Author: Andrew Rogers

Berlin’s thriving goshawk population could soon inspire a bold conservation move in Britain. Dr Paul O’Donoghue of Rewilding UK wants to release 15 goshawks each into Chester and London, taking cues from the German capital where the raptors have adapted to urban life and become a fixture in city parks. The apex predators, once nearly wiped out in the UK by hunting, remain under pressure in rural areas but are flourishing in European cities like Berlin, Amsterdam, and Prague. In Berlin’s Viktoriapark, goshawks nest above war memorials, hunt pigeons on the streets, and coexist with joggers, schoolchildren, and heavy traffic.…

Ryanair has warned that next week’s French air traffic control (ATC) strikes could force the airline to cancel up to 600 flights per day, affecting as many as 100,000 passengers. The country’s biggest ATC union, SNCTA, has announced industrial action from 7–10 October, which is expected to disrupt routes across western Europe, particularly those flying over France from the UK to Spain, Italy and Greece. Michael O’Leary, Ryanair’s chief executive, urged the EU to protect overflights from cancellations. “They have the right to strike, but if flights are to be cancelled, they should be flights arriving to and from France.…

Autism should not be seen as a single condition with a single cause, according to new research that found striking differences between people diagnosed in early childhood and those diagnosed later in life. An international study drawing on genetic data from more than 45,000 autistic individuals in Europe and the US found that early-diagnosed autism, typically before the age of six, was linked to distinct genetic profiles compared with those diagnosed after the age of 10. Children diagnosed earlier were more likely to show behavioural and social communication difficulties from a young age, which then remained relatively stable. By contrast,…

Scientists have successfully created human eggs from skin cells, a development that could one day transform fertility treatment for women with age-related infertility, cancer survivors, and even same-sex male couples. The early-stage work, led by Prof Shoukhrat Mitalipov at Oregon Health and Science University, used a method similar to the one that produced Dolly the sheep in the 1990s. Researchers removed nuclei from skin cells and placed them into donor eggs stripped of their own nuclei. The challenge was ensuring the correct number of chromosomes. By fertilising the eggs and activating them with a compound called roscovitine, the team encouraged…

New Zealand’s fastest bird, the kārearea falcon, has soared to victory in the country’s annual Bird of the Year competition, winning the title for the second time in a contest free of the usual scandals and pranks. The kārearea, capable of reaching speeds of up to 200km/h when hunting, is New Zealand’s only falcon and its last remaining endemic raptor. Small and tawny with striking talons and dark eyes, the falcon is a powerful aerial predator that dives from high vantage points to snatch prey, often larger than itself. With only an estimated 5,000 to 8,000 birds left in the…

Stroll down a supermarket aisle in 2025 and you’ll likely spot pastel-coloured cans claiming to deliver “calm” or “focus”. These are functional drinks – beverages infused with plant extracts, vitamins, or compounds like ashwagandha, lion’s mane mushroom, L-theanine and magnesium – marketed as quick fixes for wellbeing. The global functional drinks market is booming, forecast to reach €212bn by 2030, and fuelled by shifting habits: almost half of young Britons now opt for low- or non-alcoholic alternatives. Clever branding and social media hype have only accelerated the craze. “There is promising evidence for some of these ingredients, though results vary…

Jennifer Lawrence became the youngest recipient of the Donostia Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival, where she used the moment to defend freedom of expression. The 35-year-old Oscar winner said: “Our freedom of speech is under attack in America, including in the world of film, where we realise that we are all connected and need empathy and freedom.” At the festival, Lawrence presented her new film Kill Me Love, which she also produced, and encouraged young filmmakers to persist: “Learn, go to casting tests, keep trying. But above all, watching films is very important.” She also praised women in…

A Cambridge-led trial has found early evidence that a combination of a diabetes drug and an antihistamine can help repair nerve damage in multiple sclerosis (MS), offering fresh hope for a new class of treatments. The CCMR Two trial tested metformin, widely used for type 2 diabetes, alongside clemastine, an antihistamine previously shown to boost myelin repair. In MS, the immune system destroys the protective myelin sheath around nerves, slowing or blocking electrical signals and leading to symptoms such as numbness, vision problems, tremors, and progressive disability. Seventy patients with relapsing MS took part in the six-month trial, with half…

Women who skip their first breast cancer screening appointment face a 40% higher risk of dying from the disease, according to new research. Scientists at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden analysed data from about 500,000 women invited to their first screening between 1991 and 2020, with results published in the British Medical Journal. They found that nearly one in three (32%) did not attend their first mammogram and were more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage and die from breast cancer over the next 25 years. The study showed breast cancer mortality was 9.9 deaths per 1,000 women…

The world’s oceans have crossed a critical threshold for acidity, failing a planetary health check for the first time. A report from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research found that fossil fuel burning has driven ocean surface pH down by 0.1 units since the industrial era, a 30-40% increase in acidity. This shift threatens cold-water corals, tropical reefs, Arctic ecosystems, and countless species reliant on calcium carbonate to build shells and skeletons. Seven of nine planetary boundaries are now breached, with oceans joining climate change, biosphere integrity, land system change, freshwater use, biogeochemical flows, and novel entities. Scientists warn…