With Nature

Exclusive: Environment Agency is considering whether to prosecute Huntsman Polyurethanes over emissions of carcinogenic benzeneA plastic manufacturer in the north of England is facing potential legal action over emissions of benzene, a carcinogenic chemical with no safe level, the Guardian can reveal.The Environment Agency (EA) is considering taking legal action against Huntsman Polyurethanes in Teesside for a potential breach of licence, which is a criminal offence. Continue reading...
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Just in case you hadn’t already realised how extraordinary the gigantic group of creatures known as invertebrates are, we’ve gathered together five facts that made our brains hurt (plus one more, because we couldn’t choose). Tell us your favourite extraordinary fact in the comments belowThe top ten invertebrates revealedDid you know that the mantis shrimp can accelerate to strike its prey faster than a .22 calibre bullet. They can smash shells, and even crack aquarium glass with the power of the strike. “These impressive animals are armed with one hammer-like dactyl club on each side of its body. These clubs store energy in elastic, spring-like structures, which are held in place by latch-like tendons. When the latch is released, the stored energy, too, is released – propelling the club forward with explosive force,” says Nane Steinhoff. Continue reading...
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Britain exported 139,000 tonnes of rubbish to Turkey last year, leaving smallholders and poor districts of Adana to cope with the debris, microplastics and toxic smokeUK plastic ‘waste colonialism’ found to be polluting Turkey’s farming heartlandPlastic debris clings to the reeds in a waterway metres from where Ayhan*, a farmer in Adana, southern Turkey, is harvesting aubergines. “We get pollution from all sides here,” he says, referring to the plastic recycling zone upstream, as well as a nearby textile plant that he suspects is making the water acidic. “The plastics are all there, by the bank, and the fumes come this way.”Between May 2021 and July 2024, 13 British companies sent 545 shipments of household and supermarket plastic waste, totalling 52,000 tonnes, to the Kemal Deniz recycling zone, under a mile from Ayhan’s aubergine fields, according to data analysed for the Guardian by the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), an international NGO. Continue reading...
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Flea treatments can be given as tablets or applied to the skinYakobchukOlena/Getty ImagesDon’t treat your pets for parasites such as ticks and fleas unless they actually need treating. We can’t be sure that these treatments are safe for you and your family, and there is growing evidence that they pose a danger to wildlife.So says a report by the Environment and Climate Change Committee of the UK’s House of Lords. It is calling for the sale of these treatments to be restricted, so people can only buy them after consultation with a vet, pharmacist or qualified pet shop staff. Read more What the extraordinary medical know-how of wild animals can teach usThe main issue is that there is no rigorous assessment of pet treatments before they are approved, the report says. It’s simply been assumed by national and international regulators that they are safe, but this assumption is turning out to be wrong. Advertisement if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mid-article-slot" } ); }In particular, at least two potent pesticides found in tick and flea treatments are getting into UK rivers at levels high enough to affect wildlife. These pesticides can break down into other substances that are even more harmful.“There is also worryingly insufficient evidence to assess whether or not [pet parasite medicines] are harmful to human health,” says the report. Free newsletter Sign up to The Earth Edition Sign up to newsletterIt also says regulators are not sufficiently independent. Both UK and international regulators “appear to be too influenced by and beholden to the views of the industry”, it states.While the report focuses on the UK, the same tick and flea treatments are sold in many countries. “This is a worldwide issue,” says Rosemary Perkins at Imperial College London, one of the experts who gave evidence to the committee.“There’s been a historical assumption that any veterinary medicine used in non-food animals – cats and dogs, companion animals – is associated with negligible environmental risk,” she says. “Effectively, they have no meaningful environmental risk assessment.”But recent research shows they do pose a risk, says Perkins. “It’s really opened up a Pandora’s box, because we have dozens of these products that have been approved based on this assumption that we now know is not scientifically valid.”For instance, two common pesticides found in products such as spot-on flea treatments are fipronil, a broad-spectrum insecticide, and imidacloprid, a neonicotinoid. “They’re incredibly potent at extremely low levels,” says Perkins.Both pesticides used to be used on farms until they were banned a few years ago. But they have continued to be found in rivers. In fact, with the development of more sensitive tests, they’re turning up “pretty much everywhere in waterways”, says Perkins. Read more How a unique puppy kindergarten lab put the science into dog trainingInitially, it was thought this was a legacy of their use by farmers, but work by Perkins and others suggests parasite medications are now the main source of these pesticides in waterways. In many