Science

An icy swim could have significant health benefits, including reducing body fat and the risk of diseases such as diabetes, according to a review. Some 104 studies were examined by researchers, who found that many reported major health benefits from cold water swimming, including on good fat which helps burn calories. This could help prevent

NASA has released new images capturing Neptune and its rings, taken by the James Webb space telescope in July. Neptune is the solar system’s outermost planet which has thin rings with faint dust bands around it. These have been observed in infrared for the first time, allowing for seven of Neptune’s 14 moons to be

Doctors have hailed a “milestone” treatment that slows or even reverses progressive muscle weakness in sufferers of motor neurone disease (MND). New results from an international study show patients having monthly injections of the drug tofersen reported better mobility and lung function after a year of treatment. One patient who was in a wheelchair at

People in England can find out if fracking could come to their area by entering their postcode in a new interactive map, which illustrates the regions covered by oil and gas licences. Over a quarter of local authorities are covered by existing licences to explore for oil and gas, which could involve fracking, according to

Artificial sweeteners “should not be considered a safe alternative to sugar” after academics found their consumption was linked to a 9% higher risk of heart disease. Researchers from Sorbonne Paris Nord University in France also found artificial sweetener consumption was linked to a nearly 20% higher risk of conditions which affect blood flow to the

The meteorite that wiped out Earth’s dinosaurs instantly ignited wildfires up to thousands of miles from its impact zone, scientists have discovered. The six-mile-wide meteorite struck the Yucatan peninsula, in what is now Mexico, at the end of the Cretaceous period 66 million years ago. Its devastating impact brought the reign of the dinosaurs to

A stunning picture taken above an active volcano and compared to the Big Bang has triumphed at this year’s Drone Photo Awards contest. Armand Sarlangue captured the powerful image above the red-hot Fagradalsfjall volcano in Iceland, looking down into its molten depths. The shot was the overall winner of the Siena Awards’ drone photography competition

Couch potatoes who don’t take regular exercise are more likely to be diagnosed with breast cancer, experts warn. A new study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine found “strong evidence” greater levels of physical activity and less “sedentary time” are likely to reduce breast cancer risk. Experts behind the research suggest there is

A TikTok influencer has died while skydiving in Toronto after her reserve parachute did not have enough time to inflate, according to reports. Tanya Pardazi, 21, who had more than 100,000 followers on TikTok, died on 27 August during her first solo dive after completing a course with Skydive Toronto. She had also taken part

If you’ve been scrolling through Twitter today you might have been baffled to see several companies posting apparently cryptic one-word tweets. It all started when the US train company Amtrak accidentally tweeted the word “trains” on Thursday evening. The tweet had gained more than 153,000 likes and 23,000 retweets by midday UK time on Friday

Twitter has confirmed that it has begun testing an edit button – but it won’t be available to everyone. The company revealed earlier this year that it was working on a tool to let users edit tweets after they are posted, calling it its “most requested feature to date”. It will allow tweets to be

A Japanese minister has declared “war” on old-fashioned technology, including the humble floppy disk, in a determined bid to drag the government into the digital age. Almost 2,000 government procedures still rely on the business community using the now obsolete storage devices. Minister of Digital Affairs Taro Kono said existing regulations would be updated to

TV presenter and former Gogglebox star Scarlett Moffatt has issued a tearful warning after a man waited for her at a train station and started following her. The reality TV star, 31, shared a video to her Instagram Stories to explain what happened and warn people to not make the same mistake. She said, “I’m

Tesla chief Elon Musk has filed more paperwork in an effort to terminate his agreement to buy Twitter. Mr Musk, the world’s richest person, walked away from his $44bn offer for Twitter in July, saying the company had misled him and regulators about the true number of spam accounts on the platform. According to a

The government’s target to bring gigabit broadband to “every home and business across the UK” by 2025 seems to have been scaled back to reach 85% of the country instead. Boris Johnson made the initial pledge as part of his 2019 manifesto, with £5bn of funding behind the scheme. However, in a press release published

Fans and businesses involved in the World Cup are at risk from an upsurge in cybercrime and online scams, an expert is warning. Henry Wilkinson, chief intelligence officer at security intelligence firm Dragonfly, warns there will be a large increase in cybercrime targeting people and firms because of the number of people wanting to attend