Planet Earth stories
How cities draw the heat
It is 15 years since the UK sweltered in the record-breaking 2003 summer heatwave. While the sunshine was welcome to many, it also brought deadly consequences, with more than 2,000 people across England and Wales dying in the stifling heat
22 Feb 2018
Secrets of sudden death of 200,000 antelopes in Central Asia
In May 2015 the sudden death of more than 200,000 saiga antelopes in Kazakhstan baffled the world.
18 Jan 2018
Tags: Animals, Biodiversity, Conservation, Disease, Ecology, Health, Microbes
On the way to plastic-free oceans
Four days since leaving port, Dr Katsiaryna Pabortsava reaches her destination. She's in the middle of the North Atlantic, thousands of miles from land, and she's looking for microplastics.
8 Jan 2018
Tags: Biodiversity, Marine life, Microplastics, Oceans, Pollution, UK
Our changing Arctic
The Barents Sea is a wild, dark, stormy old ocean. Who would want to be out there on a ship in January?
17 Nov 2017
Seals and our shores
Our relationship with seals has changed significantly over the years but now, more than ever, the focus is on ensuring that our survival does not threaten theirs.
15 Nov 2017
Tags: Animals, Fish, Marine life, Sustainability, UK
Where does bad air come from?
Auchencorth Moss is one of Scotland's distinctive moorlands, this precious habitat is now providing valuable information for scientists working to combat air pollution in cities and towns across the country.
13 Nov 2017
Tags: Atmosphere, Farming, Pollution, UK
Your tropical food trolley
Tropical climates in the depths of Asia, Africa or South America might seem a world away from the checkout queue in your average Scottish supermarket or corner shop. But if your basket contains chocolate, coffee, bananas or rice, you can almost guarantee that what you eat comes from far warmer places thousands of miles away.
10 Nov 2017
Good pointers
When you open up the mapping app on your smartphone, a little blue dot appears showing where you are. Out one side, a little shadow shows which way you're facing. Type in your destination and it leads the way. It knows if you pause and it knows when to tell you to turn.
7 Nov 2017
Tags: Geology, Mapping, Technology
Solving the mystery of Shetland's tsunami sands
Shetland's wild, rugged landscape has long fascinated scientists, but for one British Geological Survey marine geologist, it's the seabed around the islands that have ignited his interest.
6 Nov 2017
Scotland seen by satellites
The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology has used the latest satellite technology to launch new digital maps showing the differences of the UK countryside. The maps show the UK's most built-up, most wooded and most farmed counties.
1 Nov 2017