The main system that helps determine the weather over Northern Europe and North America may be changing, research suggests. The study shows that the so-called jet stream has increasingly taken a longer, meandering path. This has resulted in weather remaining the same for more prolonged periods…According to Prof Jennifer Francis of Rutgers University in New Jersey: “This does seem to suggest that weather patterns are changing and people are noticing that the weather in their area is not what it used to be.” The meandering jet stream has accounted for the recent stormy weather over the UK and the bitter winter weather in the US Mid-West remaining longer than it otherwise would have. “We can expect more of the same and we can expect it to happen more frequently,” says Prof Francis.

A dataset, described as the largest of it kind to date, has assessed the impact of urbanisation on biodiversity levels around the globe. It found that cities supported far fewer species of birds and plants compared with similar areas of undeveloped land. However, it showed the vast majority of flora and fauna in a city reflected an area’s “unique biotic heritage”…”While we show that urbanisation has caused cities to lose large numbers of plants and animals, the good news is that cities still retain endemic native species, which opens the door for new policies on regional and global biodiversity conservation,” said co-author Myla Aronson, a research scientist from Rutgers University, in the US state of New Jersey. “In particular, the study highlights the value of green spaces in cities, which have become important refuges for native species and migrating wildlife.”

It could help unlucky holiday makers detect these unwelcome travel companions before an infestation takes hold. Experimenters from the Department of Entomology compared a new "pitfall" trap design with the current market leader, a shallower-sid…