Humanity

Humanity

The beavers returning to the desert
As we head towards the end of another extraordinary year, BBC Future is taking a look back at some of our favourite stories for our "Best of 2021" collection. Discover more of our picks here.
By Gu Wei Di Qi3 years ago in FYI
The unlikely protector against Bangladesh's rising seas
Nothing could have prepared Mohammed Shah Nawaz Chowdhury for the sobering reality of Kutubdia Island. The island, off the coast of southern Bangladesh, was rapidly eroding into the sea, causing both land and life to retreat. Many packed up and moved. Those who couldn't, stayed – inching back, as the island they had called home for generations changed around them. "These were families I had gotten to know, trust and respect," he says. "It regularly moved me to tears."
By Lonetoft3 years ago in FYI
7 Really Deadly Experiments
As with any field, there are plenty of misconceptions when it comes to science. Many people have a warped view of what scientists do, believing them to be mad scientists locked away in dark labs putting themselves and others at risk on a daily basis. While there may be some truth behind the caricatures, science is actually a fairly safe occupation with strict regulation surrounding experiments and testing procedures. However, that doesn’t mean that all experiments conducted by scientists are entirely risk-free. From the first documented experiment (on dropping objects from tall buildings) to more recent examples, there have been numerous experiments that could have gone horribly wrong – fortunately for us all, they didn’t, for the most part. Here are 7 really deadly experiments that were conducted by people who should have known better…
By PP3 years ago in FYI
1978, the Australian pilot disappeared strangely
01. Strange flight Time coordinates: October 21, 1978 Location Coordinates: Over Bass Strait, Australia It was just a busy working day for Fred, a pilot who had just turned 20 years old.
By Venus3 years ago in FYI
What kind of country is Poland?
"He who always asks for directions does not get lost." This is a famous Polish proverb, which speaks of Poland's strong nationalist sentiment and its difficult modern history of climbing up the parasitic ladder.
By Lu Na Ba3 years ago in FYI
Why climate lawsuits are surging
David Schiepek, a student from the southern German state of Bavaria, has been involved in climate activism for around three years. "After all this time fighting, protesting and talking to politicians, I was losing hope a bit," the 20-year-old says. "I feel like my future is being taken away."
By Udley3 years ago in FYI
The environmental case for buying a coal mine
ne day, the Swedish energy company Vattenfall decided to divest itself from a particularly dirty form of coal extraction in Germany, so it advertised that its mines were for sale. It would get an offer from a totally unexpected party.
By Baru Ku3 years ago in FYI
Why the Dutch embrace floating homes
hen a heavy storm hit in October, residents of the floating community of Schoonschip in Amsterdam had little doubt they could ride it out. They tied up their bikes and outdoor benches, checked in with neighbours to ensure everyone had enough food and water, and hunkered down as their neighborhood slid up and down its steel foundational pillars, rising along with the water and descending to its original position after the rain subsided.
By Holy horse3 years ago in FYI
The animals that detect disasters
n 2004, a tsunami triggered by a 9.1 magnitude undersea quake off Indonesia decimated coastal communities around the Indian Ocean, killing at least 225,000 people across a dozen countries. The huge death toll was in part caused by the fact that many communities received no warning.
By Udley3 years ago in FYI
The Illinois town that got up and left
In the summer of 1993, the southwestern Illinois town of Valmeyer took the brunt of a massive flood when, not once but twice in a month, the swollen Mississippi River topped its levee system. The village was engulfed in up to 16ft (5m) of floodwater that lingered for months, damaging some 90% of buildings.
By Udley3 years ago in FYI
The forgotten medieval habit of 'two sleeps'
It was around 23:00 on 13 April 1699, in a small village in the north of England. Nine-year-old Jane Rowth blinked her eyes open and squinted out into the moody evening shadows. She and her mother had just awoken from a short sleep.
By Udley3 years ago in FYI
Success favors those who dare to fight
How can young people mess around, if young people mess around, others will say you and don't want to make progress. I also thought how can I get along at such a young age, squandering the good years of my youth, I can't bear it, I'm sorry to my parents, so I forge ahead desperately, but young people can't be too enthusiastic, otherwise some people will say that young people are Love is excited, I don't know how high the sky is, and some people will say, I haven't dared to do that thing for so many years, and he still dares to try, stunned... If he did something wrong, these people will say again, young, it seems I was born to be rejuvenated. If everyone is so mature and cautious, what is the division of spring and autumn, old and young, and what to do! Remember that when you are old, you must learn how to communicate with people of different ages, and if you can't, you must try to do it: be humble to the old, and follow the instructions of the young.
By Germon Gates3 years ago in FYI