Science

Image Credit: AI Generated Scientists studying plastic pollution in a New Zealand harbour discovered that microscopic plastic materials could change how coastal sediments responded to a storm. Researchers buried small pieces of polyester netting in the seabed and measured changes in oxygen consumption and nutrient fluxes before and after severe weather. Scientific Reports published results…

When conservation teams confirmed in 2018 that invasive house mice had been removed from Antipodes Island, it marked the end of one of New Zealand’s most ambitious island restoration efforts. The remote subantarctic island had carried mice for more than a century, and their appetite for insects, seeds, plants and occasionally bird eggs had quietly…

Brine deposits beneath the Gofar fault in the eastern Pacific Ocean gave scientists a never-before-seen electromagnetic image of an oceanic transform fault in 2025, and the result was not what researchers expected. Extremely salty fluid appeared to be trapped under the seafloor on one side of the fault but not the other, pointing to a…

“In a savage and ever-changing world, some will rise and some will fall. But through it all, the dinosaurs will expand their empire and advance relentlessly to seize Earth’s final frontiers,” narrated Morgan Freeman in the 2026 Netflix miniseries: The Dinosaurs. Nearly 66 million years ago, the Earth as we know it, was transformed, shrouded…

Nelson’s innovative underwater camera uses AI to track marine biodiversity, helping researchers monitor ecosystem recovery and restoration progress. At just 13, Isaac Nelson is tackling an environmental challenge that has troubled Florida’s coastal ecosystems for years. Armed with scientific curiosity, community support and a determination to restore the waters around Jupiter Inlet, the young conservationist…

When Bili the baby gorilla was rescued from wildlife traffickers in Nigeria in 2023, she was sick, frightened, and so young that she needed constant reassurance from her human caregivers. For the next three years, she would sleep clinging to a rescuer, gradually recover from illness and learn to trust again. Now, after an international…

North Carolina city restores 27 acres of wetlands to reduce flood risks for 93 properties (Image Credit: City of Hendersonville) A North Carolina city has completed the first phase of a floodplain restoration project more than two decades after acquiring land vulnerable to flooding. The City of Hendersonville’s Lower Mud Creek Floodplain Restoration Project has…

This image shows the orbital pathway of the newly discovered dwarf planet candidate 2026 ED138. For years, Pluto held a place among the solar system’s nine planets, until its status changed in 2006. Now, a newly discovered icy object lurking beyond Pluto has reignited interest in the distant worlds at the edge of our solar…

Image of the mysterious spacecraft (Photo: DIA) US Defence Intelligence Agency (DIA) has released a rare photograph of China’s secretive Shenlong space plane, showing it attached to another spacecraft in orbit with its cargo compartment open. The image, released on Monday, was taken in May 2024 by a US satellite from about 90 kilometres away….

An autonomous drone demonstrated by Purdue University computer science professor Aniket Bera can follow a person through a forest, manoeuvre around trees and estimate their movements when they disappear from view. Bera, an associate professor at the university and director of its IDEAS Lab, shared a 44-second video of the demonstration on LinkedIn on October…

For the first time, a human has contracted and died from the Shamonda virus, a disease-causing microbe that had previously been known only to infect animals. While the incident is unlikely to herald a more widespread outbreak, it is a potent reminder of the potential for pathogens to jump from animals to humans, with deadly…

PC: Borough Council of King’s Lynn & West Norfolk Hundreds of native wildflower plugs have been planted at Fairstead Recreation Ground in West Norfolk as part of a project to create a species-rich meadow for local wildlife. Council staff were joined by members of the Nature Volunteer Network for the planting, which marks another step…