Writing the summary…
Severe drought declared and hosepipe bans in force - is your area affected?

Original reporting
BBC Science: read the full reportFollow this story
Earlier reports and follow-ups on the same developing story.
Related stories

Was Neanderthal life violent? This wound suggests lethal fighting was more common
A 75,000-year-old Neanderthal spear wound may be evidence violence shaped human life far earlier than thought.

£15m for zero-emission testing at Belfast Harbour
It comes after a £15m investment from UK Research and Innovation's Local Innovation Partnerships Fund.

Sheep are disappearing from our hills - and our dinner plates
Have we have passed "peak sheep" in the UK?
Mysterious brain activity under anesthesia challenges what we know about consciousness
Even under general anesthesia, the human brain can analyze language, recognize different types of words, and predict what comes next in a story, according to a surprising discovery by Baylor researchers. The findings challenge our understanding of consciousness and suggest that the unconscious brain is far more capable than scientists previously realized.
Arctic sea ice hits another troubling low in 2026
Arctic sea ice is shrinking in both winter and summer, with satellite records revealing that the region's remaining ice is becoming thinner, younger, and more vulnerable to melting. Despite a recent slowdown in summer losses, scientists warn that the Arctic could experience a nearly ice-free summer before 2050.
A fungus is threatening the world’s food supply. Scientists just found a new defense
Scientists have discovered a potential new weapon against a devastating fungus that threatens rice, wheat, and barley worldwide. By engineering a special type of plant immune receptor, researchers created defenses capable of recognizing multiple fungal threats at once. The breakthrough could eventually lead to crops with powerful, long-lasting disease resistance, helping protect a global food supply increasingly threatened by spreading infections and climate change.