Science & Environment
Meet Michaela Benthaus: First wheelchair user to travel to space on Blue Origin’s New Shepard mission; when, where and how to watch live |
Michaela Benthaus, a German aerospace engineer at the European Space Agency in Germany, is soon to make history as the first wheelchair-bound individual to travel to space. Benthaus has used a wheelchair since a mountain biking accident in 2018. The engineer will fly with five other individuals aboard Blue Origin’s next New Shepard space mission….
Small Farms Drive Big Climate Gains in India
Agroforestry on small family farms can play a powerful role in climate mitigation while strengthening rural livelihoods, showed a nine-year study from eastern India by Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR) scientists. One-acre farms under agroforestry sequestered up to 154.5 megagrams (Mg) of carbon dioxide equivalent over nine years, while maintaining food production and generating…
VB–GRAMG Reform: Undermining MGNREGA’s Progressive Safeguards
in their statement write: “This clause not only puts a massive burden on states, but also disproportionately impacts poorer and high migrant-sending states which are more in need of rural employment. The increased financial burden will lead to states resorting to fiscal conservatives and not registering workers’ demand for work.” In contrast, a Parliamentary Standing…
Meet Jared Isaacman: NASA’s new administrator confirmed to lead the Artemis Moon and Mars missions
After one year of ups and downs, politics, and anticipation, Jared Isaacman, entrepreneur and private astronaut, has been confirmed as the 15th NASA administrator. The Senate approved him by a vote of 67-30 on December 17, 2025, demonstrating collective admiration for the leadership skills he possesses, although concerns were raised about his close connection with…
How climate breakdown is putting the world’s food in peril – in maps and charts | Climate crisis
Experts have warned that the world’s ability to feed itself is under threat from the “chaos” of extreme weather caused by climate change. Crop yields have increased enormously over the past few decades. But early warning signs have arrived as crop yield rates flatline, prompting warnings of efficiency hitting its limits and the impacts of…
Vivek Menon becomes the first Asian chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission [Interview]
Indian wildlife conservationist Vivek Menon has been elected as the new Chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission. He is the first Asian to lead the commission. Menon aims to improve how the various IUCN commissions work together, build more on-the-ground action partnerships with states and NGOs, and restore functionally extinct species. In this…
Bronze Age mass burial site mystery near Sanquhar wind farm
Giancarlo RinaldiSouth Scotland reporter Guard Archaeology Tightly-packed urns containing human remains were found on the site Newly published research has revealed a “mysterious mass burial event” in the south of Scotland about 3,300 years ago. Excavations were undertaken in 2020 and 2021 by Guard Archaeology during the construction of the access route to the Twentyshilling…
Extreme Melting Accelerates Unprecedented Ice Loss
Why are these extreme events happening? These episodes are triggered when general warming in the Arctic combines with atmospheric patterns that can intensify melting. The gradual rise in temperatures sets the stage, but it is specific weather patterns, such as prolonged blocking anticyclones, that turn a hot summer into an extreme event. Blocking anticyclones occur…
Is chorus of winter birdsong a herald of spring – or warning of climate crisis? | Birds
December is not noted for birdsong in the UK, as most species are more concerned with finding food during the short hours of daylight than preparing for the breeding season to come. Yet during spells of unseasonably mild winter weather some will practice their sweet refrains. Over the past few weeks I’ve heard several species…