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The Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research in the Helmholtz Association for the first time sent its Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) on an under-ice mission at about 79° North. The four-metre-long, torpedo shaped underwater vehicle was deployed from the research icebreaker Polarstern under heavy pack ice. The vehicle was subsequently recovered by helicopter.

Governments waste review must raise recycling targets

UK energy use down but due to recession not action

A United Nations panel has voted to remove Ecuador's Galápagos Islands from its list of endangered sites

Eighteen cheetahs to be imported from Iran, Namibia and South Africa more than 60 years after the species was hunted to extinctionThe cheetah is to return to India, more than 60 years after the last three were shot dead by hunters on the subcontinent.Indian minister for the environment and forests,

Ben Darvill and Bob Dawson of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust on the importance of conserving Britain's declining bumblebee population

The fleeting never-quite-dark nights of the Simmer Dim are some weeks past, but after a beautiful sun-filled day the light still lingers long after the sun has set. Now, at 1.30 in the morning, the sky already glows peach pink anticipating the sunrise in a few hours' time. The hills with their undul

National Wildlife Federation says catalogue of oil industry accidents proves BP disaster in Gulf of Mexico is not a one-offThe oil industry has been responsible for thousands of fires, explosions, and leaks over the last decade, killing dozens of people and destroying wildlife and the environment ac

Two colonies of age-old and endangered tadpole shrimps discovered alive and well near Solway coastA field near Gretna in Dumfriesshire might not be an obvious place to find the world's oldest living creatures, but a team of scientists has done just that.Two colonies of a prehistoric shrimp that evol

Synthetic silks have a great future - if only scientists can unlock the chemistry of natural silkIt's tougher than Kevlar and stronger than steel, and no one really knows how to make it. Except spiders of course. And silkworms. Scientists have been trying to mimic the remarkable properties of natura

Shell refuses to rule out action against BP over losses caused by the deepwater drilling ban in the Gulf of MexicoShell today refused to rule out pursuing damages claims against BP and other companies involved in the Gulf of Mexico disaster.The company took a $56m (£36m) hit after it was forced to s

Soot from the burning of fossil fuels and solid biofuels contributes far more to global warming than has been thought, according to a new study. But, unlike carbon dioxide, soot lingers only a few weeks in the atmosphere, so cutting emissions could have a significant and rapid impact on the climate. Controlling it may be the only option for saving the Arctic sea ice before it all melts.

Scientists have mapped and analyzed global biodiversity patterns for over 11,000 marine species ranging from tiny zooplankton to sharks and whales.

A new article reveals for the first time that microscopic marine algae known as phytoplankton have been declining globally over the 20th century. Phytoplankton forms the basis of the marine food chain and sustains diverse assemblages of species ranging from tiny zooplankton to large marine mammals, seabirds, and fish.