BBC News
BBC News - Science & Environment
SpaceX Starship test fails after Texas launch
Fri, 17 Jan 2025 02:27:56 GMT
Officials at Elon Musk's company said the upper stage was lost, minutes after it launched.
Pictured: Winning entries for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025
Tue, 14 Oct 2025 23:04:11 GMT
South African photographer Wim van den Heever takes the main prize for his shot
Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure
Fri, 17 Oct 2025 16:31:07 GMT
President Trump intervened in the talks calling the deal a "green scam".
COP30: Trump and many leaders are skipping it, so does the summit still have a point?
Mon, 10 Nov 2025 00:09:19 GMT
The US president is notably absent from these UN climate talks, as are other world leaders, all of which prompts questions about the purpose of COP today.
Thousands of dinosaur footprints found on Italian mountain
Tue, 16 Dec 2025 15:09:21 GMT
The footprints date back some 210 million years and show traces of toes and claws.
Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels
Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:20:34 GMT
Survivors of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a claim against the UK's largest oil company.
Dame Jane Goodall revolutionised our understanding of our closest primate cousins
Wed, 01 Oct 2025 20:53:35 GMT
The conservationist, who died aged 91 on Wednesday, challenged how we relate to the natural world.
Soviet-era spacecraft 'likely' to have re-entered Earth's atmosphere
Sat, 10 May 2025 15:32:19 GMT
The spacecraft, which launched in 1972 on a mission to Venus, circled Earth for over five decades.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 11 Dec 2025 21:00:00 GMT
New evidence shows that early neanderthals made fire 350 thousand years before we thought.
Tories to scrap petrol car ban if they win next election
Mon, 15 Dec 2025 12:44:25 GMT
The Conservative Party leader says the policy is "destructive" and "economic self-harm".
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 04 Dec 2025 17:00:00 GMT
Almost four decades after the first HIV treatment, is there finally a ‘functional’ cure?
Rocket launch challenges Elon Musk's space dominance
Thu, 16 Jan 2025 08:12:27 GMT
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos's space company blasts its first rocket into orbit in a challenge to Elon Musk.
Jim Lovell, Apollo 13 astronaut, dies aged 97
Sat, 09 Aug 2025 07:01:11 GMT
The commander of Apollo 13 famously rescued his men from near certain death in space.
Melting glaciers threaten to wipe out European villages - is the steep cost to protect them worth it?
Sat, 02 Aug 2025 23:06:56 GMT
Switzerland spends almost $500m a year on protective structures. Is it worth it - or, as some suggest, should people move away from the mountain villages at risk?
What in the World
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 14:56:00 GMT
There was no clear commitment to phase out fossil fuels
New study on moons of Uranus raises chance of life
Mon, 11 Nov 2024 16:00:05 GMT
The planet Uranus and its five biggest moons may not be the sterile worlds scientists have long thought.
Workers were exposed to toxic chemicals in firefighting foam
Tue, 16 Dec 2025 06:27:23 GMT
For decades it was 3M's biggest outside the US, and the factory made nappy fastenings and video tape.
Ford to scale back electric vehicle plans, taking $19.5bn hit
Mon, 15 Dec 2025 23:32:25 GMT
The US carmaker is backing away from large electric vehicles, citing lacklustre demand and recent regulatory changes under US President Donald Trump.
Ratmageddon: Why rats are overrunning our cities
Fri, 26 Sep 2025 06:55:02 GMT
Rats are multiplying at speed in urban areas. So, what's really behind the boom - and is it now unstoppable?
SpaceX pulls off Starship rocket launch in much-needed comeback
Wed, 27 Aug 2025 13:00:47 GMT
The Starship rocket is critical to the company's hopes of one day carrying people to the Moon and Mars.
Why scientists are counting tiny marine creatures, from Space
Tue, 04 Feb 2025 01:59:32 GMT
Differences in seawater colour could reveal how tiny Antarctic creatures are faring in a warming world.
