforts.

Cats became our companions much later than you think

Thu, 27 Nov 2025 20:02:21 GMT

In true feline style, cats took their time in deciding when and where to join us on the sofa.

'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.

Ratmageddon: Why rats are overrunning our cities

Fri, 26 Sep 2025 06:55:02 GMT

Rats are multiplying at speed in urban areas. So, what's really behind the boom - and is it now unstoppable?

'How growing a sunflower helped me fight anorexia'

Fri, 10 Oct 2025 05:04:46 GMT

'Green social prescribing' schemes are being used by NHS doctors to improve patients' mental health.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMT

From what came before the big bang to why snowflakes are six sided.

Carbon capture company lands nearly £1m in backing

Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:10:34 GMT

The Carbon Removers, based near Dumfries, will use the funding to expand its operations across Europe.

Naked mole rats' DNA could hold key to long life

Thu, 09 Oct 2025 18:06:04 GMT

The bald, subterranean rats are the world's longest-lived rodent.

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.

Trump wants Venezuela's oil. Will his plan work?

Mon, 05 Jan 2026 10:35:11 GMT

Donald Trump has said that American oil firms will invest billions to produce oil in Venezuela.

Environment prize nominees 'heroes of our time', says William

Sat, 04 Oct 2025 21:04:44 GMT

Fifteen projects are shortlisted for a chance of winning the top £1m prizes at next month's environmental awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.

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.

Foul skies, fading light: How air pollution is stealing India's sunshine

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 23:06:44 GMT

India’s sunshine hours have fallen over the past 30 years due to clouds, aerosols and local weather.

Australia's rainforests are releasing more carbon than they absorb, warn scientists

Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:28:19 GMT

Australia's rainforests are the first in the world to make the "concerning" switch, say scientists.

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.

Record year for wind and solar electricity in Great Britain in 2025

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 11:48:51 GMT

Wind, solar and other renewables hit a new high last year but the government is still some way off its clean power target.

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

Trump withdraws US from key climate treaty and dozens of other groups

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:03:11 GMT

The White House says the decision was taken because those entities "no longer serve American interests".

Physics Nobel awarded to three scientists for work on quantum computing

Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:59:52 GMT

The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.

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?

Dame Jane Goodall revolutionised our understanding of our closest primate cousins

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:53:35 GMT

The conservationist, who died aged 91 on Wednesday, challenged how we relate to the natural world.

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.

Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure

Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:31:07 GMT

President Trump intervened in the talks calling the deal a "green scam".

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?

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

What rare earths have been found in Greenland, and why do we want them?

Controversial post-Brexit farm subsidy scheme 'landmark moment for Wales'

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:01:00 GMT

The post-Brexit subsidy scheme for farmers begins, almost a decade after the vote to leave the EU.

'This is our future,' climate adviser warns as 2025 to break heat records

Tue, 23 Dec 2025 11:44:17 GMT

The Met Office says that 2025 is likely to be the UK's hottest year since records began.

Spain's commitment to renewable energy may be in doubt

Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:02:06 GMT

The current government is politically weakened and the opposition wants more use of fossil fuels.

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.

Nasa considers whether to bring sick crew member back to Earth

Thu, 08 Jan 2026 13:09:17 GMT

Nasa is assessing what to do next following a medical issue on board the International Space Station.

How Christmas trees are getting a new lease of life

Tue, 06 Jan 2026 06:04:24 GMT

Some businesses are helping to recycle and reuse trees in a bid to reduce landfill and emissions.

Controversial post-Brexit farm subsidy scheme 'landmark moment for Wales'

Fri, 02 Jan 2026 06:01:00 GMT

The post-Brexit subsidy scheme for farmers begins, almost a decade after the vote to leave the EU.

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.

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.

Hen cages and pig farrowing crates face ban

Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:06:29 GMT

The government says its animal welfare strategy will bring "the biggest reforms in a generation".