US spending on ‘reckless’ Iran war could have saved 87m lives, says UN Head of UN’s humanitarian agency frustrated that $2bn weekly cost of conflict comes amid big cuts to aid budgets

US spending on ‘reckless’ Iran war could have saved 87m lives, says UN
Head of UN’s humanitarian agency frustrated that $2bn weekly cost of conflict comes amid big cuts to aid budgets www.theguardian.com/world/2026/a...

Once lost, now found: Five "missing" bird species rediscovered in 2025, offering hope Five “missing” bird species — not seen, heard or documented in the wild for a decade or more — were “found” in 2025, according to the 2026 annual update to the Lost Birds List. It’s a tally of species...

Once lost, now found: Five “missing” bird species rediscovered in 2025, offering hope

news.mongabay.com/2026/04/once...

Is the pope Catholic? JD Vance thinks he has an answer | Marina Hyde When it comes to theology, Donald Trump’s vice-president clearly knows best. Are we about to see an American break with Rome, asks Guardian columnist Marina Hyde

JD Vance says “I think it’s very, very important for the pope to be careful when he talks about matters of theology.” 🤣🤣🤣 The “Christian right” is neither. www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

Four benefits of going out in the rain Humans are more sensitive to the smell of rain than sharks are to blood. And rain has some surprising benefits for our bodies too – especially when it comes to our mood.

Four benefits of going out in the rain and why rain smells. www.bbc.co.uk/future/artic...

James Bembridge on X: Hate is too weak a word for what I feel towards the NHS. I'd tear it down and salt the earth upon which it stood.

Lovely people, these Reform UK candidates for the upcoming election, and great to know they're on our side.

Hungary election live: Viktor Orbán concedes defeat in Hungarian election after 16 years in power Long-serving prime minister beaten by opposition after early results showed clear lead

Victor Orban concedes 🎉🎉🎉🥳🥳🥳 - congratulations Hungary! www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...

Because Trump’s now THE Voice of America & says shit many USAmericans believe. Previously framed more diplomatically - Trump just says what most Americans think unfiltered. “We’re the greatest we do what we like we take what we want” wreaking global havoc for decades & never learn lessons of failure

open.spotify.com/track/7eDz4e...

Largest ever Government investment in threatened species recovery A total £90 million funding for species recovery across England

The UK government will invest £60 million over the next three years – more than double the previous round of funding – into the Species Recovery Programme, marking the largest ever government investment in directly supporting threatened species.
www.gov.uk/government/n...

I’m all for no kings but there is an intrinsic problem w/ patriotism which alongside religion is the enemy of humanity - pitting people against each other. US patriots have wreaked havoc on the world for decades - democrats & GOP. If we want our grandchildren to prosper we need to unite globally.

Engineered yeast provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybees - Nature Genetic engineering of a yeast strain provides rare but essential pollen sterols for honeybee colonies.

Also the Novo Nordisk Foundation Centre for Biosustainability at Technical University of Denmark; the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew, and Natural Resources Institute at University of Greenwich
@philstevenson.bsky.social
www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Only half of the calories produced on croplands are available as food for human consumption Only half of the calories produced on croplands are available as food for human consumption, West, Paul C, Gerber, James S, Cassidy, Emily S, Stiffman, Samuel

“Half of calories produced on croplands are available for people to eat. The calories ‘lost’ to inefficiency of the food system (49.9%) is enough to support 7.2 billion people [pa]

Beef production is the largest source of calories lost by converting feed to food”
iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1...

Specialization and adaptation in pollen sterol use by wild bees Sterols are stabilizing components of membranes and hormone precursors in eukaryotes. Honeybees incorporate a subset of pollen-derived sterols into th…

Specialization & adaptation in pollen sterol use by wild bees - our new paper in iScience. 56 bee species analyzed to determine which pollen sterols they use. The data suggest an ecological rather than phylogenetic driver of bee sterol composition @rbgkew.bsky.social www.cell.com/iscience/pdf...