cases, levels are high enough to harm invertebrates such as mayflies, dragonflies and caddisflies, with knock-on effects on the fish and birds that feed on them.We don’t know how big a problem this is, says the report. “The true scale of environmental harm resulting from pet parasite medications is not known.”How are the pesticides getting into rivers? Once they’re applied to pets, they end up all over the home, says Perkins. When people bathe their pets or wash pet bedding, they can end in wastewater.Product packaging currently recommends that dogs are not bathed for four days after treatment, but this needs to be extended to 28 days, the report recommends.Another major source of the pesticides in water is hand-washing, says Perkins. “We detected [pesticides] in the wash-off even before we asked people to stroke their pets, so they’re just constantly on the hands of pet owners.”Products containing fipronil and imidacloprid are now being replaced by ones containing isoxazolines, typically sold in the form of chewable tablets. Isoxazolines are less water-soluble but can bind to sediments and accumulate in soils and sewage sludge. They might be ending up in fields when sewage sludge is sprayed as fertiliser and harming pollinators.“There has not been much work done to date to assess this,” says the report. Read more The long-overlooked insects that could save our cropsShed dog fur is yet another way these chemicals can end up in the environment. The report says contaminated fur has been found in bird nests.In light of these findings, the use of pet parasite medications should be minimised until there’s independent research clarifying their risks, says the report. At present, manufacturers of parasite treatments are promoting the idea that routine treatment for parasites is required, and encouraging pet owners to get them via monthly subscriptions. “However, the benefits of routine, and certainly monthly, pet parasite medicine usage are not supported by scientific evidence.”It’s an excellent report, says Perkins, but she hoped it would go further and recommend making these products prescription-only. Some wildlife groups, meanwhile, want some of these products banned altogether.Yet another reason for restricting their use is to slow the development of resistance, says Perkins. She sees a lot of animals treated with old spot-on treatments containing fipronil that still have fleas. “We need effective parasite treatments, and we need to make sure we preserve their efficacy,” she says.
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People appear to prefer short stories created by AI over those written by humans. They are also no better than chance at telling which is which
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The laws of physics seemed to forbid a strange variety of black holes that could have zero temperature. Columnist Jacklin Kwan explores research that shows these strange behemoths can really exist – and how they could test the limits of thermodynamics
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Sticky glandular hairs on Saxifraga candelabrum trap insect preyXin-Jian ZhangMore than 150 years after Charles Darwin proposed that saxifrages were a group of plants that practiced carnivory, researchers have meticulously gathered the evidence to confirm he was right.“Talk about an amazing feeling,” says Doug Soltis at the University of Florida. “To have the opportunity to confirm a prediction of Darwin is both humbling and very exciting.“I would like to think Darwin would be pleased [and say] ‘I was right – again.’” Advertisement if( window?.adverts?.addToArray ) { window.adverts.addToArray( { "pos": "mid-article-slot" } ); } Read more The long-overlooked insects that could save our cropsTo formally qualify as a carnivorous plant, a species must possess adaptations that enable it to attract, capture and digest its prey and absorb nutrients from it. Perhaps the world’s most renowned carnivorous plant is the Venus flytrap (Dionaea muscipula).In 1875, four years after detailing his theory of natural selection in his book On the Origin of Species, Darwin wrote about his fascination with two species in the genus Saxifraga, which were known to catch insects.The genus has around 450 species and is found in Arctic and alpine regions of the northern hemisphere as well as in the South American Andes. Free newsletter Sign up to The Earth Edition Sign up to newsletterHowever, despite attempting several experiments to prove the plants digested the insects, Darwin was unable to substantiate his hunch.To take up the challenge, Soltis and his colleagues studied specimens of Saxifraga candelabrum from Wufeng Mountain in Yunnan province, China – a different species from those studied by Darwin, but in the same genus.During field surveys, the botanists observed that the Saxifraga candelabrum plants were capable of trapping small insects, using hairs covered with a sticky secretion. Bigger insects – those more useful to the plants for pollination – weren’t captured by the goo.Mature plants had an average of more than 70 insects stuck to them, primarily various species of gnat, which suggested a potential carnivorous habit, says team member Hang Sun at the Chinese Academy of Sciences. Read more The Selfish Gene at 50: Why Dawkins’s evolution classic still holds upThe team first tested whether the secretions produced by the hair-like structures that trap insects contained digestive enzymes capable of breaking down the prey, and found they did.Next, by infusing insect prey with a nitrogen isotope, the scientists were able to demonstrate that nutrients from the digested insect had been taken up by the plant.Finally, genetic studies showed that Saxifraga shares common genes with other carnivorous plants – a sundew (Drosera spatulata) and a flycatcher bush (Roridula gorgonias) – that control prey attraction, digestion and nutrient uptake.“Together, these genomic data provide independent evidence that S. candelabrum is a true carnivorous plant,” says Sun.Soltis expects the team’s research will lead to a re-examination of other species in the genus, including the ones Darwin studied, and the wider Saxifraga family.“Many members of the family have these hairs, and I would not be surprised if others are also carnivorous,” Soltis says.Journal Reference: Nature Communications DOI: 10.1038/s41467-026-75288-y
