Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From a hint at alien life on a distant planet to a clue in the search for answers over why colon cancer rates are rising in the under 50s, and news from scientists who claim to have...
Mediterranean megaflood carved out hills in Sicily, study reveals
Rock deposits provide first land-based evidence of Earth’s largest flood, when water surged through strait of Gibraltar The event that refilled the Mediterranean basin 5m years ago is thought to have been the largest flood in Earth’s history, with water surging through the present-day strait of Gibraltar 1,000 times faster...
British artist claims he has created paint in ‘new’ colour announced by scientists
Stuart Semple is selling product for £10,000 (or £29.99 to fellow creatives) – but scientists say hue cannot be replicated A British artist claims to have replicated in paint a colour that scientists say they discovered by having laser pulses fired into their eyes. Stuart Semple created his own version...
Bite marks on York skeleton reveal first evidence of ‘gladiators’ fighting lions
Study offers rare insight into human-animal combat during Roman empire Bite marks from a lion on a man’s skeleton, excavated from a 1,800-year-old cemetery on the outskirts of York, provide the first physical evidence of human-animal combat in the Roman empire, new research claims. While clashes between combatants, big cats...
Most US adults give to charity. Here’s where they donated
A new AP-NORC poll finds about three-quarters of U.S. adults say their household contributed at least some money to a charitable organization
Small plane hit power line before crashing into the Platte River in Nebraska
The National Transportation Safety Board says a small plane appears to have struck a power line before it crashed into the Platte River in Nebraska
DC weighs layoffs and other cuts as House leaves capital city in budget limbo
Washington Mayor Muriel Bowser and the District of Columbia Council are scrambling to address a financial crisis created when the Republican-controlled House of Representatives recessed without voting to fix a hole in the city budget
Detained Palestinian activist in Vermont prison says he’s ‘in good hands’
A Palestinian man who led protests against the war in Gaza as a student at Columbia University and was recently arrested during an interview about finalizing his U.S. citizenship says he’s “in good hands” at the Vermont prison where he's being held
George Santos defends social media tirade to judge set to sentence him for fraud
George Santos is defending his recent social media tirade to a federal judge who will sentencing the disgraced former congressman later this week on fraud charges
Man convicted of murdering a Connecticut woman whose young daughter has never been found
A Connecticut jury has convicted a man of murder and evidence tampering in the 2019 killing of his girlfriend, while the disappearance of their young daughter remains a mystery