UK: Wild-born chough fledges for first time in 200 years
7 August 2025 - A young red-billed chough has successfully taken flight from a nest in the wild in Kent for the first time in more than two centuries, conservationists have said. A nest that was discovered at Dover Castle this spring produced the chick that fledged last month. Wildwood Trust's Liz Corry, supervisor of the chough's release, said: 'This is a moment we've all been hoping for, to see a wild chick not only hatch but fledge and take to the sky is a major step forward to the species re-establishing itself naturally in the region.' (more)

Study finds female mountain gorillas prefer to join 'buddies'
6 August 2025 - If you're taking a new job, or moving to a new town, it can often help if you have at least one friend who's already there -- someone to introduce you around and show you the ropes. This is true for people, and it also seems to be true for female mountain gorillas. (more)

Gorillas seek out old female friends even after years apart
5 August 2025 - The relationships built up between female mountain gorillas are more important than previously understood, new research from Rwanda suggests. It shows that when one of these social great apes moves into a new group, she will seek out and join another female she already knows. Scientists based the research on 20 years of data covering multiple groups of gorillas in Volcanoes National Park, in Rwanda. (more)

Recycled glass gives solar panels high-performance, makes them work like new
2 August 2025 - A new study by solar recycling firm SOLARCYCLE and Arizona State University (ASU) has confirmed that solar panels manufactured with recycled glass perform identically to new panels. The finding is a significant development for creating a sustainable, domestic supply chain for the renewable energy sector. (more)

IEA: Renewables will be world's top power source 'by 2026'
31 July 2025 - Renewable energy will overtake coal to become the world's top source of electricity 'by 2026 at the latest', according to new forecasts from the International Energy Agency (IEA). (more)

Four Montagu's harrier chicks take flight in first UK breeding success since 2019
30 July 2025 - A pair of Montagu's harriers have raised four chicks in an English wheat field, the first success for Britain's rarest breeding bird since 2019. ...The migratory raptor overwinters in sub-Saharan Africa before heading north to nest in Europe, often in arable fields. (more)

UK: Cornish nature reserve welcomes first baby beavers
24 July 2025 - A nature reserve in Cornwall has welcomed its first beaver babies, or kits. Cornwall Wildlife Trust (CWT) confirmed the presence of the kits at Helman Tor, near Bodmin, using footage from camera traps. (more)

Phones, data centers, laptops - one new alloy could supercharge them all
22 July 2025 - A team of researchers at the University of Minnesota has unveiled a powerful new alloy, Ni4W, that could radically reshape how electronic devices store and process information. This metal can switch magnetic states without using external magnets -- a leap that could reduce the energy consumed by everything from phones to data centers. (more)

Pope Leo XIV marks 56th anniversary of moon landing with observatory visit, call to Buzz Aldrin
21 July 2025 - Pope Leo XIV marked the 56th anniversary of man's arrival on the moon Sunday [20 July] with a visit to the Vatican astronomical observatory in Castel Gandolfo and a call to astronaut Buzz Aldrin. (more)

Scientists reveal the ultimate flower mix for a buzzing backyard
20 July 2025 - Scientists from Denmark and Wales have cracked the code on the perfect flower mix for pollinators -- and it's as eye-catching as it is effective. (more)

Astronomers detect most massive black hole collision to date
17 July 2025 - A collision observed between two black holes, each more massive than a hundred suns, is the largest merger of its kind ever recorded, according to new research. (more)

Researchers reveal surprising health benefits of watermelon
13 July 2025 - Recent research is turning heads with evidence that watermelon isn't just a hydrating summer snack -- it may actually boost heart health and improve overall nutrition. (more)

One man, thousands of trees, and heaps of determination: how regreening Guatemala transformed a village
12 July 2025 - Since 1999, Armando Lopez Pocol and his team of volunteers have bucked the trend for deforestation, regenerating the landscape of Guatemala's highlands with their Chico Mendes project. (more)

In a first, solar was Europe's biggest source of power last month
11 July 2025 - For the first time, solar was the largest source of electricity in the EU last month [June], supplying a record 22 percent of the bloc's power. At least 13 countries saw solar output hit a new monthly high in June, according to an analysis from energy think tank Ember. Solar amounted to more than 40 percent of generation in the Netherlands and 35 percent in Greece. (more)

With sanctions lifted, Syria looks to solar power as more than a patchwork fix to its energy crisis
9 July 2025 - Syria's new leaders are hoping renewable energy will now become more than a patchwork solution. Investment is beginning to return to the country with the lifting of U.S. sanctions, and major energy projects are planned, including an industrial-scale solar farm that would secure about a tenth of the country's energy needs. (more)

Meet the bug that uses the stars to navigate hundreds of miles
8 July 2025 - An Australian moth follows the stars during its yearly migration, using the night sky as a guiding compass, according to a new study. When temperatures heat up, nocturnal Bogong moths fly about 620 miles (1,000 kilometers) to cool down in caves by the Australian Alps. They later return home to breed and die. (more)

Scientists say a tiny brown moth navigates 600 miles using stars - just like humans and birds
8 July 2025 - Each year, a tiny species in Australia makes a grueling 620-mile (1,000-kilometer) nighttime migration, and it's pulling off the feat in a way only humans and migratory birds have been known to do, a new study has found. (more)

Stargazing flight: How Bogong moths use the night sky to navigate hundreds of kilometers
7 July 2025 - In a world-first discovery, researchers have shown that Australia's iconic Bogong moth uses constellations of stars and the Milky Way to navigate hundreds of kilometers across the country during its annual migration -- making it the first known invertebrate to rely on a stellar compass for long-distance travel. (more)

UK: Rare butterfly hits purple patch at Sussex rewilding project
6 July 2025 - A conservation project in West Sussex has had its best day on record for rare purple emperor butterfly sighting, and ecologists say they are confident the species is doing well nationally. (more)

Joyful Parisians take a historic plunge into the Seine after 100 years
5 July 2025 - Cries of 'It is warm!' rang out across the Seine on Saturday morning as Parisians jumped into the river -- legally -- for the first time in more than 100 years. ...Woos and cries of joy echoed across the riverbanks as the first swimmers entered the emerald-green water. (more)

Want to take a dip in Paris? River Seine reopens to public swimming for first time in a century
4 July 2025 - For the first time in over a century, Parisians and tourists will be able to take a refreshing dip in the River Seine. The long-polluted waterway is finally opening up as a summertime swim spot following a 1.4 billion euro ($1.5 billion) cleanup project that made it suitable for Olympic competitions last year. (more)

What to know about Fourth of July holiday origins and traditions
4 July 2025 - The Fourth of July is Americana at its core: parades, cookouts and, of course, fireworks. Here are five things to know about July Fourth, including the origin of the holiday and how fireworks became part of the tradition. The holiday celebrates the Second Continental Congress' unanimous adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, a document announcing the colonies' separation from Great Britain. (more)

Britons could soon install balcony solar panels in flats and rental homes
3 July 2025 - Those living in flats or rented homes in the UK could soon plug in their own 'balcony solar panels' to save on their energy bills under plans set out in the government's solar power strategy. (more)

Solar minigrid brings light and hope to a Goma neighborhood, offering blueprint for rest of Congo
2 July 2025 - Street lights erase the shadows where attackers once hid. Noisy, polluting diesel generators have gone silent. New businesses are taking root. In several Goma neighborhoods where almost nobody had electricity just five years ago, a small solar network is offering a flicker of hope despite widespread poverty and the city's violent takeover by Congolese rebels early this year. (more)