The week in wildlife – in pictures

Ants herd aphids to protect them from predators such as ladybirds, wasps and hoverfly larvae in…

The American south-west is running out of water. We’ve known this would happen for years | Kim Heacox and Jimmy Bluefeather

If water is the lifeblood of planet Earth, the American south-west is in big trouble. John…

A US oil company cut nearly 2,000 jobs – and reaped $2.1bn in pandemic benefits

One morning in September, word of layoffs began to spread quickly through Marathon Petroleum’s refinery in…

Octopuses and lobsters have feelings – include them in sentience bill, urge MPs

Octopuses and lobsters have feelings and should be included in the animal sentience bill, a group…

Pollutionwatch: how sources of summertime smog are changing

On 26 July 1943, at the height of the second world war, people in Los Angeles…

‘Orchidelirium’: how a modern-day flower madness is fuelling the illegal trade

John Deer runs a peculiar operation. As Kew Gardens’ security manager it is his job to…

Country diary: I listen for the rapid snort-wheeze of the hedgehogs

I went outside to watch for bats and ended up looking at the stars. With the…

Mysterious coelacanth fish can live for 100 years – study

The coelacanth – a giant, mysterious fish that has survived since the time of the dinosaurs…

GOP crushes Manchin’s hopes for elections compromise

Senate Republicans spent months praising Joe Manchin for his insistence on cross-party compromise. Next week they…

Elise Stefanik’s post on democracy group board sparked a staff uproar

New York Rep. Elise Stefanik, who questioned the legitimacy of the 2020 election and voted against…