Mystery of dancing spiders' DNA could explain how they develop into new species 7 hours ago Share Save Pallab Ghosh Science Correspondent Share Save Watch: Dazzling dancing spiders strut their stuff. What's behind their extraodinary diversity? It's not just the dazzling colours and slick moves of Australia's dancing spiders that make them special. There are more than 100 different species of the peacock spider, whereas most animals have only five or ten. Researchers believe that's partly down to the spider's 'dark DNA' - a mysterious part of the animal's genetic code, and they are studying it to find out more. They think that this dark DNA might enable it to adapt rapidly to changing environmental circumstances by developing into new species. What the scientists find out, they say, might help to explain why there is so much variation in the natural world. "We are interested in how the spiders evolve to become that diverse," Jonah Walker, of the Sanger Institute told BBC News. "When you go outside you see so much variation in species of plants and animals," he said. "Peacock spiders are at the extreme end of that. And so, by studying them, we can use that extreme case to try to understand what processes produce variation in general. " Peacock spiders are found across Australia and each one is the size of a pin head. It is so-named because of the brilliant colours males have on their abdomen, which they show off in a beguiling mating ritual. They create a drumming sound with their feet, a spider song of sorts, and move rhythmically while displaying their dazzlingly patterned features. What is remarkable about these creatures is how varied they are in their appearance, songs and dance moves. Mr Walker used to be scared of spiders, but he overcame his phobia because he was so drawn to the science behind the spiders and took the project on as part of his PhD research. "When I told friends and family that I was going to study spiders in Australia I got some worried looks and I was obviously apprehensive myself. But just a few seconds of watching them dance was enough for any fears to be washed away. " Mr Walker worked with his group leader, Dr Jonana Meier and an international team to collect each and every one of the species discovered so far. They then painstakingly categorised precise details about each one's behaviour, movement and songs. The final piece of the jigsaw was to cross-reference all this information with the DNA of each species. Jonah Walker The flying peacock spider: each different species has different colours and behaviours By comparing the results of each species, they hope to find out which genes are responsible for each trait and ultimately why there are so many different types of peacock spider. The research is a work in progress but the team already has a strong scientific lead to investigate further. "It is early days, but one of the tantalising things we have discovered is that it may not only be the genes that are responsible for the diversity, but the bits in between, the so-called 'dark DNA', that may influence how spiders evolve," says Mr Walker. DNA consists of a long string of molecules. Some parts of them are involved in deciding specific traits. In the case of humans they can decide height or eye colour. These sections are called genes. But the bulk of the sections of DNA are not genes, and no one really knows what they do. The Sanger researchers think that this so-called dark DNA may be responsible for peacock spiders' diversity. They have three times more dark DNA than humans. Jonah Walker Display of the golden peacock spider which has its own dance and song

Vaccine to curb chlamydia epidemic decimating koalas approved 3 hours ago Share Save Lana Lam and Tiffanie Turnbull BBC News, Sydney Share Save Watch: Researchers ‘hopeful’ after koala chlamydia vaccine approval A vaccine which could save Australia's endangered koala population from a rampant chlamydia epidemic has been approved for rollout for the first time. University of the Sunshine Coast (UniSC) scientists have spent more than a decade developing a jab to curb the spread of the disease, which has decimated wild koala populations across most of eastern Australia. "Some individual wild colonies, where infection rate can be as high as 70%, are edging closer to extinction every day," Peter Timms said. With approval from regulators now secured, he said the team hoped for major funding to distribute the vaccine to wildlife hospitals, vet clinics and koalas in the wild. "It has been a long road. There's been points along the pathway I think we nearly gave up," Dr Timms, a microbiologist, said. "Today's a very exciting day. " Chlamydia - which is transmitted by close contact or mating - can cause painful urinary tract infections, conjunctivitis, blindness and infertility in koalas, and is often fatal. Both male and female koalas can contract the disease, which is a different strain to the one found in humans, while joeys can catch it through feeding in their mother's pouch. But treatment can be deadly too. Koalas infected with chlamydia are usually given antibiotics, but this destroys the gut bacteria which allow them to digest eucalyptus leaves - their primary food source - and can lead to starvation. The much-loved national icon has faced increasing threats to its wild populations across much of eastern Australia in recent decades, from factors including land clearing, natural disasters, feral pests and urbanisation. Chlamydia, however, has been the biggest killer - accounting for as much as 50% of deaths and claiming thousands of koalas. Some estimate only 50,000 of the animals remain in the wild, and there are fears they will be extinct in some states within a generation. UniSC's single-dose chlamydia vaccine has been tested on hundreds of wild koalas, and its approval by federal regulators was based on analysis of a decade's worth of those trials - a study the university described as the largest and longest ever conducted on wild koalas. Getty Images Chlamydia is one of the main extinction drivers for koalas

