Researchers hoping to collect mud samples deep beneath an Antarctic ice sheet were amazed to find small creatures living in the dark, freezing water. Experts from the British Antarctic Survey say the discovery of filter-feeding animals clinging to a rock was unexpected, because of the lack of food and sunlight.

The Harlequin toad has been successfully bred in captivity for the first time. The three-year project has been a collaboration between Panama Wildlife Charity PWCC, Manchester Museum, and the Faculty of Medicine, Biology and Heath at The University of Manchester in the UK. This breeding programme could provide a safety net for the toads, which are in danger of extinction, as they could be bred in captivity and reintroduced into the wild.

Over the last few months, we’ve been told how important it is to wash our hands regularly – for at least 20 seconds – to protect against coronavirus. But with so many different soaps to choose from, how do we work out what’s best? Dr Michelle Wong, a beauty blogger with a PhD in chemistry, explains why all soaps are effective against coronavirus and suggests ways people with sensitive skin can help prevent irritation.

Scientists at Cornell University have created a tiny micro-robot that "walks" using four legs. Invisible to the naked eye, 10 of the computer chip bots could fit within the full-stop at the end of this sentence. Their legs can be independently triggered to bend using laser light. As the laser is toggled back and forth between the front and back legs, the robot walks. It would take less than a week to make a swarm of a million of the robots, which Itai Cohen and Paul McEuen Labs hope could be adapted to become a medical tool. They are small enough to be injected into the body and Prof Cohen hopes eventually robots like these could be designed to hunt down and destroy cancer cells.

Vietnam is one of the biggest producers and exporters of rice in the world, but the livelihood of some farmers is under threat. Seawater intrusion has long been a problem in the low-lying Mekong Delta, where more than half of the country's rice is grown. During the dry season, the salty water can leach into fields and ruin crops. It's thought rising sea levels may be exacerbating the problem. The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the government of Vietnam have launched a smartphone app, which monitors the saltiness of the water. The data helps rice farmers decide when to flush out the paddy fields with freshwater to protect their crops.

Coronavirus vaccines help protect people from getting seriously ill if they come into contact with the disease. It's normal to experience some mild side effects, such as a headache or a raised temperature - but a vaccine can't give you the virus. But how do they work? And will a vaccine make you feel unwell? Voice: Marnie Chesterton Video journalist: Jennifer Green Graphics: We Are Covert With thanks to virologist Prof Jonathan Ball, University of Nottingham

Humans create a lot of noise in the ocean - from sonar and seismic exploration, to pile driving when building wind farms. But how might this affect sealife? Dr Maria Morell, from University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, studies the ears of beached dolphins and whales to try and work out if hearing damage led to their death. She’s developed a new way of finding out if a cetacean's hearing was affected just hours before they beached, to support the theory that the two might be connected - and help pinpoint human activities that may be having an impact. Video by Jennifer Green. Interview by Melanie Brown.

It’s estimated around 26,000 human-made objects orbit earth and the majority of this no longer works. There’s a risk this space debris could collide with functioning satellites that provide vital services – such as GPS and weather warnings. To track and predict its behaviour, Prof Moriba Jah and his colleagues built AstriaGraph – a near real-time map of where each object is located in space. He explains that the system is monitoring around 200 ‘super-spreaders’ – large rocket bodies that have the potential to break into thousands of pieces. Video by Jennifer Green. Interview by Marnie Chesterton and Jennifer Whyntie.

Just like us, honeybees get sick. But they have a clever way of protecting against parasites... Prof Jaap de Roode from Emory University explains how beekeepers could have unintentionally put honeybees at risk by selecting against this self-medicating behaviour.

Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) is washing up on coral reefs close to the Philippine capital, Manila. According to an estimate by the Asian Development Bank, during the peak of the Covid-19 outbreak, the city could have been generating up to 280 tonnes of extra medical waste per day. Environmental groups are warning that the plastic inside face masks is breaking down and being consumed by marine wildlife. They’re urging the Philippine government to improve its handling of infectious waste, to prevent further pollution of the seas. The BBC’s Howard Johnson joined divers from Anilao Scuba Dive Centre, a group affiliated to the United Nations Environment Programme’s Green Fins, which promotes sustainable marine tourism in South East Asia. Video produced by Howard Johnson and Virma Simonette. Additional camera work: Mark Badiola and Jojo D. Lontok.

The Russian gun manufacturer Kalashnikov Concern is facing criticism for marketing a new high-tech shotgun at young people. The weapon includes a barrel-mounted video camera, WiFi and Bluetooth and can be synced with a smartphone. The company says the gun’s gadgets can help owners “track their progress in shooting sports… as a runner does with a heartbeat monitor”.

Newlyweds in some parts of India are shunning traditional Hindu wedding photos in favour of exotic photoshoots in the hope that they will go viral online. Elaborate outdoor shoots include fake rain and can take eight hours or more. The BBC World Service has been speaking to one couple in the state of Kerala, on India’s Malabar Coast.

Akira has been selling 'haunted' houses for five years and has dealt with around 500 homes. In Japan, many people believe that houses can be haunted, and that the ghosts of people who died a lonely death, killed themselves or were murdered can haunt the living. These properties are on the increase with a declining Japanese population, which is expected to drop from 127 million to about 88 million by 2065.

One way to travel in the Philippine capital, Manila, is by trolley. Passengers choose this unofficial transport service because it's quicker and cheaper than other options. For the homeless community that runs the illegal service, it puts food on the table. But it's also incredibly dangerous.

Does the thought of living with over a hundred dogs sound like a dream or a nightmare? Well for Audun, who lives in the world's northernmost settlement, this is a reality. But his new Norwegian home, Longyearbyen, located in the Arctic, is believed to be warming faster than any other town on Earth. He talks about running a sustainable business.

Pescueza in Extremadura, western Spain, is adapting to provide for the needs of its older population through a non-profit project called Stay With Us. It aims to provide elderly residents, who make up two thirds of its population, with the services they need in the hope they can remain independent.

A group of ten women in Yemen’s Abs district have built and now run a solar microgrid – the first of its kind in the country. The project was set up in 2019 with the help of the UN Development Programme. The women now run the station as their own business – providing affordable, renewable energy to a community living near a war zone. As a result of the project’s success, there are plans to build 100 microgrids around the country – employing more local women. Station manager Iman Ghaleb Hadi Al-Hamali explains how the work has given the group confidence and hope.

Kristal Ambrose founded The Bahamas Plastic Movement in 2013 and aims to tackle the serious problem of plastic pollution in The Bahamas. The 29-year-old started tuition-free youth camps in order to educate the country's children and also drafted a bill which she took to the environment minister. Her work meant that The Bahamas introduced a nationwide ban on single-use plastic in 2020.

On streets across Europe, a secret organisation of artists who go by the name AnonyMouse have been creating little places for mice to use. From a record store in Lund, to a miniature castle on the Isle of Wight, AnonyMouse say they want to remind people that the "street belongs to everyone, and changing that space is up to all of us". To keep their anonymity, TEDX speaker Mia Liljeberg (who has no affiliation with the organisation) voiced their answers.

The music for U.Me: The Musical was created by Steve Levine and the BBC Philharmonic. Each musician from the BBC Philharmonic had to record their tracks from their own homes due to Covid restrictions. Steve Levine produced Culture Club’s classic hits. Other artist collaborations include the Clash and the Beach Boys. The BBC Philharmonic is one of the BBC’s five orchestras and widely recognised as one of Europe’s most adventurous, innovative and versatile orchestras. The music was composed by Theo Jamieson.