BBC News

BBC News - Science & Environment

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.

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.

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.

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.

What are critical minerals and why do countries need them?

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 13:22:13 GMT

Countries are racing to secure the critical minerals and rare earths needed to make vital products.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 05 Feb 2026 21:00:00 GMT

New research on how forever chemicals get into our environment.

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.

'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

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.

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

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.

UK to join major wind farm project with nine European countries

Mon, 26 Jan 2026 00:43:21 GMT

For the first time, the new wind farms will be connected to more than one country through undersea cables.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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?

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.

IOC must 'be better' on climate change - Coventry

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 20:34:01 GMT

International Olympic Committee president Kirsty Coventry says it must "be better" on climate change after receiving a petition signed by more than 21,000 people who want to stop fossil fuel companies from sponsoring winter sports.

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

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.

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

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?

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?

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".

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.

The blight of sewage pollution tackled in water shake-up

Tue, 03 Feb 2026 14:19:47 GMT

A major review called for oversight of water companies in Wales and England to be overhauled.

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.

BBC Inside Science

Thu, 22 Jan 2026 21:00:00 GMT

50 years since Concorde’s first commercial flight, is aviation going supersonic again?

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.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Europe feels the impact of weeks of wet weather and freezing cold

Fri, 06 Feb 2026 16:03:59 GMT

A blocked weather pattern has been bringing persistent heavy rain to the Iberian Peninsula. As Darren Bett explains, that's not the only type of extreme weather affecting Europe at the moment.

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.

'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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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 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.

'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.

What is a heat pump and what grants are available?

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 13:05:45 GMT

The government wants more homes to have heat pumps and is making grants available.

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.

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".

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.

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.

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?

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.

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".

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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".