Planet Earth stories
The future of tree health
Ancient mainstays of our woodlands, hedgerows and parklands are at risk from a surge of pests and diseases - but a new research programme is bringing experts together from many fields to find solutions.
29 May 2015
Tags: Biodiversity, Biology, Conservation, Ecology, Forests, Genetics, Hazards, Invasive species, Plants, UK
Live from a landfill
What's so hard about putting a number on greenhouse-gas emissions? Grant Allen describes some distinctly unglamorous fieldwork aimed at doing just that.
28 May 2015
Tags: Atmosphere, Climate, Environmental change, Pollution, Technology, UK
Scouring Bangladesh
Hidden from view at the bottom of Bangladesh's large rivers are gigantic holes up to 50m deep and several kilometres long. Mark E Vardy explains how studying them is vital for understanding how large rivers evolve and affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of people living on their deltas.
20 Mar 2015
Tags: Rivers and lakes
For peat's sake
Used to flavour whisky and sometimes as fuel, the UK's peat also provides an important service in the control of global warming. Mark Reed explains why he and Project Maya are trying to spread the word and get gardeners to take a peat-free pledge.
11 Mar 2015
Podcast: Walking with dinosaurs on Britain's Jurassic Coast
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Phil Manning, Victoria Egerton and Bill Sellers of the University of Manchester are joined by local geologist Paul Ensom at the Isle of Purbeck on Britain's Jurassic Coast to talk about some dinosaur tracks recently found in the area.
3 Mar 2015
Tags: Mapping, Palaeontology, Podcasts, UK
Working together for clear water
Nobody wants peat in their tap water, and in some situations it can even threaten people's health. Getting rid of it is costly for water companies, and a warming climate will increase the problem. The more they know about these changes, the better they'll be able to cope.
23 Feb 2015
Tags: Pollution, Rivers and lakes, Soils, Water
Podcast: Climate change and potatoes
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Ruth Welters of the University of East Anglia and potato farmer Johnnie Jiggens explain how environmental science can help the agricultural sector plan for future weather extremes.
18 Feb 2015
Podcast: What our ancestors ate
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Sophy Charlton and Oliver Craig of the University of York talk about the work they're doing to find out about our ancestors' favourite foods six thousand years ago.
3 Feb 2015
Tags: Archaeology, Food, Marine life, Podcasts, UK
Renewed interest
The UK's rich marine renewable energy resources are driving an exciting area of innovation. Paul Bell explains how understanding the potential environment consequences will be critical to the success of the industry.
23 Jan 2015
Podcast: Drugs and marine life
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Alex Ford and Stephen Short of the University of Portsmouth explain why we need to understand the effects of contraceptives, anti-depressants and other prescription drugs on marine organisms to protect our environment.
20 Jan 2015