Planet Earth

Illustration of a comet striking Earth

Did a huge comet impact ignite civilisation on Earth as we know it?

How many oceans are there? We'll give you a clue: it's not 4 © Getty Images

There are five oceans now, not four. A marine biologist explains why that matters…

Deep-sea mountains: Earth’s unexplored ecosystems that are teeming with life © Deep Sea Fish Ecology Lab/Astrid Leitner/Jeff Drazon/Soest/Deepccz Expedition

Deep-sea mountains: Earth’s unexplored ecosystems that are teeming with life

Earth Core © Getty

Scientists have measured how Earth’s core grows (and found something really strange)

Is the weight of the Earth changing? © Getty Images

Is the weight of the Earth changing?

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All eyes open: 20 sublime images from the Nature Through The Lens photography competition

An incredibly rare black panther (Panthera pardus) photographed in Laikipia Country, Kenya. The photographer spent more than a year photographing leopards in this location using a high-quality camera trap system that was developed to snap elusive and nocturnal wildlife. Prior to this project, a black panther had not been scientifically documented in Africa for more than 100 years.

The rare black panther not seen in Africa for 100 years: Sony World Photography Awards 2021

TAKOMA PARK, MD - MAY 10: The empty shell of a periodical cicada nymph clings to a tree after the adult insect molted on May 10, 2021 in Takoma Park, Maryland. Once soil temperatures reach about 64°F, billions and billions of these periodical cicadas -- members of Brood X -- will emerge in fifteen states and the District of Columbia after living underground for 17 years. The cicadas will emerge, molt, mate, lay eggs and die within a matter of weeks. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)

In pictures: Brood X cicadas emerge after 17 years underground

Maggots and kelp must be on the menu to curb global malnutrition

Maggots and kelp must be on the menu to curb global malnutrition

How do tsunamis form? © Getty Images

How do tsunamis form?

Frozen lakes and underground waterfalls: Inside one of the world's deepest caves © Robbie Shone

Frozen lakes and underground waterfalls: Inside the Dark Star deep cave system

Climate 'tipping points' can be reversed – but only if we act quickly © Getty Images

Climate ‘tipping points’ can be reversed, suggests new research – but only if we act urgently

21st-Century technology recreates the landscape of a 275-year-old battle © Getty Images

3D scanning gives new insight into 275-year-old Jacobite battlefield

Underpants hanging on a washing line

Scientists are burying 2,000 pairs of underpants in Switzerland

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21 incredible pictures from the Bird Photographer of the Year 2021