Climate change: Two polar ice caps revealed to have completely melted in a span of three years

Aug 03, 2020 13:15 pm UTC| Science Nature

As the world battles with the pandemic that is COVID-19, there is also the existing problem of climate change, as temperatures are rising and causing the frozen polar regions to start melting at a shocking pace. The...

Why some species thrive after catastrophe – rules for making the most of an apocalypse

Jul 21, 2020 14:05 pm UTC| Nature

Sixty-six million years ago, an asteroid struck the Earth. The world was plunged into darkness, killing the dinosaurs and over 90% of all species alive. Today, every living thing descends from the handful of surviving...

Global electronic waste up 21% in five years, and recycling isn't keeping up

Jul 14, 2020 09:56 am UTC| Nature

Each year, the total amount of electric and electronic equipment the world uses grows by 2.5 million tonnes. Phones, radios, toys, laptops if it has a power or battery supply its likely to join a growing mountain of...

Air pollution exposure linked to higher COVID-19 cases and deaths – new study

Jul 14, 2020 09:51 am UTC| Nature

The global death toll from COVID-19 has now passed half a million. To slow the spread of the disease, we need to better understand why some places have higher numbers of cases and deaths than others. One factor that...

Gold mining leaves deforested Amazon land barren for years, find scientists

Jul 02, 2020 15:52 pm UTC| Nature

Travel through the rainforest in Guyana, in northern South America, and youll often hear the indigenous adage: a forest has no end and no beginning to explain their natural cycle of disturbance and recovery. For the people...

Our laws failed these endangered flying-foxes at every turn. On Saturday, Cairns council will put another nail in the coffin

Jul 02, 2020 15:39 pm UTC| Nature

On Saturday, Cairns Regional Council will disperse up to 8,000 endangered spectacled flying-foxes from their nationally important camp in central Cairns. The camp is one of the last major strongholds of the species,...

Days with both extreme heat and extreme air pollution are becoming more common – which can't be a good thing for global health

Jun 26, 2020 07:13 am UTC| Nature

The Research Brief is a short take on interesting academic work. The big idea Days of extreme high heat and extreme air pollution are both increasing worldwide. Last November, New Delhi experienced a week of the...