Mystery heatwave warms Pacific Ocean to new record 1 day ago Share Save Mark Poynting and Matt McGrath BBC News Climate and Science Share Save Kevin Carter/Getty Images People head to the coast in San Diego on a hot summer's day The waters of the north Pacific have had their warmest summer on record, according to BBC analysis of a mysterious marine heatwave that has confounded climate scientists. Sea surface temperatures between July and September were more than 0. 25C above the previous high of 2022 - a big increase across an area roughly ten times the size of the Mediterranean. While climate change is known to make marine heatwaves more likely, scientists are struggling to explain why the north Pacific has been so hot for so long. But all this extra heat in the so-called "warm blob" may have the opposite effect in the UK, possibly making a colder start to winter more likely, some researchers believe. "There's definitely something unusual going on in the north Pacific," said Zeke Hausfather, a climate scientist at Berkeley Earth, a research group in the US. Such a jump in temperatures across a region so large is "quite remarkable", he added. The BBC analysed data from the European Copernicus climate service to calculate average temperatures between July and September across a large area of the north Pacific, sometimes known as the "warm blob". The region extends from the east coast of Asia to the west coast of North America, the same area used in previous scientific studies. The figures show that not only has the region been warming quickly over the past couple of decades, but 2025 is markedly higher than recent years too. That the seas are getting hotter is no surprise. Global warming, caused by humanity's emissions of carbon dioxide and other gases, has already trebled the number of days of extreme heat in oceans globally, according to research published earlier this year. But temperatures have been even higher than most climate models - computer simulations taking into account humanity's carbon emissions - had predicted. Analysis of these models by the Berkeley Earth group suggests that sea temperatures observed across the north Pacific in August had less than a 1% chance of occurring in any single year. Natural weather variability is thought to be part of the reason. This summer has seen weaker-than-usual winds, for example. That means more heat from the summer sunshine can stay in the sea surface, rather than being mixed with cooler waters below. But this can only go so far in explaining the exceptional conditions, according to Dr Hausfather. "It certainly is not just natural variability," he said. "There's something else going on here as well. " One intriguing idea is that a recent change to shipping fuels might be contributing to the warming. Prior to 2020, dirty engine oil produced large amounts of sulphur dioxide, a gas harmful to human health. But that sulphur also formed tiny, Sun-reflecting particles in the atmosphere, known as aerosols, which helped to keep a lid on rising temperatures. So removing that cooling effect in shipping hotspots like the north Pacific could be revealing the full impact of human-caused warming. "It does seem like sulphur is the primary candidate for what's driving this warming in the region," said Dr Hausfather. Other research suggests that efforts to reduce air pollution in Chinese cities has played a role in warming the Pacific too. That dirty air did a similar job to shipping in reflecting sunlight away, while cleaning it up could have had the unintended consequence of allowing more ocean heating. Possible impacts for the UK? The north Pacific's marine heatwave has already had consequences for weather on both sides of the Pacific, likely boosting very high summer temperatures in Japan and South Korea and storms in the US. "In California, we've seen supercharged thunderstorms because the warm ocean waters in the Pacific provide heat and moisture," said Amanda Maycock, professor in climate dynamics at the University of Leeds. "In particular, there are things we call atmospheric rivers… bands of air, which contain very high amounts of moisture that fuel themselves from the ocean waters," she added. "So if we have warm ocean waters… they can then bring a lot of moisture onto the land, which then falls out as rain, or in the wintertime can precipitate out as snow. " Reuters The intense heat to hit Japan in August was likely amplified by Pacific Ocean heat, researchers say Long-term weather forecasting is always challenging, but extreme heat in the north Pacific has the potential to affect the UK and Europe in the coming months too. That's because of relationships between weather in different parts of the world known as teleconnections. "Although the current warm conditions are located in the north Pacific, these can generate wave motions in the atmosphere that can alter our weather downstream into the north Atlantic and into Europe," said Prof Maycock. "That can