Breaking Waves: Ocean News

How decoding beluga whales’ chitchat may save them – and teach us more about ourselves

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 09:02:13 +0000

From humpbacks learning the latest songs to sperm whales’ ‘clan codas’, drones and AI learning are helping reveal another dimension to the concept of culture

In 2015, the whale researcher Valeria Vergara pitched a small tent at the icy water’s edge on Somerset Island in the remote Canadian high Arctic, shrouded in a freezing fog so thick she struggled to see her own hands. She trailed a cord out to the coast and plopped a hydrophone into the water to record the calls of belugas.

Nearly 1,400 missing, mostly tourists, after Nepal-Tibet flash flood kills at least 270

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 06:51:40 +0000

Entire villages swept away after glacial collapse triggers flood in mountainous region popular with trekkers and pilgrims

‘Sad moments ahead’: Kew Gardens to fell rare trees in race to save Victorian greenhouse

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:00:07 +0000

Horticulturalists begin moving and propagating plants before the rusty and warped Palm House begins renovation – but some are too tall to save

It will be a gut-wrenching moment for the horticulturalists at Kew Gardens when some of the magnificent trees in the Palm House have to be felled.

“There are some sad moments ahead,” said Palm House manager, Will Spoelstra, who knows all the plants inside the cathedral-like greenhouse.

‘Forever chemicals’ surge during pilot of Thames Water plan to combat drought

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 05:00:07 +0000

Exclusive: utility company wants to draw off tens of millions of litres of water a day from Thames and replace it with treated effluent

Levels of a toxic “forever chemical” rose to 13 times the legal limit during Thames Water pilots for a controversial multimillion pound water recycling scheme that will pump millions of litres of treated sewage into the River Thames during drought.

The data from the pilots is in stark contrast to public comments from Thames Water that their water recycling project in south-west London will not harm the riverine environment.

Japan killed 14,000 bears after a rise in deadly attacks on people – but will it work?

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 04:00:05 +0000

Bears killed 13 people in Japan last year, as a lack of forest foods increased conflicts. Yet some say the country’s controversial cull could threaten the endangered species

Top of the crops: record heatwaves help deliver bumper UK berry harvest

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 04:00:04 +0000

Investment in climate-resilient irrigation enables this year’s haul to rise 6% on 2025’s already bigger-than-usual yield

British farmers have faced a sweltering summer tested by heatwaves, wildfires and water shortages – but a bumper berry harvest could prove a rare bright spot.

With two-thirds of the harvest now picked, this year’s haul is 6% up on last year’s already unusually large crop, according to British Berry Growers (BBG). Volumes of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries picked have been particularly strong, the trade body said.

France to relax cheese production rules after drought takes toll on grazing land

admin — Thu, 27 Aug 2026 04:00:03 +0000

Comté, beaufort and abondance makers can temporarily supplement cows’ diets as there is ‘no grass left to eat’

Strict production rules will be loosened for some of France’s most famous cheeses after drought and repeated heatwaves dried out grazing pastures, threatening the livelihoods of traditional dairy workers.

Plug-in balcony solar panels to go on sale in UK for first time

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 21:30:23 +0000

DIY system will be stocked by big retailers, starting with Argos, enabling more homes to lower bills by generating own electricity

Plug-in solar panels will go on sale in the UK for the first time from Thursday, allowing households unable to use rooftop panels to also generate their own cheap electricity.

Households across the country will be able to join the millions across mainland Europe who generate their own renewable electricity using “balcony solar panels”, which will be stocked by some of the UK’s biggest retailers.

Girl, 13, among missing British citizens after flash flood in Nepal

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 18:41:09 +0000

More than 400 travellers are said to be missing after flood on Tibet border, including 33 Britons

Flash floods on Nepal-Tibet border – latest updates

Thirty-three British citizens including a 13-year-old girl are among more than 400 travellers missing after a flash flood on the Nepal-Tibet border, according to Nepal’s tourism board.

South African police arrest two Thai men for allegedly smuggling parrot eggs

admin — Wed, 26 Aug 2026 15:09:58 +0000

Bird eggs intercepted in homemade incubators at Johannesburg airport as officials try to halt wildlife trafficking

South African police have arrested two Thai nationals in separate incidents for allegedly attempting to smuggle endangered parrot eggs out of the country as authorities try to stem the tide of wildlife trafficking.