Researchers testing a cheap, homegrown oil in Uganda found what cats knew all along – it worked as well as the artificial chemical used globally

A homegrown catnip lotion has proven “just as effective as Deet” as a mosquito repellant in trials carried out in Uganda.

Catnip, or Nepeta cataria, is a common herb from the mint family. The chemical in the plant that causes feline euphoria –...

In the last 50 years, Britain has lost an astonishing 73 million wild birds from its landscape, according to the British Trust for Ornithology. Habitat loss, pesticides, disease, cats and the climate crisis mean there are fewer birds than ever before. For children and young people it can be difficult to appreciate the scale of the loss due to a psychological phenomenon called ‘shifting...

Study of more than 2,000 men identifies epigenetic changes linked to exposure to common outdoor pollutants

Air pollution appears to alter how sperm genes function, one of the largest fertility studies of its kind has found.

Men exposed to common air pollutants while sperm were developing showed subtle DNA changes that affected whether genes were switched on or off, raising fresh concerns air...

The answer to today’s puzzle

Earlier today I set you this puzzle about an imaginary game show.

At the end of the show two people will be chosen and each placed in a separate booth.

Continue reading…

The sweeping layoffs equate to 2.1% of Microsoft’s workforce, with 1,600 immediate job losses at Xbox.

As the Smithsonian’s National Air and Space Museum turns 50, an expansive exhibition celebrates how art has coincided with space

Wearing a shiny silver spacesuit, Alan Shepard clutches his helmet and looks like an archetypal blue-eyed American hero. The 1961 portrait by Bruce Stevenson paid tribute to the first US astronaut in space. It also planted a seed.

James Webb, the then administrator of...

A probability puzzle

Today’s puzzle imagines a TV game show.

The compere announces that at the end of the show two people will be chosen and each placed in a separate booth.

Continue reading…

Adrienne Murray meets the team using technology to preserve a historic warship in Sweden.

The NCA says there is a growing threat of children’s images being used to create child abuse material.

A feature in Meta’s glasses which boosts the voice of people will be capped at three hours for free use.

A Google spokesperson said the judgement “fails to recognise” the firm’s “significant investment to ensure Android remains open.”

Kia told the BBC UK law prevented its location tracking function being used to live track vehicles.

The actor, who died in 2016, appears in the Netflix show with the consent of his estate.

The firm said future games would still be sold in shops, but they would come with a digital code only.

Fable and Mythos were abruptly suspended in June over concerns that they could be used by hackers.

A Press Association investigation found major retailers advertising e-scooters for “commuting” and “urban riding”.

The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) says Amazon has broken consumer protection law

The app’s new usernames feature will be rolled out globally over the next few months.

The car-maker found AI quality checks failed to match the skill of veteran technicians.

Xbox consoles, Nintendo’s new Switch 2 and Valve’s Steam Deck are just some of the gadgets seeing price hikes in recent months.

Music and films are now largely digital-only – does the lack of a disc for GTA 6 mean gaming is going the same way?