BBC News
BBC News - Science & Environment
UK's £8bn research fund faces 'hard decisions' as it pauses new grants
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 12:00:58 GMT
UKRI boss Ian Chapman said it had been told by the government to "focus and do fewer things better".
Sunken Thames barges create new island for birds
Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:02:44 GMT
The National Trust describes the Northey Island project as "a bold marine engineering feat".
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT
GPS is vulnerable to interference, so how can we make navigating at sea safer?
The debate about whether the NHS should use magic mushrooms to treat depression
Fri, 02 Jan 2026 15:47:15 GMT
Many clinical trials to test the use of psychedelic medicines for conditions such as depression have been underway since 2022 - with surprising results
Treasures found on HS2 route stored in secret warehouse
Fri, 30 Jan 2026 06:00:18 GMT
Archaeological finds from the planned HS2 train line have been shown exclusively to the BBC.
MPs fear data centre boom could derail Miliband's net zero plans
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 20:34:16 GMT
A senior Labour MP says emission from data centres "have been highlighted as a key area of concern".
Trump eyes Venezuela visit – but obstacles to his oil plan remain
Mon, 16 Feb 2026 09:50:58 GMT
The US president wants American energy firms to start extracting the crude but they are reluctant.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT
50 years since Concorde’s first commercial flight, is aviation going supersonic again?
Global temperatures dipped in 2025 but more heat records on way, scientists warn
Wed, 14 Jan 2026 03:44:07 GMT
The last three years were Earth's hottest on record, as humanity's carbon emissions continue to heat the planet.
More solar farms on the way after record renewables auction
Tue, 10 Feb 2026 10:19:08 GMT
The results have been welcomed by climate and clean energy groups but could face opposition from local communities.
BBC Inside Science
Mon, 16 Feb 2026 12:14:44 GMT
What would it really take to build a city on the moon?
Nasa's mega Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for Artemis II mission
Sun, 18 Jan 2026 01:22:46 GMT
Final preparations now get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.
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.
Supersized dump fire risk report kept from public
Thu, 12 Feb 2026 07:13:00 GMT
Oxfordshire fire and rescue service says releasing its waste site report could put safety at risk.
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
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.
'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.
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.
Nasa's mega Moon rocket arrives at launch pad for Artemis II mission
Sun, 18 Jan 2026 01:22:46 GMT
Final preparations now get underway for the first crewed mission to the Moon in more than 50 years.
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.
Street where residents are terrified of flooding to be bulldozed
Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:24:59 GMT
Homes on a street at severe risk of flooding will be bought by a local council.
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
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?
Rare Iron Age war trumpet and boar standard found
Wed, 07 Jan 2026 06:02:51 GMT
The discoveries are "extraordinarily rare", say the archaeologists who helped find them.
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.
What is the dart frog toxin allegedly used to kill Alexei Navalny?
Mon, 16 Feb 2026 08:05:27 GMT
The toxin, epibatidine, can be found in frogs in the wild in South America or manufactured in a lab.
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.
UK company sends factory with 1,000C furnace into space
Wed, 31 Dec 2025 00:26:41 GMT
A factory in space has been switched on and has reached temperatures of about 1,000C.
Government rolls back nature protections to boost housing
Tue, 16 Dec 2025 17:51:04 GMT
Critics say government changes to a flagship biodiversity policy could stall nature recovery.
Businesses face extinction unless they protect nature, major report warns
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:55 GMT
Experts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running.
Intriguing finds could solve mystery of women in medieval cemetery
Thu, 01 Jan 2026 00:34:29 GMT
There is growing evidence that the women were part of an early female religious community.
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".
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?
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.
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.
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.
UK homes to get £15bn for solar and green tech to cut energy bills
Wed, 21 Jan 2026 09:00:06 GMT
The government has announced the details of its long-awaited Warm Homes Plan which promises to cut energy bills.
Are wetter winters and frequent flooding here to stay?
Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:59:08 GMT
Many places across the UK have experienced their wettest January in more than 100 years.
'This is our future,' climate adviser warns as 2025 to break heat records
Tue, 23 Dec 2025 11:44:17 GMT
The Met Office says that 2025 is likely to be the UK's hottest year since records began.
When does the Nasa Moon mission launch and who are the Artemis II crew?
Tue, 03 Feb 2026 13:18:51 GMT
The first crewed Moon mission in 50 years could launch in February, ahead of a future lunar landing.
Polar bears on Norwegian islands fatter and healthier despite ice loss, scientists say
Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:00:09 GMT
Scientists think that Svalbard bears have adapted to recent ice loss by eating more land-based prey.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:00:00 GMT
New research on how forever chemicals get into our environment.
The science of soulmates: Is there someone out there exactly right for you?
Fri, 13 Feb 2026 00:01:47 GMT
For many, the idea of soulmates still shapes how love is understood.
Businesses face extinction unless they protect nature, major report warns
Mon, 09 Feb 2026 13:00:55 GMT
Experts call for urgent action by businesses to restore the natural systems that keep them running.
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.
Street where residents are terrified of flooding to be bulldozed
Mon, 02 Feb 2026 14:24:59 GMT
Homes on a street at severe risk of flooding will be bought by a local council.
Are wetter winters and frequent flooding here to stay?
Wed, 11 Feb 2026 02:59:08 GMT
Many places across the UK have experienced their wettest January in more than 100 years.
Ancient bone found in Spain could be Hannibal's war elephants
Mon, 16 Feb 2026 17:26:49 GMT
It would be the first hard evidence that elephants were used in battle by General Hannibal.
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.
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.
How Christmas trees are getting a new lease of life
Tue, 06 Jan 2026 06:04:24 GMT
Some businesses are helping to recycle and reuse trees in a bid to reduce landfill and emissions.
UK launches plan to tackle 'forever chemicals' amid growing concerns
Tue, 03 Feb 2026 00:06:49 GMT
Increasing testing for PFAS is part of the UK's first ever national plan for tackling the substances.
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.
