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Drone footage is building up the missing data on dolphin populations that is crucial to ensuring their protection and long-term survival

The drone is hovering above the Amazon river, but its battery is running low. André Coelho, the chief pilot, steers it back to safety with skills perfected by playing video games. Long hours practising on Need for Speed have become a surprising asset in the effort to conserve the dolphins that live in the river.

Marcelo Oliveira, a conservation specialist at WWF Brazil, stands on the bow of the boat with arms aloft. He plucks the white drone from the air, changes the battery, and swiftly sends it back into the sky.

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RSPB says successful breeding season and kind weather could see many species faring well in this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch

Blue tits, great tits, greenfinches and chaffinches are set to bounce back into British gardens this winter after a successful breeding season and “relatively kind” conditions.

More than half a million people are expected to spend an hour this weekend spotting birds and other wildlife in the 39th year of the Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s biggest wildlife survey.

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Plastic is one of the biggest risks to the future of coral reefs after ocean warming, say scientists.

Europe's normally highly dependable rocket, the Ariane 5, loses contact as it flies skyward.

After two bears are injured in California wildfires, a creative solution to get them back on their feet.

The Northern Territory Labor Government had commissioned the inquiry as part of its moratorium on fracking.

We use our fridges, washing machines and air conditioners every day. That means that we should consider much more than the up-front retail price when choosing to invest in a new one. Trivess Moore, Research Fellow, RMIT University Simon Lockrey, Research Fellow, RMIT University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Coral reefs in the Asia-Pacific have been deluged with an estimated 11.1 billion pieces of plastic waste, increasing the risk of coral disease more than 20-fold. Joleah Lamb, Research fellow, Cornell University Licensed as Creative Commons – attribution, no derivatives.

Researchers identify the remains of the earliest known modern humans to have left Africa.

A major new study estimates 11bn pieces of plastic contaminate vital reefs and result in infections: ‘It’s like getting gangrene,’ scientists warn

Billions of pieces of plastic pollution are snagged on coral reefs, sending disease rates soaring, new research has revealed. The discovery compounds the damage being done to a vital habitat that already faces an existential threat from the warming caused by climate change.

Scientists examined 125,000 corals across the Asia-Pacific region, home to half the world’s reefs, and found 89% of those fouled by plastic were suffering disease. On plastic-free reefs, only 4% of the corals were diseased.

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Government is being sued for third time to act quickly on illegal levels of toxic air

Air pollution will continue to take a heavy toll on people’s health for many years to come unless the UK government is forced once again to improve its action plan, the high court has been told.

Ministers have already had two previous plans declared illegal but environmental lawyers ClientEarth argue that even the latest plan fails to cut widespread illegal levels of pollution in the “shortest possible time”, as required by EU law.

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Kettle’s Yard loan scheme | Plastic packaging | Books on shelves | Bayeux tapestry | Bell-ringing

It is true that we no longer lend out the Ben Nicholsons and Alfred Wallises that Harland Walshaw was lucky enough to choose from as a student (Letters, 24 January), but we do still invite students in to Kettle’s Yard to choose a work of art, which for a small deposit and a modest fee they can hang on their walls for the year. And there are some beautiful works to choose from. We do love to hear the stories from those who enjoyed Jim Ede’s generosity when he was still living here.
Andrew Nairne
Director, Kettle’s Yard

• As I hunted through Sainsbury’s recently for unpackaged vegetables (MPs urge supermarkets to banish plastic waste, 20 January), my route to the nice, clean carrots and leeks – two of the very few naked veggies on display – was blocked by shoppers carefully decanting them into plastic bags.
Vicky Woodcraft
Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire

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Researchers have taken two years to identify a lady who lived 230 years ago.

Researchers have discovered why mosquitoes prefer some people over others – and how a swat teaches them to avoid you

Researchers have found a solution for those plagued by mosquitoes: thrash about, and the insects will learn to give you a wide berth.

While it has long been known that mosquitoes favour some individuals over others – and can shift those preferences when availability is scarce – it was not clear what was behind the switch.

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Volunteer data on the country's 18 resident bat species suggests a positive outlook for the animals.

New search for communities willing to host underground site for thousands of years

Local communities around England, Wales and Northern Ireland will be offered £1m a year to volunteer to host an underground nuclear waste disposal facility for thousands of years, as part of a rebooted government programme.

The financial incentive is one way the government hopes to encourage communities to host the £12bn facility, after previous efforts failed in 2013 when Cumbria county council rejected the project.

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A Swiss woman who died in 1787 after contracting syphilis is identified as an ancestor of the politician.

The seismic region has seen lots of activity in recent weeks, but is there anything to worry about?

From the minuscule to the mighty, tree-dwellers to pond-swimmers, millions of beetle species reveal a wealth of information about the world we live in

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Free refill points and fountains will be set up in shops, cafes and high streets in every English town and city, under plans announced by the water industry

Consumers will be encouraged to refill their water bottles free of charge in tens of thousands of shops, cafes, businesses and water fountains in England under plans announced by the water industry.

The national scheme aims to fight the growing scourge of waste created by single-use plastic by preventing the use of tens of millions of plastic bottles every year, as well as increasing the availability of quality drinking water.

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