Penny Sarchet

There’s fascinating tech at London’s garden shows – from a mini greenhouse that transported live plants to Victorian England to the arboreal equivalent of smartwatches

Motherdom is the latest book to lay bare the shaky science pressuring parents to perfectly steer their children's development from birth. It's a welcome reality check, finds Penny Sarchet

Science initially struggled to match the pace of the pandemic, leaving people unclear of the best ways to stay safe from the virus, but now we know so much more – which could be essential when the next pandemic hits

A big rethink of our planet’s early years adds to growing fossil, chemical and DNA evidence that Earth was only a few hundred million years old when life began

Science is at last confirming what many people have long suspected - that mammals, birds and perhaps some invertebrates have elements of consciousness

As newer homes are built or older homes are renovated, empty attic spaces are disappearing – this eliminates a vital refuge for birds and bats during a biodiversity crisis

Plants are often celebrated for the parts that are easy to see – flower, leaves, fruit – but scientists are uncovering the secrets of their more mysterious underground networks

It may seem counterintuitive, but trophy hunting leads to a lot of land being protected instead of being used for agriculture or logging – which can ultimately benefit animals

The abundance of wild birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and insects has drastically declined over the past 50 years, but the scale and seriousness of this loss is often lost when we focus on the number of species in an area

The Search for Lost Birds project has already tracked down two species on its top 10 list. But is this focus on a handful of potentially extinct birds really good for conservation?

Orchids seem unique in how they inspire such a devoted following, but why are these much-loved plants so diverse and widespread, wonders Penny Sarchet

Some bird species fly vast distances to enjoy an almost unlimited summer. We are still learning about how they evolved and how they know where to go, finds Penny Sarchet

Shops are stocking up on pumpkins for Halloween. While I haven’t always been a fan of squashes, I’ve been charmed by how such unlikely fruits came to spread worldwide, says Penny Sarchet

Coastal habitats offer many opportunities for nature spotting, from marine mammals like whales and dolphins, to breeding seabirds and rare wildflowers. Here’s how to make the most of your trip to the beach, without harming any wildlife

Gardens are an important habitat for the Western European hedgehog in the UK. Here’s what the science says about how to make your garden more hedgehog-friendly

For the second time in his life, researcher Rommel Rojas Zamora has identified a new species of toad on the campus of the university where he is working

The new-to-science Chiriquí fire salamander was found by a Panamanian team that has been investigating one of the least-explored regions of Central America

Around the world, human-animal conflict is rife in our cities. Yet despite the problems some animals cause, we can’t help but love them.

Recent discoveries of horizontal gene transfer reveal that animals and plants are swapping genes across different species - but how do they do it and what might it mean for evolution?

In this month’s newsletter, Penny Sarchet explains the great divide in flowering plant biology, and marvels at a microscopic snail