Every autumn, billions of birds leave their breeding areas when the temperature drops and food gets scarce to spend the winter in more favourable climes, returning the following spring when warm weather brings food in abundance. These epic journeys can cover thousands of kilometres, often crossing oceans and deserts where birds cannot stop to rest…
Producing enough food for a growing world population is an urgent global challenge. And it’s complicated by the fact that climate change is warming the Earth and making farming harder in many places. Food production is a big contributor to climate change, so it’s critically important to be able to measure greenhouse gas emissions from…
A new study sheds light on the role of genetic risk factors and the cells involved in the development of coronary artery disease (CAD). To truly grasp the nature of different cell types, we have to look at them individually. Single-cell technologies make this possible by enabling in-depth analyses of the characteristics of individual cells…
Findings presented at world’s biggest gathering of heart specialists may surprise. Coffee’s bad, then it’s good, then … it’s practically a health food! Apparently, it’s good for the heart. Want to lower your risk of heart failure over the long term? Go ahead and have a few cups, as long as the coffee is black.…
The Eurasian beaver, once a common sight across Europe, had disappeared almost entirely by the end of the 16th century thanks to hunting and river modification for agriculture and engineering. But beavers are making a comeback across the UK and several other countries. They have already been released into the wild in Scotland and within…
Plant-based diets have become increasingly popular in recent years, both for health and ethical reasons. One extreme form of plant-based diet is “fruitarianism”, a diet based largely on consumption of raw fruit. At first glance, this may sound healthy, but what effect will this type of restrictive diet have on the body? And is it…
Researchers estimate that actions to limit global warming to well below 2 °C would boost energy sector employment from 18 to 26 million by 2050. Achieving the Paris Agreement global climate goal of staying below 2 °C implies a massive jump in low-carbon energy production and phasing out fossil fuels. This shift is expected to…
As natural climate archives, the deposits found in caves can play an important role in our ability to understand—and predict—climate change. Every family has those stories that are passed down from generation to generation. Some of them have to do with history, others about a particular individual. But many of them have to do with…
Step forward district cooling, a method of cooling buildings where chilled water from a central facility passes through pipes to multiple buildings, allowing them to be cooled without needing their own energy-hungry air conditioning systems. This not only lowers the carbon footprint of each building but also provides a cheaper way to cool building interiors.…
Cutting-edge recycling technologies remove hazardous substances from plastic, helping inject industrial plastic waste into the circular economy. With Europe’s ambitious plastic recycling strategy and growing public awareness, a plastic pollution-free future seems more and more possible despite current obstacles. For example, the EU already recycles 32.5 per cent of its 29.1 million tonnes of plastic…