The largest turtle in the ocean, the leatherback gets its name from its tough, rubbery skin. Migrating long distances a year, the turtle can cross the Pacific Ocean. But with threats like getting tangled in fishing gear, the future for one distinct population looks “dire,” say conservation groups. At the current rate of decline, the

Dr William Frankland, a British immunologist who transformed the world’s understanding of allergies, has died aged 108. His pioneering work included developing the idea of a pollen count to help hay fever sufferers. Dr Frankland, whose medical career spanned 70 years, was known as “the grandfather of allergy”. As a British army doctor in World

The aftermath of the Covid-19 crisis will transform the way we live, work and travel in the UK, the AA says. It predicts a permanent reduction in the demand for travel because people have learned during the crisis to use home-working technology. The implications are profound for commuters and for government finances. The chancellor currently

Should more of us wear face masks to help slow the spread of coronavirus? This question is to be assessed by a panel of advisers to the World Health Organization (WHO). The group will weigh up research on whether the virus can be projected further than previously thought; a study in the US suggests coughs

A key climate summit in Glasgow will be delayed until next year due to disruption caused by the coronavirus. The announcement was made in a joint statement from the UK and UN after a “virtual” meeting of officials. Dozens of world leaders were due to attend the COP26 gathering that was set to run in

Rising temperatures may be having a profound physical impact on one of the world’s favourite songbirds. Researchers in Spain found that over a 20-year period, nightingales had evolved smaller wingspans. The scientists say this is linked to a changing climate in the region which has seen the early onset of spring and increased drought. They

Vericool, a Livermore, Calif.-based startup that’s replacing plastic coolers and packaging with plant-based products, has raised $19.1 million in a new round of financing. The company’s stated goal is to replace traditional packaging materials like polystyrene with plant-based insulating packaging materials. Its technology uses 100% recycled paper fibers and other plant-based materials, according to the

Scientists have been amazed at the public’s response to help digitise the UK’s old rainfall records. Handwritten numbers on documents dating back 200 years are being transferred to a spreadsheet format so that computers can analyse past weather patterns. The volunteers blitzed their way through rain gauge data from the 1950s, 40s and 30s in

Scientists have taken a step forward in their ability to decode what a person is saying just by looking at their brainwaves when they speak. They trained algorithms to transfer the brain patterns into sentences in real-time and with word error rates as low as 3%. Previously, these so-called “brain-machine interfaces” have had limited success

OneWeb, the high-profile London-based satellite start-up, has filed for bankruptcy protection in the US. The firm, which has been building a network to deliver broadband across the globe, blamed the Covid-19 crisis for its inability to secure new investment. OneWeb issued a statement saying it was laying off most of its staff while it seeks

The battle of the Somme in 1916. A British soldier fighting in France is given seeds as a memento of happier times. When he returns home, he plants them in the soil. His family and friends carry on the tradition, and, today, you can still find the Blackdown Blue pea growing somewhere in Somerset. Catrina

New data confirms the improvement in air quality over Europe – a byproduct of the coronavirus crisis. The maps on this page track changes in nitrogen dioxide (NO2) – a pollutant that comes principally from the use of fossil fuels. Lockdown polices and the resulting reductions in economic activity have seen emissions take a steep

Hosepipes inside a sperm whale, plastic banana bags eaten by green turtles and a shotgun cartridge inside a True’s beaked whale. Just some of the examples of plastic found inside wildlife that have been documented in scientific reports. Researchers went through records of plastic eaten by aquatic creatures to find out more about the risks.

People in the UK need to shift from cars to public transport to address the challenge of climate change, the government says. Transport Secretary Grant Shapps said: “Public transport and active travel will be the natural first choice for our daily activities. “We will use our cars less and be able to rely on a

Neanderthals were eating fish, mussels and seals at a site in present-day Portugal, according to a new study. The research adds to mounting evidence that our evolutionary relatives may have relied on the sea for food just as much as ancient modern humans. For decades, the ability to gather food from the sea and from

At a loss to know what to do with your self-isolation time? Well, why not get on the computer and help with a giant weather digitisation effort? The UK has rainfall records dating back 200 years or so, but the vast majority of these are in handwritten form and can’t easily be used to analyse

Wind, solar and hydro power installations pose a growing threat to key conservation areas, say researchers. Researchers found that over 2,200 green energy plants have been built within the boundaries of the Earth’s remaining wilderness. They say that around 17% of renewable facilities globally are located in protected regions. A further 900 plants are now

A worm-like creature that burrowed on the seafloor more than 500 million years ago may be key to the evolution of much of the animal kingdom. The organism, about the size of a grain of rice, is described as the earliest example yet found in the fossil record of a bilaterian. These are animals that

East Antarctic’s Denman Canyon is the deepest land gorge on Earth, reaching 3,500m below sea-level. It’s also filled top to bottom with ice, which US space agency (Nasa) scientists reveal in a new report has a significant vulnerability to melting. Retreating and thinning sections of the glacier suggest it is being eroded by encroaching warm

The number of heart and lung transplants could quadruple thanks to a “reanimation” machine used in a pioneering operation, a hospital says. The device, developed at Royal Papworth Hospital in Cambridge, managed to pump oxygenated blood into both organs in a world-first procedure. The machine can revitalise deteriorating organs allowing “donation after circulatory death” (DCD).