How ongoing deforestation is rooted in colonialism and its management practices

May 28, 2025 14:38 pm UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Half of the worlds forests were destroyed during the 20th century, with three regions mainly affected: South America, West Africa and Southeast Asia. The situation has worsened to the point that, in 2023, the European...

Ukraine minerals deal: the idea that natural resource extraction can build peace has been around for decades

May 04, 2025 07:20 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Ukraine has finally signed its minerals agreement with the US. The deal states that Washington will eventually receive a share of the profits from the sale of Ukrainian natural resources, providing an economic incentive to...

Burkina Faso and Mali’s fabulous flora: new plant life record released

May 04, 2025 07:19 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The Illustrated Flora of Burkina Faso and Mali is the first comprehensive documentation of the remarkable plant diversity in these two west African countries. Written in French, the book is the outcome of decades of...

What is a downburst? These winds can be as destructive as tornadoes − we recreate them to test building designs

May 01, 2025 09:10 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

From a distance, a downburst can look like a torrent of heavy rain. But at ground level, its behavior can be far more destructive. When a downbursts winds hit the ground, they shoot out horizontally in all directions,...

Drug pollution in water is making salmon take more risks – new research

Apr 12, 2025 09:57 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

Out of sight, out of mind is how we often treat what is flushed down our toilets. But the drugs we take, from anxiety medications to antibiotics, dont simply vanish after leaving our bodies. Many are not fully removed by...

Thousands of satellites are due to burn up in the atmosphere every year – damaging the ozone layer and changing the climate

Mar 22, 2025 05:32 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

The worlds first artificial satellite, the Soviet Unions Sputnik 1, was launched in October 1957. Just three months later, it fell out of orbit. As Sputnik hit the upper atmosphere at incredible speed, the friction would...

We combed through old botanical surveys to track how plants on Australia’s islands are changing

Mar 22, 2025 05:24 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature

More than 8,000 continental islands sit just off the coast of Australia, many of them uninhabited and unspoiled. For thousands of species, these patches of habitat offer refuge from the threats they face on the mainland....