Protect Arctic from 'dangerous' climate engineering, scientists warn 13 hours ago Share Save Mark Poynting Climate and science reporter, BBC News Share Save Getty Images Plans to fight climate change by manipulating the Arctic and Antarctic environment are dangerous, unlikely to work and could distract from the need to ditch fossil fuels, dozens of polar scientists have warned. These polar "geoengineering" techniques aim to cool the planet in unconventional ways, such as artificially thickening sea-ice or releasing tiny, reflective particles into the atmosphere. They have gained attention as potential future tools to combat global warming, alongside cutting carbon emissions. But more than 40 researchers say they could bring "severe environmental damage" and urged countries to simply focus on reaching net zero, the only established way to limit global warming. Geoengineering - deliberately intervening in the Earth's climate system to counter the impacts of global warming - is one of the most controversial areas of climate research. Some types are widely accepted - removing planet-warming carbon dioxide from the atmosphere via planting trees or using machines, for example, are recognised parts of net zero efforts. Net zero means balancing the amount of planet-warming "greenhouse" gases produced by human activities with the amount being actively removed from the atmosphere. But some more radical geoengineering ideas, like reflecting sunlight "are dealing with the symptoms of climate change rather than the causes," said lead author Martin Siegert, professor of geosciences at the University of Exeter. For supporters, it is worth exploring techniques which could help rein in rapidly rising temperatures, which are already bringing severe impacts for people and ecosystems around the world. But for opponents, the risks are simply too great – particularly for the fragile polar regions, about which much remains unknown. The scientists behind the new assessment, published in the journal Frontiers in Science, reviewed the evidence for five of the most widely discussed polar geoengineering ideas. All fail to meet basic criteria for their feasibility and potential environmental risks, they say. One such suggestion is releasing tiny, reflective particles called aerosols high into the atmosphere to cool the planet. This often attracts attention among online conspiracy theorists, who falsely claim that condensation trails in the sky – water vapour created from aircraft jet engines – is evidence of sinister large-scale geoengineering today. But many scientists have more legitimate concerns, including disruption to weather patterns around the world. With those potential knock-on effects, that also raises the question of who decides to use it – especially in the Arctic and Antarctic, where governance is not straightforward. If a country were to deploy geoengineering against the wishes of others, it could "increase geopolitical tensions in polar regions", according to Dr Valerie Masson-Delmotte, senior scientist at the Université Paris Saclay in France. Another fear is that while some of the ideas may be theoretically possible, the enormous costs and time to scale-up mean they are extremely unlikely to make a difference, according to the review. One idea BBC News recently looked at was a plan to pump seawater over the surface of Arctic sea-ice in winter to thicken it, giving the ice a better chance to survive the summer. But to cover 10% of the Arctic could require about 10 million seawater pumps, one estimate suggests. A more fundamental concern is that these types of projects could create the illusion of an alternative to cutting humanity's emissions of planet-warming gases. "If they are promoted… then they are a distraction because to some people they will be a solution to the climate crisis that doesn't require decarbonising," said Prof Siegert. "Of course that would not be true and that's why we think they can be potentially damaging. " BBC/Jemma Cox One suggestion to save Thwaites Glacier, one of the most vulnerable Antarctic glaciers, is to install a giant sea "curtain" to stop warm water melting it more quickly - but the new study says this would be extremely costly and unlikely to work Even supporters of geoengineering research agree that it is, at best, a supplement to net zero, not a substitution. "The need for emissions reductions comes first… almost anything we do is futile without it," according to Dr Shaun Fitzgerald, director of the University of Cambridge's Centre for Climate Repair, which has been involved in some of the projects highlighted. The assessment raises "very valid concerns" about some of the ideas, but they need to be balanced against the risks from "the perilous state of the climate," he argued. Like many other supporters of geoengineering research, Dr Fitzgerald does not support deploying it on a large scale yet, and acknowledged that further investigation might indeed find that the ideas are "bonkers". But he argued that more research would allow society to make "more informed decisions" about whether they could help or hinder in the fight against climate change. A UK government-backed agency recently announced nearly £60m of funding for such research, though the government says it has no plans to deploy them. But the authors of the new assessment view these projects as so unrealistic that efforts would be better directed towards decarbonisation and polar research. "There are some basic home truths that don't need an awful lot of research to come to a conclusion that they're not really viable," argued Prof Siegert. A UK government spokesperson said: "Our priority is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from human activities and to adapt to the unavoidable impacts of climate change

