Britain’s David Attenborough Enjoys a Moment as His ‘Blue Planet Ii’ Takes a Hard Look at Ocean Pollution

via The Washington Post
via The Washington Post
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Britain’s David Attenborough Enjoys a Moment as His ‘Blue Planet Ii’ Takes a Hard Look at Ocean Pollution

via The Washington Post
via The Washington Post

The most-watched television program in Britain last year was not a singing competition, a period costume drama or even a baking show. It was a nature program about gender-bending fish and dolphins that like to surf.

The seven-part BBC documentary, presented by a beloved nonagenarian naturalist, was not unalloyed entertainment, though. It also zeroed in on the disastrous impact of plastic waste in the world’s oceans, spurring government ministers to vow remedial action.

“Blue Planet II” enthralled British viewers, who lit up social media on Sunday nights with their favorite moments from the latest episode. The sumptuously shot series, which begins airing on BBC America on Jan. 20, took four years to make, with filmmakers traveling to every continent and every ocean.

It could be that “the moment is right” for a documentary on the state of the oceans, said Sir David Attenborough, the show’s human star, in a recent interview at the BBC’s gleaming offices in central London. “There are people worldwide talking about what we are doing about the seas.”

It also could be that the grandfatherly Attenborough is just the right man to deliver the message. At 91, he is a British national treasure — something like Jacques Cousteau, Carl Sagan and Jane Goodall rolled into one.

In person, Attenborough, who was knighted in 1985 and is called “Sir David” by BBC colleagues, is a master storyteller. He has a shock of white hair and bright blue eyes, and he speaks with the same distinctive cadence and whispered confidences — whether about leaking submersibles or wondrous salamanders — that have entranced British viewers for decades.

He is also a born broadcaster, his velvety voice propelling footage of tool-using tusk fish and giant trevally fish that catch birds in midair.

Some of Attenborough’s previous programs have drawn criticism for pulling punches about human threats to the environment. Martin Hughes-Games, a fellow BBC producer, has argued that in one series, the footage was so jaw-dropping that it lulled viewers into a “false sense of security.”

“Blue Planet II,” a sequel to a 2001 series about marine life, is different. It features fish with transparent heads and a nail-
biting chase scene involving a crab, eel and octopus that will make you think twice about your next frolic in shallow seas. But it also directly addresses plastic pollution, overfishing and climate change.

Attenborough insists that the BBC did not set out to make an “ax-grinding program.” But, he added, “If you come across the situation that we have come across, you can’t just say, ‘Well, we don’t like that because it’s an uncomfortable or awkward truth.’ ”

That hard-hitting approach appears to have struck a chord in Britain, where several media outlets are running campaigns aimed at reducing marine plastic pollution — an estimated 9 million tons of plastic ends up in the sea each year. The issue also has risen to the top of the global agenda. In December, 193 nations signed a U.N. resolution pledging to stop plastic waste from entering the sea.

Michael Gove, Britain’s environment secretary, said that he was “haunted” by “Blue Planet II” and that his department is looking at the possibilities of “bottle deposit return schemes, greater access to water fountains and incentives to encourage reusable coffee cups.” Britain recycles less plastic than many other European countries, including Norway and Germany.

Attenborough, who says he personally has swapped out plastic water bottles for a Thermos, is optimistic that a solution to the plastics problem can be found. “If we are clever enough to be able to invent it, surely we should be clever enough to be able to think of ways of destroying it,” he said.

If part of the solution, as the series implies, is for a concerted global effort, what does Attenborough make of President Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement?

“It would be absurd to say it didn’t have an impact,” he said. “It’s the most powerful nation on Earth, so of course it matters a lot.”

But at the same time, he said, “it is against the tide of human interests. I mean, China, for heaven’s sake — India is behind it. The world is becoming aware of this.”

“Blue Planet II” was also a hit with critics, who have called it “astonishing,” “awe-inspiring” and “playing a different sport from most of what makes it onto our screens.”

Attenborough has worked at the BBC since 1950, including eight years as controller of BBC Two. Although he brushes off the suggestion that he is a national treasure — “Who says? I mean, it isn’t voted for,” he said — it is a fact that he has played a formidable role in encouraging audiences worldwide to care about the natural world. (It is also a fact that people do vote for Attenborough: When Britons were recently asked which “ethical champion” they would like to see featured on the new 20-pound note, his name came out on top.)

