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A Friday night Twitter transfer rumour frenzy is picking up steam. This is the way of things but particularly so on international weeks when the digital cottage industries built around big clubs is extra desperate for something, anything to feed on. Eight times zones behind, the man whose name and face is all over timelines […] More

The ability to conduct heat is one of the most fundamental properties of matter, crucial for engineering applications. Scientists know well how conventional materials, such as metals and insulators, conduct heat. However, things are not as straightforward under extreme conditions such as temperatures close to absolute zero combined with strong magnetic fields, where strange quantum […] More

Using seawater, electricity and carbon dioxide (CO2), Northwestern University scientists have developed a new carbon-negative building material. As Earth’s climate continues to warm, researchers around the globe are exploring ways to capture CO2 from the air and store it deep underground. While this approach has multiple climate benefits, it does not maximize the value of […] More

On 19 March 2025, the European Space Agency’s Euclid mission releases its first batch of survey data, including a preview of its deep fields. Here, hundreds of thousands of galaxies in different shapes and sizes take centre stage and show a glimpse of their large-scale organisation in the cosmic web. Covering a huge area of […] More

New magnetic nanoparticles in the shape of a cube sandwiched between two pyramids represent a breakthrough for treating ovarian tumors and possibly other types of cancer, according to the Oregon State University researchers who developed them. The scientists say the study underscores the importance of shape in magnetic nanoparticle design and that the findings will […] More

For women in their 80s, experiencing increasing sleepiness during the day over a five-year period is associated with double the risk of developing dementia during that time, according to a study published on March 19, 2025, online in Neurology®, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology. The study does not prove that daytime […] More

The evolutionary history of kangaroos, which are the only hopping animals with body masses greater than 5kg, cannot be understood without considering the origins of their diverse locomotor behaviours, especially hopping. “The musky rat-kangaroo, as the most primitive living macropodoid (a group that includes kangaroos, wallabies, potoroos and bettongs), can offer insight into evolution within […] More

The parts of the brain that are needed to remember words, and how these are affected by a common form of epilepsy, have been identified by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons at UCL. The new study, published in Brain Communications, found that shrinkage in the front and side of the brain (prefrontal, temporal and […] More

Scientists at the University of South Australia have come up with an innovative solution to improve the effectiveness of cannabidiol to treat epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases. Cannabidiol (CBD) is a non-psychoactive compound found in the cannabis plant. It is widely prescribed for its analgesic, anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective properties, but its clinical applications […] More

Name the League Two club with wealthy, fully committed, American owners, a famous name in the home dugout and a squad boosted by 11 January signings? If the answer – Carlisle – is easy, the ­reasons why they are stuck to the bottom of England’s Football League with nine games to go remains rather harder […] More

Arsenal bounced straight back from the disappointment of their midweek defeat away at Real Madrid by comprehensively beating Liverpool 4-0 in the Women’s Super League. Elsewhere, Everton ran out 3-0 winners against Crystal Palace. Liverpool’s Jasmine Matthews scored two own goals in the game at the Emirates Stadium, as Arsenal proved too strong for Amber […] More

Though we learn so much during our first years of life, we can’t, as adults, remember specific events from that time. Researchers have long believed we don’t hold onto these experiences because the part of the brain responsible for saving memories — the hippocampus — is still developing well into adolescence and just can’t encode […] More

Jordan Henderson wanted to be part of it. He felt he deserved to be part of it. And so, despite the obstacles, he put in the hard yards to make it happen. It has been a theme of the Ajax midfielder’s career and it resonates once again with him back in the England squad, winning […] More

Had things turned out differently, Lee Carsley could quite easily be taking charge of the Republic of Ireland’s Nations League playoff against Bulgaria in Dublin on Sunday night. At the end of 2023 the former Derby and Everton midfielder was approached by the country he represented 40 times to see if he would be interested […] More

One of the problems of international football is that everybody is always asking the wrong question, which to an extent is built into the form. Qualifiers matter only in as much as they have to be negotiated. Friday’s win by England over Albania fell into a very familiar pattern. The brave new world of Thomas […] More

Scientists have unveiled rapid fluctuations in river water temperature across the United States (US) with rivers controlled by dams showing more frequent and volatile thermal changes. Their research was based on national scale, open data from the US Geological Survey. Such data are an essential scientific resource for understanding environmental variability between different places and […] More

