Fireworks associated with festival celebrations such as Australia Day, China's Lunar New Year and Fourth of July, in the USA, may have a significant impact on the health of vulnerable people - a new study reveals.

Predators, especially small invertebrates like spiders and ladybirds, are the most likely to be lost when natural habitats are converted to agricultural land or towns and cities, finds a new UCL-led study.

The design of new housing developments in England is overwhelmingly 'mediocre' or 'poor', with less-affluent communities the worst affected, according to a national audit conducted by UCL for CPRE, the countryside charity, and the Place Alliance.

Over the last two decades, scientists have been keeping a close eye on the atmospheric concentration of a hydrofluorocarbon (HFC) gas, known as HFC-23. This gas has very few industrial applications.