tend to favour high-pressure conditions over the continent, which brings us more of an influence from the Arctic, where we have colder air," she added. "That can be drawn over Europe and bring us colder weather in early winter. " A colder outcome is by no means certain, as this is a complex area of science. Several other weather patterns also affect UK winters, which are typically getting milder with climate change. And a warm north Pacific appears to have different effects later in the winter, favouring milder and wetter conditions in some parts of Europe. Emerging La Niña in the tropical Pacific Another factor to throw into the mix is what's happening further south in the eastern tropical Pacific. There, surface waters are unusually cool - a classic sign of the weather phenomenon known as La Niña. La Niña, and its warm sibling El Niño, are natural patterns, although research published this week highlighted that global warming could itself impact the swings between them. Weak La Niña conditions are expected to persist over the next few months, according to NOAA, the US science agency. All else being equal, La Niña generally increases the risk of a cold start to winter in the UK, but also brings a higher chance of a mild end, the Met Office says. "These two drivers in the north and tropical Pacific will be acting together this winter," said Prof Maycock. "But since the La Niña is quite weak this year, the extreme warmth in the north Pacific could be more important for forecasting the winter ahead. " Additional reporting by Muskeen Liddar and Libby Rogers

Chinese Nobel laureate and physicist Chen Ning Yang dies aged 103 Yang Chen Ning is ranked among the most influential physicists of the 20th century Yang was also a professor at Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University and an honorary dean of the Institute for Advanced Study at the institution. Yang and fellow theoretical physicist, Lee Tsung-Dao, were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1957 for their work in parity laws, which led to important discoveries regarding elementary particles - the building blocks of matter. An obituary released by CCTV cited illness as the cause of death. Chen Ning Yang, Nobel laureate and one of the world's most influential physicists, has died at the age of 103, according to Chinese state media. Born in 1922 in China's eastern Anhui province, he was the oldest of five children and raised on the campus of Tsinghua University where his father was a professor of mathematics. As a teenager, Yang told his parents: "One day, I want to win the Nobel Prize. " He achieved that dream at the age of 35, when his work with Lee studying the law of parity earned them the honour in 1957. The Nobel committee praised "their penetrating investigation. which has led to important discoveries regarding the elementary particles". Yang received his science degree in 1942 from National Southwest Associated University in Kunming, and later completed a master's degree at Tsinghua University. At the end of the Sino-Japanese War, he travelled to the US on a fellowship from Tsinghua and studied at the University of Chicago, where he worked under Italian physicist Enrico Fermi, inventor of the world's first nuclear reactor. Throughout a prolific career, he worked across all areas of physics, but maintained particular interest in the fields of statistical mechanics and symmetry principles. Yang received the Albert Einstein Commemorative Award in 1957 and was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Princeton University in 1958. Yang married his first wife Chih Li Tu in 1950, with whom he had three children. After Tu's death in 2003, Yang married his second wife Weng Fan, who is more than 50 years his junior. The pair had first met in 1995 when Weng was a student in a physics seminar, and later reconnected in 2004. At the time, Yang called her his "final blessing from God"

Landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions in tatters after US pressure 13 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science reporter Share Save CFOTO/Getty Images Shipping accounts for 3% of global emissions but is set to grow A landmark deal to cut global shipping emissions has been abandoned after Saudi Arabia and the US succeeded in ending the talks. More than 100 countries had gathered in London to approve a deal first agreed in April, which would have seen shipping become the world's first industry to adopt internationally mandated targets to reduce emissions. But US President Donald Trump had called the plan a "green scam" and representatives of his administration had threatened countries with tariffs if they voted in favour of it. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared the outcome a "huge win" for Trump. But reflecting the pressure countries faced, the Secretary General of the International Maritime Organisation Arsenio Dominguez issued a "plea" for this not to be repeated. In a dramatic conclusion on Friday, when countries should have been voting to approve the deal, Saudi Arabia tabled a motion to adjourn the talks for a year. The chairman said this would mean that the agreement was not approved, as key timelines for the treaty would have to be revised. The motion passed by just a handful of votes. Ralph Regenvanu, Minister for Climate Change for the Republic of Vanuatu, said Saudi Arabia's motion was "unacceptable given the urgency we face in light of accelerating climate change". "We came to London in reluctant support of the IMO's Net-Zero Framework. While it lacks the ambition that climate science demands, it does mark a significant step," he said. The shipping industry has been broadly supportive of the deal because it offered consistent global standards. Speaking after the talks ended, Thomas Kazakos, secretary-general of the industry body the International Chamber of Shipping, said : "We are disappointed that member states have not been able to agree a way forward at this meeting. " "Industry needs clarity to be able to make the investments," he added. The UK and most EU nations voted to continue the talks, but some countries including Greece went against the EU bloc and voted to abstain. The countries that voted in favour of adjourning the talks included Russia, Saudi Arabia and the US, who raised concerns that the deal would lead to price rises for consumers. Some key countries including China that had initially voted to support the deal in April agreed to delay proceedings. Island states Bahamas also changed their position and Antigua and Barbuda, who agreed in April, abstained. A delegate from the island states group told the BBC that these nations particularly rely on the US for trade and had been leaned on heavily by the Trump administration to change their position

Bears kill seven people in Japan this year as attacks hit record high A black bear in Iwate, northern Japan - one of two types of bear found in the country Attacks by bears tend to surge in autumn before bears hibernate, with experts saying low yields of beech nuts because of climate change could be driving hungry animals into residential areas. Depopulation has also been cited as a factor. A 60-year-old man cleaning an outdoor hot spring bath has gone missing what is suspected to be the latest incident. Seven people have died since April - the highest since 2006 when data was first recorded - with fatalities mostly in north-eastern regions and the northern prefecture of Hokkaido. The number of people killed by bears in Japan this year has reached a record high, the country's environment ministry has said. The environmental ministry figures show the seven fatalities this year surpassed the five recorded in the year to April 2024. About 100 other people have also been injured so far this year, up from 85 injuries and three fatalities, in the previous 12 months. Investigators found human blood and bear fur at the scene of the latest suspected bear attack in the city of Kitakami in Iwate prefecture on Thursday. It comes after it was confirmed that a man found dead last week in Iwate was killed by a bear. Another recent incident took place in Numata, Gunma, north of Tokyo, when a 1. 5ft) adult bear entered a supermarket, lightly injuring two men, one in his 70s and another in his 60s. The store is close to mountainous areas, but has never had bears come close before. According to local media, the store's manager said about 30 to 40 customers were inside, and the bear became agitated as it struggled to find the exit. The same day a farmer in Iwate region was scratched and bitten by a bear, accompanied by a cub, outside his house. And earlier this month a Spanish tourist was attacked by a bear at a bus stop in the village of Shirakawa-go in central Japan. Two types of bear are found in Japan - Asian black bears, and bigger brown bears which are found on the island of Hokkaido

Australia's rainforests are releasing more carbon than they absorb, warn scientists The lead author of the study, which was published in science journal Nature, said the findings have significant implications for global emissions reduction targets which are partly based on how ecosystems - such as rainforests - can absorb carbon. But a study looking at data from Queensland forests found that extreme temperatures have caused more tree deaths than growths. Rainforests are usually regarded as so-called "carbon sinks" as they absorb more emissions than they emit with new trees offsetting the carbon released by dead ones. Australia's tropical rainforests have become the first in the world to release more carbon than they absorb, in a trend linked to climate change, a study has found. "Current models may overestimate the capacity of tropical forests to help offset fossil fuel emissions," said Dr Hannah Carle of the Western Sydney University. With fewer new trees, the report found that the trunks and branches of dead trees - known as