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A few years ago, psychologist Sherman Lee experienced a "grief attack". When he set out to study them, he discovered just how powerful and all-consuming grief can be
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Assessment of more than 2,000 native species warns nearly one in five at high risk of deadly H5N1, including parrots, fur seals and quollsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereAlmost 400 native Australian bird and mammal species have been assessed as being at a high risk – or worse – from the deadly H5N1 bird flu virus, a federal government assessment has revealed.Some of Australia’s most beloved animals – including species of penguins, fur seals, quolls, dolphins, more than 300 birds and the Tasmanian devil – are considered at least high risk from the virus, meaning they could suffer “severe reduction in population size or viability” or worse if it reached them. Continue reading...
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Recreational sport | Happy WhatsApps | Woodlice woes | Guessing game | Lost in filmWhat happened to the joy of recreational sport (‘I spent a week crying. I’ve never had an injury in my life!’ Why do so many fitness fans end up needing surgery?, 3 August)? It’s like modern life – goal and target-oriented. PBs, how many laps, lengths, miles? Have to get the laps in, even if the back is killing me. Why? Is it about bragging rights? As a lifelong sports and exercise enthusiast aged 77 and still loving it, I really don’t understand the motivation for wilfully destroying your body in the name of sport.Barbara SmythCheltenham, Gloucestershire• My experience of WhatsApp blue ticks differs (Letters, 29 July). During the Covid pandemic, every day I rejoiced in seeing the blue tick on a message from a family member who lived alone and had Covid: they were still alive.Ann NewellThame, Oxfordshire Continue reading...
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We want to hear from people around the world who have been getting involved in local action on the climateWe’d like to hear from people across the world who have been involved in a local environmental action group or community project tackling climate change from where they live. What made you get involved?What has the group achieved, and what obstacles have you faced? Has it changed how you feel about your local area, or led to wider change? We’d also like to hear from anyone who tried to set up a group and found it difficult to gain traction. Continue reading...
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Madeleine Finlay travels to the Rothbury estate in Northumberland, in north-east England. It’s a piece of land that has been in the same family for 700 years, but now it has been put up for sale and the UK’s Wildlife Trusts are trying to raise £30m to secure it intact. To find out what makes the area so special, Madeleine speaks to Katy Barke, the head of nature recovery for Northumberland Wildlife Trust. She also hears from Sam Turner, a professor of archaeology at Newcastle University, who is trying to work out how the land has been used across the centuries. This work will inform the strategy for nature recovery on the site. And Rosie Pearce, a farm liaison officer, explains how the project could bring more wildlife-friendly farming practices to the estateNorthumberland nature recovery project takes shape with biggest land sale in 30 years Continue reading...
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Most of the zoo’s 16 lions have struggled to cope with high humidity this summerThree lions from a Tokyo zoo have died from suspected heatstroke and others are undergoing treatment, a spokesperson said on Tuesday, as the big cats struggle in Japan’s high levels of humidity.Japan sweltered through its hottest summer on record last year and parts of the country have hit 40C in recent weeks, qualifying for the new “cruelly hot day” designation. Continue reading...
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Arrests form part of Environment Agency ongoing investigations
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Environment Agency investigations into illegal sewage discharges generate funds for wildlife restoration projects across the West Midlands region.
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The Environment Agency has started a 7-week consultation on a new long sea outfall from Exmouth sewage treatment works.
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A tiny 518-million-year-old sea creature has revealed the earliest known evidence of the structures that eventually became spiders’ fangs. Hidden inside the fossil were pincerlike limbs and preserved soft tissues that help explain how the ancestors of spiders and scorpions evolved into formidable hunters.
