Time between world-changing volcanic ‘super eruptions’ less than previously thought
We may be much nearer to a cataclysmic volcanic 'super-eruption' than previously thought, warns new research. That is the conclusion of Bristol University scientists after analysing a database of geological records dated within the last 100,000 years. They discovered the average time between so-called volcanic super-eruptions is actually much less than previously understood. Volcanoes and 'bolides' - such as asteroids - are geohazards powerful enough to be destructive on a global scale. One recent assessment described them as capable of...
Prehistoric women ‘had even stronger arms than today’s elite rowing crews’
Prehistoric women had even stronger arms than today's elite rowing crews, reveals new research. The study comparing the bones of women that lived during the first 6,000 years of farming with those of modern athletes shows that the average prehistoric agricultural woman had stronger upper arms than today's female rowing champions. Researchers from Cambridge University's Department of Archaeology say this physical prowess was likely obtained through tilling soil and harvesting crops by hand, as well as the grinding of grain...
Cash-strapped NHS Trust bans doctors & nurses from using free tea & coffee machines – telling staff to drink HOT WATER instead
A cash-strapped NHS Trust has banned doctors and nurses from using free tea and coffee machines – telling staff to drink HOT WATER instead. Health chiefs say it is too expensive to provide beverages to staff and from now on they will restrict free hot drinks to just patients and visitors. Instead, medical staff – as well as police officers who come into the hospital - have been told to either drink hot water or bring in their own tea...
The world’s deepest living fish has been discovered living in the darkness more than eight kilometres below the surface
The world's deepest living fish has been discovered living in the darkness more than eight kilometres below the surface. Named the Mariana snailfish, the translucent, scaleless fish exist at such depths that the water pressure is the equivalent of an elephant standing on your thumb. They are the top predator in their dark world, living off tiny crustaceans and shrimp at depths nearly as far down as Mount Everest is high. Researchers recover a trap after it landed on the...
Teacher jailed for peddling drugs to pupils – with discounts for bulk buyers
A female teacher has been jailed for dealing drugs to pupils - with discounts for kids who bought in bulk. Rachel Ryan, 41, ''used her knowledge'' as a business studies teacher as she offered Valium, diazepam, alprazolam and nitrazepam to teenagers. Ryan - who describes herself as a supply teacher on her LinkedIn profile - was caught after another teacher seized a student's phone for texting in class. It showed that the pupil was texting Ryan, who was offering a...
How London became a haven for the world’s fraudsters
By Robert Seiler Earlier this month, more than 100 UK millionaires were outed as tax dodgers by the Paradise Papers, which have blown yet another lid off the secret offshore structures where the elite hide their wealth. The list of British investors read like a rollcall of the institutions at the heart of the establishment: the Duchy of Lancaster, the UK parliamentary pension fund, the endowments of Oxbridge… and last but not least, the estate of the Queen herself. The Paradise Papers, like the Panama Papers...
Security system branded ‘sad’ by homeless charity for threatening to call cops
A homeless charity has branded a business responsible for a security system that barks at people in a doorway and threatens to call the cops as 'sad'. The bizarre alarm system is triggered when passersby step into the sheltered doorway of an office block in Glasgow. When set-off, a loud voice blares through the speakers, saying: "You have been detected in an unauthorised area, please leave the area or the police will be called - CCTV is recording". A pressure...
Scientists make first ‘healthy’ alcoholic drink from tofu whey
Scientists have made the world's first 'healthy' alcoholic drink from tofu whey. The team used the tofu byproduct, which is often discarded, to create new drink Sachi, and have enriched it with healthy antioxidants isoflavones. Researchers took three months to concoct the brew, which began by making fresh soya milk from soybeans. The team at the National University of Singapore (NUS) then turned the milk into the tofu, collecting the whey, to which they added sugar, acid and yeast and...
Rubbish on our beaches up 10 per cent to worst ever levels, prompting calls for a ‘litter tax’
Litter on Britain's beaches is up 10 per cent in just one year to its worst ever levels, prompting calls for a tax on waste. More than 700 bits or rubbish were found, on average, on every 100 metres cleaned as conservationists accused many people of treating our shores as a "big dustbin." A shock report shows that litter levels recorded in an annual survey were at record levels, with food and drink waste accounting for one in five pieces...