woody biomass - became carbon emitters, rather than carbon absorbers, about 25 years ago. "Forests help to curb the worst effects of climate change by absorbing some of the carbon dioxide released from burning fossil fuels, but our work shows this is under threat," said Dr Carle. Dr Carle added that said an increase in trees dying in recent decades was due to climate change such as more extreme temperatures, atmospheric dryness and drought. Based on 49 years of data from 20 forests in Queensland, the report also found a rise in the number of cyclones and the severity of them was killing more trees and making it harder for new ones to grow. "We have in this study evidence that Australia's moist tropical forests are the first of their kind globally to to exhibit this [woody biomass] change," Dr Carle said. "And that's really significant. It could be a sort of canary in the coal mine. " Senior author Patrick Meir also described the results as "very concerning", telling news agency AFP that it was "likely that all tropical forests [would] respond fairly similarly" - but added that more data and research would be needed to make a fair assessment. Australia, one of the world's biggest polluters per capita, recently announced its new carbon reduction targets, pledging to cut emissions by at least 62% compared to 2005 levels over the next decade. The country continues to face global criticism for its continued reliance on fossil fuels, with the government allowing one of the country's largest gas projects -Woodside's North West Shelf - to keep operating for another 40 years. Last month, a new report into the impact of climate change found Australia had already reached warming of above 1. 5C and that no community would be immune from "cascading, compounding and concurrent" climate risks

Foul skies, fading light: How air pollution is stealing India's sunshine 1 day ago Share Save Soutik Biswas India correspondent Share Save Hindustan Times via Getty Images India faces a severe air pollution crisis, ranking among the world's top 10 most polluted countries India is losing sunlight. A new study by six Indian scientists finds that over the past three decades, sunshine hours - the time direct sunlight reaches the Earth's surface - have steadily declined across most of India, driven by clouds, aerosols and local weather. Data from 20 weather stations from 1988 to 2018 shows a persistent decline in sunshine hours nationwide, with only the northeast region seeing a mild seasonal reprieve, according to the paper published in Scientific Reports, a peer-reviewed journal published by Nature Portfolio. Scientists from Banaras Hindu University, the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology and the India Meteorological Department report that the steepest annual declines occurred in the northern inland region - notably Amritsar and Kolkata - as well as along the Himalayan belt and the west coast, particularly Mumbai. All of nine India's geograpically diverse regions showed an overall annual decline in sunshine hours, though the rate of decrease varied across India. Monthly analysis revealed significant increases from October to May, followed by sharp drops from June to July in six of the nine regions. This seasonal pattern of sunshine intersects with a deeper, long-standing problem: India's severe air pollution crisis - it's now among the world's top 10 polluted countries - which scientists trace back to the 1990s. Rapid urbanisation, industrial growth and land-use changes drove up fossil fuel use, vehicle emissions and biomass burning, sending aerosols into the atmosphere and dimming the Sun's rays. Getty Images Mumbai's sunshine hours are gradually declining, the scientists found In winter, high air pollution from smog, temperature inversions and crop burning across the Indo-Gangetic plains produces light-scattering aerosols, which reduce sunshine hours. These aerosols - tiny solid or liquid particles from dust, vehicle exhaust, crop burning, and other sources - persist in the air long enough to affect sunlight, climate and health. During June-July, monsoon clouds blanket much of India, sharply reducing sunlight even though aerosol levels are lower than in winter. Scientists note that higher sunshine hours from October to May don't indicate cleaner air; rather, they reflect more cloud-free days. Hazy winter sunlight may scatter or diffuse, lowering intensity without entirely blocking sunshine, which instruments still record as sunshine hours. "Our study found that shrinking sunshine hours are linked to clouds that linger longer without releasing rain, blocking more sunlight. These longer-lasting clouds form indirectly due to aerosols that alter weather and climate," says Manoj Kumar Srivastava, a professor of geophysics at the Banaras Hindu University, and one of the authors of the study. Aerosols have reduced the amount of sunlight reaching the ground in India by about 13%, while clouds accounted for an