Planet Earth stories
Heather could be UK energy source
Harvesting energy from heather could cut greenhouse gas emissions and help the UK meet its bioenergy targets, according to new research.
24 Jun 2014
Tags: Climate, Farming, Mapping, Natural resources, Plants, Sustainability, UK
Getting ready for the next big one
Is one of the world's great cities due to be struck by a serious earthquake? Ekbal Hussain describes how scientists are working to make sure Istanbul is prepared for the dangers that may be on the way.
23 Jun 2014
High-CO2 world threatens seabed life
Environmental change is transforming many parts of the north-east Atlantic seabed, and according to a newly-published paper this will almost certainly get worse in the coming decades.
20 Jun 2014
New water bear found in Antarctica
Scientists have announced the discovery of a tiny new animal in Antarctica's Victoria Land.
17 Jun 2014
Tags: Animals, Antarctic, Biodiversity, Biology, Genetics
Podcast: Storm surges and their effect on coastal sand dunes
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Joanna Bullard and Jonathan Millett of Loughborough University describe the work they're doing to find out how quickly sand dunes along the east coast of England recover from the erosion caused by massive storm surges - like the one that struck the UK coastline on 5 December 2013.
10 Jun 2014
Spider venom offers pesticide hope for bees
A new pesticide, created using spider venom and natural chemicals from snowdrop plants, appears to be harmless to honeybees, a new study has concluded.
4 Jun 2014
Tags: Bees, Farming, Hazards, Insects, Pollinators, Sustainability, UK
Global warming to bring heavier summer downpours
Global warming could cause extreme summer downpours to become several times more frequent in the UK by 2100, a new study suggests.
1 Jun 2014
Mission to 'Mars'
Some scientists may dream of the chance to pursue their research on another planet. That opportunity isn't a reality just yet, but PhD student Michaela Musilova got the next best thing - a simulated mission to Mars.
30 May 2014
Tags: Microbes, Space, Sustainability
Podcast: Insects, sediment and climate change
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Frazer Bird and William Gosling of The Open University explain why tiny midges are a powerful tool for telling us about past climate change, and how they can help us predict the future.
27 May 2014
Tags: Climate, Insects, Podcasts, Rivers and lakes
Mosquitoes gathering in UK gardens
Two species of mosquito, responsible for spreading malaria and West Nile virus elsewhere, are gathering in Britain's gardens, say scientists.
21 May 2014