How to see Sunday's 'Blood Moon' total lunar eclipse 22 hours ago Share Save Maddie Molloy BBC News Climate and Science Share Save Getty Images A Blood Moon happens during a total lunar eclipse, when Earth blocks the Sun's light and the Moon turns red because of the sunlight bending through Earth's atmosphere Sky-watchers across much of the UK can look forward to a stunning spectacle on Sunday evening when a total lunar eclipse will turn the full Moon red. As it passes through Earth's shadow, it will take on a deep red hue, creating a striking "Blood Moon". While the full eclipse starts at 18:30 and lasts until 19:52, people in the UK will only be able to see it when the Moon rises, and that depends on where you are. Easternmost parts get the longest view, with moonrise in Norwich at 19:25 for example, while westernmost Wales and Cornwall only get a minute or two. Northern Ireland and western Scotland won't see totality this time but may still catch some of the Earth's shadow across the Moon. When is the lunar eclipse? While most of the Americas won't be able to see it, observers in easternmost parts of Africa, in the Middle East, most of Asia and western Australia should be able to witness the entire event from start to finish. Check here for Moonrise time in your part of the UK or in the rest of the world. Dr Edward Bloomer, astronomer at the Royal Observatory Greenwich said: "In the UK we won't get to see perhaps the most dramatic reddening that you get with lunar eclipses… and most people will have to wait another 10 to 20 minutes after moonrise for it to clear the horizon. "But it's worth watching because you get to see the mechanics of the solar system at play," he said. "This is not a special effect. There's nothing else it could be - this must be what's happening in real life in front of you. " The last total lunar eclipse visible from the UK occurred in 2022. What is a lunar eclipse and a blood moon? A lunar eclipse takes place when the Earth is directly between the Sun and the Moon, blocking sunlight and casting a shadow across the Moon's surface. During total lunar eclipse, the Moon is completely engulfed by Earth's shadow, often turning a striking red. Before and after totality, the Moon passes through two other phases: Penumbral lunar eclipse – A more subtle occurrence, where the Moon travels through the outer part of Earth's shadow, resulting in a faint dimming. Partial lunar eclipse – when only a portion of the Moon passes into Earth's shadow, creating a visible dark segment. The entire cycle on Sunday starts at 16:28 when the penumbral eclipse begins and ends at 21:55 when the post-totality penumbral eclipse ends. The eclipse is at its maximum at 19:11. Lunar eclipses are sometimes referred to as "Blood Moons" due to the Moon's reddish hue during the event. "Throughout history, people thought of it as a bad omen. But really, it's just the refraction of light through Earth's atmosphere - the same effect that gives us red sunsets," said Dr Bloomer. This reddish appearance is the result of a phenomenon called "Rayleigh scattering" which also makes the sky blue and our sunsets red. It scatters more of the shorter blue wavelength light, allowing the longer red wavelength light to remain visible. During a lunar eclipse, the light illuminating the Moon has passed through Earth's atmosphere. It's as though every sunrise and sunset on Earth is being cast upon the lunar surface. How to see it? To best view the eclipse, get somewhere ahead of moonrise with as clear a view of the horizon as possible so that you can see the Moon as soon as it rises. In a city that's probably a hill or popular viewpoint. Binoculars or a telescope will help if you have them, and unlike with solar eclipses, which are dangerous to view directly, lunar eclipses won't damage your eyes as the Moon's reflected light isn't bright enough. Cloud cover may affect visibility, so check your local weather beforehand. The next lunar eclipse visible in the UK will be on 28 August 2026, so mark your calendars for another chance to witness this celestial event. Will the skies be clear enough to see it?