additional 31-44% drop in surface solar radiation between 1993 and 2022, according to Sachchida Nand Tripathi, an atmospheric scientist at the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Kanpur. These patterns raise concerns for agriculture, daily life and India's solar energy ambitions, while highlighting where solar panels could be most effective. Solar now makes up 47% of India's renewable energy capacity. The government says it's on track for 500GW of renewables by 2030, with more than 100GW of solar installed as of early 2025. But declining sunlight could cast a shadow on the country's solar ambitions. According to Prof Tripathi, air pollution compounds the problem. It reduces solar panel output by 12-41% depending on the type of photovoltaic system - the technology that converts sunlight into electricity - and costs an estimated $245-835m in lost power generation. LightRocket via Getty Images India's solar ambitions could be dimmed by declining sunlight

Red Tractor ad banned for misleading environmental claims 3 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard Climate and science reporter, BBC News Share Save Red Tractor The Red Tractor advert was last shown in 2023 but will now be banned for future use unless it is updated A TV advert by Red Tractor, the UK's biggest certifier of farm products on supermarket shelves, has been banned for exaggerating the scheme's environmental benefits and misleading the public. The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) ruled the organisation had provided "insufficient evidence" that its farms complied with basic environmental laws to substantiate the claims in its ad. Environmental group River Action, which brought the complaint in 2023, said the ruling showed the scheme was "greenwashing" and urged supermarkets to stop using it. But Red Tractor called the watchdog's decision "fundamentally flawed" and argued that the scheme's focus was animal welfare not environmental standards. In 2021, Red Tractor aired an advert in which it said: "From field to store all our standards are met. When the Red Tractor's there, your food's farmed with care. " You can watch it below. Watch: the ad banned by the Advertising Standards Authority The environmental charity River Action took issue with the ad, which ran for a further two years, and complained to the watchdog that it suggested to consumers that Red Tractor farms will "ensure a high degree of environmental protection". The charity pointed to a report by the Environment Agency, released in 2020, which looked at how many breaches of environmental law there were on Red Tractor farms in the previous five years. The report concluded that these farms were "not currently an indicator of good environmental performance". After more than two years of investigation - one of the longest running - the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) upheld the complaint. It said that Red Tractor had failed to provide "sufficient evidence" that its farms met "basic" environmental laws and had a good environmental outcome to substantiate the claims in the ad. It also ruled that as a result the advert was "misleading" and "exaggerated" the benefits of the scheme. River Action welcomed the decision by the ASA and called on supermarkets to act. "What this shows is that for their environmental credentials Red Tractor has been misleading the public and their suppliers," said Amy Fairman, head of campaigns at River Action. "So, we're looking for suppliers like supermarkets to really examine and take stock of what is on their shelves. " She added that challenging such adverts was important because of the risk to the environment from agricultural pollution. In 2022, the Environment Audit Committee concluded that agriculture was one of the most common factors preventing rivers from being in good health - affecting 40% of them. The risks to the environment include from slurry and pesticide runoff. BBC News/Tony Jolliffe Amy Fairman represents environmental charity River Action which campaigns for clean and healthy rivers But Red Tractor, which assures 45,000 farms in the UK, have pushed back strongly, calling the finding by the ASA "fundamentally flawed". Jim Mosley, CEO of Red Tractor, told the BBC: "They believe that we have implied an environmental claim. Nowhere in the voiceover or the imagery is any environmental claim actually made. " He argued that the ASA only found a minority of people would think the advert meant Red Tractor farms had good environmental standards, and in fact the scheme is focused on other issues. "Red Tractor's core purpose is food safety, animal welfare, and traceability. Whilst we have some environmental standards, they are a small part. And as a consequence, we leave that entirely to the Environment Agency to enforce environmental legislation," said Mr Moseley. When asked if that meant Red Tractor does not know if its farms are complying with environmental law, he said: "Correct"

