'Ayahuasca is changing global environmental consciousness'
Interview with US scientist Dennis McKenna on powerful Amazon hallucinogen, plant intelligence and environmental crises Ayahuasca, as it has come to be known internationally, is a plant medicine that has been used in the Amazon for centuries for healing and spiritual purposes. Renowned for the often extraordinary visions it induces – not to mention the […]
Mysterious purple orb discovered by marine scientists in California – video
The marine scientists on the Ocean Exploration Trust’s research vessel, E/V Nautilus, find what is likely to be a variant of sea slug 5,000ft below the sea off Santa Barbara, California in a video published online on 25 July. The researchers have sent a sample of the purple orb to the Harvard Museum of Comparative […]
New species of Pacific beaked whale confirmed
Researchers confirm that as yet unnamed whale sighted by Japanese fishermen was previously unknown to science Scientists have confirmed that a mysterious, unnamed species of beaked whale roams the northern Pacific Ocean. Sightings of the creature, which has a bulbous head and a beak like a porpoise, had been reported by Japanese fishermen, who call […]
Foul-smelling corpse flower finally blooms in New York – video
Visitors flock to the New York Botanical Garden on Friday to witness one of the world’s largest and smelliest flowers – Amorphophallus titanum, also known as the corpse flower – bloom. The rare blooming began Thursday afternoon after more than 10 years of growth. The bloom at its peak only lasts about 24 to 36 […]
Scientists fight crab for mysterious purple orb discovered in California deep
E/V Nautilus team find likely sea slug 5,000ft below sea off Santa Barbara Analysis reveals foot and proboscis, making it ‘a gastropod of some kind’ More than 5,000ft below the surface of the ocean, in a canyon off the coast of southern California, the purple, globular creature appeared to glow under the submersible’s lights. Related: […]
South Yorkshire town in tap water alert over high bacteria levels
Thousands of people in Thorne and village of Moorends, near Doncaster, told not to use tap water while utility firm investigates Thousands of people in a South Yorkshire town have been warned not to use tap water for drinking or cooking after high levels of bacteria were detected. The former Labour leader Ed Miliband said […]
New study finds sitting down too much costs the world $67.5bn
A paper out this week estimates that the diseases brought on by inactivity have a huge price tag for the global economy New research published in peer-reviewed medical journal the Lancet attempts to put a price tag on our latest health crisis: sitting too much. According to an international team of researchers, a sedentary lifestyle […]
Why not invest in your local chippy? It could be a source of renewable energy
As negative interest rates loom, savers are scouting around for alternatives. A new investment promises 8% returns – from recycled cooking oil Next Thursday the Bank of England is widely expected to make its first rate cut since March 2009, taking the base rate from 0.5% to just 0.25%, while NatWest has warned customers that […]
Fruit and veg straight from the field
Hay-on-Wye, Powys Market town enjoys a renaissance of home produce picked the day before with no chilled storage in sight Joe at the market garden called 100% Hay is always smiley, but this market day morning he’s looking especially chirpy. The sun is shining, customers are queuing, and the full bounty of summer is weighing […]
England's plastic bag usage drops 85% since 5p charge introduced
Number of single-use bags handed out dropped to 500m in first six months since charge, compared with 7bn the previous year The number of single-use plastic bags used by shoppers in England has plummeted by more than 85% after the introduction of a 5p charge last October, early figures suggest. More than 7bn bags were […]