A nine-year-old girl who had a neighbour call the police on her as she worked to eradicate invasive insects from her home town has earned honours from one of the US’s most prestigious universities. Bobbi Wilson, who is black, unwittingly set off a national discussion about the dangers of racial profiling when a neighbour called the police on her on 22 October as she used a homemade repellant...

Survey could mean there is a crucial component missing from so-called standard model of physicsOne of the most precise surveys of the structure of the universe has suggested it is “less clumpy” than expected, in findings that could indicate the existence of mysterious forces at work.The observations by the Dark Energy Survey and the South Pole Telescope chart the distribution of matter with...

Remains of 2-metre-long animal were discovered in 2017 by two fossil hunters for whom it has been namedScientists have identified a new genus of fearsome crocodile-like creature that once hunted off what is now Dorset’s Jurassic Coast.The remains of the 2-metre-long animal were discovered by fossil hunters after a series of landslips on to a beach in 2017, and the newly recognised beast has been...

Researchers identify 31 genes associated with social organisation and longevityMammals that live in groups generally have longer lifespans than solitary species, new research into nearly 1,000 different animals suggests.Scientists from China and Australia compared 974 mammal species, analysing longevity and how they tended to be socially organised. Continue...

Company is raising further $150m to pursue research on dodo which became extinct in 17th centuryThe dodo, a Mauritian bird last seen in the 17th century, will be brought back to at least a semblance of life if attempts by a gene editing company are successful.Gene editing techniques now exist that allow scientists to mine the dodo genome for key traits that they believe they can then effectively...

Phenomenon believed to have origins in launch of military GPS satellite from SpaceX in FloridaA camera on top of Hawaii’s tallest mountain has captured what looks like a spiral swirling through the night sky.Researchers believe the strange phenomenon is linked to a military GPS satellite that launched from a SpaceX rocket in Florida. Continue...

Images captured with the Subaru-Asahi telescope at Hawaii's Mauna Kea Observatory show a mysterious 'whirlpool' move across the night sky. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan said the phenomenon was probably related to the SpaceX satellite launch from Cape Canaveral in Florida earlier in the day  Continue...

Government figures, which cannot be verified, showed big rises in travel and hospitality activity during lunar new year compared to the same time last yearChina’s wave of Covid is “coming to an end”, health officials have claimed, saying there had been no sign of a new surge from the lunar new year holiday period, despite a big increase in travel compared to last year.Government figures...

Simply taking your pooch for a walk isn’t enough, a new study says – it should be playing team sports to keep anxiety at bayName: Social exercise.Age: Far older than the name given to it. Continue reading...

C/2022 E3 (ZTF) was last visible during the stone age so if you miss it this time you’re unlikely to get another chanceAn exotic comet is causing excitement this week. We take a look at what we know about the unusual celestial object, and how best to catch a glimpse. Continue...

Bobbi Wilson’s efforts to rid her town of the spotted lanternfly unwittingly touched off a national discussion about racial profilingA nine-year-old girl who had a neighbor call the police on her as she worked to eradicate invasive insects from her home town has earned honors from one of the US’s most prestigious universities.The Yale School of Public Health earlier this month held a ceremony...

This week star gazers will be hoping to catch sight of an exotic green comet that last passed by Earth 50,000 years ago. But, unlike the view our Neanderthal ancestors would have had, light pollution will make witnessing this celestial event an impossibility for many. Ian Sample speaks to astronomy journalist Dr Stuart Clark about how best to see the comet, and why it’s time to rethink our...

Multiple concussions in a lifetime were shown to affect the ability to plan and pay attention, though research also underlined health benefits of playing sportGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastExperiencing multiple concussions may be linked to worse brain function in later life, suggests a study of nearly 16,000 people.Among 15,764 people aged 50 to 90, those...

Iridescent clouds formed of ice crystals are usually found in extremely cold air above polar regionsExcited weather watchers have captured stunning images of rare “mother of pearl” clouds, which have formed high up in the atmosphere over Scotland.Such clouds tend to develop in the extremely cold air above polar regions, but were spotted on Sunday evening and Monday morning by BBC weather...

As authorities scour the desert for the missing source, here’s what we know about how it works and what threat it poses to humansFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastAuthorities are continuing the search for a tiny radioactive capsule lost along a 1,400km stretch of Western Australian desert highway.The...

Constellation is often associated with Greek myth of Phaeton, who went on reckless joyride with the sunThis week, search out the northern constellation of Auriga, the charioteer. It was first listed in Ptolemy’s second-century compendium The Almagest, making it one of the oldest constellations.Although often overshadowed by its neighbours, Orion and Taurus, Auriga contains the sixth brightest...

Healthcare’s standard genome is mostly based on one American. As we enter the era of personalised medicine, this bias has drawbacks for much of the world’s populationIn June 2000, Bill Clinton, the then US president, stood smilingly next to the leaders of the Human Genome Project. “In genetic terms, all human beings, regardless of race, are more than 99.9% the same,” he declared. That was...

Being conditioned as a child to see toxic relationships as almost normal can prevent an adult make loving connectionsThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their workWell-spoken and seemingly confident, Jane* came to therapy as a single, 55-year-old woman after a string of “toxic” relationships. In our first session, she wondered why she was...

After three years of lockdowns, the country was ill prepared for its abrupt ‘freedom’. Now, with some estimating 1m deaths, public anger is growingWhen Sunny* thinks back to March last year, she laughs ruefully at the ordeal. The 19-year-old Shanghai student spent that month locked in her dormitory, unable to shop for essentials or wash clothes, even banned from showering for two weeks over...

We know the show turns up gems from the house and garden – but don’t forget the linguistic ones tooIf there is a television equivalent of comfort food, then surely it has to be the BBC’s Antiques Roadshow. Presenter Fiona Bruce is a perpetual ray of sunshine, the experts are to a man and woman warm hearted and the people clutching their possessions always radiate hope that they are offering...

Scientists say albicidin has allowed them to take a giant step forward to creating a powerful new range of antibacterial drugs Scientists have discovered a plant toxin whose unique method of dispatching bacteria could be used to create a powerful new range of antibiotics. The prospect of developing new antibacterial drugs this way has been hailed by doctors, who have been warning for many years...

Stacked Farm can produce perfect-looking strawberries, tomatoes and baby cos all year round. But will high energy inputs be its achilles heel?Follow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcast Not far from the fertile farmlands known as Australia’s salad bowl, rows of fruit and vegetables are being cultivated...

The paleobiologist and author of Foyles’ nonfiction book of 2022 on Earth’s deep past, the joys of the British Library, and how early four-limbed vertebrates helped him find his feetThomas Halliday was born in 1989 and raised in Rannoch in the Scottish Highlands. He studied zoology at Cambridge before specialising in paleobiology for his master’s and PhD – winning the Linnean Society Medal...

Klein Hollandia discovery ‘opens up fascinating chapter in rich, shared maritime history between UK and Netherlands’• Shipwrecked: how tech is revealing world of 3m lost vesselsA remarkably preserved shipwreck known only as the “unknown wreck off Eastbourne” has finally been identified as the 17th-century Dutch warship Klein Hollandia which was involved in all the big battles in the...