Environment News
The floating farm for cows
A herd of cows is living on a floating farm in the middle of Europe’s busiest port of Rotterdam. The animals are part of an experiment to produce food more sustainably, and closer to people. Peter van Wingerden, founder of Beladon, told BBC Radio 5 Live: “No matter how much rain falls, no matter how …
Nasa picks headquarters for Moon lander
Image copyright NASA A Nasa facility in Alabama that developed the giant rocket for the Apollo programme in the 1960s will play a key role in sending astronauts down to the Moon’s surface in 2024. The Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville will lead the development of a vehicle that will land astronauts on the …
Elephant protection debate to dominate conservation meeting
Image copyright Getty Images Different approaches to protecting elephants are set to dominate the debate at a key conservation conference starting in Geneva today. Delegates from more than 180 countries are gathering for the meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (Cites). Some African nations are again pushing to reopen the trade …
Early fish tapeworms found at ‘Britain’s Pompeii’ Must Farm
Image copyright V Herring/Cambridge Archaeological Unit Image caption Archaeologists were astonished by the “fabulous artefacts” found at the site The earliest evidence of fish tapeworm in Britain has been discovered preserved in human faeces, according to experts at Cambridge University. The finds were unearthed at a site dubbed “Britain’s Pompeii”, a burnt-out 3,000-year-old village at …
Welsh bees threatened by deadly disease American Foulbrood
Image caption The chief bee inspector for Wales said it was vital keepers let authorities know how many hives they have Concern has been growing over the spread of a deadly disease among the Welsh bee population. American Foulbrood (AFB) is a highly-infectious disease which is caused by a spore-forming bacteria transferred to the bees …
Extinction: Humans played big role in demise of the cave bear
Image copyright R. Kowalczyk Image caption Cave bear skull from the Natural History Museum in Belgrade, Serbia The arrival of human ancestors in Europe some 40,000 years ago coincided with the downfall of the cave bear, scientists have revealed. New evidence suggests humans hunted the bear and drove it from caves, putting it on the …
Do we need to worry about banana blight?
Image copyright Getty Images News broke late last week that a fungal disease that kills Cavendish banana plants has been detected in Latin America for the first time. A strain of the Fusarium fungus, which causes so-called Panama disease in banana plants, was detected in Colombia. The strain, which is very difficult to treat, has …
Plastic particles falling out of sky with snow in Arctic
Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionLocals are ‘sad’ about the changes in the Arctic they’ve seen Even in the Arctic, microscopic particles of plastic are falling out of the sky with snow, a study has found. The scientists said they were shocked by the sheer number of particles they found: more than …
Mount Everest: Climbers set to face new rules after deadly season
Image copyright AFP PHOTO / PROJECT POSSIBLE Image caption Four of the deaths on Everest this climbing season were blamed on overcrowding Climbers who want to attempt Mount Everest should first have to demonstrate that they are experienced mountaineers, a panel advising Nepal’s government has recommended. Its report proposes that applicants must already have climbed …
Dr Becky: The Oxford University YouTube astrophysicist
Among the millions of channels on YouTube is “Dr Becky”, an astrophysicist who is trying to encourage others into STEM careers (science, technology, engineering and mathematics). As a research fellow at the University of Oxford, Dr Becky Smethurst specialises in black holes, but outside the day job she posts videos on all sorts of space-themed …
