BBC Science features a range of investigations into the natural world, cutting-edge research, studies, and investigative stories, while also highlighting Artemis II's first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years.
Who Decides
BBC Innovation describes investigations into the natural world and presents cutting-edge research, studies, and investigative stories from around the planet. The page functions as a gateway to scientific coverage, gathering multiple topics under one institutional frame.
Among those topics is Artemis II, which is highlighted with stunning images capturing its launch for the first crewed mission around the Moon in more than 50 years. The mission has left Earth orbit and is on track for the far side of the Moon.
What It Costs the People
The BBC says Artemis II marks the first time humans have been taken out of Earth's orbit since 1972. Mission control for Artemis II, which monitors every instrument from Earth, is also detailed, with changes since the Apollo missions noted in the coverage.
An emotional moment during the Artemis II blast-off was described with the phrase, "We go for all humanity." The wording places the mission in a universal frame, even as the technical operation remains managed from Earth.
The BBC's science coverage also includes the ancient reason for 60 minutes in an hour, discussed on March 20, 2026, and deep cave bacteria resistant to modern medicine, reported on March 18, 2026. A Higgs boson breakthrough was noted as a UK triumph, though British physics faces "catastrophic" cuts, as reported on March 26, 2026.
The Wider Frame
Earth's "spectacular and remote 'capital' of lightning" was featured on March 25, 2026, with storms occurring between 140 and 160 nights annually. An inventor revealed a one-ball successor to a viral bike, and giant tortoises returned to the Galápagos island after nearly 200 years.
Slow-motion footage revealed secrets of snake bites, and the question of how rollercoasters hold so much weight was explored. Research on how defying ageism can contribute to living longer was published on January 22, 2026. Procedures for evacuating a doomed space station quickly were discussed on January 15, 2026.
The ultra-cold temperatures required for epic nuclear science were examined on January 12, 2026. An unusual tennis competition pitting amateurs against professionals in one-point matches was launching at the Australian Open, as reported on January 9, 2026. The unseen damage from heading a ball in sport was detailed on January 6, 2026.
Nasa's Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft rolled back to the pad for a possible April launch on March 20, 2026, in preparation for sending astronauts around the Moon for the first time in over 50 years. A Nasa spacecraft, the Van Allen Probe, weighing 1,300lb, re-entered Earth's atmosphere on March 12, 2026, with a low risk of people being struck by surviving components. Nasa announced a change to its Moon landing plans on February 27, 2026, adding an extra mission to its Artemis program before landing astronauts on the Moon.
Evidence suggesting that the first writing may be 40,000 years earlier than previously thought was reported on February 26, 2026. Intriguing finds that could solve the mystery of women in a medieval cemetery were reported on January 1, 2026.
BBC Science's coverage brings together research, space exploration, and institutional change. Artemis II is presented as a historic mission beyond Earth's orbit, while the page also records cuts to British physics and a broad range of studies and investigations from around the world.