Prime Minister Keir Starmer will sweep away the remaining hereditary peers as the first step to reforming the House of Lords. New legislation will end what officials called the “outdated and indefensible” presence of members of the upper chamber who are there by right of birth. The Government also plans changes to the Commons, with… Continue reading Hereditary peers to lose seats in House of Lords under new plans
Tom Tugendhat has joined James Cleverly in publicly declaring his candidacy in the race to replace Rishi Sunak as Conservative Party leader. There will potentially be a crowded field in the contest as Mr Cleverly acknowledged he was not the only one giving it “serious thought” ahead of nominations opening on Wednesday evening. Sunak, who… Continue reading Runners and riders: Who will seek to replace Rishi Sunak as Tory leader?
Note: hay fever has no connection to hay. In the 1800s, people believed freshly cut hay caused it, hence the name. The true cause—pollen—was discovered in 1859 by British scientist Charles Blackley. Climate change affects not only the health of the planet but also that of people, worsening conditions such as hay fever, formally known… Continue reading Climate change is making hay fever worse
Cape Town, South Africa, known for its great white sharks, is facing a new threat: rabid seals. In a significant outbreak, 11 seals have been found with rabies, marking the first major occurrence of the disease among marine mammals. The World Health Organization estimates rabies kills 55,000 people annually, mainly in Africa and Asia, with… Continue reading Rabies outbreak among seals in Cape Town sparks concern
Fast-moving stars seen in a nearby star cluster within the Milky Way suggest the presence of an elusive black hole which may be the closest one to Earth, researchers say. The star cluster, Omega Centauri, is a collection of around 10 million stars, visible as a smudge in the night sky south of the Equator.… Continue reading Astronomers find nearest massive black hole to Earth
The COVID-19 pandemic’s rapid onset led to immediate reductions in travel and economic activities worldwide, drastically lowering air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions within weeks. This abrupt change provided scientists with a rare opportunity to observe outcomes typically achieved over years of regulation. A comprehensive new study, utilizing satellite data from NASA and other international… Continue reading Pandemic emission reductions led to unexpected atmospheric effects
A recent study by the School of the Environment at Queensland University in Australia found that humpback whales (Megaptera novaeangliae) off the country’s eastern coast experienced significantly lower stress levels and better overall health during the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic due to the reduction of human activity in the ocean during this period.… Continue reading Reduced human activity during early Covid pandemic lowered stress levels in whales
The UK has fallen down Transparency International’s corruption perceptions index (CPI) after a year of high-profile government scandals. The CPI is not a measure of corruption itself but a measure of how much corruption is perceived to exist across a country’s public sector. For the UK government, already focusing very much on the next general election amid multiple scandals, perception matters.… Continue reading UK slides in corruption perception index after series of political scandals
Carbon dioxide is often highlighted in discussions about climate change, but methane is a more potent greenhouse gas, trapping 28 times more heat per molecule than CO2, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Recent reports and scientific papers have underscored the significant impact of animal production on climate change. Denmark has become the first… Continue reading Denmark to tax cows, sheep and pigs for emitting methane
Scientists have observed wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes troglodytes) consuming plants that have anti-bacterial and pain-relieving properties to heal themselves. They conducted detective work in the forests of Uganda, studying injured or sick animals and gathering evidence to construct a case. There were 13 members of the team who were botanists, ecologists, ethnopharmacologists, parasitologists and primatologists.… Continue reading Chimpanzees Use Plants as Medicine: A Breakthrough in Animal Behaviour and Pharmacology