As a young boy, he collected fossils and later studied zoology at Cambridge University. He joined the BBC when he was 24, although his first appearance on television was not an overwhelming success.

In his memoir, “Life on Air,” the veteran broadcaster recalled discovering a note a producer wrote after his debut saying that Attenborough was “intelligent and promising” but not to be used again on air because “his teeth are too big.”

He went on to write and present numerous award-winning natural history documentaries, along the way inspiring generations of science lovers and wildlife filmmakers — including James Honeyborne, executive producer of “Blue Planet II.”

Honeyborne, who has worked with Attenborough for 25 years, describes the latter’s working style as “very exact and very scientifically accurate, but he also wants to tell you a story, so he will put it into words that really help that storytelling experience.

“The audience over here finds it very engaging,” he said.

Attenborough no longer accompanies every shoot in the field. In “Blue Planet II,” he appears on screen in only two episodes, including an introduction shot on the bow of a ship off Florida — he jokingly called it his “Titanic” scene. For the commentary, recorded in studios in Britain, he was given the film and a script, which he then rewrote in his own words.

Attenborough lives in Richmond, a leafy London suburb, with his daughter, Susan; his wife, Jane, died in 1997. He has a slight hobble in his gait but continues to travel the globe for work and says he has no plans to retire.

“Why? I’m having fun; I’m having a great time. It’s a fantastic privilege,” he said.

He also is enjoying something of a moment, being at the crest of a wave.

“Some of us have been going on, saying it’s criminal the way we have been treating the oceans. We have been bleating on about this for a decade with no effect,” he said.

“But it has a cumulative effect,” he said, “and this is the moment that is the payoff.”

The Washington Post



Fierce Winds Stoke Fires, Send Temperatures Soaring in Australia and New Zealand 

People stand near a jetty amid a stormy weather in Melbourne on October 22, 2025. (AFP)
People stand near a jetty amid a stormy weather in Melbourne on October 22, 2025. (AFP)
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Fierce Winds Stoke Fires, Send Temperatures Soaring in Australia and New Zealand 

People stand near a jetty amid a stormy weather in Melbourne on October 22, 2025. (AFP)
People stand near a jetty amid a stormy weather in Melbourne on October 22, 2025. (AFP)

Wild, hot winds swept across Australia and New Zealand on Wednesday, fueling wildfires and sending spring temperatures soaring past 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) in parts of Sydney.

Australia's weather bureau said a powerful mass of hot air that built up over the country’s outback on Tuesday was now moving across the southeast of the country and bringing an early heatwave.

Wind gusts of up to 100 kph (62 mph) raised bushfire threats and forced authorities to issue several total fire bans across New South Wales, the most populous state.

A total of 36 fires are burning, with nine yet to be contained, authorities said.

Temperatures in Sydney’s central business district soared past 37 C by the afternoon, while the western suburbs of Penrith and Bankstown reached 40 C.

“It is still spring and we are seeing these incredibly warm temperatures,” Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Angus Hines.

The fire season usually runs from November through February, the late southern hemisphere spring through summer.

Across the Tasman Sea in New Zealand, authorities issued rare “red” level wind warnings, reserved for only the most extreme weather events, for central and southern parts of the country.

Firefighters battled to contain wildfires near Kaikoura on the South Island and in Hawke's Bay on the North Island, fanned by the winds.

The fires have so far destroyed several properties, including five homes.

Ingka, the parent company of the Swedish furniture giant IKEA, confirmed that fire had burnt some pine trees that were intended for furniture but that it would not impact the company’s global supply chain.

The government also declared a state of emergency in the Canterbury region on Wednesday afternoon to assist in the response to the severe weather conditions.

Forecaster MetService said it expects gusts could reach 150 kph along the South Island's east coast and up to 140 kph around Wellington, the capital, on Thursday. Heavy rain is also forecast for parts of the country.

Authorities said people should stay indoors, avoid travel and prepare for possible power and communications outages.

The warnings follow strong winds and heavy rain on Tuesday that left thousands without power and killed a man in a Wellington park when a tree branch fell on him.


