Roadsides could be doing more for wildlife than we realise. New research suggests that small changes to how these spaces are managed may have a surprisingly big impact.
Hattie graduated with her Master’s in Science degree in Palaeontology with Geology in May 2024 at the University of Birmingham. During her time at University, she completed an internship for the Jurassic Coast Trust, Dorset, which involved significance assessments of fossils as well as interpretive writing based on these fossils.
She was a volunteer for three years with the Natural History Museum in Oxford, where she completed two projects. This included cataloguing the John Eddowes Bowman Collection and Mammals of the Pleistocene of the Upper Thames Valley. Hattie’s obsession with fossil teeth may have started due to these projects. She then went on to boost science communication efforts for the collection’s hidden stories.
As an Editor at YourWeather, she is excited to share her enthusiasm for all things science. Palaeontology will always be her childhood passion, and you will never find her happier than being covered in mud on Charmoth beach searching for ammonites.
News by Hattie Russell
Hidden among the cloud forests of the Dominican Republic, a tiny and distinctive beetle has revealed a surprising story about biodiversity, evolution, and the island’s natural history.
New research into ancient livestock bones in Madagascar reveals clues about how cattle, sheep and goats may have reshaped ecosystems, forests and native wildlife following their arrival 1,200 years ago.
A giant volcanic eruption in Chile has given scientists a rare glimpse into the ancient Andes, revealing clues about how the mountains formed and changed over millions of years.
Scientists have discovered how ancient armoured fish used surprisingly different jaws to hunt and crush prey more than 400 million years ago, revealing new clues about early evolution.
New research reveals that a dog’s breakfast could influence more than its appetite, potentially affecting how accurately trained dogs detect scents and identify the smells they’re searching for.
What does a rock legend have to do with a mysterious snake from New Guinea? The answer is stranger than you might expect—and it all begins with Slash and his lifelong love of reptiles.
Ancient manuscripts like the York Gospels are revealing the 3,500-year history of sheeppox virus, offering scientists new clues about livestock disease, evolution and outbreaks across Europe.
Some stars survive being pulled close to supermassive black holes, but their repeated bursts of light get weaker. New research suggests the star’s spin could explain why.
What if everything we thought we knew about our human ancestors was wrong? New research is challenging the way we classify our evolutionary family—and it could completely change our understanding of where we came from.
What if restoring the world’s forests didn’t mean planting millions of trees? New research suggests simply giving nature room to recover could deliver major climate and biodiversity benefits—at a fraction of the cost.
Dinosaurs are known for their enormous size, but scientists have uncovered a surprising mystery about why some dinosaurs never became truly tiny, revealing clues about their evolution.
Scientists suggest protecting key animal species could play a crucial role in tackling biodiversity loss, with new research saying there is still time to prevent a sixth mass extinction.
Scientists studying exceptionally rare Neanderthal infant fossils have uncovered surprising evidence that challenges long-held assumptions about our ancient relatives, raising intriguing new questions about what really set them apart.
A major biodiversity study has found that species facing greater extinction risk are more likely to show local declines over time, offering researchers a potential early-warning tool for conservation efforts.
New research suggests Earth’s earliest complex life forms lived in shallow, oxygen-rich coastal seas around 1.7 billion years ago. The findings challenge previous theories and offer new clues about life’s evolution.
Scientists have gathered unprecedented evidence showing how surface melting may accelerate Antarctic glacier movement, offering new insights into ice loss and its potential consequences in a warming world.
Scientists have identified a newly discovered hamster-sized mammal species from 75 million years ago, offering rare clues about how small, adaptable ancestors may have survived the extinction that doomed the dinosaurs.
Researchers have uncovered a giant new dinosaur species in Thailand, believed to be the largest ever found in Southeast Asia, shedding new light on the region’s prehistoric past and ancient wildlife.
Scientists discovered fossils showing ancient octopuses were enormous, intelligent apex predators with powerful bites. The finding reshapes ideas about prehistoric oceans and reveals that octopuses evolved complex behaviour far earlier than expected.