Inside the lab analysing the world's oldest ice
Thu, 02 Oct 2025 11:58:34 GMT
The BBC's Science Editor Rebecca Morelle goes behind the scenes with the team discovering what the melting of ice from over a million years ago can tell us.
'Crazy Englishman' growing olives the Italian way
Tue, 16 Dec 2025 06:20:54 GMT
David Hoyles' farm has grown what is believed to be Lincolnshire's first commercial olive crop.
Cats became our companions much later than you think
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 20:02:21 GMT
In true feline style, cats took their time in deciding when and where to join us on the sofa.
Future of space travel: Could robots really replace human astronauts?
Tue, 31 Dec 2024 01:46:51 GMT
Advances in technology raise questions about the need to send people to space - and the risks and cost
Foul skies, fading light: How air pollution is stealing India's sunshine
Mon, 13 Oct 2025 23:06:44 GMT
India’s sunshine hours have fallen over the past 30 years due to clouds, aerosols and local weather.
Australia's rainforests are releasing more carbon than they absorb, warn scientists
Thu, 16 Oct 2025 06:28:19 GMT
Australia's rainforests are the first in the world to make the "concerning" switch, say scientists.
Naked mole rats' DNA could hold key to long life
Thu, 09 Oct 2025 18:06:04 GMT
The bald, subterranean rats are the world's longest-lived rodent.
COP30: Five key takeaways from a deeply divisive climate summit
Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:10:18 GMT
What did we learn from a climate summit that ended in a deal with no new mention of fossil fuels?
Astronauts Butch and Suni finally back on Earth
Wed, 19 Mar 2025 00:14:48 GMT
Dolphins circled their capsule after it landed off the coast of Florida.
Environment prize nominees 'heroes of our time', says William
Sat, 04 Oct 2025 21:04:44 GMT
Fifteen projects are shortlisted for a chance of winning the top £1m prizes at next month's environmental awards ceremony in Rio de Janeiro.
'How growing a sunflower helped me fight anorexia'
Fri, 10 Oct 2025 05:04:46 GMT
'Green social prescribing' schemes are being used by NHS doctors to improve patients' mental health.
'It's harder to be a parent than a space shuttle commander', trailblazing Nasa pilot tells BBC
Tue, 21 Oct 2025 02:34:44 GMT
The BBC speaks to astronaut Eileen Collins, the first woman to pilot and command a Nasa spacecraft.
Nasa to put nuclear reactor on the Moon by 2030 - US media
Tue, 05 Aug 2025 11:36:24 GMT
The reactor would provide power for humans on the Moon but there are questions about feasibility.
Bats are seeking sanctuary in churches - but they're making an unholy mess
Fri, 31 Oct 2025 00:34:03 GMT
A new study estimates that about half of all churches in England have bats living in them.
Britain's energy bills problem - and why firms are paid huge sums to stop producing power
Wed, 29 Oct 2025 09:14:11 GMT
Could the government's radical plan to change the way the UK distributes electricity really bring down bills - or just lead to a postcode lottery?
Mayor says too many families are 'working poor'
Tue, 02 Dec 2025 16:46:00 GMT
Tracy Brabin talks to Radio Leeds about the Budget, COP30 and taxing tourists.
The truth about life on other planets - and what it means for humans
Thu, 17 Apr 2025 00:11:47 GMT
Could discoveries of alien life ever change the human psyche in how we view ourselves and each other?
The Climate Question
Mon, 24 Nov 2025 08:56:00 GMT
We're still behind on our global warming targets after the big summit in Brazil.
The before and after images showing glaciers vanishing before our eyes
Sun, 05 Oct 2025 00:28:17 GMT
They are melting like never seen before, changing landscapes around the world beyond recognition.
Government rolls back nature protections to boost housing
Tue, 16 Dec 2025 14:53:33 GMT
Critics say government changes to a flagship biodiversity policy could stall nature recovery.
