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Penguins with video cameras strapped to their backs have been discovered 'talking' to each other while diving for food. Scientists managed to obtain 80 hours of remarkable recordings showing the 'functional role' of their sounds as they foraged in the sea. After producing the calls in waters off the coast of Antarctica the behaviour of the Gentoo penguins changed as they undertook shallower, shorter dives. They also travelled to a new area to devour krill, their favourite food, and other...

Farmers can grow bigger, juicier tomatoes - thanks to a gene mutation, according to new research. When humans first began cultivating the wild tomato in the Andean mountain regions of Ecuador and Northern Peru, they continually selected plants that produced larger fruits. Now, thousands of years later, tomatoes on the market can weigh 1,000 times more than the fruits of their ancestors. In the new study, researchers investigated a gene they named Cell Size Regulator, or CSR, that boosts fruit...

The source of the itch sensation has been discovered by scientists. A study conducted by Chinese researchers has discovered a central neural circuit that is "critical" for transmitting the itch signal. Linked with the desire to scratch, the itch sensation is an important protective mechanism for animals. But chronic itch, often seen in patients with skin and liver diseases, remains a challenging clinical problem as uncontrollable scratching causes severe skin and tissue damage. However, therapeutic approaches for chronic itch treatment...

Previously used for agricultural applications, geomats are now becoming more common for industrial, corporate and residential purposes. These mats are known as the future of ground design and layout due to their extended bi-oriented polyethylene construction. The three-dimensional design of geomats is manufactured with water permeable synthetic materials such as polymer and polypropylene. A mixture of both can also be used for manufacturing the mats. The layers of geomats are adjoined with thermal technology which enhances their life and weather...

The leader of Australia’s rightwing One Nation party, Pauline Hanson, has been rebuked for arriving at a Senate session dressed in a black burqa. A form of dress usually worn by some Muslim women. Hanson caused a huge commotion as she walked into the chamber, during daily question time, dressed in the full body wear. She wore a burqa to highlight security conners of people wearing the dress and she hopes to get them banned. The leader of the opposition...

More than 13,000 of the UK’s lowest paid workers will get around £2 million in back pay as part of the government’s scheme to name employers who have failed to pay National Minimum Wage and Living Wage. The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy has today published a list of 233 businesses that underpaid workers. As well as paying back staff the money owed, employers on the list have been fined a record £1.9 million by the government. Retail,...

Peter Tefft travelled across the US to attend the protest in Charlottesville, Virginia, with hundreds of white supremacists. His father, Pearce Tefft wrote a letter about his son and his presence at the right-wing gathering, that ended in rioting and the death of a woman due to a hit and run, by a right wing fanatic. Father Peter Tefft My name is Pearce Tefft, and I am writing to all, with regards to my youngest son, Peter Tefft, an avowed...

A Cambridge University college has paid tribute to an "exceptional" PhD student who was among 18 victims of a terror attack in Burkina Faso. Tammy Chen, 34, who was pregnant, was at a restaurant with her husband Mehsen Fenaiche when they were gunned down on Sunday. Chen was studying for a PhD at the University of Cambridge's Gonville & Caius College, specialising in poverty, gender and women's empowerment. Tammy Chen with husband Mehsen Fenaiche who were among 18 victims of...

Staff at the London Stock Exchange have been offered counselling after a financial worker in his fifities jumped to his death yesterday (Tues). The lobby and reception area of the exchange, where the man landed after falling seven stories, remains closed to workers today as police continue their investigation. An LSE spokesman confirmed that staff have been offered counselling, he said: ''As with any large organisation counselling has been offered.'' The scene near the London Stock Exchange where a man...