Environment

Award-winning photographers have captured some of the rarest mammals and birds on the International Union for Conservation of Nature's ‘Red List’ - which highlights species across the globe at risk of extinction. Incredible shots of an Atlantic puffin, a wolverine and a common pochard were sent in by snappers as part of Sony’s ongoing commitment to support the protection of wildlife. The puffin was captured in Skomer Island, Wales, by photographer Sam Hobson on the Sony RX10 III, which features an extended 600mm super-telephoto zoom lens and silent shutter...

A 507 million-year-old sea monster with can-opener like pincers has been identified for the first time. And the strange-looking creature could point to the origin of modern day millipedes, crabs and insects, according to paleontologists. Canadian scientists have uncovered the new fossil species that sheds light on the origin of mandibulates - the most abundant and diverse group of organisms on Earth, which includes flies, ants, crayfish and centipedes The creature, named Tokummia katalepsis by the researchers, is a new...

The world has a waste problem. The amount we throw away, both at home and in the office, far exceeds what is sustainable. Yet, rather than taking significant steps to reduce it, global waste looks set to triple by 2100. Having just endured the hottest year on record, it should be obvious to most of mankind that a solution needs to be found. You might have taken environmentally-conscious steps at home, but when it comes to the workplace, most of...

Today is the first day since the industrial revolution that the UK won't generate any electricity from coal. According to an announcement from the control room at the National Grid the UK's energy mix is set to be coal-free for the next 24 hours for the first time in 135 years. The last coal-fired power station stopped running at 11pm last night, the HuffPost reported, thanks to low energy demand and the availability of alternatives. Jon Ferris of Utilitywise said...

Mayor Sadiq Khan has revealed plans to charge the most polluting vehicles in London £24 a day when driving through the city centre. His efforts to influence promote eco driving and to combat the green impact of vehicles in the city centre are due to come into effect in October 2017. But what impact will this increase in the congestion charge have on transport and vehicle based businesses and business owners in London? Eco driving measures target businesses with vehicle...

Fish put their heads together so that they can solve problems as a group, suggests a new study. Researchers found that the creatures 'pool' their experience in order to tackle challenging situations. By studying sticklebacks, scientists at the University of St Andrews realised the more experienced fish would teach the less experienced ones in the group and together they would complete tasks more easily. While some fish might know where to find food, others might know where to access it...

Remarkable images which show the hell that commuters in London go through every morning to get to work - crushed together like 'sardines.' Every morning more than a million people use the London Underground network, with the peak times being 7am and 9am. The London Economic has to deal with this every day, and as we approach summer it only gets worse. This is the price you pay for living in the capital. Sky high property prices, pint of lager...

Costa Coffee has been lambasted for strangling independent chains after it opened its eleventh branch in Cheltenham despite 70 per cent of residents saying they don't want it. The High Street giant is about to open a new outlet immediately next door to rivals SOHO Coffee Co at a prime site in the so-called "coffee capital". It will mean a total of 19 big-name coffee shops in the centre of the spa town - in addition to a wide range of independent...

Figures released today by the mental health charity Mind show that one in ten people discharged from mental health hospital after being admitted in crisis are not getting follow-up within a week of leaving – which is at least 11,000 people every year. Mind sent Freedom of Information (FoI) requests to all 56 mental health trusts in England (54 trusts responded) asking for information about how quickly people are followed up after being discharged from hospital. Follow up – usually...