Environment
Schools & colleges the most common route into charity work finds latest #iwill survey
New research shows that schools and colleges are the most common route into social action activities such as volunteering, campaigning, and fundraising. Teachers were identified as having a particularly strong influence on young people from disadvantaged backgrounds, as results also showed that support from teachers, parents and friends to get involved is vital. Almost all young people who take part in regular social action receive some form of encouragement to do so, compared to less than half of those who...
London most exposed to a major geological disaster
London has topped a table of 52 European cities for the number of people exposed to possible ground instability, according to a new study. The research, from an earth scientist at the University of Portsmouth, is the first to examine the distribution of geological hazards -- from volcanoes and landslides, to subsidence and mining -- across a number of Europe's largest cities. For many Europeans, including authorities with environmental responsibility, this might be the first time that they’ve heard of the possible hazards...
Storm Doris showed what Mother Nature is capable of
Unless you live under a rock you will have no doubt heard about the devastating effects of the recent storm named Doris to visit our shores on Thursday. We Brits are renowned for talking about the weather at any given opportunity, so it was no wonder that the recent storm was the topic on most people lips over the past few days. Storm Doris made her presence known up and down the country. With gusts of up to 100 mph...
Minerals within diamonds can take billions of years to grow
Minerals within diamonds can take billions of years to grow, suggests new research. Scientists examining diamonds from two mines in Botswana, southern Africa. found that 'inclusions' - considered by jewellers as flaws - dated back over two billion years. One diamond contained silicate material from 2.3 billion years ago in its interior and a 250 million-year-old garnet crystal towards its outer rim - the largest age range ever detected in a single specimen. Researchers also found that the carbon within...
Ten-a-day findings show a disconnect between what we are eating and what we are producing
The new ten-a-day findings show a disconnect between what we are told the public should be eating and the food we are producing, according to Tom Kuehnel, Campaigns Officer at The Vegan Society. A new study has shown that 400g of fruit and vegetables a day might not be enough to offer the maximum protection against heart disease, cancer and early death. Scientists discovered that eating 800g of fruit and vegetables daily - double the government's recommendations - may have large health...
The secret behind the buttercup’s shiny petals has been discovered
The secret of the buttercup's shiny petals has been discovered by scientists. For over a century biologists have sought to understand why the iconic flower stands out. Now they have shown the petals have an extremely thin outer layer - or epidermis - that measures just one-cell thick. It contains a yellow pigment under which is an air chamber. Dr Casper van der Kooi split the light coming from the petals into rainbow patterns called spectra. He said: "We discovered...
Essex is the filthiest place in the UK
If you have driven anywhere around Britain during the winter you may have noticed the sickening volumes of rubbish strewn along our roads. Ask any visiting tourist who has taken the time to drive outside of the normal British tourist traps and they’ll tell you that our country is filthy. In fact, it should embarrass you to know that many of our European neighbours regard us as a filthy nation. Whilst London and the majority of city centres benefit from regular...
Why a trip to the woods has never been as exciting
Climate change is seldom deemed to be a cause for celebration, but for wildlife lovers it offers up the exciting prospect that the natural world is changing before our eyes. As a Countryside Ranger in the North West of England I am fortunate to be able to see the various changes of the seasons whilst out and about at work. Having spotted my first long tailed tits, weasels and stoats over the previous few weeks, I remain ever optimistic to...
Man-made pollutants “have reached the furthest corners of the planet”
Evidence that man-made pollutants have reached the furthest corners of the planet has come to light after cancer-causing chemicals banned since the 1970s were discovered in the world's deepest ocean - almost seven miles beneath the surface. Extremely high levels of Persistent Organic Pollutants - or POPs - were found in the fatty tissue of tiny crustaceans that live in the western Pacific's Mariana Trench. The same discovery was made in the Kermadec trench - the world's fifth deepest just off...