Asteroid contains building blocks of life, say scientists
Wed, 29 Jan 2025 16:07:12 GMT
Bennu contains minerals and thousands of organic molecules, including the chemical components that make up DNA.
Physics Nobel awarded to three scientists for work on quantum computing
Tue, 07 Oct 2025 12:59:52 GMT
The announcement was made by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm.
Floods trap people in cars in Spain's Catalonia region
Sun, 12 Oct 2025 21:27:27 GMT
The highest red alert is declared in one coastal province, as residents are urged to stay indoors.
More North Sea drilling to be allowed in new Labour plan
Wed, 26 Nov 2025 10:32:26 GMT
The chancellor will unveil the North Sea Strategy in her Budget speech, the BBC understands.
Life on Mars? 'Leopard-spot' rocks could be biggest clue yet
Wed, 10 Sep 2025 15:00:16 GMT
Unusual mudstones found on the Red Planet are potentially associated with ancient Martian microbes.
Red Tractor ad banned for misleading environmental claims
Wed, 15 Oct 2025 02:40:44 GMT
The Advertising Standards Authority upheld a complaint by environment charity River Action.
Spain's commitment to renewable energy may be in doubt
Mon, 15 Dec 2025 00:02:06 GMT
The current government is politically weakened and the opposition wants more use of fossil fuels.
These robots can clean, exercise - and care for you in old age. Would you trust them to?
Tue, 28 Oct 2025 00:04:09 GMT
It sounds like something from a sci-fi film - but some scientists believe this clever new tech could help alleviate strains on the UK care system
Brazil's Amazon rainforest at risk as key protection under threat
Mon, 17 Nov 2025 01:10:54 GMT
Brazilian farmers want to end a ban on planting soya on cleared land, which critics say would spur deforestation.
Cameras on killer whales record first evidence of joint hunt with dolphins
Thu, 11 Dec 2025 18:03:29 GMT
Researchers say the footage, captured near the North-West Pacific coast, is the first recorded evidence of the two working together.
Green turtle bounces back from brink in conservation 'win'
Fri, 10 Oct 2025 08:01:28 GMT
Once endangered due to hunting, it is making a strong recovery thanks to global conservation efforts.
Shell facing first UK legal claim over climate impacts of fossil fuels
Thu, 11 Dec 2025 00:20:34 GMT
Survivors of a deadly typhoon in the Philippines have filed a claim against the UK's largest oil company.
Geminid meteor shower set to light up sky during weekend peak
Fri, 12 Dec 2025 07:37:51 GMT
The meteor shower peaks this weekend with dark skies giving the UK a good chance of seeing them, weather-permitting
From Hollywood to horticulture: Cate Blanchett on a mission to save seeds
Sun, 19 Oct 2025 23:42:05 GMT
The Hollywood actor teams up with Kew’s Millenium Seed Bank as it celebrates its 25th anniversary.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 27 Nov 2025 17:00:00 GMT
Three decades since the first successful gene therapy, why aren’t we using them more?
Deep-sea mining tests impact over a third of seabed animals - scientists
Fri, 05 Dec 2025 08:00:11 GMT
The findings contribute to a controversial debate that pits green technology against the environment.
UN environment report 'hijacked' by US and others over fossil fuels, top scientist says
Tue, 09 Dec 2025 09:00:09 GMT
The US and other governments derailed an agreement on a global environment study, its co-chair says.
UN climate talks fail to secure new fossil fuel promises
Sat, 22 Nov 2025 22:38:19 GMT
Nearly 200 countries attended COP30, which aimed to commit the world to take more action on climate change.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 20 Nov 2025 17:00:00 GMT
As COP 30 draws to close in Brazil, we speak to a former negotiator.
Nasa Apollo missions: Stories of the last Moon men
Fri, 08 Aug 2025 21:31:57 GMT
Of the 24 Nasa astronauts who travelled to the Moon in the Apollo missions of the 1960s and 1970s, just five remain.
