Science

Image copyright INTERNATIONAL SPACE STATION Image caption An image of the Yarrabubba area taken from the International Space Station Scientists have identified the world’s oldest asteroid crater in Australia, adding it may explain how the planet was lifted from an ice age. The asteroid hit Yarrabubba in Western Australia about 2.2 billion years ago – […]

Image copyright UKSA/NPL Image caption Artwork: Truths will work with other satellites to calibrate and validate their observations The UK is going to lead a space mission to get an absolute measurement of the light reflected off Earth’s surface. The information will be used to calibrate the observations of other satellites, allowing their data to […]

Image copyright Solivus Image caption A solar arc at the University of Surrey where researchers will assess public reaction A new form of combined solar power generation and storage is being developed for the UK. It couples thin, flexible, lighter solar sheets with energy storage to power buildings or charge vehicles off-grid. The company behind […]

Image copyright Reuters The weather forecasters have just given us an impressive display of their skill by predicting the scale of the current high pressure zone over the UK. Overnight, Sunday into Monday, London’s Heathrow Airport recorded a barometric pressure of 1,049.6 millibars (mbar). It’s very likely the highest pressure ever recorded in London, with […]

Image copyright Mauricio Antón Image caption Early human ancestors could have stolen food from other animals The impact of humans on nature has been far greater and longer-lasting than we could ever imagine, according to scientists. Early human ancestors living millions of years ago may have triggered extinctions, even before our species evolved, a study […]

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Kiribati is one of six Pacific island nations most threatened by rising sea levels People fleeing immediate danger due to the climate crisis cannot be forced to return home, the UN has said. The landmark ruling centres on the case of Ioane Teitiota, whose home – the Pacific Island […]

Image copyright SPACEX Image caption Artwork: Powerful thrusters should push the Dragon capsule clear of the rocket America aims to take another step on Sunday towards being able to send its own astronauts into orbit again. California’s SpaceX company will practise what to do in the event that one of its rockets carrying a human […]

Image copyright Science Photo Library Image caption Ash dieback has devastated trees across Europe A planting scheme has begun to grow trees that it is hoped will be resistant to ash dieback disease. Scientists are growing 3,000 saplings in Hampshire and will monitor them for symptoms of the disease, which has devastated ash trees. The […]

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media captionProf Paul Wilson: “The impact event is exactly contemporaneous with the extinction” Was it the asteroid or colossal volcanism that initiated the demise of the dinosaurs 66 million years ago? This has been a bit of a “to and fro” argument of late, but now a group […]

Image copyright Getty Images Image caption Rescuers have scoured fire-ravaged Kangaroo Island for surviving wildlife Kangaroo Island in South Australia has been likened to a Noah’s Ark for its unique ecology. But after fierce bushfires tore through the island this week, there are fears it may never fully recover. “You see the glowing in the […]