Environment

Introducing the limestone eyelash pit viper, a newly discovered species of snake that lives in the forests of southern Thailand. “Normally [pitvipers] have one large scale above the eye which looks a bit like an eyebrow and gives these snakes a serious look,” said one of the scientists behind the …

Attending an evening carol service in a country church 5 miles from the outskirts of Milton Keynes, it seemed sensible to take a torch, envisaging tripping over the gravestones on the way back to the car park. However, it was entirely unnecessary. The light reflected off low clouds was so …

Potential new North Sea oil and gas fields with early stage licences from the UK would emit as much carbon dioxide as British households produce in three decades. The finding has led to calls to the government to reject demands from fossil fuel producers for the final permits needed to …

The poet Molly Holden celebrated edgelands like this footpath, where the passage of the plough never quite reaches. “The pieces of unprofitable land,” she wrote, “are what I like best.” The narrow path, between steep riverbank and farmland, links uncultivated triangular corners of the field, each headland bordered by the …

Researchers in the Alto Mayo region of north-west Peru have discovered 27 species that are new to science, including a rare amphibious mouse, a tree-climbing salamander and an unusual “blob-headed fish”. The 38-day survey recorded more than 2,000 species of wildlife and plants. The findings are particularly surprising given the …

One of Louisiana’s top public universities has prompted concerns about “corporate capture” over its expanding relationship with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) industry, despite environmental warnings about pollution and prolonging fossil fuel use. As the US’s LNG boom gained momentum in south-west Louisiana, McNeese State University courted the industry to …

Dozens of rare animals including tigers, lions and cheetahs are dying as bird flu infiltrates zoos, with potentially “grave implications” for endangered species, researchers have warned. As a growing number of zoos report animal deaths, scientists are concerned that infected wild birds landing in enclosures could be spreading it among …

Joe Biden has announced tougher targets on the US’s carbon dioxide emissions for the next decade, in a defiant final gesture intended as a “capstone” on his legacy on the climate. With just weeks to go before Donald Trump enters the White House, the Biden administration is formally filing new …

Only four fines out of 5,600 complaints have been issued for illegal burning of wood in smoke-control areas from September 2023 to August 2024 in England, data has revealed. The new data, from freedom of information requests submitted by the campaign group Mums for Lungs, shows that the law around …

From a toadstool with teeth to a vine smelling of marzipan and a flower that has cheated its way out of having to photosynthesise, a weird and wonderful host of new plant and fungus species have been discovered in 2024. Other plants given scientific names for the first time include …