Nature Hub

      From - BBC World News      By-  Jasmin Fox-Skelly     Edited by - Amal Udawatta Getty Images Constructed over 1,200 years ago, the imposing 65m-tall (213ft) Temple IV at Tikal, in modern Guatemala, is a testament to ancient Maya masonry (Credit: Getty Images) Ruins of ancient cities keep turning up in the forests of central America. How have these structures remained standing for millennia despite tropical rains, hurricanes and the return of the jungle? Anyone driving down the rough asphalt of highway 269 that bisects the Yucatán peninsula in southeast Mexico would never have known it was there. Thick jungle lines both sides of the road for much of its length, with the occasional patch cleared for livestock. Yet, after an innocuous bend in the road, close to the tiny settlement of Dos Lagunas, an entire city has been hiding. Concealed beneath a tangle of trees, vines and other vegetation,  scientists have discovered a sprawling col...

  From-BBC World  News By - Matt McGrath Environment correspondent Edited by Amal Udawatta Getty Images Little progress has been made in limiting emissions of greenhouse gases that are driving up temperatures Global efforts to tackle climate change are wildly off track, says the UN, as new data shows that warming gases are accumulating faster than at any time in human existence. Current national plans to limit carbon emissions would barely cut pollution by 2030, the UN analysis shows, leaving efforts to keep warming under 1.5C this century in tatters. The update comes as a separate report shows that greenhouse gases have risen by over 11% in the last two decades, with atmospheric concentrations surging in 2023. Researchers are also worried that forests are losing their ability to soak up carbon, which could be contributing to record levels of warming gas in the atmosphere. Getty Images A woman collapses with heat exhaustion near Lisbon in high temperatures UN Climate Change , ...