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Sep252022 by adminNo Comments

Would more UK gas actually bring down prices?

Science

Getty ImagesThe government has confirmed it is ending the ban in the UK on fracking, a controversial technique that involves drilling and using liquids at high pressure to release shale gas. In her first speech as prime minister, Liz Truss said: "We will get spades in the ground to make sure people are not facing unaffordable energy bills."She has pledged to increase domestic energy production with more oil and gas from the North Sea as well as fracking.And the new Business and Energy Secretary Jacob Rees-Mogg told MPs on 22 September: "We also need more secure and cheaper supplies of gas, which is why we are going to issue more licences and why we are looking at shale gas."He has said the government expects to award "more than 100 new licences" for oil and gas exploration in the North Sea...

Apr182022 by adminNo Comments

‘I felt more joy than I thought possible’

Science

Science Photo Library"I had the full-blown mystical revelatory experience - the big psychedelic multi-coloured light and sound show." This is how Steve recalls his first dose of a hallucinogenic drug, psilocybin, the psychedelic compound found in magic mushrooms. His experience was part of a clinical trial that some scientists are calling a major step towards a revolution in the treatment of depression. It is a trial complicated by the fact that the drug it is testing is illegal. Psilocybin is a Schedule 1 controlled substance; its use is very strictly regulated. Part of the definition of a Schedule 1 drug is that it is not used medicinally. But this trial, which scanned of the brains of participants after their treatment with psychedelics, painted an extraordinary physical picture of the ...

Feb162022 by adminNo Comments

More than eight million trees lost this winter in the UK

Science

It is the untold story of the winter storms. More than eight million trees have been brought down and many are now threatened by another two named storms bearing down on Britain.Forest managers warn that already "catastrophic" damage will be made worse by Storms Dudley and Eunice.There are warnings that the heating climate is making our weather more severe and unpredictable, and that management and planting strategies must adapt more quickly.Forest ranger Richard Tanner says that he's never seen a real battlefield, but the west shore of Windermere now reminds him of photographs he has seen."It looks like someone's set off a bomb."All around are the giant root plates of fallen trees, some the size of caravans, studded with rocks torn from the earth."There's three tonnes of tree and then fiv...

Apr112021 by adminNo Comments

More than 80 dead after rifle grenades land on Myanmar protesters

World

More than 80 people have been killed by rifle grenades in yet more violent clashes between the military and protesters in Myanmar.Bodies were piled up in a pagoda in the town of Bago after Myanmar security forces opened fire on a protest against the 1 February military coup in the country. The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) monitoring group said it believed there were 82 dead. Image: Heavy clashes erupted during demonstrations in Yangon. Pic: AP Protest organiser Ye Htut told news outlet Myanmar Now: "It is like genocide."They are shooting at every shadow." ...

Apr102021 by adminNo Comments

Stocks making the biggest moves midday: Levi Strauss, FuboTV, Honeywell and more

Finance

A man wears Levis Strauss & Co. clothing during the company's initial public offering (IPO) at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) in New York, U.S., on Thursday, March 21, 2019.Jeenah Moon | Bloomberg | Getty ImagesCheck out the companies making headlines in midday trading.Levi Strauss – Shares of the retailer jumped 2.6% after the company beat top- and bottom-line estimates during the first quarter. Levi's earned 34 cents per share on an adjusted basis, while reporting $ 1.31 billion in revenue. Analysts surveyed by Refinitiv were expecting the company to earn 25 cents on $ 1.25 billion in revenue. The results were boosted by strength in Levi's digital sales, which jumped 41%.FuboTV – The streaming service jumped 12.6% after FuboTV won the exclusive streaming rights to the qualifyin...