England's first wild beavers for 400 years to keep living on River Otter
Back in February, we wrote about a group of beavers that escaped captivity back in 2013 and were found years later living along a river in Devon, England. Those beavers were originally set to be exterminated, but thanks to the popular outcry, the government agreed to a scientific trial to measure Read More...
One million UK smokers have kicked the habit during the pandemic
Earlier in May, we wrote about how COVID-19 has pushed 300,000 people in the UK to quit smoking over health concerns. Now, that number has more than tripled, with figures suggesting that 1 million people in Britain have given up the habit since the pandemic hit in March. The data comes from a Read More...
Comeback: Wild bison set to return to UK for first time in 6,000 years
The steppe bison is thought to have roamed the UK until about 6,000 years ago when hunting and changes in habitat led to its global extinction. Now, thanks to a fantastic new initiative, the steppe bison’s closest relative, the European bison, will be introduced to the landscape of the UK. The Read More...
Eau de Space: NASA-designed perfume smells like outer space
You’ll never get a whiff of it directly — but astronauts have long said that space leaves a distinctive residual smell on their suits. Though it varies with the teller, some say it evokes gunpowder, burned meat, and even raspberries. “At first I couldn’t quite place it,” former ISS Read More...
Energy storage: Construction begins on world’s largest liquid air battery
One of the biggest hurdles limiting the widespread use of renewable energy is storage. In the UK, however, engineers are now developing the world’s largest liquid air battery, which will store renewable electricity and reduce carbon emissions from fossil-fuel power plants. Located near Read More...
A hybrid hydrogen/electric aircraft just took flight in the UK
Humanity has taken another step towards zero-emissions aviation after the first-ever flight of a commercial-scale electric-powered aircraft in the UK took place this week. The plane was the startup ZeroAvia’s HyFlyer aircraft, which uses a hybrid hydrogen/electric powertrain to take off. With Read More...
EV drivers in the UK will get special ‘green’ license plates
In a bid to boost the number of zero-emission vehicles running on its roads, the UK government has come up with a smart incentive to get its drivers to switch to cleaner cars: rewarding them with special license plates. The green license plates identifying electric vehicles are actually green in Read More...
Pupils in need will be offered free internet to study online
Lockdown-induced school closures have disrupted the education of millions of students around the world, but thanks to virtual classes many were still able to continue their learning. For those with disadvantaged backgrounds though, a lack of access to the internet has put a halt to their Read More...
Supermarket chain adopts penguins to help UK zoo recover after pandemic
Zoos around the world have been hit particularly hard by lockdown measures, and Chester Zoo in the UK has been no exception. Last week, the zoo announced it was facing an uncertain future as a result of the coronavirus, and pleaded with the public to help with donations. Fortunately, the zoo was Read More...
Britain’s coal-free streak is still going as renewables beat fossil fuels
Back in April, we published a story detailing how the UK had gone 18 days without using coal energy. Now we’re in June—and guess what? That coal-free streak is still going. Midnight on Wednesday marked two full months without burning coal to generate power, an incredible streak for a country Read More...