Ancient forest found at bottom of huge sinkhole in China

Scientists believe site in Guangxi with trees up to 40 metres tall may contain undiscovered species

Bottlenose dolphins can identify friends by tasting their urine

We already knew that bottlenose dolphins recognise each other through their signature whistles, but now it seems the taste of their urine also plays a role

No, We Don't Need to Go Back to Church | Center for Inquiry

So much has been said about “wokeness” being a religion that it can fill a book—perhaps several. John McWhorter has written one, and it wouldn’t surprise me if we see more in the next few years. I’ve quibbled with McWhorter a bit about the “religion” label, not simply because many find it inflammatory and it tends to shut conversations down, but also because it really is inaccurate. “Wokeness” isn’t literally a religion. There are legal and institutional reasons this distinction matters, and I often worry that the comparison McWhorter and others make causes more miscommunication than elucidation on the topic.

Eyes on the Sky: Richard Dawkins

In a book that looks to the sky, Richard Dawkins takes us on a flight of fancy. 

George Monbiot: Farming is the most destructive human activity ever

Farming is killing the planet, says writer and environmental activist George Monbiot, but we can stop it

Urban forests create birdlife boom in New Zealand’s cities

Wellington’s huge eco-sanctuary is credited with boosting bird populations across the city and fostering a sense of pride in conservation

Waste wood chemically recycled to produce material stronger than steel

A treatment process can turn old pieces of wood into a new super-strong material called "healed wood"

Computer powered by colony of blue-green algae has run for six months

Blue-green algae, a type of cyanobacteria, set in a container on a windowsill powered a computer continuously for six months using photosynthesis

Dynasties II | BBC Earth

Open your eyes to the dramatic and heartwarming stories of Dynasties II. From Patagonias frozen Andes to the plains of Zambia join some of the planets most iconic animals and watch how each one fights for their families.

AI solves complex physics problems by looking for signs of symmetry

Complicated physics problems are sometimes simpler than they appear, so physicists have made a machine learning model to search for the simplicity

The grand plan to create a periodic table of all animal intelligence

Animal minds are extraordinarily diverse, but a new attempt to categorise them aims to reveal the distinct nature of intelligence in everything from dolphins to bees – and even us

Genetically engineered bacteria have learned to play tic-tac-toe

E. coli bacteria modified to act like electronic components called memristors can be set up to act as a simple neural network and trained to play noughts and crosses

Prehistoric Planet review: David Attenborough’s dinosaur magic

David Attenborough and Hollywood talent combine in Prehistoric Planet documentary to conjure up dinosaurs as never before

Genetically engineered bacteria have learned to play tic-tac-toe

E. coli bacteria modified to act like electronic components called memristors can be set up to act as a simple neural network and trained to play noughts and crosses

UK Space Agency

Huge congratulations to Bethany on winning the @cbbc Blue Peter Awesome Orbit competition! Bethany's 'Earth Sitter' logo will be engraved on a @Heads_InSpace satellite and launched into orbit from @SpaceCornwall https://t.co/WXpbpsX5G1 #LaunchUK https://t.co/I9Zlj7luMI