Pictured: Winning entries for Wildlife Photographer of the Year 2025 7 hours ago Share Save Maddie Molloy Climate & Science reporter Share Save Wim van den Heever A brown hyena standing beside the ruins of an abandoned diamond mining settlement has earned wildlife photographer Wim van den Heever the title of Wildlife Photographer of the Year. He set up his camera trap after spotting fresh hyena tracks in the ghost town of Kolmanskop, Namibia. It took him ten years to get the shot, he said. The brown hyena, the rarest of all hyena species, is primarily nocturnal and tends to live a solitary life. For years, Mr van den Heever searched the deserted town, finding only traces of the elusive animal. "I knew they were there, but actually photographing one was just never going to happen," he says he thought. He was awarded the prize at London's Natural History Museum. The annual exhibition dedicated to the competition opens at the Natural History Museum on 17 October. Keep scrolling to explore the full collection of award-winning images. Andrea Dominizi Category: Junior Grand Prize and 15- to 17-year-old winner Title: After the Destruction Photographer: Andrea Dominizi, Italy Location: Lepini Mountains, Lazio, Italy While exploring the Lepini Mountains in central Italy, an area once logged for its old-growth beech trees, Andrea spotted a beetle resting on a cut log beside abandoned machinery. "This photo shows the story and challenge faced by many animal species: habitat loss," he says. "In this case, it's a beetle that loses the tree and the wood it needs to lay its eggs. " Category winners Shane Gross Category: Animals in their Environment Title: Like an Eel out of Water Photographer: Shane Gross, Canada Location: D'Arros Island, Amirante, Seychelles After weeks of patience, last year's winner, Shane Gross, captured peppered moray eels scavenging for carrion at low tide. He spent hours enduring the sun, heat, and flies, waiting where dead fish had washed up. Eventually, three eels appeared. Jamie Smart Category: 10 Years and Under category Title: The Weaver's Lair Photographer: Jamie Smart, UK Location: Mid-Wales, UK On a cold September morning, Jamie Smart discovered an orb-weaver spider curled up inside its silken hideaway. "It's also quite special for me because I get to show something that people are usually afraid of," she says. Sebastian Frölich Category: Wetlands: The Bigger Picture Title: Vanishing Pond Photographer: Sebastian Frölich, Germany Location: Platzertal, Tyrol, Austria Sebastian Frölich visited Austria's Platzertal moorlands, a fragile wetland, to highlight its vital role as a carbon sink and a habitat for diverse wildlife, at a time when Austria has lost 90% of its peat bogs. Lubin Godin Category: 11–14 Years Title: Alpine Dawn Photographer: Lubin Godin, France Location: Col de la Colombière, Haute-Savoie, France During an early ascent, Lubin Godin found an Alpine ibex resting above a sea of clouds. He retraced his steps as the sun broke through and captured the scene before the mist returned. Ralph Pace Category: Underwater Title: Survival Purse Photographer: Ralph Pace, USA Location: Monterey Bay, California, USA Battling strong currents, Ralph Pace captured this image of a swell shark egg case, revealing a glowing embryo, complete with gill slits and a yolk sac. Swell sharks depend on kelp to lay their leathery eggs, making them vulnerable to kelp forest loss. Researchers believe Monterey Bay's kelp has declined by more than 95 per cent in the past 34 years. Philipp Egger Category: Animal Portraits Title: Shadow Hunter Photographer: Philipp Egger, Italy Location: Naturns, South Tyrol, Italy Philipp Egger observed this eagle owl's nest from afar for more than four years. Among the world's largest owls, eagle owls are about twice the weight of buzzards. These nocturnal hunters nest on cliffs or in crevices and often return to the same site for many years. Qingrong Yang Category: Behaviour: Birds Title: Synchronised Fishing Photographer: Qingrong Yang, China Location: Yundang Lake, Fujian Province, China Qingrong Yang captured a ladyfish snatching prey just beneath a little egret's beak. He often visits the lake to document these frenzied feeding moments. Dennis Stogsdill Category: Behaviour: Mammals Title: Cat Amongst the Flamingos Photographer: Dennis Stogsdill, USA Location: Ndutu Lake, Serengeti National Park, Tanzania Caracals are known for their acrobatic leaps to catch birds, but sightings of them hunting flamingos are rare. Jon A Juárez Category: Photojournalism Title: How to Save a Species Photographer: Jon A Juárez, Spain Location: Ol Pejeta, Nanyuki, Laikipia County, Kenya After years following the BioRescue Project, Jon A. Juárez witnessed a breakthrough in rhino conservation, the first successful transfer of a rhino embryo to a surrogate mother. Though the foetus of the southern white rhino, pictured here, did not survive due to infection, the milestone proved that IVF