Environment News
Elon Musk upbeat on Starship test flights
Image copyright Getty Images Image caption The Mk1 Starship will begin high-altitude tests in the coming weeks The American entrepreneur Elon Musk has given a further update on his Starship and Super Heavy rocket system. He plans to use the new vehicles to send people to the Moon and Mars, and also to move them …
Chandrayaan-2: India Moon probe made ‘hard landing’, says Nasa
Image copyright NASA Image caption New pictures returned from a Nasa spacecraft show the targeted landing site India’s Moon rover, which lost contact moments before it was to touch down on the lunar surface earlier this month, had a “hard landing”, Nasa has said. New pictures from a Nasa spacecraft show the targeted landing site …
‘Alarming’ extinction threat to Europe’s trees
Image copyright Raico Rosenberg Image caption Forests face threats from logging and clearance for agriculture The conker tree has been put on the official extinction list. Ravaged by moths and disease, the horse chestnut is now classified as vulnerable to extinction. The tree is among more than 400 native European tree species assessed for their …
Somerset human remains ‘as old as Cheddar Man’
Image copyright Cotswold Archaeology Image caption The human remains were found to be as old as Britain’s oldest complete skeleton, the Cheddar Man Two boxes of human remains rediscovered after 55 years have been found to be as old as the Cheddar Man – Britain’s oldest complete skeleton. The bones were discovered in a cave …
Giant planet around tiny star ‘should not exist’
Image copyright University of Bern Image caption Artwork: The gaseous world and its star are about 30 light-years from us Astronomers have discovered a giant planet that, they say, should not exist, according to current theories. The Jupiter-like world is unusually large compared with its host star, contradicting a widely held idea about the way …
Brazil environment: Vast oil spill hits dozens of beaches
Image copyright Sergipe State Government Image caption Oil puddles have been found on beaches across Brazil’s north-eastern coast Brazilian officials are investigating the source of a vast oil spill that has hit dozens of beaches along the country’s north-eastern coast. Analysis showed the oil found was of a type not produced in Brazil, the environmental …
Microplastics: Premium teabags leak billions of particles – study
Image copyright Getty Creative Stock Some premium tea bags might be leaving billions of microscopic plastic particles in your cup, new research suggests. Canadian researchers found that some plastic tea bags shed high levels of microplastics into water. Microplastics have widely been found in the environment, in tap and bottled waters, and in some foods. …
Climate emergency: ‘Not much changed’ in Scotland
Former Environment Minister Stewart Stevenson says so far ‘not very much has changed’ since a climate emergency was declared in Scotland. First Minister Nicola Sturgeon made the declaration at the SNP party conference in April. During a discussion on climate change on BBC Debate Night, Journalist Pennie Taylor said “not enough” was being done, while …
Royal naming for Sir David Attenborough polar ship
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionTake a flight over the RRS Sir David Attenborough The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will officially name the UK’s new polar research ship after Sir David Attenborough on Thursday. The famous broadcaster and naturalist will be on hand to witness the ceremony, which is taking place …
Greenbrier Valley floods: Confronting climate change in Trump’s coal country
Image caption A coal-fired power plant in West Virginia It was the day the UK voted to leave the European Union but nobody cared about that in White Sulphur Springs. On 23 June 2016 the residents of this small West Virginia town were fighting to survive. They had been engulfed by a flash flood after …
