Posts for Environment
Why it’s still a scientific mystery how some can live past 100 – and how to crack it
Centenarian buddies in Sardinia. Sabino Parente/Shutterstock Richard Faragher, University of Brighton and Nir Barzilai, Albert Einstein College of Medicine A 35-year-old man only has a 1.5% chance of dying in the next ten years. But the same man at 75 has a 45% chance of dying before he reaches 85. […]
Five ways to cut down on food waste – and why it matters
Too much food is thrown away. There are things you can do to help. Shutterstock Siobhan Maderson, Aberystwyth University When people think about ways to help the environment, encourage biodiversity and decrease greenhouse gases, they don’t usually think about the impact of food waste. And yet food waste is responsible […]
As autumn approaches here’s why we see more spiders in our houses and why wasps are desperate for sugar
Spider’s webs have been used as an indicator of winter weather through the ages, but this is not backed up by research. Charlie Goodall/Shutterstock Elizabeth Duncan, University of Leeds and Thomas Dally, University of Leeds The tell-tale signs that autumn is here are clear to us; the days are getting […]
Five ways to use your garden to support your wellbeing
Enjoying your garden doesn’t have to involve gardening – you can make it what you want it to be. Juice Flair/Shutterstock Emma White, University of Surrey and Sarah Golding, University of Surrey COVID-19 has shown that pandemics can seriously affect people’s physical and mental health. Stress, anxiety and depression have […]
New UK storm names announced
The UK public has chosen to recognise friends, families and pets in the latest storm names which have been announced today [1 September 2021]. The Met Office, along with partners Met Éireann and KNMI, have announced the storm names for use in the 2021/22 season, which runs from September 2021 through to the end […]
Nine things you don’t know about seahorses
Many seahorses mate for life, and males are always pregnant. Steven L Gordon/Shutterstock Mark Tupper, University of Portsmouth Seahorses have long been a popular attraction in public aquariums, but they remain mysterious. They are a fish with a difference in that they swim in an upright, vertical position. They have […]
Funerals will hit 100 million a year by 2060 – here’s how to make them more sustainable
Cemeteries across the world, particularly in cities, are dealing with serious issues of overcrowding. Wikimedia Commons Julie Rugg, University of York Across the world, resting places for the dearly departed are running out of space: and it’s spelling bad news for the environment. In many countries, splashing the cash to […]
Life lessons from beekeepers – stop mowing the lawn, don’t pave the driveway and get used to bugs in your salad
santypan/Shutterstock Siobhan Maderson, Aberystwyth University For many people, the past year has led to an increased appreciation for our fragile natural world. This is important because, alongside COVID, we are also facing a global climate and biodiversity crisis. A recent report by IPBES (the intergovernmental science-policy platform on biodiversity and […]
Hello to E10 petrol
This summer, motorists across the country will start to see the the standard petrol grade switch from E5 to E10. The current blend of fuel contains up to 5% bioethanol (known as E5) – E10 petrol will see the amount of bioethanol increase to 10%. You should start to notice the […]
Rewilding: four tips to let nature thrive
Sophie Wynne-Jones, Bangor University; Ian Convery, University of Cumbria, and Steve Carver, University of Leeds What would rewilding mean for a country like the UK? Bringing back wolves and bears? Returning the land to how it looked in prehistoric times? How will people fit into this wild and unimaginably different […]