I just typed the final sentence of my new Sock Life guide—for anyone stepping into shared living, whether it’s marriage, partnership, or simply the brave act of choosing to build a life together under one roof.

Lately, I’ve noticed the conversations online: some say living together is outdated, others argue it’s the only way to truly grow. The truth? There’s no single script. Shared life takes many forms, and each one is valid. What matters is not the label, but the practice—how we listen, compromise, celebrate, and sometimes argue, all while remembering we’re on the same team.

This book isn’t about rules. It’s about offering gentle signposts: ways to handle that first fight about bills, how to celebrate little victories, how to stay curious about each other even after a hundred breakfasts together.

In the end, living together is less about fitting into tradition and more about creating traditions of your own.

For those of you who’ve lived with someone—partner, friend, or spouse—what’s the smallest daily habit that made the biggest difference?

Just lost a brutal round of Catan. Thought I had the perfect strategy lined up—until someone slipped in with a sneaky settlement and flipped the whole board against me.

And it hit me: this is exactly how today’s “debates” play out. It’s not about who’s got the best plan or the clearest facts—it’s about who can twist the rules, shift the narrative, and distract long enough to grab control.

Maybe I’m just salty from losing, but watching misinformation flood into politics and tech regulation feels a lot like watching someone win Catan by bending the spirit of the game. It’s not clever—it’s corrosive.

Captain Scott’s famous polar shipwreck as never seen before 1 day ago Share Save Share Save Watch: Underwater footage shows the polar vessel colonised with sea life Rebecca Morelle, Alison Francis and Kevin Church BBC News Science One of the most famous polar shipwrecks has been filmed in detail on the sea floor for the first time. The Terra Nova carried Captain Scott and his men on their doomed expedition to reach the South Pole more than a century ago. The British party lost the race to the pole, and died on their return journey in 1912. The footage shows the Terra Nova colonised with sea life, but key features of the wooden ship are still visible including its wheel, winch and mast. Getty Images/Royal Geographical Society The Terra Nova is forever entwined in the tragic tale of Captain Scott and his men The wreck lies 170m down off the coast of Greenland. After the polar expedition with Scott, the ship continued in service and eventually sank in 1943 while carrying supplies to US bases during World War Two. The Terra Nova was discovered in 2012 by the Schmidt Ocean Institute, but the new expedition has been the first opportunity to record extensive footage of the wreck. "To be able to see these significant parts of the wreck, it was truly awe inspiring," said Leighton Rolley, Science Systems Manager at REV Ocean. "The wheel was sat there perfectly intact amongst the debris of the aft section of the wreck. "When you think of the people who have stood there, manoeuvred the Terra Nova through ice, like Captain Scott… It was like, wow, if that ship's wheel could talk, it could tell an amazing history. " The Terra Nova was one of the finest polar vessels of its time and sailed for 60 years. The ship was 57m (187ft) long with a wooden hull that was a metre thick in places to help it break through the sea ice. Captain Scott's men embarked to Antarctica in 1910. A comprehensive scientific programme was planned for the Terra Nova expedition - along with the goal of being the first to reach the South Pole. Scott, along with Edward Wilson, Henry Bowers, Lawrence Oates and Edgar Evans, were attempting to make history. After trekking hundreds of miles, the British party reached the pole in January 1912, but they found they had been beaten by a Norwegian team led by Roald Amundsen. Getty Images Captain Scott and his men reached the pole but realised others had got there first A black flag, planted by Amundsen, is now on display at the Scott Polar Research Institute (SPRI) in Cambridge along with other items from the Terra Nova. "Their hearts must have sunk seeing this black flag against the whiteness of Antarctica," said David Waterhouse, curator of the polar museum at SPRI. The deflated British party began their arduous return journey to their base. But they encountered unusually bad weather, and Edgar Evans died after falling while descending a glacier. Several weeks later Captain Oates left the men's tent. His last words were recorded in Scott's journal: "I'm just going outside and may be some time. " He was never seen again. Scott, Bowers and Wilson continued on and made a final camp, but trapped by a freezing blizzard with dwindling supplies, all three perished. A search expedition discovered their last camp just 11 miles from a resupply depot that would have provided them with food and fuel. Getty Images The Terra Nova played a crucial role in breaking the news of their death. "In January 1913, the Terra Nova arrived at Cape Evans in the Antarctic to pick up the shore party, and they were expecting to pick up Captain Scott and his pole party at the same time," explained Naomi Boneham, an archivist at SPRI. "But when they arrived they found out the sad news. " The ship's log records that the men had died from "exposure and want". The vessel sailed on to New Zealand, where the tragic end of the Terra Nova expedition was announced to the world. Getty Images/SPRI The Terra Nova (pictured in the background) continued in service after the polar expedition finished

