On a tiny Italian island, scientists conducted a radical experiment to see if the bees were causing their wild cousins to decline
Off the coast of Tuscany is a tiny island in the shape of a crescent moon. An hour from mainland Italy, Giannutri has just two beaches for boats to dock. In summer, hundreds of tourists flock there, hiking to the red and white lighthouse on its southern tip before diving into the clear waters. In winter, its population dwindles to 10. The island’s rocky ridges are coated with thickets of rosemary and juniper, and in warmer months the air is sweetened by flowers and the gentle hum of bees.
“Residents are people who like fishing, or being alone, or who have retired. Everyone has their story,” says Leonardo Dapporto, associate professor at the University of Florence.
Giannutri island’s remote location made it a perfect open-air laboratory for the bee experiments. Photographs: Giuseppe Nucci
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
09/18/2025 - 02:41
‘Heartbreaking’ drone footage has captured the moment a mother and calf became trapped. Four humpbacks have been snared in recent days
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A whale entangled in a shark net about five days ago with her calf is yet to be fully freed, two of four humpback whales to be entangled in shark nets off the coast of Queensland in recent days.
Dr Olaf Meynecke, who researches marine mammals at Griffith University, said humpback whales were caught in shark nets every year, but this was the first time involving four whales trapped at the same time.
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09/18/2025 - 01:00
The people of Johnshaven have watched the sea edge closer and closer. Preserving the path is key to protecting their community
Photographs by Murdo MacLeod
When Charis Duthie moved to Johnshaven with her husband in 1984, she could cycle along the coastal path out of the village. Now, she meets a dead end where the sea has snatched the land and is instead greeted with a big red warning sign of what is to come: Danger Coastal Erosion.
“You can see gardens that were there and now they’re gone,” she says.
Johnshaven, on Scotland’s North Sea coast, will attract more visitors if it has a well maintained coastal path
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09/18/2025 - 01:00
Increasingly erratic water cycle is creating food scarcity, rising prices, conflict and migration, says UN agency
Only a third of the world’s river basins experienced normal conditions last year as the climate crisis drove extremes of drought and flood, sometimes both in the same region.
The increasingly erratic water cycle is creating big problems for societies and governments and causing billions of dollars in damage, scientists warned.
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09/17/2025 - 22:47
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, announced the Labor government will set a 62-70% emissions reduction target by 2035, taking the advice of the Climate Change Authority. In his announcement, Albanese said 'It is the right target to protect our environment, to protect and advance our economy and jobs and to ensure that we act in our national interest and in the interest of this and future generations.'
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09/17/2025 - 22:04
Albanese says 62% to 70% range represents ‘the sweet spot’ as Coalition rejects ‘economy wrecking’ target while Greens label it a ‘betrayal’
What is a climate target, and how does Australia’s stack up?
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The Albanese government insists its new 2035 emissions reduction target of 62% to 70% represents the “maximum level of ambition”, as climate campaigners warn it falls short of what Australia should be doing to combat global heating.
The climate change minister, Chris Bowen, said a 2035 target above 70% on 2005 levels was “not achievable” as he claimed the government’s new goal was aligned with the global aim of limiting temperature rise to 1.5C.
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09/17/2025 - 14:13
Joel Engardio, who becomes fifth elected city official to be ousted in four years, says he stands by his decision
A San Francisco supervisor was recalled on Tuesday after he successfully pushed to turn a stretch of coastal highway used heavily by neighborhood motorists into a car-free park despite strong objections by some of his constituents.
Joel Engardio became the fifth elected official in San Francisco to be ousted in a recall vote in four years. He conceded, saying in a statement that he accepted the outcome and still stood by his decision to help create a park called Sunset Dunes.
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09/17/2025 - 10:00
Some Māori believe that when they die, their spirit travels up New Zealand to the tip of the North Island – souls flying like birds
Australian bird of the year 2025: nominate your favourite now
After a long struggle with her health, Mum died in Auckland in 2012. At the end of her funeral service a blackbird (Turdus merula) flew inside the church. It fluttered and hopped about her coffin, which was laid on the floor in front of the altar on a beautiful Tongan tapa cloth. The blackbird lingered next to Mum for some time, then flew back out the open doors.
I stayed at my sister Lisa’s home for a week after the funeral. The morning after the ceremony, a blackbird appeared in the back yard. I noticed it as I sat outside. It stayed around for a few days, sometimes perched in the sunshine on a brown wooden fence, often poking around for insects in the new spring grass. Those days were warm, still and quiet – far from how I felt. I found solace in the blackbird.
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09/17/2025 - 10:00
Exclusive: Firm that runs Aberdeenshire resort says it is ‘categorically wrong’ to suggest it has caused environmental damage
Donald Trump’s Aberdeenshire golf course has breached sewage contamination limits 14 times since 2019, documents reveal.
The 36-hole golf course, one of two that Trump owns in Scotland, also has a five-star hotel, a whisky bar and two restaurants. Trump International Golf Links, Scotland has a private sewage system that treats wastewater before releasing it into the ground by soaking it through gravel beds in raised filter mounds.
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09/17/2025 - 10:00
Australia must lead other nations in committing to 1.5C pathway for safety, security, prosperity and the environment, experts say
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Leading climate advocates have warned the Australian government’s decision on a 2035 emissions reduction will be a historic “sliding doors moment” for the country, with an international goal to keep global heating to 1.5C now hanging by a thread.
The prime minister, Anthony Albanese, is expected to announce a target range on Thursday after a scheduled morning cabinet meeting before formally submitting it to the UN later this month.
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