5 d. ago Shrinking states: a positive future with fewer people? – podcast

The fertility rate in England and Wales has fallen for the third year in a row – a trend mirrored across the world, with two-thirds of the global population now living in countries with below-replacement-level fertility. In the second episode of a two-part series, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dean Spears, assistant professor of economics at the University of Texas at Austin, and Dr Jennifer Sciubba, chief executive of the Population Reference Bureau, to ask whether declining birth rates are really something to worry about – and how societies can adapt to a future with fewer children.Watch the new Guardian documentary Between Moon TidesListen to episode one: are we on a path to depopulation?Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Politics

7 d. ago Between Moon Tides: hacking nature to save the saltmarsh sparrow documentary

Sea levels are rising in New England at some of the fastest rates in the world. On a quiet ribbon of saltmarsh in Rhode Island, septuagenarian Deirdre isn’t prepared to accept the loss of her beloved saltmarsh sparrow - the species is facing extinction before 2050 due to elevated high tides inundating nests and drowning fledgling birds. Leading a team of citizen scientists, Deirdre unravels the secret to finding delicate nests amid thick marsh grass, while they design and deploy a low-cost ‘ark’ to try to raise the sparrow nests to safety. Continue reading...

Culture

7 d. ago ‘A little bit of joy’: can tiny rafts save endangered sparrows from rising seas?

In Rhode Island, a small team of researchers and volunteers is fighting, against the odds, to save saltmarsh sparrows from extinction as their chicks drown in ever higher tides• Photographs by Jason JaacksKnee-deep in water, the young man lifts his arms. His wrists are grabbed, next his ankles, then he feels himself flying through the air, nearly horizontal, before plunging into New England’s pungent tidal waters.Grinning and still dripping, he receives a homemade certificate documenting his induction into the Needle in a Haystack Society. Continue reading...

Politics

1 week ago Kate Middleton just stepped out in the chicest tweed jacket and shirt combo

Today, Kate Middleton joined Prince William on a visit to the Natural History Museum, wearing a Ralph Lauren green hacking jacket, a white shirt, smart black tailored trousers and brown flats.

Politics

1 week ago Kate Middleton can't stop wearing this trending jacket style

Today, Kate Middleton joined Prince William on a visit to the Natural History Museum, wearing a Ralph Lauren green hacking jacket, a white shirt, smart black tailored trousers and brown flats.

Politics

1 week ago A beginner's guide to eclipse season: Why it triggers big life changes

Next week, the full moon in Pisces may flood us with a tide of revelations we didn’t ask for, which could equal major life changes. Sade the Astrology Vixen tells you how to proceed...

Politics

1 week ago Banish yellow stains from pillows in minutes using 1 natural item

The 'genius' hack uses a natural product and promises to get your pillows looking new again.

Politics

2 w. ago A beginner's guide to eclipse season: What the full moon in Pisces means for your star sign

Next week, the full moon in Pisces may flood us with a tide of revelations we didn’t ask for, which could equal major life changes. Sade the Astrology Vixen tells you how to proceed...

Politics

3 w. ago I'm 58 but look 30 thanks to my cheap 'natural Botox' hack... cruel trolls say I'm deluded

Edson Brandao, a longevity influencer from Teresina in Brazil , has repeatedly claimed he hasn't gone under the knife to achieve his youthful looks.

Politics