Environment

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...

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 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...

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...

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...

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...

International development charity Practical Action has been awarded the Zayed Future Energy Prize in recognition of its pioneering approach to renewable energy and sustainability. The charity was selected as the outstanding candidate by heads of Government, high-level UN staff and international development experts for its significant impact on hard-to-reach communities. CEO Paul Smith Lomas picked up the award from Nepali Prime Minister Pushpa Kamal Dahal during a presentation ceremony at the Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week 2017. Dr Nawal Al-Hosany, Director of the...

Poverty, unemployment and zero economic growth are the likely outcome for countries which choose renewable energy sources over fossil fuels, according to a study. Energy from fossil fuels appears to ignite economies into greater and more sustained growth, whereas energy from wind and solar power not only fails to enhance or promote economic growth, it actually causes economies to flat-line. The results, from an in-depth study of more than 100 countries over 40 years, pose a serious ethical dilemma, according...

Born Free warns heinous trade threatens beleaguered wild lions International wildlife charity, Born Free Foundation, has warned that South Africa’s intention to grant an annual commercial export quota of 800 skeletons sourced from captive-bred lions raised in canned hunting facilities could threaten wild populations and perpetuate suffering.

Since the release of the film Born Free in 1966, Africa’s lions have declined by at least 80%. Today, as few as 20,000 individuals occupy just 8% of their historic range across Africa, with...