IEA warns that Covid-19 could cause a slowdown in world’s clean energy transition The coronavirus health crisis may lead to a slump in global carbon emissions this year but the outbreak poses a threat to long-term climate action by undermining investment in clean energy, according to the global energy ... Read More »
Low-carb diet may reverse age-related brain deterioration, study finds
Researchers say brain pathways begin to erode in late 40s, but can be repaired through dietary changes A low carbohydrate diet may prevent and even reverse age-related damage to the brain, research has found. By examining brain scans, researchers found that brain pathways begin to deteriorate in our late ... Read More »
Space-grown lettuce to give astronauts a more varied diet
Nasa’s Veggie system will enable astronauts to safely grow nutritious fresh food Experiencing weightlessness, gazing back at the Earth as a pale blue dot and the adrenaline rush of being propelled into orbit at 20,000mph: life as an astronaut has various unique attractions. The food is not among them, ... Read More »
Nasa shares picture of unusual hole in Mars that could ‘contain Martian life’
Nasa has shared a picture of an “unusual” hole in the Martian surface that could serve as a home for life. The hole appears to be the entrance to a larger underground cavern, which can be seen a little in the image and could serve as protection The image was ... Read More »
Our fundamental measurements of the universe could be wrong, scientists say
Our measurements of some of the most fundamental processes in the universe could be wrong, according to new research. Astronomers have found that what we thought we knew about the chemical measurements of stars could be mistaken. Since those stars have been used to track the history of the ... Read More »
Scientists turn to tech to prevent second wave of locusts in east Africa
Researchers use supercomputer to predict potential breeding areas as food security fears grow Scientists monitoring the movements of the worst locust outbreak in Kenya in 70 years are hopeful that a new tracking programme they will be able to prevent a second surge of the crop-ravaging insects. The UN ... Read More »
Mystery of dark matter may be solved after discovery of ‘exciting’ new particle, UK scientists say
Possible answer to one of science’s biggest conundrums ‘doesn’t require any concepts new to physics’ Mysterious and invisible, dark matter is believed to be all around us and is estimated to make up 85 per cent of all matter in the universe. But why can’t we find it? Scientists are ... Read More »
World Bank’s $500m pandemic scheme accused of ‘waiting for people to die’
Bonds designed to provide fast funding for poor countries branded ‘obscene’ because of complex payout criteria A flagship $500m World Bank scheme to help the poorest countries deal with a health emergency is “too little too late” for the coronavirus outbreak, say health experts. The first pandemic emergency financing ... Read More »
World’s beaches disappearing due to climate crisis – study
Almost half of the world’s sandy beaches will have retreated significantly by the end of the century as a result of climate-driven coastal flooding and human interference, according to new research. The sand erosion will endanger wildlife and could inflict a heavy toll on coastal settlements that will no longer ... Read More »
Alien world could be a home for life, scientists say
A planet twice the size of Earth may be habitable, say scientists, opening up new possibilities in the search for alien life. The exoplanet K2-18b might have liquid water underneath the hydrogen-rich atmosphere on its surface. Researchers looked at the mass, radius and atmospheric data of the distant exoplanet and used models to find the ... Read More »