A new species of butterwort – carniverous plants first described in the 15th century – is one of only three to be found in TurkeyButterworts first show up in a herbal in the 15th century. The genus name Pinguicula is derived from the Latin word pinguis, meaning fat or oily, an adjective first applied to…
Fighting horses, ghost caterpillar trees and the world's clearest lake are among the pick of this week's images from the natural world
Ming – the first panda to set paw on British soil – led a picaresque and, for some people, profitable lifeAs the nation eagerly waits Edinburgh Zoo's announcement of the outcome of the artificial insemination of its female panda Tian Tian, it seems like an apt moment to look back on the life of Ming.Not…
Experts and campaigners worry about the use of veterinary antibiotics, but officials say there is little cause for concernThe use of some of the most potent antibiotics available has surged among British farmers in the last decade, stoking fears that the burgeoning number of factory farms could greatly increase the risk of antibiotic-resistant strains of…
Mad, mystical and acutely perceptive about nature, these are essays to bring us back to EarthNature writing is a boom industry in Britain, but it's nature writing of a particular flavour: astringent, controlled, in impeccably good taste. I can't think of anyone in these islands who writes like the American essayist Amy Leach, with such…
A survey of tardigrades on the Faroes has revealed the most species-rich fauna of the family Eohypsibiidae on EarthThe Faroes, located south-east of Iceland in the north-eastern Atlantic, consisting of 18 small islands and a total land area of less than 1,400 sq km, seem unlikely candidates as the centre of biodiversity for anything. Yet…
Resurrection biology could bring back extinct birds and even mammoths. Naysayers say it would take cash away from conserving existing species, but don't backup their claimThe woolly mammoth has been having a terrible time of it. Not only did this fantastically furry beast go extinct some 4,000 years ago, but now increasing numbers of influential…
A project is tracking the phenomenon as global warming and overfishing boost numbers of the venomous sea creatureScientists across the Mediterranean say a surge in the number of jellyfish this year threatens not just the biodiversity of one of the world's most overfished seas but also the health of tens of thousands of summer tourists."I…
Little is known about badger-cattle interactions. As a cull of badgers intended to curb TB in cattle begins, scientists are working to find out moreDamian Carrington
