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The 40cm-long insect, named Acrophylla alta, weighs slightly less than a golf ball and may be the heaviest insect in Australia
A newly discovered stick insect which weighs slightly less than a golf ball may be the heaviest insect in Australia, scientists say.
The 40cm-long new species, named Acrophylla alta,was found in the high altitudes of the Atherton tablelands in north Queensland – and scientists said the habitat could be part of the reason for its large size.
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Exclusive: Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns say party could slide into irrelevance if it chooses new leader with ‘polarising’ approach
The Green party risks going into reverse if they elect Zack Polanski as leader, his two opponents have said, arguing that his promised brand of “eco-populism” would prove polarising, divisive and likely to put off more moderate voters.
Speaking to the Guardian before the opening of the month-long leadership vote, which begins on Friday, Adrian Ramsay and Ellie Chowns said the party in England and Wales was at “a crossroads”, and could miss the chance to hold the balance of power at the next election.
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Newly appointed expedition botanist Matthew Jeffery feels ‘daunted’ but inspired by his unique globetrotting role collecting wild species
It was described as “the best job in the natural world”: an expedition botanist for Cambridge University Botanic Garden who would follow in the footsteps of Charles Darwin and go on plant-collecting adventures around the world.
Within days of the job advertisement going viral, six people had sent it to Matthew Jeffery and suggested he apply.
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Wrexham: These plants were giants, tall and abundant enough to change the atmosphere 300m years ago – and they’re somewhere fossilised in this rock
We are at the Stori Brymbo heritage site, which was an iron mine and smelting plant until 1990. Outside it is cool, stormy and wet, but we’re sheltered under a galvanised roof with the wind rattling and the rain tapping. Beneath us, a sandy, crumbling layer of rock formed 300m years ago from a great thickness of mud and silt that settled in a vast river delta system that once covered this part of Wales.
If I squint my eyes, I imagine the vast, stifling, steaming jungle; no grass or flowers, just tall trunks towering above and ferns below, insects flying all around. This was the Carboniferous era in the tropics, long before any dinosaurs or other land animals, and the first “trees” – club mosses, giant horsetails – grew by 10 to 30 metres in a few months, before dying and falling into the swamps to eventually form our coal.
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Concerns poorer countries could be priced out of negotiations in Belém as room rates soar amid shortage
The UN climate bureau has held an urgent meeting about concerns that sky-high rates for accommodation at this year’s Cop30 summit in Brazil could price poorer countries out of the negotiations.
Brazil is preparing to host Cop30 this November in the rainforest city of Belém, where representatives of nearly every government in the world will gather to negotiate their joint efforts to curb the climate crisis.
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Test is one of only about 200 chalk streams in the world and councillors says biodiversity in and around it has declined
Local politicians have recognised the right of a famous chalk stream, the Test in Hampshire, to flow freely and unpolluted.
Councillors on Test Valley borough council voted unanimously to acknowledge “the intrinsic rights” of the rivers within its boundaries, including the Test, which is renowned for its trout and fly fishing.
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Incidents across northern Europe on 26 and 27 July have left scientists trying to understand why so many of the deep-diving whales have appeared
A series of strandings of one of the world’s deepest dwelling and most rarely seen types of whale in the last few days has left experts baffled over why they might have appeared in such numbers.
Beaked whales are used to deep ocean waters and are so rarely seen that some species have only ever been identified through dead specimens. But on 26 and 27 July there were reports from western Ireland, Orkney in Scotland and the Netherlands of these whales being stranded, raising concerns that human actions could be implicated in the animals’ deaths.
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Some of us seem to be bitten much more than others – and in unlucky cases this can lead to an allergic reaction or chronic illness. Pharmacists explain how to avoid the worst insects have to offer
A downside to hot weather is all the bugs that can feast on or sting us. Is there anything you can do to avoid this? And what should you do if you are attacked? Here’s what pharmacists have to say about the best ways to prevent and treat stings and bites.
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We require several decent years in a row – 2025 is an improvement on last year but we need more vintage years
Is it a superlative summer for butterflies or simply a return to normal? Plenty of nature-lovers have delighted in the abundance of gatekeepers, red admirals and peacocks this year, particularly after the dire summer of 2024, the second worst for common butterflies since scientific records began in 1976.
We won’t know the answer until results from the Big Butterfly Count come in – add your 15-minute butterfly counts in your local green space using the free app or website until 10 August. Confirmation will come when UKBMS data is crunched early next year.
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Former energy officials raise alarm about tariffs, cuts and other policies creating uncertainty in geothermal industry
Geothermal is one of the most promising clean energy sources in the US, providing 24/7 renewable power that could meet rising energy demand from AI datacentres. But former Department of Energy officials are alarmed that Donald Trump is fumbling its potential.
Compared with other clean energy sources such as solar and wind, geothermal enjoys rare bipartisan support. The US energy secretary, Chris Wright, has praised the technology, calling it “an awesome resource that’s under our feet”. And Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act preserved tax credits for geothermal.
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