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BBC News - Science & Environment

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

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.

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?

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.

'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.

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

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.

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".

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.

Council commits to demolition costs on eroding coast

Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:06:55 GMT

Four homes in the village have been torn down this winter alone, with more potentially at risk.

'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

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

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:10:55 GMT

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

Oldest cave painting of red claw hand could rewrite human creativity timeline

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:00:07 GMT

A stencilled outline of a hand found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is the world's oldest known cave painting, researchers say.

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.

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

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.

Cold weather and data centres drive up US greenhouse gas emissions

Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:40:06 GMT

US emissions of planet-warming gases rise for the first time in three years.

'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.

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.

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.

'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.

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?

Nature loss is a national security risk, intelligence group warns

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:08:27 GMT

The degradation of ecosystems around the world threatens UK food security, a long-awaited report says.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

50 years since Concorde’s first commercial flight, is aviation going supersonic again?

Landscape beneath Antarctica's icy surface revealed in unprecedented detail

Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:21 GMT

Scientists believe the map could shed light on how Antarctica's vast ice sheet will respond to climate change.

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.

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.

Hidden cameras reveal what hedgehogs really get up to after dark

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 01:34:56 GMT

Hedgehogs are surprisingly common in UK gardens, with food a powerful attraction, say scientists.

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?

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.

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.

Water companies to face regular MOT-style checks in industry shake-up

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:43:17 GMT

The government says the industry will have "nowhere to hide", but campaigners say the reforms do not go far enough.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Cow astonishes scientists with rare use of tools

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:54:29 GMT

The discovery suggests cows may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously assumed.

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.

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, 15 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

Nasa’s Artemis II rocket is about to be rolled out. What is the mission hoping to achieve?

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.

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.

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.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 01 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMT

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

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".

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.

Hundreds of illegal waste tips operating in England - including 11 'super sites'

Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:19:04 GMT

A BBC investigation uncovers how criminals are operating huge illegal rubbish tips across the country.

UK secures record supply of offshore wind projects

Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:08:37 GMT

The government says the projects will bring down bills but the Conservatives say it is locking in high wind prices.

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.

Nature loss is a national security risk, intelligence group warns

Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:08:27 GMT

The degradation of ecosystems around the world threatens UK food security, a long-awaited report says.

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.

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.

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.

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.