The Druids Oak is 800 years old - can it help save tomorrow's forests? 4 days ago Share Save Helen Briggs BBC environment correspondent and Gwyndaf Hughes Science videographer Share Save BBC The Druids Oak is the oldest living tree in this woodland in Buckinghamshire Dr Ed Pyne snips a leaf from the Druids Oak, an 800-year-old tree that has watched over this woodland in Buckinghamshire for centuries, enduring droughts, storms, heatwaves and more. "We know that this tree is a survivor," he says, taking a leaf sample for DNA testing. "Is it just that it's got lucky? Has it led a stress-free life? Or is there something special about the genes of this tree?" The conservation scientist from the charity, The Woodland Trust, thinks the secrets of such remarkable resilience lie in its DNA. The experts want to understand how oaks can live for 1,000 years or more, resisting threats such as climate change and bouncing back from disease - knowledge that could be vital in restoring Britain's depleted woodlands. "By exploring the genome of ancient trees, we can understand how to manage them better so that we can secure their future for generations to come," says Dr Emma Gilmartin of the tree charity, the Arboricultural Association, which is involved in the project. Dr Emma Gilmartin says ancient trees like the Druids Oak are monuments of nature English oaks are one of the UK's best-loved trees, growing widely in parks, gardens and the countryside. They are classed as ancient when they reach around 400 years of age. By studying the DNA of ancient oaks, the scientists hope to unravel the genes behind the trees' long life and their ability to survive climatic extremes. This information would be used to select the best oak trees to plant in the future, to restore woodlands and bring back wildlife. About 50 of the UK's most well-known ancient oaks will be studied, including: The Druids Oak Dr Ed Pyne and Dr Emma Gilmartin measure the girth of the tree, which comes in at 9m Located within a nature reserve in Buckinghamshire managed by the City of London Corporation The tree likely dates to the 13th Century, making it older than many historical buildings The tree has a girth and height of about 9m It has been pollarded, meaning its upper branches were historically cut back to encourage regrowth above the reach of grazing animals, giving it a distinctive squat shape Oaks were revered by ancient druids, which may have inspired the tree's name. The Crouch Oak The tree is now hollow due to age and decay, but it remains a cherished local landmark Found off a busy high street in Addlestone, Surrey One of the oldest in the borough, it is believed to be at least 800 years old The name "Crouch Oak" may come from the Middle English word crouche, meaning cross, possibly indicating its use as a boundary marker It is also referred to as Queen Elizabeth's Picnic Tree, after Elizabeth I is said to have dined beneath it. As well as their cultural and historical value, oaks are a haven for wildlife. They support more life than any other native tree species in the UK, hosting more than 2,300 species, including birds, mammals, insects, fungi, and lichens. Their leaves feed caterpillars, their bark shelters bats and beetles, and their acorns sustain mammals and birds through the winter. Some of these species are very rare, such as the Moccas Beetle, which lives on just 14 old oak trees in Moccas Park, Herefordshire. Britain is a stronghold for ancient oaks, holding more than the rest of Europe combined At the National Nature Reserve adjoining Moccas Park, conservationists are putting oaks at the heart of an effort to restore the landscape. They are restoring a natural wildlife-rich habitat made up of open grasslands populated with ancient trees, known as wood pasture. Acorns of ancient oaks that have stood for centuries in the area are being collected and grown into young oak trees, then put back where they once stood. Conifers that weren't part of the natural habitat were once planted here, but these are being removed and woodlands restored. This has led to a resurgence of rare species, including hundreds of different flies and beetles, rare bats and woodland birds. "We're really seeing a sort of boom in the bird population here," says Tom Simpson of Natural England, the UK government agency responsible for protecting and improving England's natural environment. "In a short period of time – that's 16 years of restoration - we are really seeing nature recovery on this site. " The National Nature Reserve near Moccas in Herefordshire is a haven for rare birds and insects Young oak trees grown from ancient oaks show the way to restore woodlands As climate change and habitat loss become bigger problems, conservationists want better protection and care for ancient trees. Old trees can't be replaced - they take decades or even centuries to grow and support many other living things. Saul Herbert of The Woodland Trust says more needs to be done to protect these "living legends". "We need to find out where they are and we need to engage with people and communities to ensure that these trees are valued and looked after for the ecological, cultural and the historic value that they bring to our landscapes," he says

