Starve or be eaten? For small animals, this challenge must be faced every day. Searching for food is a risky business, and small animals must balance their need to eat as much as possible against the risk of being eaten themselves. New research from Western Sydney University shows how mice, and likely other small prey, resolve this problem with the help of an energy-saving mechanism known as torpor.

Nobody had any clue. There was certainly no warning. It’s part of the picture that now suggests a sudden failure in the west-southwest flank of the Anak Krakatau volcano was a significant cause of Saturday’s devastating tsunami in the Sunda Strait.

A year ago, experts warned that the UK could face a mountain of waste plastic as China imposed a ban on waste imports.

The first full assessment of risks to the world’s coffee plants shows that 60% of 124 known species are on the edge of extinction.

In the first study of its kind, research by Oregon State University scientists shows that the return of large terrestrial carnivores can lead to improved stream structure and function.

Human-dominated landscapes are one of the most rapidly expanding and least-understood ecosystems on Earth. Historically, in urban areas, landowners convert native plant communities into habitats dominated by non-native species. While less susceptible to pest damage and demanding less maintenance, non-native plants are extremely poor at supporting insects — critical food for higher order consumers like birds.