Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about why octopuses are more similar to us humans than we might believe. She also hears from Prof David Scheel about our increasing understanding of the sophistication of these cephalopods, and how that should influence our treatment of themClips: Netflix, Voice of AmericaRead more of Nicola Davis’ reporting on octopuses here Continue reading...

A pod in the strait of Gibraltar has sunk three boats and damaged dozens of others, and their story has captivated the world. What explains this unprecedented behaviour?What’s going on with the #orcauprising? You’ve probably gathered the basics: orcas are “attacking” yachts. To be strictly factual, since 2020, a small pod of orcas in the strait of Gibraltar has been interacting with sailing boats in a new way: ramming vessels, pressing their bodies and heads into the hulls and biting, even snapping off, the rudders. Over three years, more than 500 interactions have been recorded, three...

Often dismissed by the medical establishment, people with complex illnesses such as ME and long Covid are taking the hunt for treatments into their own handsIn 2019, years after developing the myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME/CFS) that had kept her bedridden in a state of chronic pain and exhaustion, Tamara Romanuk experienced something “miraculous”. After taking antibiotics prescribed to treat a separate infection, she experienced a short-term remission in symptoms. “I went from being bedbound to twirling outside,” Romanuk says. “I had no idea that life could be so different from what I...

From cabin dwellers to chateau owners, it’s a zest for life – even the small things – that makes us flourishWhen my partner, Zan, and I drove our van out of the parking lot in Buenos Aires in 2006 – and faced southwards towards Patagonia – we had rules for the trip ahead: no computer, no phone, no social media, no camera, no compass, no internet. These were the rules. But, more importantly, no plans. Instead, we hauled dozens of books on philosophy, like The Art of Happiness by Epicurus and Conversations of Socrates, and some odd sprinklings of sociology and psychology texts. The...

Loopholes in proposed post-Brexit laws could allow preventive use to continue, raising risk of resistance, says coalition of groupsProposed laws to curb antibiotic use on UK farms contain loopholes that could undermine the fight against deadly drug-resistant bacteria, campaigners say, adding that they were drafted after closed-door meetings with industry.The government published the draft legislation, designed to replace EU rules post-Brexit, after consultations with pharmaceutical, veterinary medicine and farming lobby groups, according to freedom of information requests filed by the...

Monogamous birds switch partners for reasons similar to human breakups, scientists say Affairs or lengthy spells apart commonly spell divorce for human couples – but it seems similar factors play a role in breakups among birds.It is thought more than 90% of bird species generally have a single mate over at least one breeding season, if not longer. However, some monogamous birds switch to a different partner for a subsequent breeding season despite their original mate remaining alive – a behaviour labelled “divorce”. Continue reading...

I was in denial about climate action – until I realised that you might just have to despair to care…Have you ever felt, “Climate breakdown, argh, oh shite”? And then felt, “But what am I supposed to do about it?” And then spent an hour listlessly researching electric cars, before getting overwhelmed by the whole extinction-level endeavour and doing sweet FA?My new film, My Extinction, charts my transformation from self-absorbed, guilty, inactive dad to self-absorbed, guilty, slightly less inactive dad. That is, it shows how a journey from total inaction to climate action turned out...

Discovery means targeted solutions can be directed to avian flu viruses sooner to prevent spillover into humans, say scientistsScientists have discovered that a gene present in humans is preventing most avian flu viruses moving from birds to people. The gene is present in all humans and can be found in the lungs and upper respiratory tract, where flu viruses replicate. It was already known to scientists, but the gene’s antiviral abilities are a new discovery.A six-year investigative study led by the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research found that the BTN3A3 gene is a powerful...

Scientists say the cephalopods have stages similar to REM sleep seen in vertebrates including humansOctopuses may be the subject of many mariners’ nightmares but new research has added to growing evidence the cephalopods may themselves dream while asleep.Octopuses are thought to undergo two different stages of sleep: “quiet sleep” and “active sleep”, the latter of which involves twitching body parts and rapid changes in the texture and patterning of the skin. Continue reading...

Social and economic upheaval since the pandemic has resulted in many more families strugglingThe reasons for increased levels of pupil absence in England are multiple and complex. Some were an issue before the Covid pandemic closed schools and disrupted the education of millions, but all have become more acute since, affecting huge numbers of pupils and their families. They include: Continue reading...

Amazon rainforest and other ecosystems could collapse ‘very soon’, researchers warnEcological collapse is likely to start sooner than previously believed, according to a new study that models how tipping points can amplify and accelerate one another.Based on these findings, the authors warn that more than a fifth of ecosystems worldwide, including the Amazon rainforest, are at risk of a catastrophic breakdown within a human lifetime. Continue reading...

Addressing the problem will mean taking on some of the most powerful voices in the countryWould you believe that a fifth of the adult population of Britain have either taken part in anti-vax protests, or are prepared to do so? Or that about 4 million people have attended protests against the introduction of central bank digital currencies (CBDCs)? What about the idea that The Light, an anti-vaccine, anti-lockdown newspaper, has about 3 million subscribers, and has at some point been distributed by nearly 4 million people?You’d be right to be sceptical. It’s unlikely that there are 4 million...

An agoraphobic downloads an app that promises to turn his life around – but things begin to get sinister when it takes over his social interactionsThis disturbingly real-looking artificial intelligence sci-fi was made a couple of years ago on what looks like a budget of small change tipped out of the film-makers’ coin jars. It’s getting a release now presumably on account of AI anxiety creeping up the league table of things that keep people awake at night. Like the Nosedive episode of Charlie Brooker’s Black Mirror, the premise here is that in an apparently-near future people wear...

Behaviour predates humans by tens of millions of years but evolutionary purpose is less clear, scientists sayEvolutionary biologists have traced the origins of masturbation to ancient primates that predate the first humans by tens of millions of years.The findings emerged from what scientists believe is the largest dataset ever compiled on the activity, and confirm that humans arose on a branch of the tree of life replete with self-pleasuring predecessors. Continue reading...

The historic royal tradition of "swan upping" reveals a sharp decline in swan young on the River Thames.

A new Oxford University study pinpoints for the first time how high- and low-meat diets impact the planet.

With Chandrayaan-3, India aims to be the first to land near the Moon's little-explored south pole.

Countries have agreed to limit carbon from shipping by 2050 but green groups say the pact is flawed.

The Wildlife Trust in Northamptonshire says the dam-building mammals will be released next winter.

Europe launched its last Ariane-5 rocket from French Guiana on Wednesday, carrying two military communications satellites.

BBC News understands a deal has been negotiated over UK association with the Horizon programme.

Five councils bring a legal challenge against the London mayor's plans to expand ULEZ.

Global maritime industry faces a major decision on curbing carbon as pressure grows for a net-zero target.

Wastewater regulations are stalling new homes development in parts of England, says Baroness Scott.

Researchers have found the first case of a crocodile who made herself pregnant.