More than 20 states reported temperatures above 100F as heat dome sits over eastern US during holiday weekend
At least about two dozen people have died amid the perilous climate crisis-driven heatwave that has scorched swaths of the US with record temperatures.
As a huge heat dome sits over the county’s eastern half, extreme heat gripped millions of people in the days leading up to the US’s semiquincentennial on Saturday – and beyond it. More than 20 states experienced have reported stifling temperatures more than 100F (38C), marring celebrations. And more than 140 million people remained under active heat alerts across the US on Sunday.
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Breaking Waves: Ocean News
07/05/2026 - 13:49
07/05/2026 - 10:00
Mining minister Dale Last says the state has an ‘enormous opportunity’ to become a global leader in critical minerals
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Queenslanders are being warned they could be left to pay for the clean up of abandoned mines if rehabilitation laws are weakened, after the state government announced a bid to cut environmental “red tape” for resources companies.
The state’s treasurer, David Janetzki, and the mining minister, Dale Last, this week announced a review of a scheme that requires resources companies to provide surety to cover remediation and rehabilitation costs when mines close.
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07/05/2026 - 10:00
Grazier is worried towns will ‘run out of water’ if flows don’t improve, urging state government to take action regardless of federal funds
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A New South Wales government plan to improve river flows after catastrophic fish deaths in the northern Murray-Darling Basin is in doubt, after the federal government refused a $360m funding request.
But environment advocates and experts say the NSW government must act on its promise to restore the Darling-Baaka river – and follow through on recommendations from its own expert panel – with one landholder warning of further fish kills as soon as next summer.
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07/05/2026 - 08:00
As Britain reached its hottest June temperature on record, readers recall the summer when temperatures hit 36C
The recent heatwave in the UK broke the previous June record of 35.6C, recorded during the 1976 heatwave.
In Lingwood, Norfolk, a provisional temperature of 37.7C was recorded on Friday 26 June, breaking the previous record reached on 28 June 1976 and on 29 June 1957.
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07/05/2026 - 06:00
Finding that Norfolk butterfly has been distinct subspecies for 200,000 years could transform conservation approach
The endangered swallowtail butterfly Papilio machaon britannicus, which is only regularly found breeding in Britain on the Norfolk Broads, has been a distinct subspecies for at least 200,000 years, according to a study.
Smaller, darker in colour and much rarer than the continental swallowtail, britannicus was previously considered to have developed its distinctive form during its confinement in the wetlands of eastern England over the last 8,000 years, after the flooding of Doggerland.
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07/04/2026 - 23:00
Huge numbers of blackchin tilapia, a fish native to west Africa, are wreaking havoc among Thailand’s river ecosystems. Experts – and some chefs – are seeking sustainable solutions
The menu at Kor-Tae seafood restaurant, in Thailand’s Samut Prakan province, is filled with Thai classics – from tom yum talay, a fragrant hot and sour soup, to spicy larb salads. But the restaurant’s chef is also experimenting with a more controversial ingredient: blackchin tilapia.
“People are hesitant, but once they try it – [they say] it’s delicious,” says owner Adisorn Jamsuksaward, who has been offering the non-native fish free of charge to friends who request it.
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07/04/2026 - 15:00
Exclusive: Most of the island’s corals are likely to be species that have not been formally described by science, researcher says
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Scientists fear unique corals that fringe Australia’s remote Norfolk Island could disappear because of a triple threat of disease, El Niño and a federal government plan to dredge a neighbouring shipping channel.
A failure to manage sediment and pollution washing into bays from cattle farming, cleared land along with wastewater has been blamed for widespread disease and outbreaks of algae over the corals.
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07/04/2026 - 09:00
This summer, Yosemite national park has been rife with traffic jams and throngs of visitors. Can these popular national treasures withstand a future of strained resources?
On a crisp, sunny morning at the end of June, dappled light filtered through the canopy of an ancient grove of giant sequoias, casting a tranquil backdrop for a mule deer as it ambled across the trail. Families from around the world gazed up at the towering trees in awe, speaking in hushed tones and different languages.
Experiences like these draw more than 4 million people to Yosemite national park each year. But as an increasing number of visitors come to take in the dramatic vistas, camp under the stars or feel the mist cascading off its thundering waterfalls, Yosemite’s landscapes are being pushed to their limits.
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07/04/2026 - 06:00
Cornell Lab for Ornithology plans data linkup between app and population monitoring on eBird platform
The Merlin bird ID app will allow users to feed real-time bird identifications into one of the world’s biggest citizen-science biodiversity projects in an update it is hoped will aid conservation of at-risk birds.
Since 2021, the free Merlin app, created by the Cornell Lab for Ornithology, has used machine learning to provide an almost instantaneous sound-identification service for birdsong, along with an image for each bird identified. In future, the detections of bird species recorded by people will be automatically collected on the global online database eBird, which contains more than 2bn bird observation records.
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07/04/2026 - 06:00
Shifting demands and political ideology have left the industry vulnerable to global competition from cheap Chinese cars
Earlier this month, an intriguing new Detroit-based electric vehicle startup hit the market – Slate Auto, a Jeff Bezos-backed venture offering something US buyers rarely see these days – a pick up truck billed as “affordable”.
Its base price is $24,950, making it one of the lowest-cost autos in the US market and close to half the price of the average new vehicle. But as the US contends with sharply rising auto costs, even Slate may be getting left behind in the global electric vehicle (EV) transition. The global EV industry is entering a golden age powered by cheap Chinese cars that can be bought for as little as $10,000.
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