A mysterious particle overlooked for decades may hold the key to why matter survived the Big Bang, allowing stars, planets, and life to exist. Scientists believe this forgotten neutrino reshaped the early universe and may have left detectable gravitational wave signals that could help unlock the cosmos’s deepest mysteries.
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A rare species of beetle has been found in Pembrokeshire after being missing from Wales for 60 years. The Short-Necked Oil Beetle are dependent on solitary bees for its lifecycle and need a particular habitat to survive, with thick vegetation for shelter and dense flower coverage both essential. They were not reported in the UK for almost 60 years after 1948 as habitat loss brought the species to the brink of extinction.
Scientists at Johns Hopkins have uncovered a crucial missing link between a common gut bacterium and colorectal cancer, solving a mystery that has puzzled researchers for nearly two decades. The bacterium, Bacteroides fragilis, produces a toxin that damages the colon’s protective lining, triggers chronic inflammation, and promotes tumor formation.
Environmental campaigners have staged a Halloween themed demonstration outside the first minister's official residence over "scary" fossil fuels. Climate groups gathered outside Bute House in Edinburgh to protest against the Scottish government's decision to give the go-ahead for a new, gas-fired, power station at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire. The decision has been branded a "catastrophic failure" by environmental campaigners, who said burning fossil fuels is the key driver of extreme weather such as recent storms, record heat and flooding.
Previous research by the Oued Beht Archaeological Project had already brought to light what is likely the earliest and largest agricultural complex ever discovered in Africa outside the Nile Valley. It dates to around 5,400 to 4,900 years ago. New excavations carried out in 2023 – in which we took part – have now deepened our understanding of the site. Our new study shows how we uncovered the earliest known large-scale construction of a probably defensive nature in north Africa beyond the Nile Valley. It’s about 4,000 to 3,500 years old.