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Results from a long-term field experiment shed new light on how grasslands can be restored for nature, the environment, and for farmers. From richer biodiversity and benefits for pollinators, to carbon storage in soils, while balancing hay yields for grazing livestock, the study published in Nature Communications by researchers at The University of Manchester and Lancaster University, in collaboration with the Universities of Yale and Bergen, shows that using combinations of different restoration techniques can markedly enhance the restoration of grasslands.

The intensification of existing farmland can sometimes be more harmful to local biodiversity than expanding the area covered by agricultural land, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. They showed that neither expansion nor intensification is consistently better for biodiversity, as it varies by factors including region, crop type and local vegetation.

An aluminium tab from a drinks can found encased in a new form of rock on the Cumbrian coastline has helped provide scientists with a shocking new insight into the impact of human activity on the Earth's natural processes and materials. Researchers from the University of Glasgow have found that slag, an industrial waste product produced by the steel industry, is turning into solid rock in as little as 35 years.

Wildflowers growing on land previously used for buildings and factories can accumulate lead, arsenic and other metal contaminants from the soil, which are consumed by pollinators as they feed, a new study has found. Our results should not discourage people from planting wildflowers in towns and cities.

Wealth inequality has been linked to human sustainability for over 10,000 years. That's according to a new study led by Professor Dan Lawrence from our Archaeology department.

The idea that dinosaurs were already in decline before an asteroid wiped most of them out 66 million years ago may be explained by a worsening fossil record from that time rather than a genuine dwindling of dinosaur species, suggests a new study led by UCL researchers. The study, published in  Current Biology , analysed the fossil record of North America in the 18 million years up to the asteroid impact at the end of the Cretaceous period (between 66 and 84 million years ago).

Fast-moving underwater avalanches, known as turbidity currents, are responsible for transporting vast quantities of microplastics into the deep sea, according to new research published today. The findings, published in the journal Environmental Science and Technology , show that these powerful flows could be capable of traveling at speeds of up to eight meters per second, carrying plastic waste from the continental shelf to depths of more than 3,200 meters.

Estimates of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions from volcanoes may have been significantly underestimated, according to new research by The University of Manchester. Published in the journal, Science Advances , s cientists have developed an advanced sensor that can detect volcanic gases with rapid speed and precision.

New research shows humans were not passive in the transition from forager to farmer; they played an active and crucial role in the transition. A new study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) has turned traditional thinking on its head by highlighting the role of human interactions during the shift from hunting and gathering to farming - one of the biggest changes in human history - rather than earlier ideas that focused on environmental factors.

University of Manchester scientists have discovered significant concentrations of microplastics in the male reproductive system of sea turtles. The scientists also found slightly less, but still significant levels of microplastics in other organs of both male and female turtles, including the heart, kidney, liver and spleen, as well as skeletal muscle, subcutaneous fat, stomach and intestines.

Scientists hope a new method will pave the way to provide insights into the impact of climate change and habitat loss on biodiversity. In a study published in Systematic Biology , researchers from Imperial College London, UCL, Dalhousie University and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre described how their new simulation methods improve understanding of how patterns of biodiversity emerge across the globe.

Scientists find that sex is the leading factor explaining differences in hearing sensitivity, with women having significantly more sensitive hearing than men. Hearing problems are on the rise worldwide, and whilst hearing sensitivity is well known to decrease with age, little research has been done on the other biological and environmental factors that influence it, such as sex, ear side, language, ethnicity and local environment.

Scientists explore a seafloor area newly exposed by iceberg A-84; discover vibrant communities of ancient sponges and corals. An international team of scientists have uncovered a thriving underwater ecosystem off the coast of Antarctica that had never before been accessible to humans. The team, including researchers from the University of Cambridge, were working in the Bellingshausen Sea off the coast of Antarctica when a massive iceberg broke away from the George VI Ice Shelf in January of this year.

A wide diversity of marine life, that may include previously unknown species, flourishes in a region of ocean once hidden beneath a thick cover of ice, finds a recently-returned Antarctic expedition co-led by a UCL researcher. The expedition, in partnership with Schmidt Ocean Institute, examined and mapped the unseen submarine environment off the Antarctic Peninsula, in an area that was until recently covered by a massive ice shelf and that in late 2024 shed a colossal iceberg from its floating edge.

Research increasingly shows that tackling modifiable exposures and environmental risks could be one of our most powerful levers for longevity and health span. Scientists say this knowledge could help us design better solutions to create environments that promote human health to address the global health and economic crises caused by the chronic disease epidemic and ageing demographic.

A new study has found that targeted psychological interventions can significantly enhance long-term resistance to misinformation. Dubbed "psychological booster shots," these interventions improve memory retention and help individuals recognize and resist misleading information more effectively over time.

A sneaky form of advertising favoured by oil giants influences public opinion with climate action misperceptions, but researchers are studying potential solutions. In the battle against climate disinformation, native advertising is a fierce foe. A study published in the journal npj Climate Action by researchers from Boston University (BU) and the University of Cambridge, evaluates two promising tools to fight misleading native advertising campaigns put forth by big oil companies.

Analysis of Earth's past ice ages, tracked across one million years, has shed new light on the mystery of the planet's natural climate cycles, enabling improved projections of future climate, finds a new study co-authored by UCL researchers. Published in Science, the international team of scientists led by Cardiff University identified the specific contributions of various subtle changes in Earth's orbit that cause the climate to shift between warm periods and glacial periods every 100,000 years.

Analysis of Earth's past climate changes suggest the onset of the next ice age could be expected in 10,000 years' time, researchers claim. Their study tracks the natural cycles of the planet's climate over a period of a million years. The international team, led by Cardiff University, made their prediction based on a new interpretation of the small changes in Earth's orbit of the Sun, which lead to massive shifts in the planet's climate over periods of thousands of years.

A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity) and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes. The researchers used data from nearly half a million UK Biobank participants to assess the influence of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 major diseases on ageing, age-related diseases, and premature death.