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Cattle grazing at a nature reserve in the Yorkshire Dales has increased plant diversity by over 40% according to research by the University of Leeds. Allowing native cattle breeds to roam large areas of the landscape at Ingleborough has also led to a five-fold increase in the number of butterflies. Researchers conducted two studies into the relative effects of cattle and sheep grazing on the 1500-hectare landscape restoration project.

Air-polluting microplastics have been found in rural areas in greater quantities than in cities, researchers say. The study, led by the University of Leeds, detected up to 500 microscopic particles of plastic per square metre per day in an area of woodland during the three-month study - almost twice as much as in a sample collected in a city centre.

Tropical forests can recover twice as quickly after deforestation if they have adequate soil nitrogen, according to new research published today. A team of scientists led by the University of Leeds established the world's largest and longest experiment to see how nutrients affect forest regrowth in areas cleared for activities such as logging and agriculture.

Veteran male athletes who have spent years training at high intensity may be at greater risk of serious heart problems while exercising, new University of Leeds research shows. Funded by the British Heart Foundation, the study shows that male endurance athletes aged over 50 may be more likely to experience abnormal heart rhythms during training if they already have scarring in their heart.

Electric vehicles (EVs) are no more dangerous to pedestrians than traditional petrol or diesel cars, according to a new study. Research by the University of Leeds into UK collisions involving pedestrians and cars found no significant difference in the pedestrian casualty rates between EVs and conventional vehicles.

Five minutes of training can significantly improve people's ability to identify fake faces created by artificial intelligence, new research shows. Scientists from the Universities of Leeds, Reading, Greenwich and Lincoln tested 664 participants' ability to distinguish between real human faces and faces generated by computer software called StyleGAN3.

Scientists have made a breakthrough in monitoring insect populations across the UK using an unexpected tool: weather radar. Traditionally used to track rainfall and storms, these radars are now helping researchers monitor the daily movements and long-term numbers of flying and floating creatures - including bees, moths, flies, spiders, and other arthropods.

Using a decade of satellite data, researchers have identified 85 previously unknown lakes several kilometres under the frozen surface surrounding the South Pole. Hidden beneath the biggest ice mass on Earth, hundreds of subglacial lakes form a crucial part of Antarctica's icy structure, affecting the movement and stability of glaciers, and consequentially influencing global sea level rise.

Deforestation in tropical countries could contribute to increased deaths from heat exposure in nearby populations, new research has shown. Published today in the journal Nature Climate Change , the research was led by Dr Carly Reddington and Professor Dominick Spracklen , from the University of Leeds' School of Earth and Environment.

Scientists have used clues locked into tree rings to reveal major changes in the Amazon's rainfall cycle over the last 40 years which show that wet seasons are getting wetter and dry seasons drier. Oxygen isotope signals in rings from two Amazon tree species allowed the international research team led by the University of Leeds to reconstruct seasonal changes in rainfall for the recent past.

Employers, trade unions and education providers in England are being urged to come together to make employment fairer for students. The call follows new research into the tumultuous landscape of student employment, with the picture especially fraught for young women and girls, who are significantly more likely to work during their studies than young men.

A glacier in Antarctica is committing "ice piracy" - stealing ice from a neighbour - in a phenomenon that has never been observed in such a short time frame, say scientists. This activity was previously believed to take place over hundreds or even thousands of years. However, high-resolution satellite observations reveal one huge glacier has been relentlessly pinching ice from its slower-moving neighbour over a period of less than 18 years.

Date Scientists have found a new way to predict which myeloma patients will benefit the most from a treatment often used to help keep the blood cancer from coming back after a stem cell transplant. For people with certain high-risk genetic features in their cancer cells, the drug, called lenalidomide, cut their risk of seeing their cancer progress or dying by up to 40-fold.

Scientists have calculated that the fastest changing Antarctic region-the Amundsen Sea Embayment-has lost more than 3,000 billion tonnes of ice over a 25-year-period. If all the lost ice was-piled on London, it would stand-over 2-km-tall -or 7.4 times the height of the Shard. If it were to cover Manhattan, it would stand at 61 km- or 137 Empire State Buildings placed-on top of one another.

Compass readings that do not show the direction of true north and interference with the operations of satellites are a few of the problems caused by peculiarities of the Earth's magnetic field.

Mineral dust played a key role in raising oxygen levels in the Earth's atmosphere billions of years ago, with major implications for the way intelligent life later evolved, say researchers. Up to now, scientists have argued that oxygen levels rose as the result of photosynthesis by algae and plants in the sea, where oxygen was produced as a by-product and released into the atmosphere.

Deforestation is resulting in reduced rainfall across large parts of the tropics, according to new research. People living in tropical forest communities have often complained that the climate gets hotter and drier once trees are cleared but until now scientists have not been able to identify a clear link between the loss of tree cover and a decline in rainfall.

Glaciers along the Antarctic peninsula are flowing faster in the summer because of a combination of melting snow and warmer ocean waters, say researchers. On average, the glaciers - giant blocks of moving ice - travel at around 1km a year. But a new study has found a seasonal variation to the speed of the ice flow, which increases by up to 22% in summer when temperatures are warmer.

A decade-long international study into kidney cancer has shown that doctors can predict the likelihood of a patient's disease returning by looking at DNA mutations in their tumours. The research, undertaken by a team of 44 researchers at 23 institutions across Europe and Canada, and published today, is the largest to link the genetic changes that occur in kidney cancer to patient outcomes.

The curious landscapes formed by dried out salt lakes are caused by the movement of fluids in the soil beneath the surface, according to new research published today. The characteristic honeycomb patterns are found worldwide, including in Death Valley in California where they attract tens of thousands of tourists.