BBC News
BBC News - Science & Environment
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
When does the Nasa Moon mission launch and who are the Artemis II crew?
Sun, 18 Jan 2026 08:10:55 GMT
The first crewed Moon mission in 50 years could launch in February, ahead of a future lunar landing.
UK secures record supply of offshore wind projects
Wed, 14 Jan 2026 12:08:37 GMT
The government says the projects will bring down bills but the Conservatives say it is locking in high wind prices.
Landscape beneath Antarctica's icy surface revealed in unprecedented detail
Fri, 16 Jan 2026 00:00:21 GMT
Scientists believe the map could shed light on how Antarctica's vast ice sheet will respond to climate change.
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.
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.
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.
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
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nature loss is a national security risk, intelligence group warns
Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:08:27 GMT
The degradation of ecosystems around the world threatens UK food security, a long-awaited report says.
'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.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 15 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT
Nasa’s Artemis II rocket is about to be rolled out. What is the mission hoping to achieve?
Council commits to demolition costs on eroding coast
Mon, 19 Jan 2026 18:06:55 GMT
Four homes in the village have been torn down this winter alone, with more potentially at risk.
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.
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.
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.
Hen cages and pig farrowing crates face ban
Mon, 22 Dec 2025 13:06:29 GMT
The government says its animal welfare strategy will bring "the biggest reforms in a generation".
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 08 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT
What rare earths have been found in Greenland, and why do we want them?
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.
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.
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.
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.
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".
Nature loss is a national security risk, intelligence group warns
Wed, 21 Jan 2026 15:08:27 GMT
The degradation of ecosystems around the world threatens UK food security, a long-awaited report says.
'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.
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.
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.
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.
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 01 Jan 2026 17:00:00 GMT
From what came before the big bang to why snowflakes are six sided.
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.
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 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.
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?
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?
Hidden cameras reveal what hedgehogs really get up to after dark
Tue, 20 Jan 2026 01:34:56 GMT
Hedgehogs are surprisingly common in UK gardens, with food a powerful attraction, 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: 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.
'Year of octopus' declared after warmer seas lead to record UK numbers
Mon, 22 Dec 2025 12:49:25 GMT
The Wildlife Trusts say its is 'flabbergasted' by the sighting of the highest number of octopuses since 1950
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.
Oldest cave painting of red claw hand could rewrite human creativity timeline
Wed, 21 Jan 2026 16:00:07 GMT
A stencilled outline of a hand found on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi is the world's oldest known cave painting, researchers say.
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.
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.
Water companies to face regular MOT-style checks in industry shake-up
Tue, 20 Jan 2026 09:43:17 GMT
The government says the industry will have "nowhere to hide", but campaigners say the reforms do not go far enough.
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.
Cow astonishes scientists with rare use of tools
Tue, 20 Jan 2026 14:54:29 GMT
The discovery suggests cows may have far greater cognitive abilities than previously assumed.
'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.
Cold weather and data centres drive up US greenhouse gas emissions
Tue, 13 Jan 2026 11:40:06 GMT
US emissions of planet-warming gases rise for the first time in three years.
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?
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.
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
BBC Inside Science
Thu, 25 Dec 2025 21:00:00 GMT
A weekly show exploring science, its mysteries, and the debates it sparks.