could work for rhinos, bringing scientists closer to saving the critically endangered northern white rhino. The BBC covered this incredible story and you can read about it here. Quentin Martinez Category: Behaviour: Amphibians and Reptiles Title: Frolicking Frogs Photographer: Quentin Martinez, French Guiana Location: Kaw Mountain, French Guiana In heavy rain, Quentin Martinez followed a flooded path to a pool in a forest clearing and captured the metallic sheen of lesser tree frogs gathering to breed. Javier Aznar González de Rueda Category: Photojournalist Story Title: End of the Round-up Photographer: Javier Aznar González de Rueda, Spain Location: USA Across the US, Javier Aznar González de Rueda explored society's conflicted views of rattlesnakes from deep respect to fear and persecution. See the other images in his winning portfolio here. Georgina Steytler Category: Behaviour: Invertebrates Title: Mad Hatterpillar Photographer: Georgina Steytler, Australia Location: Torndirrup National Park, Western Australia Georgina Steytler showcased the gum-leaf skeletoniser caterpillar's strange tower of discarded head capsules. Each moult leaves a capsule behind, forming a stack thought to confuse predators. Audun Rikardsen Category: Oceans: The Bigger Picture Title: The Feast Photographer: Audun Rikardsen, Norway Location: Kvænangen Fjord, Skjervøy, Norway During a polar night in Norway, Audun Rikardsen photographed gulls swarming around a fishing vessel, trying to catch fish trapped in nets. He aims to highlight the conflict between seabirds and the fishing industry. Many birds drown in purse seine nets each year. Chien Lee Chien Lee has been awarded first place in the Plants and Fungi category Category: Plants and Fungi Title: Deadly Allure Photographer: Chien Lee, Malaysia Location: Kuching, Sarawak, Borneo, Malaysia Some carnivorous pitcher plants reflect UV light as part of their display, using colour, scent and nectar to lure prey. To illustrate this, Chien Lee used a long exposure and UV torch. Luca Lorenz Category: Rising Star Title: Watchful Moments Photographer: Luca Lorenz, Germany Location: Germany While Luca Lorenz was photographing mute swans on an urban lake, a coypu photobombed his frame. See his other portfolio images here Simone Baumeister Category: Natural Artistry Title: Caught in the Headlights Photographer: Simone Baumeister, Germany Location: Ibbenbüren, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany On a city bridge, Simone Baumeister photographed an orb-weaver spider silhouetted against traffic lights. By reversing one of the six glass elements in her lens, she created the kaleidoscopic effect, framing the spider. Fernando Faciole Category: Impact Award Winner 2025 & Highly Commended, Photojournalism Title: Orphan of the Road Photographer: Fernando Faciole, Brazil Location: CETAS (Centro de Triagem de Animais Silvestres), Belo Horizonte, Brazil At a rehabilitation centre in Brazil, Fernando Faciole photographed an orphaned giant anteater pup trailing its caregiver. His aim is to show the consequences of road collisions, a major threat to these animals. Alexey Kharitonov Alexey Kharitonov is the winner of the Portfolio Award category

Floods trap people in cars in Spain's Catalonia region La Ràpita is among the towns ravaged by floods Floods caused by torrential rain have left a number of people trapped in vehicles in Spain's north-eastern Catalonia region, officials say. Videos on social media have emerged showing torrents of muddy water sweeping through the towns of La Ràpita and Santa Bàrbara in the Tarragona province, and moving everything in their path. The highest red alert has been declared in the coastal province by Spain's national weather agency AEMET. So far there have been no reports of any deaths or injuries

Your nose gets colder when you're stressed. These thermal images show the change 1 day ago Share Save Victoria Gill Science correspondent, BBC News Share Save Watch science correspondent Victoria Gill put herself through a thermal imaging stress test When I was asked to give an impromptu five-minute speech and then to count backwards in intervals of 17 - all in front of a panel of three strangers - the acute stress was written on my face. That is because psychologists from the University of Sussex were filming this somewhat terrifying experience for a research project that is studying stress using thermal cameras. Stress alters the blood flow in the face, and scientists have discovered that the drop in temperature of a person's nose can be used as a measure of stress levels, and to monitor recovery. Thermal imaging, according to the psychologists behind the study could be a "game changer" in stress research. Kevin Church/BBC The temperature drop in the nose, seen in the thermal image on the right, happens because stress affects our blood flow. The experimental stress test that I subjected myself to is carefully controlled and deliberately designed to