Canada's first lunar rover looks to future space exploration 6 hours ago Share Save Ali Abbas Ahmadi BBC News, Toronto Share Save Canadian Space Agency A computer generated image of what the lunar vehicle could look like on the Moon In a shopping plaza an hour outside Toronto, flanked by a day spa and a shawarma joint, sits a two-storey building with blue tinted windows reflecting the summer sun. It is the modest headquarters of Canadensys Aerospace, where Canada is charting its first trip to the Moon. Canadensys is developing the first-ever Canadian-built rover for exploring the Earth's only natural satellite, in what will be the first Canadian-led planetary exploration endeavour. Models, maps and posters of outer space line the office walls, while engineers wearing anti-static coats work on unfamiliar-looking machines. Sending this rover to the Moon is part of the company's "broader strategy of really moving humanity off the Earth", Dr Christian Sallaberger, Canadensys' president and CEO, told the BBC. Learning about the Moon - which is seen to have the potential to become a base for further space exploration - is the "logical first step", he said. "People get all excited about science fiction films when they come out. You know, Star Wars or Star Trek. This is the real thing. " Prototypes of the lunar rover, both designed and built by Canadensys The Canadian vehicle is part of Nasa's Artemis programme, which aims to establish a sustainable human presence on the Moon. As part of that overarching goal, this rover aims to find water and measure radiation levels on the lunar surface in preparation for future manned missions, and survive multiple lunar nights (equivalent to about 14 days on Earth). The rover will also demonstrate Canadian technology, building on Canada's history in space. Canada was the third country to launch a satellite, designed the Canadarm robotic arms for the Space Shuttle and the International Space Station, and is known for astronauts such as Chris Hadfield and Jeremy Hansen - the latter of whom will orbit the Moon on the Artemis II mission next year. The 35kg rover is scheduled to be launched as part of a Nasa initiative in 2029 at the earliest. It will land on the Moon's south polar region - one of the most inhospitable places on the lunar surface. The vehicle does not have a name yet. The Canadian Space Agency held an online competition to select one, and is expected to announce the winner in the future. Canadensys President Christian Sallaberger said he is excited to be playing a role in humanity's quest to explore space Canadensys is currently working on several prototypes of the rover. The final vehicle, Mr Sallaberger said, would be assembled shortly before launch. Each component is tested to ensure it can survive the Moon's harsh conditions. Temperature is one of the main obstacles. Lunar nights can plummet to -200C (-328F) and rise to a scorching daytime of 100C (212F). "It's one of the biggest engineering challenges we have because it's not so much even surviving the cold temperature, but swinging between very cold and very hot," he said. Designing the wheels is another challenge, as the Moon's surface is covered with a sticky layer of fragmented rock and dust called regolith. "Earth dirt, if you look at it microscopically, has been weathered off. It's more or less in a round shape; but on the Moon the lunar dirt soil is all jagged," Mr Sallaberger said. "It's like Velcro dirt," he said, noting it "just gums up mechanisms". Engineers Misha Hartmann (L) and Adam Abdulahad work on a prototype of the rover at the Canadensys headquarters The search for water on the lunar surface is especially exciting, considering the Moon was generally thought to be bone dry following the Apollo missions in the 1960s and 70s, the US human spaceflight programme led by Nasa. That perception changed in 2008, Dr Gordon Osinski, the mission's chief scientist, told the BBC, when researchers re-analysed some Apollo mission samples and found particles of water. Around the same time, space crafts observing the Moon detected its presence from orbit. It has yet to be verified on the ground and many questions remain, the professor at Western University in London, Ontario, said. "Is it like a patch of ice the size of this table? The size of a hockey rink? Most people think, like in the Arctic, it's probably more like grains of ice mixed in with the soil," he said. Water on the Moon could have huge implications for more sustainable exploration. He noted one of the heaviest things they need to transport is often water, so having a potential supply there would open doors. Water molecules can also be broken down to obtain hydrogen, which is used in rocket fuel. Mr Osinski described a future where the Moon could become a sort of petrol station for spacecrafts. "It gets more in the realms of sci- fi," he said. Dr Osinski, an expert in lunar geology and has experience training astronauts in Canada's Arctic, showed off a lunar rock during the BBC interview Canada has wanted to build a lunar surface vehicle for decades, with talk of a Canadian-made spacecraft even in the early 2000s - but it was not until 2019 that concrete plans were announced. Canadensys was awarded the C$4. 5m) contract three years later. Founded in 2013, Canadensys has worked on a variety of aerospace projects for organisations like Nasa and the Canadian Space Agency, as well as commercial clients. More than 20 instruments built by the company have been used in a host of missions on the Moon. But there are challenges ahead - as even landing on the Moon is no easy feat. In March, a spacecraft by commercial US firm Intuitive Machines toppled over onto its side during landing, ending the mission prematurely. Three months later, Japanese company iSpace's Resilience lost touch with Earth during its landing, and eventually failed. "That's the nature of the business we're in," Mr Sallaberger said. "Things do go wrong, and we try to do the best we can to mitigate that. " Intuitive Machines/The Planetary Society A picture of the Earth taken by a Canadensys-built camera was selected as the Best Space Exploration Image of 2024 by the Planetary Society

Drones join battle against eight-toothed beetle threatening forests 5 hours ago Share Save Esme Stallard and Justin Rowlatt Climate and science team Share Save Sean Gallup/Getty Images It is smaller than your fingernail, but this hairy beetle is one of the biggest single threats to the UK's forests. The bark beetle has been the scourge of Europe, killing millions of spruce trees, yet the government thought it could halt its spread to the UK by checking imported wood products at ports. But this was not their entry route of choice - they were being carried on winds straight over the English Channel. Now, UK government scientists have been fighting back, with an unusual arsenal including sniffer dogs, drones and nuclear waste models. They claim the UK has eradicated the beetle from at risk areas in the east and south east. But climate change could make the job even harder in the future. The spruce bark beetle, or Ips typographus, has been munching its way through the conifer trees of Europe for decades, leaving behind a trail of destruction. The beetles rear and feed their young under the bark of spruce trees in complex webs of interweaving tunnels called galleries. When trees are infested with a few thousand beetles they can cope, using resin to flush the beetles out. But for a stressed tree its natural defences are reduced and the beetles start to multiply. "Their populations can build to a point where they can overcome the tree defences - there are millions, billions of beetles," explained Dr Max Blake, head of tree health at the UK government-funded Forest Research. "There are so many the tree cannot deal with them, particularly when it is dry, they don't have the resin pressure to flush the galleries. " Since the beetle took hold in Norway over a decade ago it has been able to wipe out 100 million cubic metres of spruce, according to Rothamsted Research. 'Public enemy number one' As Sitka spruce is the main tree used for timber in the UK, Dr Blake and his colleagues watched developments on continental Europe with some serious concern. "We have 725,000 hectares of spruce alone, if this beetle was allowed to get hold of that, the destructive potential means a vast amount of that is at risk," said Andrea Deol at Forest Research. "We valued it - and it's a partial valuation at £2. 9bn per year in Great Britain. " There are more than 1,400 pests and diseases on the government's plant health risk register, but Ips has been labelled "public enemy number one". The number of those diseases has been accelerating, according to Nick Phillips at charity The Woodland Trust. "Predominantly, the reason for that is global trade, we're importing wood products, trees for planting, which does sometimes bring 'hitchhikers' in terms of pests and disease," he said. Forest Research had been working with border control for years to check such products for Ips, but in 2018 made a shocking discovery in a wood in Kent. "We found a breeding population that had been there for a few years," explained Ms Deol. "Later we started to pick up larger volumes of beetles in [our] traps which seemed to suggest they were arriving by other means. All of the research we have done now has indicated they are being blown over from the continent on the wind," she added. Daegan Inward/Forestry Research The Ips beetle has left some spruce forests in Denmark and other European countries decimated The team knew they had to act quickly and has been deploying a mixture of techniques that wouldn't look out of place in a military operation. Drones are sent up to survey hundreds of hectares of forest, looking for signs of infestation from the sky - as the beetle takes hold, the upper canopy of the tree cannot be fed nutrients and water, and begins to die off. But next is the painstaking work of entomologists going on foot to inspect the trees themselves. "They are looking for a needle in a haystack, sometimes looking for single beetles - to get hold of the pioneer species before they are allowed to