Science & Environment

The Metropolitan Museum of Art Artwork: The new system predicts missing text from broken inscriptions, their date and original location A new AI tool has the potential to turbocharge our understanding of all human history, researchers say. Artificial intelligence has already been used to fill in gaps in ancient Roman scrolls, but a new system goes much further. It can …

Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News Link et al/Biology Letters The researchers say the terror bird did not survive the encounter Teeth marks made on the leg bone of a large avian reptile known as a terror bird 13 million years ago suggest an even bigger predator may have killed it, scientists say. Terror birds were top predators – they …

Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News Link et al/Biology Letters The researchers say the terror bird did not survive the encounter Teeth marks made on the leg bone of a large avian reptile known as a terror bird 13 million years ago suggest an even bigger predator may have killed it, scientists say. Terror birds were top predators – they …

Katy Watson Australia correspondent Reporting fromWestern Australia Watch: Can you un-bleach coral? BBC visits remote Australian reef to find out Australia boasts plenty of superlatives when it comes to its natural landmarks. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s biggest coral reef system on the north-east coast, is rightly recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Buzzing with biodiversity, it’s a …

Katy Watson Australia correspondent Reporting fromWestern Australia Watch: Can you un-bleach coral? BBC visits remote Australian reef to find out Australia boasts plenty of superlatives when it comes to its natural landmarks. The Great Barrier Reef, the world’s biggest coral reef system on the north-east coast, is rightly recognised as a Unesco World Heritage Site. Buzzing with biodiversity, it’s a …

Getty Images Water companies spilled raw sewage into England’s rivers and seas for a record 3.6 million hours in 2024, according to Environment Agency figures. Limited amounts of sewage are allowed to be discharged during periods of excess rain, but environmental groups say the levels pose a threat to wildlife and risk swimmers’ health. A major report by the Independent …

Mark Poynting Climate and science reporter, BBC News Getty The long-awaited review into England and Wales’ troubled water sector has been released. There’s much to pick through in the 465-page report – but here are the key points. 1. All sides to blame – but Ofwat gets the boot The independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy …

Mark Poynting Climate and science reporter, BBC News Getty The long-awaited review into England and Wales’ troubled water sector has been released. There’s much to pick through in the 465-page report – but here are the key points. 1. All sides to blame – but Ofwat gets the boot The independent Water Commission, led by former Bank of England deputy …

Getty Images Water companies spilled raw sewage for a record time of 3.61m hours into sea and rivers in England in 2024, according to data from the Environment Agency. Rules allow a limited discharge of sewage in periods of excess rain, but environmental groups remain concerned that the levels post a threat to wildlife and a health risk to swimmers. …

Alex Boyd & Lucy Hooker BBC News Getty Images The government is preparing a “water revolution” that will halve the number of times sewage is discharged into waterways in England and Wales by 2030, the environment secretary has said. Steve Reed told the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg that the water sector was “broken” and the regulator, Ofwat, was “clearly …