Rightwing narrative fuelling false belief UK public oppose net zero, study finds Reform, Tory and some media rhetoric runs contrary to poll showing far more voters for net zero than against it

Rightwing narrative fuelling false belief UK public oppose net zero, study finds
Reform, Tory and some media rhetoric runs contrary to poll showing far more voters for net zero than against it. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Plantwatch: the Natal crocus co-opts fire, bees and ants to reproduce Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it tricks ants into moving its seeds with a scent that mimics their larvae

Plantwatch: the Natal crocus co-opts fire, bees and ants to reproduce
Perhaps the biggest surprise is that it tricks ants into moving its seeds with a scent that mimics their larvae. www.theguardian.com/science/2026...

Fantastic opportunity @nhmdk.bsky.social for 3 tenured positions.

Deadlines approaching. NHM Denmark @nhmdk.bsky.social in Copenhagen seeks 3 new Tenure Track Assistant Professor & Curator's to help develop our 14 million global collections dating back 400 years.

Lepidoptera 22/3 lnkd.in/eTUk9iA5
Bryophytes 23/3 lnkd.in/eEaXnNnb
Mollusca 30/3 lnkd.in/eScSZYBq

‘We cannot replace USAID, but we can do big things’: conservation plots a future without American money The Trump administration’s cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats and the people who defend both. Now the world is seeking a new way forward

The age of extinction
‘We cannot replace USAID, but we can do big things’: conservation plots a future without America. Trump cuts to biodiversity funding have imperiled species, habitats & the people who defend both. Now the world is seeking a new way forward www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Can scientists really resurrect the dodo? Inside the company that says they can Colossal Biosciences’ CEO says its work follows a ‘moral obligation’ while critics say it’s ‘tech bro’ hype that could undermine conservation

Tech bro saviours or undermining conservation - these folk say they can resurrect the dodo. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

Cambridge University Library, University Museum of Zoology and the University of Cambridge - Collections Connections Communities

Here’s a great PhD opportunity in the crossover between humanities and natural history- please repost 🙏 www.ccc.cam.ac.uk/initiatives/...

Reaching net zero by 2050 ‘cheaper for UK than one fossil fuel crisis’ Climate change committee finds move to renewable energy would also bring health, economic and security benefits

Reaching net zero by 2050 ‘cheaper for UK than one fossil fuel crisis’ and bring health and economic benefits while insulating the country against future costs, the government’s climate advisers have forecast. www.theguardian.com/environment/...

Happy Holi everyone.

UK slashes climate aid programmes for developing countries Exclusive: Schemes worth hundreds of millions of pounds to protect biodiversity and oceans likely to be substantially reduced

UK slashes climate aid programmes for developing countries: Schemes worth hundreds of millions of pounds to protect biodiversity and oceans likely to be substantially reduced www.theguardian.com/environment/...

How an annual ‘wedding flight’ of 1,000 virgin queens is ensuring the revival of Europe’s dark bee The Belgian ceremony attracts beekeepers from the Netherlands, France and Germany keen to boost dark bee numbers and stop the spread of the hybrid honeybee

Is it just me or does “saving” a different coloured race of a honeybee from “foreign” races because “it’s the only one that should be here” sound a bit Far Right. It’s a domestic animal FFS & it didn’t “evolve” in UK - Hbees arrived after ice age possibly w/ Tillia ~7000BC. tinyurl.com/4hs2e6t7

As journalists working today many of us are taught to recognise disinformation when we see it and fight back against it.

Unfortunately there are some who willingly seek it out and put it on their front pages. A disgrace to the profession.

‘The most bitter news’: Iran reels as more than 100 children reportedly killed in school bombing The building appears to be among many devastated in Trump’s ‘major combat operations’ as long expected attacks arrive

More than 100 children killed in one hit on a school in Iran. Is this collaterel damage? This is horrifying. www.theguardian.com/world/2026/f...

This is what Bored of peace looks like.

US-Israel attack on Iran: Tehran launches retaliatory strikes as Trump says ‘major combat operation’ under way – live Explosions reported across the Middle East as Iran hits back after major attack by US and Israel

This is what Bored of Peace looks like. www.theguardian.com/world/live/2...