Earth Drop the eco-pessimism – you can make a greener world After six years cleaning up England's environment, the Environment Agency's outgoing chair is in no mood for surrender Opinion
Space Pillars of creation built by big stellar bubble Video: Stellar bubble creates 'pillars of creation' Did bubbles from stars create the "pillars of creation"? Building a towering cosmic icon may be as easy as blowing bubbles. Simulations of the billowing wind from a massive star may reveal how the famous "pillars of creation" were created. The finger-like columns of interstellar gas and dust … News
Life How to curb the threat of homecoming jihadist fighters Research has shed enough light on jihadist fighters and radicalisation to help us mitigate the ISIS threat Opinion
Life The common crane and its violin cry (Image: Dieter Damschen ) THIS common crane, preening itself at Lake Ganzen in Germany, has an extraordinary adaptation. Its windpipe, or trachea, is three or more times as long as would be expected for a bird of this size – even one with a long neck. Instead of going straight from the bill to the … Regulars
Earth We can build a sustainable world – if you want it Would you want to live in the sustainable world? (Image: Adam Simpson) Healthy, happy and peaceful – that's what life will be like if we choose to tackle climate change and overconsumption. But will a green economy be any fun? THE system isn't working. Or, depending on your point of view, it's working too well. … Features
Space How the moon lost its magic even before Apollo 11 Because it's there? Motivation for the space race was conflicted (Image: Yvonne De Rosa/Millennium Images) In No Requiem for the Space Age , a new history of NASA's Apollo programme, Matthew D. Tribbe says the moon landings came too late for Americans tired of war "WE HAVE no need of other worlds," wrote Stanislaw Lem, … CultureLab
Feedback: Do solar cells suck sun? Feedback is our weekly column of bizarre stories, implausible advertising claims, confusing instructions and more Do solar cells suck sun? SOLAR energy is part of the mix we need to avert climate catastrophe (21 June, p 32) . Improved efficiency may be on the cards (page 42). But what of the risk that solar cells … Regulars