Science & Environment

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has called for countries to cooperate to reduce the risk to global energy supplies. He was speaking at the opening of a two day summit on energy security in London, which is being attended by delegates from more than 50 governments, including the US and the EU. Miliband also warned of the risks from energy being …

Farmers in Africa that produce some of the world’s most prized coffee are in a scramble to comply with new European Union environmental rules that require them to document the origin of every shipment of beans. The new measure, coming into force at the end of this year, is designed to prevent deforestation driven by agricultural expansion. To comply, farmers …

Icebergs as large as cities, potentially tens of kilometres wide, once roved the coasts of the UK, according to scientists. Researchers found distinctive scratch marks left by the drifting icebergs as they gouged deep tracks into the North Sea floor more than 18,000 years ago. It’s the first hard evidence that the ice sheet formerly covering Britain and Ireland produced …

Water companies should no longer be allowed to monitor their own levels of sewage pollution, the industry body has told the BBC exclusively. Instead they are proposing a new, third-party monitoring system to build consumer trust. The recommendation is part of a submission made to the UK government’s independent review into the water sector. Campaigners have long complained the companies’ …

Alex Moss BBC News, Yorkshire Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News University of York The skeleton of the young man was found during a 2004 dig in York Bite marks found on the skeleton of a Roman gladiator are the first archaeological evidence of combat between a human and a lion, experts say. The remains were discovered during a 2004 …

Gladiators battled lions and other wild animals in the arenas of the Roman Empire. But for all the tales of glorious combat depicted in ancient texts, marble reliefs and mosaics and then retold in movies and other modern media, archaeologists have never found direct physical evidence, like the skeletons of gladiators bearing animal-induced wounds. At last, proof of classical combat …

More than a billion cups of coffee are consumed daily: French-press, espresso, cold brew, whatever it takes. Arnold Mathijssen, a physicist at the University of Pennsylvania, is partial to pour-over coffee, which involves manually pouring hot water over ground beans and filtering it into a pot or mug below. Surely, he figured, applying the principles of fluid dynamics to the …

This article is part of our Museums special section about how artists and institutions are adapting to changing times. “Super/Natural” — an immersive, dome-shape work of art in stained glass by Judith Schaechter — is really best experienced from the inside. Step through its small portal, and in the right light you will be surrounded by the polychromatic glow of …

Alison Francis Senior science journalist Kevin Church/BBC The team has so far found 41 skeletons buried in the cemetery A medieval cemetery unearthed near Cardiff Airport is continuing to confound archaeologists, as the mysteries surrounding it are multiplying. The discovery of the site, dating to the 6th or 7th Century, was announced last year, with dozens of skeletons found lying …

BBC News Artwork: The experiment will orbit the Earth for three hours before returning to Earth and splashing down off the coast of Portugal Steak, mashed potatoes and deserts for astronauts could soon be grown from individual cells in space if an experiment launched into orbit today is successful. A European Space Agency (ESA) project is assessing the viability of …