The Pacific’s Busy Storm Season

The men and women who rummage through commercial bins to take clothes and other items.

The government is launching its first study into the levels of so-called 'forever chemicals' in the UK population. By taking blood and urine samples, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) hopes to gain a better understanding of any potential health risks caused by the substances also known as PFAS, as well as other potential contaminants like lead and arsenic. It said current evidence suggested the possible health impacts associated with PFAS are likely to be limited, but said the strongest links found in large population groups have been to raised cholesterol and lower birth weights.

The UK government's ambition of achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 could be undermined by its new deal on AI data centres, according to BBC research. During Wednesday's Budget speech, Chancellor John Healey said data centres would be allowed to build onsite power generation while they wait for a grid connection. BBC File on 4 Investigates has discovered that four planned "hyperscale" data centres - including three in the south of England - are already considering using gas-fired power to meet their electricity needs, creating more CO2 than the cities of Manchester, Liverpool and Southampton combined.

Scientists have picked up signals from the smallest scale of nature ever explored – 100 billion times smaller than an atom. The research, led by scientists based in Cambridge, was obtained from an experiment at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). This vast machine at the European Laboratory for Particle Physics (Cern) on the Swiss-French border smashes atoms together to break them apart and discover what is inside them.