Rhino horn: why South Africa wants to revive the international trade, and why critics fear the consequences

South Africa wants to expand exports of rhino hunting trophies and other wildlife products. The move relies on an exemption process within the international treaty that has largely restricted rhino…

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My unsung hero of science: William Adams, the Bombay bureaucrat whose vision of a solar future was dashed by colonial conservatism

William Adams was entranced by energy. As a young man, his interest was nursed by working as a clerk in a London patent office in the 1860s. This gave him…

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Climate change: how fires and floods are creating uninsurable areas across Europe

As climate change makes extreme weather events more intense and frequent, “uninsurable areas” are becoming increasingly common. They are a clear demonstration that insurance – the mechanism through which modern…

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The network watching the world’s oceans is under pressure – just when it’s needed most

Increasingly, the world’s oceans are telling us our climate system may be changing faster and more dramatically than expected. These new insights are made using a vast global network of…

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The Mediterranean sea is capable of generating hurricanes and climate change will make them worse

In March 2026, a tropical-like cyclone named ‘Jolina’ produced significant damage across North Africa. In 2020 and 2023, storms Ianos and Daniel both caused severe damage in Greece, and the…

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