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The origins of plants may go back hundreds of millions of years earlier than previously thought, according to fossil evidence.

Last century, the cliff-dwelling bird of prey almost became extinct in Britain. Now it has reinvented itself as a city creature. What is behind this spectacular recovery?

By the four chimneys of Battersea power station, between tower cranes and builders’ cabins, is an unobtrusive metal mast. At the top, a watchful figure looks down upon the 3,000 workers bustling around this vast £9bn construction site.

“Female,” says David Morrison, with a deft glance through his binoculars. “She’s protecting her nest site. There was an intruding female about half an hour ago.”

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Jeremy Hance writes a letter to his young daughter as a part of the Letters to the Revolution initiative.

First published on January 2nd, 2017 at Letters to the Revolution.

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Outside the Kazakh capital, Astana, the river snowscape is populated by strange figures. Detroit-based photographer Aleksey Kondratyev investigated and discovered they were ice fishermen, who brave -40C temperatures waiting patiently for their catch

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The submarine dubbed Boaty McBoatface is preparing to explore some of the deepest parts of the Antarctic Ocean.

Could South Australia's proposed fix to power supply problems push power bills up in other states?

Battery storage, a new power station, more gas exploration and ministerial powers all part of the $500 million package out of South Australia.

The bill ‘spells doom’ for species including Tasmanian devil, wedge-tailed eagle and swift parrot, says Bob Brown

A proposal to allow logging access to more parts of Tasmania’s wilderness has sparked calls for federal government intervention.

Related: Speaking for the trees: hope, despair, and regrowth in Tasmania's charred wilderness |

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The South Australian government has announced it will intervene in the national energy market in a $550m plan that seeks to tame the state’s turbulent power supply and prices. The premier, Jay Weatherill, says his government will build a gas-fired power station and Australia’s largest battery storage unit

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Century-old rotating columns fixed to ship’s deck interact with wind to provide forward thrust and could make 10% fuel saving

An ocean-going tanker is to be fitted with a type of “spinning sail” invented almost a century ago in a step that could lead to more environmentally friendly tankers worldwide.

The unusual sails are rotating columns fixed to the deck of the ship, whose interaction with the wind provides forward thrust. The trial is backed by Maersk, one of the world’s biggest shipping companies and Shell’s shipping arm.

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Application for assessment under the EPBC Act - call for public comments open 16 March 2017 to 13 April 2017

Application for assessment under the EPBC Act - call for public comments open 16 March 2017 to 13 April 2017

Wepham Down, West Sussex The hen harrier raises its wings as air brakes, using the wind to lift, stall and loop backwards

A skylark rises up in loud, breathless song, claiming its breeding territory. The bird hovers with vibrating wings, unmoved by the strong gusts of wind. It climbs into the air in steps, each new phrase propelling it further up into the sky, until I can no longer see it. Another skylark answers in the distance.

Fieldfares hop across the grass – they’ll be moving on, returning to northern Scandinavia to breed, within days. Black and white lapwing patrol a bare patch of soil. They feed in quick down-up motions, as if bowing to each other. This large flock will also soon disperse, many returning to the continent, but some will stay here to nest.

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The ship damaged a large area of one of Indonesia's best coral reefs, in an area dependent on tourism.

Global expansion and rapid sales growth lead to major recruiting program to establish local customer support network.

German solar association Bundesverbands Solarwirtschaft expects their number will double to 100,000 in 2018.

The costs of ‘climate-proofing’ are already stretching into the billions of dollars, and as any doctor can tell you, the longer we leave it, the worse the consequences will be.

Victoria's Andrews govt launches $20m tender for proposals to work with state's networks to install up to 100MW of grid-scale energy storage by 2018.

A look at four major policy initiatives from South Australia's bold new energy plan.

Many are proposing the obvious, but wrong, solution to avoiding future price hikes: develop more gas production resources. This path will fail.