Planet Earth stories
Podcast: How plastic pollution may harm marine life
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Tamara Galloway, Matt Cole and Ceri Lewis of the University of Exeter talk about their research on the effects of fragments of plastics from food packaging, drinks bottles, and even facial scrubs, on marine wildlife.
30 Sep 2014
Tags: Birds, Marine life, Microplastics, Oceans, Podcasts, Pollution, UK
Out of the laboratory and into the Amazon
Working in the field always makes research more challenging, and doing atmospheric science deep in the rainforest is especially tricky. Ben Langford describes how mosquito repellent, gaffer tape and children's balloons helped keep his project on track.
19 Sep 2014
Tags: Atmosphere, Climate, Forests
Podcast: Of sewage and superbugs
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Elizabeth Wellington and Greg Amos of the University of Warwick explain how sewage treatment could be helping spread highly drug-resistant bacteria around the environment.
16 Sep 2014
Honeybee homing hampered by parasite
Honeybees infected with a common parasite have a much lower chance of making it back from foraging trips, say scientists.
3 Sep 2014
Tags: Bees, Biology, Disease, Farming, Food, Insects, Natural resources, Pollinators, UK
Podcast: How marine life responds to underwater noise
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Steve Simpson and Rick Bruintjes of the University of Exeter and HR Wallingford describe a huge experiment to find out how man-made, underwater noise affects cod, plaice, crabs and other marine life.
2 Sep 2014
Tags: Fish, Marine life, Oceans, Podcasts
That sinking feeling
February 2014 saw the appearance of at least three times more sinkholes in the UK than is normal for a whole year. Sue Nelson talks to experts from the British Geological Survey to find out what's making these huge holes open up.
29 Aug 2014
Abandoned landfills are polluting UK rivers
Abandoned landfill sites throughout the UK routinely leach polluting chemicals into rivers, say scientists.
26 Aug 2014
Podcast: The evolution of the British peppered moth
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Ilik Saccheri and Arjen van 't Hof of the University of Liverpool describe how the British peppered moth changed from peppered to black during the Industrial Revolution in northern England.
19 Aug 2014
Isotopes reveal the diet of a king
Richard III enjoyed a life of luxury during the brief period between becoming king and perishing at the Battle of Bosworth, an analysis of the chemical composition of his bones and teeth has shown.
17 Aug 2014
Tags: Archaeology, UK
Mycology against malaria
Insect-borne infections take an appalling toll across much of the world, and they're turning up in new places. Tom Marshall finds out how fungi could help us fight back.
15 Aug 2014