Chemicals and particles in our atmosphere can have a catastrophic impact on animals, plants and humans. But what are the causes of air pollution?

A round-up of the strangest science stories from around the world.

Britain is a country mercifully bereft of threatening fauna–or so you might believe. John Lewis-Stempel provides a miscellany of our otherwise benign land’s more fearsome critters

Clear quartz, cold to the touch, but burning to the skin, hinted at great healing and scrying powers, especially when fashioned into a sphere. The Antiques Roadshow jewellery specialist Geoffrey Munn has a talisman of his own

As co-head of the UK jewellery department at Bonhams, Kate Flitcroft works with many rare and valuable gemstones. Among the many jewels she’s encountered, she’s captivated by carved emeralds from the

Amazing answers to your curious questions