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DNA traces in the Shroud of Turin reveal a remarkable mixture of human lineages, microbes, plants, animals, and coral accumulated through centuries of handling and travel. The findings do not prove its age or authenticity, but they expose a hidden biological history preserved in the famous cloth.
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Taiwan’s steep, remote mountains have sheltered extraordinary forests containing hundreds of giant Taiwania firs. After years of difficult expeditions, LiDAR mapping, and citizen-science detective work, researchers discovered an 84.1-meter (276-foot) tree, the tallest known in East Asia. They also found dense “temples of giants” where dozens of enormous trees grow together. These ancient forests rank among the world’s most carbon-rich ecosystems.
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Scientists have named a newly discovered beetle genus Luffy, inspired by the stretchy hero of the manga and anime One Piece. The insects have unusually long, slender mandibles, antennae, and mouthparts that resemble Luffy’s rubber-like ability to extend his body.
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Animal bones preserved in South Australia’s underwater caves reveal distinctive clues shaped by darkness, algae, bacteria, and other environmental conditions. The findings give scientists a powerful new way to reconstruct how ancient megafauna remains entered and survived in submerged cave systems.
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Nature, Published online: 04 August 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10958-xAuthor Correction: Casdatifan shows durable response linked to HIF-2α biology in kidney cancer
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Nature, Published online: 04 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02426-3Put health systems at the centre of European heatwave plans
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Nature, Published online: 04 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02379-7One reader proposes an alternative to the word ‘television’, and another is enthralled by a meteor, in our weekly dip into Nature’s archive.
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Nature, Published online: 04 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02424-5Scientists don’t need more trust, they need public allies
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Nature, Published online: 04 August 2026; doi:10.1038/d41586-026-02427-2Lab leaders should follow football’s lead and have coaching qualifications
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This summer, if you’re looking for fun and accessible days out that are low-cost, then we have you covered. Not only is spending time in nature great for your wellbeing, it can also be great for your bank balance. Here are our suggestions for our favourite affordable days out in the West Midlands! Summer is here, and the West Midlands is home to some of England's best-kept secrets when it comes to affordable, accessible nature. Whether you're after dramatic upland views, ancient woodland, or a wetland reserve buzzing with wildlife, there's something here for every family, every budget, and every level of mobility.We've picked out five brilliant places to explore this summer, all either free to enter or costing very little, and all reachable without a car if you plan ahead.Cheltenham Escarpment, Devil's Chimney. © Mike Downey, Natural EnglandCheltenham Escarpment National Nature Reserve (NNR), GloucestershireBetter known locally as Leckhampton Hill and Charlton Kings Common, this is one of England's newest NNRs, designated in June 2026, and home to the legendary 'Devil's Chimney'. This striking limestone pillar is thought to have been left standing by quarry workers. Although local folklore insists it was built by the Devil himself, so he'd have somewhere to sit and throw stones at churchgoers below. Who are we to say? But we do know the site contains the thickest inland sequences of Jurassic limestone and supports nationally important limestone grassland, home to wildflowers and 33 recorded butterfly species including the rare Duke of Burgundy.The hill has panoramic views over Cheltenham, the Severn Vale and the Welsh hills and is part of the King's Series of National Nature Reserves, created to mark the Coronation of His Majesty King Charles III. Entry is free, and there are paths and tracks that the whole family can explore, including a 3km walk suitable for pushchairs and wheelchair users.Getting there: There are four car parks on site, at Daisy Bank Road and Hartley Lane. The hill is a short distance from Cheltenham town centre and well served by local buses.Sutton Park. © Chloe Hardman, Natural EnglandSutton Park National Nature Reserve (NNR), Birmingham One of the largest urban parks in Europe, Sutton Park is a 2,100-acre National Nature Reserve just six miles from Birmingham city centre, and it's completely free to visit. Inside you'll find heathland, woodland, seven lakes, and even grazing cattle and wild ponies. There's a 5-kilometre walking route and two playgrounds, making it ideal for younger children. The visitor centre has toilets, baby changing facilities and maps to help you find your way.The park forms part of Purple Horizons, a Natural England-led nature recovery project working to connect Sutton