Science

The criminalisation of direct action climate protests in the UK is counterproductive and increases the determination of activists to undertake disruptive demonstrations, according to a study of 1,300 campaigners. New findings suggest arrests, fines and lengthy prison sentences given to nonviolent climate protesters who have blocked roads or damaged buildings may actually radicalise them. The…

The critically endangered Sumatran orangutan has been filmed for the first time using a canopy bridge to cross a road. In 2024, conservationists in the Pakpak Bharat district of North Sumatra in Indonesia built the bridge high over the Lagan-Pagindar road, which provides an essential route for local people but which became a barrier for…

The US Space Force released a list Friday of a dozen companies working on Space-Based Interceptors for the Pentagon’s Golden Dome initiative, a multilayer defense system to shield US territory from drones and ballistic, hypersonic, and cruise missile attacks. The roster of Golden Dome Space-Based Interceptor (SBI) contractors, some of which were previously reported, includes…

Despite nature’s endless creativity in devising defense mechanisms tailored to different ecosystems, it doesn’t always reinvent the wheel. Many successful strategies get reused, appearing across a wide range of environments. One particularly striking example is the eyespot, seen in many butterflies and birds, like the peacock. Underwater, some rays use the same visual trick. But…