12 h. ago Dodo birds could roam again, claim scientists, as they report pigeon gene

Colossal Biosciences aims to reintroduce thousands to Mauritius within a decade – but experts warn of a ‘moral hazard’Since its demise in the 17th century, the dodo has long been synonymous with extinction. But thousands of dodos could soon again populate Mauritius, the species’ former home, according to a “de-extinction” company that has announced a major breakthrough in its quest to resurrect the flightless bird.Colossal Biosciences said on Wednesday it has succeeded in growing pigeon primordial germ cells, precursor cells to sperm and eggs, for the first time. This is a “pivotal step” in bringing back the dodo, which was a type of pigeon, for the first time in more than 300 years, according to Colossal. Continue reading...

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12 h. ago Scientists claim they’ve made ‘pivotal step’ in bringing back the dodo for first time in 300 years

Thousands of dodos could return within a decade according to Colossal Biosciences, a ‘de-extinction’ company – but experts warn of ‘moral hazard’Since its demise in the 17th century, the dodo has long been synonymous with extinction. But thousands of dodos could soon again populate Mauritius, the species’ former home, according to a “de-extinction” company that has announced a major breakthrough in its quest to resurrect the flightless bird.Colossal Biosciences said on Wednesday it has succeeded in growing pigeon primordial germ cells, precursor cells to sperm and eggs, for the first time. This is a “pivotal step” in bringing back the dodo, which was a type of pigeon, for the first time in more than 300 years, according to Colossal. Continue reading...

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5 d. ago Records tumble as Phil Salt’s stunning ton leads England to T20 rout of South Africa

2nd T20: England, 304-2, bt South Africa, 158, by 146 runsHosts hit their highest T20 total to go level in the seriesEngland made history, and for the first time more than 300 runs, on an extraordinary night in Manchester as they buried South Africa under a mountain of runs and shredded ­statistics. The highest total in the team’s T20 history was turbocharged by a brilliant opening stand of 126 between Phil Salt and Jos Buttler and by the nation’s highest individual score, Salt knocking himself off the top of that chart with an unbeaten 141. So within a week and against the same opponents they have set national records for winning margins in both one-day internationals and now T20s, the difference here an almost comic 146 runs.From the very start, with boundaries struck off each of the first three balls of the day, Salt tore into South Africa’s bowling much as he would in time tear up the record books. The result was the third highest team total in the history of international T20s,...

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1 week ago The Guardian view on the ‘twin’ Vermeers: how to spot a masterpiece | Editorial

Two versions of the Guitar Player raise important questions of attribution. In our age of fake images, authenticity in art is more vital than ever“How do you know how much to pay if you don’t know what it is worth?” So ends Theft: A Love Story by the Australian novelist Peter Carey. This scabrous riff on the slipperiness of cultural value in the international art scene asks: is a copy so good that even experts mistake it for the original painting still a fake?Questions of authenticity and attribution are behind a new display by English Heritage at Kenwood House in London to mark the 350th anniversary of the death of Johannes Vermeer. For the first time in 300 years, two nearly identical paintings of the Guitar Player, one signed by the Dutch master, the other on loan from the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and until recently believed to be a 17th- or 18th-century copy, will hang side by side. Experts have puzzled over the relationship between the two paintings for 100 years. Now visito...

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2 w. ago Can YOU tell which is the real Vermeer? Experts stunned by exquisite 'copy' as it goes on display next to Dutch master's work

Vermeer's celebrated work, titled The Guitar Player, is being displayed alongside the alleged imitation for the first time in more than 300 years. But which is which?

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2 w. ago Vermeer or not? New display lets visitors decide who painted almost identical artworks

Two versions of the Guitar Player to hang alongside each other at Kenwood in London for first time in 300 yearsTwo almost identical paintings have been at one time attributed to the great Dutch painter Johannes Vermeer – but what is the relationship between them?Visitors to a new display at Kenwood in London will be invited to draw their own conclusions on this intriguing question when two versions of a 17th-century painting, titled the Guitar Player, hang alongside each other for the first time in 300 years.Double Vision: Vermeer at Kenwood runs from 1 September 2025-11 January 2026 at Kenwood in London. Continue reading...

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3 w. ago Confirmed DWP cut off date when you need to be born to get 2025 winter fuel payment

The Government has confirmed that nine million people who missed out on the Winter Fuel Payment last winter will receive the £300 benefit this time around

Economics

3 w. ago FTSE ends above 9,300 for first time amid brighter PMI print

UK public sector borrowing was also better than expected last month, although the data is unlikely to end talk of tax rises in the autumn budget.

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