Ice ages have been linked to the Earth's wobbly orbit - but when is the next one?
Dec 10, 2016 07:00 am UTC| Nature
Over the last two and a half million years the Earth has undergone more than 50 major ice ages, each having a profound effect on our planets climate. But what causes them and how do we predict when the next big ice age...
Planet Earth II: why most animals can't hack city living
Dec 10, 2016 02:48 am UTC| Insights & Views Nature
The grand finale of the BBCs Planet Earth II showcased the ingenious strategies that some animals use to thrive in urban environments. Though impressive, these species are in the minority. As the number of people living in...
Pavlov's plants: new study shows plants can learn from experience
Dec 08, 2016 10:30 am UTC| Nature
The first time I met the Australian evolutionary ecologist Monica Gagliano, she was wearing colourful paisley trousers and was giving an animated talk at a 2014 environmental humanities conference in Canberra. Despite...
New Study Could Lead To Drought-Resistant Crops, Christmas Trees Die Due To Dry Spell
Dec 06, 2016 07:58 am UTC| Nature
Scientists managed to find genetic properties of plants that can allow them to resist extreme drought and provide food even with limited water. This is an extremely important development amid increasingly devastating...
Nitrogen pollution: the forgotten element of climate change
Dec 04, 2016 19:21 pm UTC| Nature
While carbon pollution gets all the headlines for its role in climate change, nitrogen pollution is arguably a more challenging problem. Somehow we need to grow more food to feed an expanding population while minimising...
How the pursuit of carbon and fossil fuels harms vulnerable communities
Dec 04, 2016 19:19 pm UTC| Nature
2016 is set to be the hottest year on record. Global temperatures are already 1,2C above pre-industrial levels, and total reductions in emissions, committed by individual countries, far exceed globally agreed targets. This...
Planet Earth II: why more than 200,000 saiga antelopes died in just days
Dec 04, 2016 19:17 pm UTC| Nature
On the remote steppes of central Kazakhstan, a truly extraordinary and tragic event unfolded in May 2015. Female saigas gathered in huge numbers to give birth on the open plain over a period of just 10 days and a BBC...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’
Labour can afford to be far more ambitious with its economic policies – voters are on board
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects