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Rapid showers and no flushing toilets: drought pushes Lundy island to the brink

Tom Carr was peering up at the clouds scudding around the island of Lundy, 10 miles off the coast of north Devon. “That one’s definitely got rain in it,” he said. “The mainland will be wet at the moment.

11/10/2026

‘Cancer is tripling and will keep increasing’: first African to lead global action against disease ready for battle

When Dr Zainab Shinkafi-Bagudu last saw Gloria in Abuja, the young breast cancer patient was so ill that she was in hospital. The cancer had spread to her bones and lungs, and she was struggling with complications from the disease.

08/10/2026

Gene therapy can partly restore sight in blind people, researchers reveal

A type of gene therapy based on Nobel prize-winning science is safe and can partly restore sight in blind people, researchers have revealed.

07/10/2026

Oxford lets OpenAI train its AI models on Bodleian library

The University of Oxford has allowed the company behind ChatGPT to train its AI models on historical texts from its Bodleian library, as tech companies scour academic institutions for fresh data.

26/09/2026

Three-quarters of UK’s popular plug-in hybrid cars unable to use rapid chargers

Three-quarters of the 20 top-selling plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) in the UK cannot use rapid chargers, research has found, amid concerns that many are essentially “petrol cars pulling round a heavy battery”. The cars, which can run on…

26/09/2026

Germany commits for first time to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045

Europe’s biggest economy, Germany, has committed to phasing out fossil fuels by 2045, despite fierce debate about its green policies.

23/09/2026

High-mileage electric cars are more reliable than petrol ones, study finds

Motorists buying a secondhand car with a lot of miles on the clock are likely to find an electric vehicle (EV) ultimately more reliable than a petrol vehicle, according to a study. An analysis of 47.

22/09/2026

Chiltern Railways enters public ownership in Labour nationalisation push

Chiltern Railways has become the latest train operator to enter public ownership as the government closes in on its ambition to renationalise all major passenger rail services.

20/09/2026

‘Amazing community’: how people are making new friends and connections as adults

Amid growing concern about loneliness and social isolation, new research from the Institute for Public Policy Research found the number of young people in England with no close friends has risen fivefold since 2014, with one in 20 now reporting…

17/09/2026

‘Very messy eaters’: scientists solve the mystery of when black holes ‘burp’

Scientists have solved the mystery of when black holes “burp” – when the astronomical bodies launch jets after feeding on stars, blasting material enormous distances in space.

17/09/2026

I survived a stroke during an ocean swim. Here’s what I’ve learned about fear

Looking out over the ocean, I would watch the waves sparkling in the sunlight as they grew and spilled into a burst of froth. It was a fun way to relax, to breathe deep and enjoy an awesome display of energy. But lately it had become exhausting.

12/09/2026

Can chatbots feel – or even dream? Meet the man leading the fight for AI rights

One afternoon, while relaxing at his 66-acre cattle ranch two hours’ drive from Houston, Michael Samadi made a wisecrack that changed the course of his life. Nobody else was around to hear it. Or were they?

12/09/2026