Science

A white van man has paid tribute to the late Professor Stephen Hawking by drawing a picture of him on the back of his muddy flower delivery vehicle. Ricky Minns, 42, who goes by the name Ruddy Muddy, spruces up vans in need of a wash by drawing works of art with his fingers. And after hearing of the death of one of the world's most famous physicists this morning (wed), it seemed only fitting that he was immortalised in...

A rare cancer-busting mineral which has only ever been found in space has been discovered growing on plants - in the UK. The mineral, called vaterite, has so far only been traced on a few sea creatures, rocks and meteorites from outer space. But it has now appeared on alpine plants - part of a collection called European Saxifraga - at Cambridge's Botanic Garden. The incredible discovery could be groundbreaking for cancer sufferers as the substance has special properties that...

Spectacular scene in Kent, "like the armageddon" wildlife enthusiast said

Space hero Tim Peake has been given another gong - the Freedom of the home city. The Army officer-turned spaceman collected the honour following his seven-month trip to the International Space Station, which launched in December 2015. The 45-year-old was given the Freedom of the City of Chichester, where he was born and went to school. He told a packed audience at the Chichester Festival Theatre that his upbringing in the city paved his pathway to space. Peake, the first...

Large parts of Britain shook this on Saturday as the country experienced its biggest earthquake in 10 YEARS. A two-second tremor was felt by people across England and Wales as scientists confirmed a reading of between 4.4 and 4.9 on the Richter scale. Thousands described their experience on social media after the mini-quake happened at 2.31pm. Reports suggest it was felt in south Wales, south-west England, the West Midlands and North West. Scientists at the European-Mediterranean Seismological Centre (EMSC) described...

British scientists are in a race to study a mysterious ecosystem that has been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice shelf for up to 120,000 years. Members of the British Antarctic Survey (BAS) are hoping to study creatures and bacteria that lived beneath a giant iceberg four times the size of London. The iceberg known as A68 'calved off' from a long ice shelf in the northwest part of the Weddell Sea, also known as the Larsen Ice Shelf exposing the...

The oceans may hold the key to a breakthrough cure for depression. Ground-breaking research has revealed low brain levels of an essential nutrient could be contributing to our mental health crisis. A study of blood samples from almost 3,000 people aged 18 to 65, showed sufferers of depression and anxiety have lower concentrations of compounds called omega-3 fatty acids, in their blood. These compounds are found in significant concentrations in the brain and contribute to healthy functioning and the maintenance...

A 1,300-year-old gold cross which was found buried with the body of an aristocratic Anglo-Saxon teenager is to go on display for the first time. The Trumpington Cross, made of gold and garnet, was discovered on the skeleton of a female between the ages of 14 and 18 who was laid to rest in an extremely rare ‘bed burial’ ceremony. Only a handful of Anglo-Saxon bed burials - in which the deceased person is buried in the ground, lying on...

A young man who decided to take up fossil hunting made the find of a lifetime - just 15 minutes later. Archie Faiers, 21, was inspired by Sir David Attenborough after watching Attenborough and the Sea Dragon, and decided to have a hunt himself. He took his dogs for a walk along the jurassic coast and just minutes later Archie, from Uplyme, Devon, spotted an interesting rock in earth disturbed by a recent cliff fall. To his amazement, it turned...