In China, no animal is revered as much as the giant Panda. The population of this endangered Chinese national symbol has noticeably recovered in recent years. One of the main reasons behind the increase is a growth in world class Panda research and an uncompromising commitment to the animal's protection.

Outside Italy, buffalo mozzarella was once a specialist product available only in delicatessens. Now it's on offer in supermarkets across Europe. To keep up with demand, farmers have to keep their animals producing huge volumes of milk. That means keeping them calving. But what happens with all those young animals? Italian journalist Julia Mumelter investigated. Report presented by Ruby Russell.

Bags, bottles, drinking straws — all contain plastic, an invention we just can't do without. But it's become a menace to life on Earth, now found in Arctic ice and the stomachs of ocean creatures. Rajeshwari Singh has walked more than 1,100 kilometers across India to raise awareness about plastic pollution. Her key message: "My waste, my responsibility." Jasvinder Sehgal reports.

German veterinarian Margit Müller is the unlikely recipient of United Arab Emirates' highest civilian medal — for taking care of the sheikhs' beloved falcons. She runs a medical clinic for the birds in Abu Dhabi, complete with operating rooms and incubators. Müller is one of the kingdom's most respected falconers, and has earned the sheikhs' trust. Emma Wallis presents a report by Anna Osius.

Canadian cave diver Jill Heinerth is the first person to dive inside an iceberg. Cave diving is among the world's most dangerous pursuits — Heinerth has lost 100 colleagues — but she thinks understanding the world's water and its impact on the climate is worth the risk. As the Royal Canadian Geographical Society's first explorer in residence, Heinerth is raising awareness. Sian Griffiths reports.

Dave Goulson, a biologist and insect expert at the University of Sussex in the United Kingdom, explains how vital insects are to our survival, why they are dying off and how that's likely to affect us in the not-so-distant future. Plus two excursions: need for bees, and Silent Spring.

Insects are in decline, and that is very troubling considering their importance to us. But how do you motivate the broader public to do something about it? Well, the Berlin Philharmonic had a unique way of raising awareness around the issue of the ongoing insect die-off.

Bugs can be found from the bitterly cold Antarctic to the searing hot Sahara Desert, and just about everywhere in between. They've survived several mass extinctions and at least some insect species will also survive our current assault on them. But despite their tenacity and abundance, the one place you won't find many insects is at the seaside. Here's why.

For a currency that only exists in the virtual world, bitcoin could be surprisingly damaging to our real world. DW asked bitcoin expert David Malone to unpick claims that the cryptocurrency is consuming as much energy as a small country.

Tech companies have their sights set on space, with aim of mining the moon. But can extracting lunar resources ever make economic sense – who owns them anyway? Professor of planetary science Ian Crawford explains.