establish," Andrea Deol said. In a single year her team have inspected 4,500 hectares of spruce on the public estate - just shy of 7,000 football pitches. Such physically-demanding work is difficult to sustain and the team has been looking for some assistance from the natural and tech world alike. Tony Jolliffe/BBC Drones are able to survey large areas of forest detecting potentially infested areas for closer inspection When the pioneer Spruce bark beetles find a suitable host tree they release pheromones - chemical signals to attract fellow beetles and establish a colony. But it is this strong smell, as well as the smell associated with their insect poo - frass - that makes them ideal to be found by sniffer dogs. Early trials so far have been successful. The dogs are particularly useful for inspecting large timber stacks which can be difficult to inspect visually. The team is also deploying cameras on their bug traps, which are now able to scan daily for the beetles and identify them in real time. "We have [created] our own algorithm to identify the insects. We have taken about 20,000 images of Ips, other beetles and debris, which have been formally identified by entomologists, and fed it into the model," said Dr Blake. Some of the traps can be in difficult to access areas and previously had only been checked every week by entomologists working on the ground. The result of this work means that the UK has been confirmed as the first country to have eradicated Ips Typographus in its controlled areas, deemed to be at risk from infestation, and which covers the south east and east England. "What we are doing is having a positive impact and it is vital that we continue to maintain that effort, if we let our guard down we know we have got those incursion risks year on year," said Ms Deol. Tony Jolliffe/BBC Sniffer dogs are piloted to sniff out the spruce bark beetle at a test ground in the Alice Holt forest in Hampshire And those risks are rising. Europe has seen populations of Ips increase as they take advantage of trees stressed by the changing climate. Europe is experiencing more extreme rainfall in winter and milder temperatures meaning there is less freezing, leaving the trees in waterlogged conditions. This coupled with drier summers leaves them stressed and susceptible to falling in stormy weather, and this is when Ips can take hold. With larger populations in Europe the risk of Ips colonies being carried to the UK goes up. The team at Forest Research has been working hard to accurately predict when these incursions may occur. "We have been doing modelling with colleagues at the University of Cambridge and the Met Office which have adapted a nuclear atmospheric dispersion model to Ips," explained Dr Blake. "So, [the model] was originally used to look at nuclear fallout and where the winds take it, instead we are using the model to look at how far Ips goes. " Nick Phillips at The Woodland Trust is strongly supportive of the government's work but worries about the loss of ancient woodland - the oldest and most biologically-rich areas of forest. Commercial spruce have long been planted next to such woods, and every time a tree hosting spruce beetle is found, it and neighbouring, sometimes ancient trees, have to be removed. "We really want the government to maintain as much of the trees as they can, particularly the ones that aren't affected, and then also when the trees are removed, supporting landowners to take steps to restore what's there," he said. "So that they're given grants, for example, to be able to recover the woodland sites. " The government has increased funding for woodlands in recent years but this has been focused on planting new trees. "If we only have funding and support for the first few years of a tree's life, but not for those woodlands that are 100 or century years old, then we're not going to be able to deliver nature recovery and capture carbon," he said. Additional reporting Miho Tanaka Related internet links Forest Research