Planet Earth stories
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
Ship noise puts fish in danger
Noise made by passing ships stops eels from using their survival instincts, say NERC-supported scientists investigating the effects of man-made noise on fish.
7 Aug 2014
Tags: Animals, Biology, Climate, Earth observation, Earth system, Environmental change, Fish, Hazards, Marine life, Oceans, Pollution, Technology, UK, Water
Taking the environment's pulse
Long-term observation of our ecosystems is critical for us to understand environmental change. Andy Sier looks back on the contribution of 20 years of observation and research by the Environmental Change Network.
1 Aug 2014
Tags: Animals, Biodiversity, Birds, Ecology, Environmental change, Insects, Rivers and lakes, UK
Coastal defences could contribute to flooding with sea-level rise
A combination of coastal defences and rising sea levels could change typical UK tidal ranges, potentially leading to a higher risk of flooding, say scientists.
1 Aug 2014
Tags: Environmental change, Flooding, Hazards, Oceans, Sea level change, UK
Podcast: Using X-rays to look inside ancient leaves
This week in the Planet Earth podcast, Roy Wogelius and Nick Edwards of the University of Manchester explain how they used extremely bright light from particle accelerators to delve into the chemistry of exceptionally well preserved fossil leaves from the Green River Formation in the US.
22 Jul 2014
Tags: Palaeontology, Plants, Podcasts
Ancient grassland species take a century to return
Old chalk grasslands that have been disturbed by farming can take more than a hundred years to recover their full diversity of plants, new research shows.
22 Jul 2014
Tags: Biodiversity, Ecology, Plants, UK
Sewage treatment contributes to antibiotic resistance
Wastewater treatment plants could be unwittingly helping to spread antibiotic resistance, say scientists.
21 Jul 2014
Third-hand tobacco smoke threatens child health
Third-hand smoke is a problem even in the homes of non-smokers, say scientists researching the level of carcinogenic tobacco compounds found in house dust.
17 Jul 2014