be an unpleasant surprise. I arrived at the university with no idea what I was in for. First, I was asked to sit, relax and listen to white noise through a set of headphones. Then, the researcher who was running the test invited a panel of three strangers into the room. They all stared at me silently as the researcher informed that I now had three minutes to prepare a five minute speech about my "dream job". As I felt the heat rise around my neck, the scientists captured my face changing colour through their thermal camera. My nose quickly dropped in temperature - turning blue on the thermal image - as I considered how to bluster my way through this unplanned presentation. (I decided I would take the opportunity to make my pitch to join the astronaut training programme!) The Sussex researchers have carried out this same stress test on 29 volunteers. In each, they saw their nose dip in temperature by between three and six degrees. My nose dropped in temperature by two degrees, as my nervous system pushed blood flow away from my nose and to my eyes and ears - a physical reaction to help me to look and listen for danger. Most participants, like me, recovered quickly; their noses warmed to pre-stressed levels within a few minutes. Lead researcher, Prof Gillian Forrester explained that being a reporter and broadcaster has probably made me "quite habituated to being put in stressful positions". "You are used to the camera and talking with strangers, so you're probably quite resilient to social stressors," she explained. "But even someone like you, trained to be in stressful situations, shows a biological blood flow shift, so that suggests this 'nasal dip' is a robust marker of a changing stress state. " Kevin Church/BBC News The 'nasal dip' happens in just a few minutes when we are acutely stressed Stress is part of life. But this discovery, the scientists say, could be used to help manage harmful levels of stress. "The length of time it takes someone to recover from this nasal dip could be an objective measure of how well somebody regulates their stress," said Prof Forrester. "If they bounce back unusually slowly, could that be a risk marker of anxiety or depression? Is it something that we can do anything about?" Because this technique is non-invasive and measures a physical response, it could also be useful to monitor stress in babies or in people who can't communicate. The second task in my stress assessment was, in my view, even worse than the first. I was asked to count backwards from 2023 in intervals of 17. Someone on the panel of three impassive strangers stopped me every time I made a mistake and asked me to start again. I admit, I am bad at mental arithmetic. As I spent an embarrassing length of time trying to force my brain to perform subtraction, all I could think was that I wanted to flee the increasingly stuffy room. During the research, only one of the 29 volunteers for the stress test did actually ask to leave. The rest, like me, completed their tasks - presumably feeling varying degrees of humiliation - and were rewarded with another calming session of white noise through headphones at the end. Anxious apes Prof Forrester will demonstrate this new thermal stress-measuring method in front of an audience at the New Scientist Live event in London on 18 October. Perhaps one of the most surprising aspects of the approach is that, because thermal cameras measure a physical stress response that is innate in many primates, it can also be used in non-human apes. The researchers are currently developing its use in sanctuaries for great apes, including chimpanzees and gorillas. They want to work out how to reduce stress and improve the wellbeing of animals that may have been rescued from traumatic circumstances. The team has already found that showing adult chimpanzees video footage of baby chimpanzees has a calming effect. When the researchers set up a video screen close to the rescued chimps' enclosure, they saw the noses of animals that watched the footage warm up. So, in terms of stress, watching baby animals playing is the opposite of a surprise job interview or an on-the-spot subtraction task. Gilly Forrester/University of Sussex Chimpanzees and gorillas in sanctuaries may have been rescued from traumatic circumstances Using thermal cameras in ape sanctuaries could prove to be valuable in helping rescued animals to adjust and settle in to a new social group and strange surroundings. "They can't say how they're feeling and they can be quite good at masking how they're feeling," explained Marianne Paisley, a researcher from the University of Sussex who is studying great ape wellbeing. "We've [studied] primates for the last 100 years or so to help us understand ourselves. "Now we know so much about human mental health, so maybe we can use that and give back to them. " So perhaps my own minor scientific ordeal could contribute, in a small way, to alleviating distress in some of our primate cousins