Woman Plays Clarinet During Surgery for Parkinson’s, Sees Instant Results  

Denise Bacon experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered. (X)
Denise Bacon experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered. (X)
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Woman Plays Clarinet During Surgery for Parkinson’s, Sees Instant Results  

Denise Bacon experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered. (X)
Denise Bacon experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered. (X)

A woman living with Parkinson’s disease played her clarinet while undergoing brain stimulation, offering surgeons immediate, audible evidence of the procedure’s success.

Denise Bacon, 65, from Crowborough in East Sussex, experienced instant improvement in her finger movements as the electrical current was delivered.

The retired speech and language therapist underwent deep brain stimulation (DBS) to combat symptoms of Parkinson’s, including bradykinesia and muscle stiffness.

Diagnosed in 2014, the condition had previously affected her ability to walk, swim, dance, and play her instrument.

During a four-hour operation at King’s College Hospital, Keyoumars Ashkan, a professor of neurosurgery, performed DBS to help relieve symptoms while Bacon stayed awake, The Independent reported on Tuesday.

DBS is a surgical procedure using electrodes implanted in the brain and is suitable for some patients with disorders such as Parkinson’s.

The DBS led to instant results on the operating table. Denise had immediate improvement in her fingers, allowing her to play the clarinet easily.

Ashkan said: “Holes half the size of a five pence piece were made in Denise’s skull after a frame with precise coordinates was placed on Denise’s head, acting as a sat nav to guide us to the correct positions within the brain to implant the electrode.”

He added: “Once the electrodes were in place on the left side of Denise’s brain, the current was switched on and an immediate improvement was noted in hand movements on her right side.”

The professor confirmed that “the same happened on her left side when we implanted electrodes on the right side of her brain.”

He noted that “as a keen clarinettist, it was suggested that Denise bring her clarinet into the operating theater to see whether the procedure would improve her ability to play, which was one of Denise’s main goals for the surgery.”

“We were delighted to see an instant improvement in her hand movements, and therefore her ability to play, once stimulation was delivered to the brain,” Ashkan said.


Semi-Transparent Crab, Tiny Lantern Shark Discovered in Australia

The new species of porcelain crab was found more than 100m below the ocean's surface. (CSIRO/Cindy Bessey)
The new species of porcelain crab was found more than 100m below the ocean's surface. (CSIRO/Cindy Bessey)
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Semi-Transparent Crab, Tiny Lantern Shark Discovered in Australia

The new species of porcelain crab was found more than 100m below the ocean's surface. (CSIRO/Cindy Bessey)
The new species of porcelain crab was found more than 100m below the ocean's surface. (CSIRO/Cindy Bessey)

A semi-transparent crab about the size of an almond and a tiny, glowing lantern shark are among two new species discovered by Australian scientists exploring the deep sea.

In late 2022, scientists from Australia's science agency CSIRO embarked on a research voyage in the Gascoyne Marine Park, about 20km off the coast of Western Australia.

According to BBC, Australia is one of the world's biggest biodiversity hotspots, home to more than a million different species, many of which are not found anywhere else on earth.

But - like much of the globe - large swathes of its water remain unexplored, and the animal and plant life within them unknown to science.

Among the hundreds of specimens collected during the 2022 voyage was the newly described West Australian Lantern Shark. Growing up to 40cm, it has large eyes and a glowing belly, and was found more than 600m below the ocean's surface.

“Lantern sharks are bioluminescent, with light produced by photophores located on their belly and flanks, which is where their common name comes from,” Dr Will White, a fish scientist, said.

They also discovered a new type of porcelain crab, about 1.5cm in length and found about 122m below sea level. They use hairs to catch food, instead of their claws.

“Porcelain crabs are known as filter feeders, feeding on plankton by using modified mouthparts with long hairs to sweep the water for small pieces of food such as plankton, rather than the typical crab method of grabbing and pinching food with their claws,” said Dr. Andrew Hosie, curator of aquatic zoology from the Western Australian Museum.

About 20 new species have been unearthed as a result of the voyage so far, including the Carnavon Flapjack Octopus, a rusty red creature around 4cm big.

Researchers estimate about 600 more are yet to be described and named, as it can take years for scientists to gather the information to prove they are unique.