Air pollution is an unseen menace that poses a major threat to human health and the climate. We have created the air quality stripes, a visual tool that captures global air pollution trends, to bring this hidden threat into sharp focus. Inspired by professor of climate science Ed Hawkins’ climate warming stripes, the air quality… Continue reading How air quality has changed in over 100 countries around the world since 1850
That quick “thank you” email might seem polite, but it is quietly cooking the planet. The idea that curbing our digital chatter could help save the environment was popularised by Professor Mike Berners-Lee in his 2020 book How Bad Are Bananas? The Carbon Footprint of Everything. The respected authority on carbon foot-printing dropped a bombshell:… Continue reading Think before you thank — the hidden carbon cost of your inbox
Climate change is not just reshaping the planet’s geography; it is rewriting the rules of human health. One of the many conditions it has exacerbated is hay fever. For the millions who dread the arrival of spring, the symptoms are all too familiar: coughing, itchy eyes, a runny nose and relentless sneezing. But this is… Continue reading How climate change is supercharging hay fever
Cape Town is famous for its great white sharks, but a new terror has surfaced in the shallows. In the world’s first major outbreak of the disease among marine mammals, 11 seals in South Africa have tested positive for rabies. The discovery has turned the city’s beloved coastline into a potential biohazard zone. Gregg Oelofse,… Continue reading Jaws with fur — the rabies outbreak turning seals into killers
Fast-moving stars seen in a nearby star cluster within the Milky Way suggest the presence of an elusive black hole which may be the closest one to Earth, researchers say. The star cluster, Omega Centauri, is a collection of around ten million stars, visible as a smudge in the night sky south of the equator.… Continue reading Astronomers find nearest massive black hole to Earth
A recent study by the University of Queensland’s School of the Environment has found that humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off the country’s eastern coast were less stressed and healthier generally in the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic. There were fewer people in the ocean at this time. Stress is as bad for animals as… Continue reading Reduced human activity during early Covid pandemic lowered stress levels in whales
Carbon dioxide gets all the press, but methane is the silent killer of the climate crisis. Trapping heat 28 times more effectively than CO2, it is a major driver of global warming. Now, Denmark is making farmers pay for it. Denmark is set to become the first country in the world to tax cows, sheep… Continue reading The cost of a burp — Denmark becomes first nation to tax livestock emissions
Deep in the forests of Uganda, a team of scientific detectives has uncovered a secret: chimpanzees are running their own pharmacy. Scientists observing wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) have confirmed that the animals deliberately seek out plants with anti-bacterial and pain-relieving properties to heal themselves. The 13-strong team, comprising botanists and primatologists, conducted their “detective… Continue reading Forest pharmacists — chimpanzees are teaching scientists how to treat disease
The invention of the contraceptive pill marked the onset of the sexual revolution in the 1960s. Now, scientists are seeking to revolutionise wildlife control by adding animals to the mix. Trials are afoot in the United Kingdom and other European countries where pigeons, squirrels and wild boar are given contraceptives. Deer and invasive parakeets are… Continue reading Wildlife on the pill — the new age of animal population control
What if you never saw the stars again? In fact, you have probably never seen a real night sky in your entire life due to the damage that urban areas have on the light. We all find a starry night mesmerising. So why do we all ignore the immense issue that is progressively getting worse… Continue reading Let there be night! What is light pollution?