Park with Cannock Chase, creating a wildlife corridor across the West Midlands urban fringe.Getting there: The Town Gate entrance is a seven-minute walk from Sutton Coldfield train station, which is accessible via a twenty-minute train from Birmingham New Street. Buses 6, 935, 937, X3 and X5 also stop nearby.Hall Green Naturehood Trail, Birmingham (National Trust and Go Jauntly)For an option even closer to Birmingham city centre, try the Hall Green Naturehood Trail, a free 4.7km circular walk created by the National Trust in partnership with the Go Jauntly app. The route links green and blue spaces across Hall Green, starting at the historic Sarehole Mill, one of Birmingham's last two working watermills.Along the way you'll pass the River Cole, wildflower meadows, and Trittiford Mill Pool, home to swans, ducks and dragonflies. The trail includes fun prompts for families, from birdwatching tips to "cloud-spotting." Download the free app for step-by-step directions or print the PDF guide in advance.Getting there: The walk starts at Sarehole Mill, with a bus stop directly outside served by routes 5 and 11C Outer Circle.Brandon Marsh. © Warwickshire Wildlife TrustBrandon Marsh Nature Reserve, Coventry (Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Trust) Brandon Marsh is a Warwickshire Wildlife Trust Wildlife Trust reserve known for its pools, reedbeds and woodland, and home to kingfishers, otters and muntjac deer.  Two surfaced trails, the Kingfisher Trail and the Woodpecker Trail, make this a great choice for buggies, wheelchairs and mobility scooters, and the reserve even offers free mobility scooter loans if you call ahead. Nine bird hides give you the chance to get up close to the wildlife, and the visitor centre has a café, shop and picnic area to round off your visit. Entry costs £4.75 for adults, with concessions and family tickets available, and it's free for Wildlife Trust members. Getting there: Brandon Marsh is on Brandon Lane, Coventry, with an on-site car park. Bike parking is also available.Stiperstones Landscape NNR. @ Stephen Gledhill, Natural EnglandStiperstones Landscape National Nature Reserve (NNR), ShropshireStiperstones covers 1,562 hectares of dramatic upland heath, ancient woodland and rare geology along the Shropshire Hills. It's part of the King's Series and is managed by a partnership including Natural England, Forestry England, Shropshire Wildlife Trust and local community groups.Entry is free. Start at the NNR car park, where you'll find a 650-metre all-ability trail alongside longer walking routes if you fancy tackling the full ridge. Keep an eye out for the legendary Devil's Chair, a rock formation shattered by ice-age freezing that has inspired ghost stories for centuries, and look out for red grouse, emperor moths and the increasingly rare bilberry bumblebee along the way.If you'd rather leave the car at home, the Shropshire Hills Shuttle Bus runs every weekend from May to September, taking in the Long Mynd, Carding Mill Valley and Stiperstones itself, with adult tickets from £2 and free travel for under-16s. It's a brilliant, low-cost way to see some of Shropshire's best scenery without worrying about parking.Getting there: The reserve is 3km east of the A488, with car parking available at the main NNR car park, the Bog, and Snailbeach. Alternatively, catch the Shropshire Hills Shuttle Bus from Church Stretton. A couple more favourites Chapter Meadows Nature Reserve in Worcester sits alongside the River Severn, just a mile from Worcester Foregate Street train station. Painswick Beacon in Gloucestershire is the site of an Iron Age hillfort, standing 283 metres high with some of the best 360-degree views in the Cotswolds. Painswick Beacon is on a bus route, and you can download the Gloucestershire Walks app for a map to guide you.Or for some options even closer to home Local Nature Reserves are places valued for their wildlife or geology, designated by local councils for people to enjoy and learn from. Find your nearest one: Local Nature Reserves (England) | Natural England Open Data Geoportal With the recent dry, hot weather, wildfire risk is high across the countryside. Please pack a picnic instead of a barbecue, take your rubbish home with you, and if you spot an unattended fire, get to a safe place and call 999. Remember to always follow the Countryside Code when you’re out and about in nature! The Countryside Code is a simple guide to helping everyone enjoy the outdoors responsibly while protecting the natural environment. It encourages visitors to respect other people, protect plants, animals and habitats, and leave gates, paths and property as they find them. By following the Countryside Code, we can all play our part in keeping nature accessible, safe and enjoyable for everyone, while helping to conserve the landscapes and wildlife that make our countryside so special. 
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A wave of Kenyan elephant deaths has been blamed on pesticides, but experts tell the BBC they are doubtful.
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The UK's biggest solar eclipse since 1999 arrives on 12 August. Here's where to see it safely in the West Country.
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Our satellite has endured countless blows over millions of years - and astronomers think this one could be a useful accident.
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