Levels of toxic PCB chemicals found at 30 times ‘safe’ limits in stranded whales

Studies of cetaceans stranded in UK waters show high levels of toxins 20 years since global ban of most PCBs, say scientists

The nature cure: how time outdoors transforms our memory, imagination and logic

Without engaging with natural environments, our brains cease to work well. As the new field of environmental neuroscience proves, exposure to nature isn’t a luxury – it’s a necessity

Walk the walk: the app mapping 140,000 miles of public right of way

Community-based, Slow Ways has verified 60% of a network of pedestrian-friendly routes across Great Britain

‘You go to a job and it’s absolutely alive with rats or bedbugs’: on the road with a pest controller

It’s boom time in the world of extermination. With rodents rampaging through hospitals and bedbug infestations up 65%, one seasoned pro has never been busier. Our writer tags along to find out why

Everything from our sleep to our hormones relies on the dark. So why are we so intent on destroying it?

Humans have always feared the night – and now we are wiping it out, one streetlight at a time. That’s terrible news for our bodies and minds – and the rest of nature

A moment that changed me: I had a heart attack at 37 – so I went to live in a cave

I wanted to heal and thought the Colorado wilderness was the best place to do it. So I began six months of hunting and foraging, with a pile of leaves for a bed

‘Change is in the air’: a stay at a rewilding project in Yorkshire

The Broughton estate dates back to a time when wolves still roamed England. Now they are working to restore this ancient landscape – and provide a sanctuary for guests to recharge

How Roger Deakin’s love of water inspired me

The great nature writer and outdoor swimmer has been a huge inspiration to many with his focus on ponds, lakes and rivers

Climate crisis is ‘not gender neutral’: UN calls for more policy focus on women

Only a third of countries with climate crisis plans include access to sexual, maternal and newborn health services, UNFPA report finds

Wet UK summer brings high hopes for spectacular autumn display

National Trust predicts reversal of last year’s dull October and November, with show starting in Scotland