Environment

A new study by scientists in Italy has shone a light on the way lobsters digest plastic particles, finding that their stomach actually grinds them up into tiny fragments that can pose a risk to smaller creatures in the food chain.

Sperm whales use echolocation to search for prey in the dark ocean – so it makes sense that competing sounds could screw that process up. A recent study now indicates that even a new-and-improved type of manmade sonar does indeed cause problems.

The world’s oceans play an important role in regulating the balance of CO2 in the atmosphere, but a new study suggests we may have been greatly underestimating the effectiveness of this vast carbon sink.

We've been hearing more and more about biodegradable plastics, made from cellulose nanofibers. Although those fibers are typically harvested from wood waste, new research shows that they could also be obtained from mega-plentiful used coffee grounds.

Although a hole in the ozone layer might sound like a retro environmental issue, it’s still a problem today. While it's usually over Antarctica, scientists have now spotted the biggest ozone layer hole in at least 25 years forming over the Arctic.

Steel slag is currently utilized both to treat wastewater, and as a concrete aggregate. New research now indicates that using it for the former makes it perform even better as the latter – so the same slag could be used twice.

Antarctica wasn't always a cold lifeless landscape. An international team has recovered a 90-million-year old soil sample that paints the most detailed picture of ancient Antarctica ever found, revealing a swampy rainforest and balmy temperatures.

Our love of gadgets and technology is leading to a huge electronic waste problem. TCO Development, the folks behind the global sustainability certification, has announced a new initiative to help with our growing e-waste problem.

To build a more complete picture of drought-stricken areas, NASA has developed its first global groundwater map, which it hopes will become useful way of monitoring water supplies as the world contends with ever-hotter temperatures.

A group of Australian scientists stationed in the Antarctic have just reported the continent’s first-ever heatwave, which follows record temperatures on the continent last month and is expected to have significant impacts on the local ecosystem.

People living in the hottest places on Earth may be up to three times as likely to die from a heart-related cause, according to a newly published study. Heat-related stress could be made worse in the coming decades by the effects of global warming.

The Arctic permafrost is thawing, which could release huge amounts of greenhouse gases stored there. But now researchers have found that methane-munching microbes might counter some of that, resulting in far lower emissions than previously thought.