Catch that pigeon! Bird brains used to monitor pollution

Pigeons are powering up to take part in the fight to reduce air pollution.

Scientists from the University of Birmingham are attaching tiny sensors to the birds, and the data they produce is helping to measure levels of pollution.

Air pollution is a major contributor to ill health in the UK, but it is hard to say exactly by how much.

Dirty air doesn't directly kill people. But it is estimated in the UK to contribute to the shortening of the lives of around 40,000 people a year, principally by undermining the health of people with heart or lung problems.