It was not pitch perfect but Wales made a winning start to their World Cup qualifying campaign, the substitute Rabbi Matondo capping victory in stoppage time after Ben Davies and Daniel James scored either side of a Kazakhstan penalty. The hush of trepidation that filled the Cardiff air approaching the final whistle served to confirm […] More

Researchers have uncovered a stealth survival strategy that melanoma cells use to evade targeted therapy, offering a promising new approach to improving treatment outcomes. The study, published in Cell Systems and conducted by researchers at the Institute for Systems Biology (ISB) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) identifies a non-genetic, reversible adaptation mechanism that allows […] More

Scientists at the University of Leicester have captured the first detailed “molecular movie” showing DNA being unzipped at the atomic level — revealing how cells begin the crucial process of copying their genetic material. The groundbreaking discovery, published in the journal Nature, could have far-reaching implications, helping us to understand how certain viruses and cancers […] More

The earliest days after fertilization, once a sperm cell meets an egg, are shrouded in scientific mystery. The process of how a humble single cell becomes an organism fascinates scientists across disciplines. For some animals, the entire process of cellular multiplication, generation of specialized cells, and their organization into an ordered multicellular embryo takes place […] More

Key events Show key events only Please turn on JavaScript to use this feature Wales make four changes to the team that started the 4-1 Nations League victory over Iceland. Karl Darlow replaces Danny Ward in goal, while David Brooks, Connor Roberts and Sorba Thomas take the places of the benched Ben Cabango and Mark […] More

They consume extremely little power and behave similarly to brain cells: so-called memristors. Researchers from Jülich, led by Ilia Valov, have now introduced novel memristive components in Nature Communications that offer significant advantages over previous versions: they are more robust, function across a wider voltage range, and can operate in both analog and digital modes. […] More

Thomas Tuchel believes Jude Bellingham tried to do too much at Euro 2024 and must save his energy for key moments by being more disciplined. England’s new head coach has been honest about where his side can improve and he clearly is not afraid to follow the same path with Bellingham. The Real Madrid midfielder […] More

Laura Kuenssberg Presenter, Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg•@bbclaurak BBC The Spring Statement is fast approaching – and the chancellor faces tough choices Chancellor Rachel Reeves has ruled out “tax and spend” policies, signalling that she will neither raise taxes nor government budgets in her critical Spring Statement next week. Speaking in a BBC documentary, The Making […] More

A long-term Switzerland-wide study has found that neighbourhoods with numerous, well-arranged trees exhibit lower mortality risks than other areas. The reasons behind this, and the factors that play a role, will require further research. Beyond creating a serene and open atmosphere in urban areas, trees and parks also contribute to human well-being. There are various […] More

Energy Secretary Ed Miliband has ordered the National Energy System Operator (NESO) to “urgently investigate” the power outage caused by a substation fire that shut Heathrow Airport on Friday. The investigation by the body that operates Britain’s electricity grid would build a “clear picture of the circumstances surrounding this incident” and the UK’s “energy resilience […] More

England Women are facing another impasse with the Football Association over bonuses, with the squad yet to agree to the terms they have been offered for their European Championship defence this summer. A dispute over bonuses interrupted the Lionesses’ preparations for the World Cup two years ago, with the FA initially refusing to offer performance-related […] More

Advances in the gene-editing technology known as CRISPR-Cas9 over the past 15 years have yielded important new insights into the roles that specific genes play in many diseases. But to date this technology — which allows scientists to use a “guide” RNA to modify DNA sequences and evaluate the effects — is able to target, […] More

The scale of anger as Scotland were unceremoniously bundled out of Euro 2024 was such that there was cause to ponder whether Steve Clarke could or should survive as the manager. Clarke’s response has fully justified his remaining in post; Scotland take a narrow lead into the second leg of the Nations League playoff against […] More

Our skin and mucous membranes are protected by epithelial cells. This “barrier” tissue performs its function thanks to specialized structures called “junctions.” They ensure cell cohesion and regulate exchanges across the space between cells. Researchers at the University of Geneva (UNIGE), in collaboration with the National University of Singapore (NUS) and the Institute of Physical […] More

Sir Jim Ratcliffe, the co-owner of Manchester United, has been challenged over the proposed use of hundreds of millions of pounds of public funds to deliver his vision of building the “world’s greatest stadium”. Ratcliffe, who has an estimated fortune of about £12bn, quit the UK for tax-free Monaco in 2020. He is now urging […] More