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‘If you want to paint something, paint a rock,’ Florida officials implore after shells of a threatened tortoise species were found daubed with paint

Wildlife officials in Florida have urged people to not illustrate the shells of a threatened tortoise species after several animals were found daubed with paint.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has released photos of gopher tortoises that were painted red and a shade of turquoise. The FWC said the “illegally painted” tortoises were at risk from paint fumes and from toxins that could be absorbed into the bloodstream via the shell.

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A deep-sea expedition discovers a remarkable array of life on the UK's tallest underwater mountains.

Scientists from Plymouth University have visited the UK's tallest mountains - over 100 metres under the sea.

Controversial proposals ahead of this year’s global wildlife trade summit threaten to fuel a divisive debate and divert attention away from the real measures needed to tackle the illegal ivory trade

Anyone paying even cursory attention to wildlife stories in recent years would have heard all about Africa’s elephant poaching crisis. And with good reason. An estimated 30,000 animals are being killed for their ivory every year, a shockingly high figure that threatens the survival of central Africa’s forest elephants as well as some elephant populations in east Africa.

They also would have read about the international community’s response to the poaching crisis, with governments around the globe promising action and conservation organisations scaling up efforts to tackle elephant poaching and the illegal ivory trade.

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International scientists are calling for action to "future proof" the insects, birds and mammals that pollinate crops and wild plants.

Paddling from Greenland to Scotland in a canoe is risky business.

Researchers have developed a battery which self-destructs when dropped into water.

People are warned to stay away from the stricken Transocean Winner oil rig which ran aground during a storm.

A Kalahari desert sunrise and a wren’s nest under a bike seat are among the winning images in the scientific journal’s annual competition, which showcases biodiversity, natural beauty and biological interactions photographed by ecologists

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New report suggests that South Australia would be paying more for electricity if it did not have wind energy – $133m more a year if all the wind generation was substituted by gas.

We are headed for a future where transport technologies that are neither car nor public transport are commonplace. Are we ready?

What will drive the revolution to get climate damaging companies to change? Demonstrations do not work, facts do not work. What is the answer? Money.

Waltham Brooks, West Sussex Now breeding has finished, the numbers of starlings gathering together are building up again, and will rise into the thousands in the coming months

The river Arun has slowed almost to a stop, the bare strip of dried earth along the bank betraying the low water level. Large bunches of dark green weed are exposed. Along the grassy footpath, there are a still a few thistles in bloom, glowing purple in the evening sunshine, but many other thistle heads have now exploded, trailing their down of sticky, spindly white seeds. It’s warm and close, but the breeze is slowly bringing a band of black cloud from the west.

Related: Country diary: South Downs, near Arundel: Grey partridges have become a rare sight on the Downs, except here

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Climate Council report says renewable energy major driver of economic growth, jobs in rural Australia.

"Energy poverty" is a bigger issue in north America and other European countries than it is in Germany.

JinkoSolar has announced that it has provided 16.9kW of PV modules for the construction of the Miami Science Barge.

Scientist and Nobel prize-winner Peter Doherty says new One Nation senator ‘has no understanding of how science works’

Across Australia, climate science denialists are beside themselves with glee at the voting into office of one of their own.

Late last week, the Australian Electoral Commission confirmed that Pauline Hanson’s One Nation party had snagged Queensland’s final 12th Senate spot. Her candidate, Malcolm Roberts, is now a senator.

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A single drug can treat three deadly and neglected infections - Chagas disease, leishmaniasis and sleeping sickness - animal studies show..

Scientists in Queensland develop an environmental DNA test to help make habitats easier to identify

Australian scientists have developed a cutting-edge test that could give the endangered largetooth sawfish a better chance of survival.

Researchers working from James Cook University in Queensland, have found a way to reliably test large bodies of water for the DNA of the prehistoric-looking fish and help make habitats easier to identify.

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Australia is one of the world’s largest diesel consumers per capita but a cleaner option called dimethyl ether could change all that

As one of the world’s largest consumers of diesel per capita, Australia could soon benefit from the onshore production of a cleaner-burning alternative.

Dimethyl ether (DME) is a colourless gas used as an aerosol propellant for things such as hairspray, but engine manufacturers and other companies have been exploring its potential as an alternative transport fuel.

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