[ad_1] Victoria GillScience correspondent, BBC NewsWatch: Killer whales use kelp to ‘massage’ each otherOrcas in the North Pacific have been seen "massaging" each other - rubbing pieces of kelp between their bodies. Using drones, researchers filmed the animals selecting and biting off the kelp, then placing the tube-shaped piece of seaweed onto the back of another whale. The scientists think the massages might have a health or hygiene function, but
[ad_1] Ione WellsSouth America correspondentGeorgina RannardScience correspondentNSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryThe first image revealed by the Vera Rubin telescope shows the Trifid and Lagoon nebulae in stunning detailA powerful new telescope in Chile has released its first images, showing off its unprecedented ability to peer into the dark depths of the universe.In one picture, vast colourful gas and dust clouds swirl in a star-forming region 9,000 light years from Earth.
[ad_1] Tim DoddClimate and science reporterEPABanning or charging for plastic bags is helping stop them ending up on US shorelines, a study of the country's litter suggests.Data from thousands of cleanups showed that areas which tried to reduce bag use saw them fall by at least 25% as a percentage of total litter collected, compared to areas that didn't try.Bans or charging for bags worked better at state rather than
[ad_1] Rebecca Morelle, Alison Francis and Victoria GillBBC News Science TeamGetty Images / Maxar Technologies.Iran's Natanz nuclear site has been a target of Israel's airstrikesThe IAEA has described the attacks on Iran's nuclear facilities as "deeply concerning".On Monday, its Director General Rafael Grossi said that military escalation "increases the chance of a radiological release with serious consequences for people and the environment".Uranium enrichment sites are used to build up supplies
[ad_1] Alison FrancisSenior Science JournalistTony Jolliffe/BBC NewsThe Roman frescoes reveal stunning details like this daisyArchaeologists have pieced together thousands of fragments of 2,000-year-old wall plaster to reveal remarkable frescoes that decorated a luxurious Roman villa.The shattered plaster was discovered in 2021 at a site in Central London that's being redeveloped, but it's taken until now to reconstruct this colossal jigsaw puzzle.The frescoes are from at least 20 walls of the
[ad_1] Mark PoyntingClimate reporter, BBC NewsEPAThe Earth could be doomed to breach the symbolic 1.5C warming limit in as little as three years at current levels of carbon dioxide emissions.That's the stark warning from more than 60 of the world's leading climate scientists in the most up-to-date assessment of the state of global warming.Nearly 200 countries agreed to try to limit global temperature rises to 1.5C above levels of the
[ad_1] Getty ImagesEnvironment Agency warns England will have a shortage of 6 billion litres a day by 2050 England faces huge future water shortages and needs a "continued and sustained effort" to reduce demand, including more hosepipe bans and 'smart' water meters, warns the Environment Agency.The watchdog says that without dramatic action, England, which uses 14 billion litres of water a day, will have a daily shortage of more than
[ad_1] Esme StallardClimate and science correspondentReporting fromUN Oceans Conference, Nice, FranceFederico Cabello/Getty ImagesThe UN Ocean conference has been heralded a success, with more countries ratifying a key treaty to protect marine life and more progress on curbing plastics and illegal fishing in our seas.Nearly 200 countries came together in Nice, France to discuss how to tackle the most pressing issues facing the oceans. The conference ends today.The world's seas are
[ad_1] Victoria GillScience correspondent, BBC NewsMasato HattoriAn artist's impression of Khankhuuluu mongoliensis, the newly discovered tyrannosaur ancestor Scientists have discovered a new species of dinosaur - in the collection of a Mongolian museum - that they say "rewrites" the evolutionary history of tyrannosaurs.Researchers concluded that two 86 million-year-old skeletons they studied belonged to a species that is now the closest known ancestor of all tyrannosaurs - the group of predators
[ad_1] Gwndaf HughesScience videographerNever before seen pictures of the Sun’s south poleThe first ever video and images of the Sun's south pole have been sent back to Earth by the European Space Agency's Solar Orbiter spacecraft.The new images will enable scientists to learn how the Sun cycles between periods of raging storms and quiet times.This is important because intense solar activity can affect satellite communication and knock out power grids
