Latest science news in Earth & Climate
England needs more hosepipe bans and smart water meters - watchdog
The Environment Agency warns England needs a 'continued and sustained effort' to cut water demand.
Three years left to limit warming to 1.5C, leading scientists warn
The Earth could be doomed to breach a key climate target in as little as three years, scientists warn.
Plastic bag bans and fees curb US shoreline litter, study suggests
Shoreline litter data research shows policies caused a relative decrease in the percentage of plastic bags.
Recent droughts are 'slow-moving global catastrophe' - UN report
It says drought has compounded poverty, hunger, and energy insecurity worldwide.
Unique 1.5m year-old ice to be melted to unlock mystery
BBC News went inside -23C freezers to see the ice that could "revolutionise" our knowledge of climate change.
Sewage discharges to halve by 2030, minister pledges
Environment Secretary Steve Reed says the government is preparing a "water revolution" and that the water sector is broken.
Nor'easters have become 20% more destructive in the last 80 years, scientists warn
Nor'easters are becoming more destructive as the climate warms, a new study finds, with a 20% increase in storm intensity recorded from 1940 to now.
Mount Thor: The mountain with Earth's longest vertical drop
Mount Thor, also known as Thor Peak, is a mountain in Nunavut, Canada with the largest vertical drop in the world — a terrifying escarpment with an average overhang of...
Tuvalu residents prepare for world’s first planned migration of an entire nation — and climate change is to blame
A first-of-its-kind lottery for residents of Tuvalu who want to move to Australia due to climate change threats is closing today, with more than 5,000 applications received.
First video of an earthquake fault cracking has revealed another surprise
A stunning video of the ground cracking during a magnitude 7.7 earthquake in Myanmar is revealing new surprises.
How to watch Shark Week 2025: Live TV & streaming schedule for Discovery special
All the broadcast information, including full program guide and show synopses, so you can watch Shark Week 2025 from anywhere from July 20-26.
We're within 3 years of reaching a critical climate threshold. Can we reverse course?
A report published in June found that the world only has three years before it crosses the 1.5 C climate target. So what should we do now?
AI-assisted sorting, other new technologies could improve plastic recycling
Just 9% of plastic worldwide is recycled. Due to waste mismanagement, nearly three-quarters of it ends up in landfills or the environment.
Deep life's survival secret: Crustal faulting generates key energy sources, study shows
Chinese researchers have recently challenged the long-held belief that "all life depends on sunlight." In a study published in Science Advances, the researchers identified how microbes in deep subsurface areas...
Canada wildfires burn area the size of Croatia
Canada's wildfires have burned more than 13.6 million acres (5.5 million hectares) this year, an area roughly the size of Croatia, officials said Friday as the country endures one of...
Myanmar earthquake's fault rupture exceeded seismic wave speeds, offering rare evidence of supershear
The first studies of the 28 March 2025 magnitude 7.8 Myanmar earthquake suggest that the southern portion of its rupture occurred at supershear velocity, reaching speeds of 5 to 6...
Machine learning uncovers 10 times more earthquakes in Yellowstone caldera
Yellowstone, a popular tourist destination and namesake of an equally popular TV show, was the first-ever national park in the United States. And bubbling beneath it—to this day—is one of...
Dead Sea's salt giants reveal how massive salt deposits form over time
The Dead Sea is a confluence of extraordinary conditions: the lowest point on Earth's surface, with one of the world's highest salinities. The high concentration of salt gives it a...
Saturday Citations: Dogs like TV; mRNA vaccine enhances cancer therapy; old rhyme inaccurate
This week in science news: Researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences in Madrid, Spain, digitally reconstructed the ribcages of four prehistoric Homo sapiens and theorize that climate influences...
The beauty of coral reefs is key to their survival—so we came up with a way to measure it
Why do people care about coral reefs? Why does their damage cause such concern and outrage? What drives people to go to great lengths to protect and restore them?
Rising rocket launches linked to ozone layer thinning
The rapid rise in global rocket launches could slow the recovery of the vital ozone layer, says Sandro Vattioni. The problem is being underestimated—yet it could be mitigated by forward-looking,...
Rising seas threaten to swallow one of NZ's oldest settlement sites
One of Aotearoa New Zealand's oldest settlement sites is at risk of being washed away by rising seas, according to new research.
Why some 'biodegradable' wet wipes can be terrible for the environment
Have you felt disgust when taking a walk along the riverside or plunging into the sea to escape the summer heat, only to spy a used wet wipe floating along...
South Korea rain death toll hits 17, with 11 missing
Heavy rain in South Korea has killed at least 17 people in recent days, government records showed Sunday, while 11 remain unaccounted for in the intense downpours.
Hong Kong hit by strong winds, heavy rain as Typhoon Wipha skirts past
Hong Kong was battered by strong winds and heavy rain on Sunday as Typhoon Wipha skirted along China's southern coast, with fallen trees and collapsed scaffolding spotted across the city.
Restoring sea floor after mining may not be possible, researchers warn
Scientists present at the latest effort to hash out international rules for deep-sea mining say it's unclear if it's possible to restore damaged seafloor ecosystems—or how long it would take.
We detected deep pulses beneath Africa—what we learned could help us understand volcanic activity
Earth's continents may look fixed on a globe, but they've been drifting, splitting and reforming over billions of years—and they still are. Our new study reveals fresh evidence of rhythmic...
Controversial grizzly killed on island off B.C. coast, conservation officers investigating
British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service (COS) says a grizzly bear on an island off the Sunshine Coast has been shot and killed.