Environment

The Deepwater Horizon disaster turned into one of the biggest environmental tragedies in history - because of the sun, suggests new research. Dispersants used to clean up major oil spills are almost a third less effective in sunlit waters - such as those in the Gulf of Mexico, according to the study. Researchers found that crude oil floating on the surface is chemically altered within days - or even hours. Dr Collin Ward, of Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in the...

Ambulance staff bitten, stabbed and have blood spat at them in barrage of more than 14,000 physical assaults since 2012 The number of violent attacks on ambulance workers in the UK increased by 34 per cent between 2012/13 and 2016/17, a major investigation by GMB, the union for ambulance workers, has revealed. A total of 14,441 physical assaults were recorded against ambulance workers between 2012/13 and January 2018.​ In 2016/17, recorded attacks on ambulance workers averaged more than eight (8.2)...

Plastic particles that may be a threat to human health are being transported thousands of miles across the oceans in melted sea ice, according to new research. The once pristine Polar regions have become a 'temporary sink' for billions of microbeads from cosmetics, synthetic fabrics, packaging, paints and even cigarette butts. As the planet warms up the toxic chemicals are released into the water to be consumed by marine life and, in turn, people. Some are a sixth of the...

Private Member’s Bill to protect emergency workers returns to Parliament on Friday and must cover sexual assaults, says union. GMB, the union for NHS workers, is demanding a change in the law as its investigation reveals that reported sexual assaults on ambulance staff have increased by 211 per cent over five years. According to the results of a Freedom of Information Act survey undertaken by GMB, there have been at least 688 sexual assaults on ambulance staff since 2012/13. In...

They have already claimed their first victim after a dead kittiwake got stuck

A city council embroiled in a bitter row with campaigners over a controversial tree felling programme has refused to disclose its official policy behind the measure. The authority has ruled it is in the “greater good” to keep its official policy for the felling of thousands of the city’s street trees secret. Its refusal comes after a local newspaper submitted a Freedom of Information request to see its currently-redacted ‘Highway Tree Replacement Policy’. FILE PHOTO; Police protect Amey staff from...

Having the right indoor plants could prevent cancer and cardiovascular disease by combating pollution, according to new research. But the study suggests that most people pick the wrong ones - such as tropical species that are the prettiest, but the least effective. The big leaves of tropical plants reduce air-purifying quality - so offices and householders should opt for other varieties, say scientists. In a high-tech world splashy and bold house plants put us in touch with nature. The most...

Glaciers in the Antarctic are being melted from below by a newly discovered process that adds to fears over rising sea levels and climate change. A study revealed a previously undocumented process where melting glacial ice sheets change the ocean in a way that further accelerates the rate of ice melt and sea level rise. The findings show that glacial meltwater makes the ocean's surface layer less salty and more buoyant, preventing deep mixing in winter and allowing warm water...

This is the once-in-a-lifetime moment a British swimmer caught on camera a 2,000-strong shoal of rare migrating RAYS. Conservationist Jay Gittens, 44, initially thought the enormous 'shadow' below the surface was a whale shark or humpback whale. Amazed Jay slipped into the water off La Paz, Mexico, and freedived with the enormous group of Pacific cownose rays. While the eagle rays are not endangered, it is very rare to capture such a large group moving together. Quick-thinking Ray from London...