17 h. ago Scientists have birthed a ‘super cannibal’ that never grows up. Could it be key to combating Australia’s cane toad menace?

There’s quiet optimism that gene-edited ‘Peter Pan’ tadpoles could help control one of the world’s worst invasive speciesThe toad’s eyes seemed to glow red, its warty and poison-soaked skin – normally splodged in browns – instead a porridge of creamy whites. This albino toad was produced by a team of scientists with one foot in a Sydney university laboratory and the other in a research station on the vast tropical savannahs and wetlands far away to the north near Humpty Doo.It was September 2023 and for the man who dreamed it into being, the toad was but an opening act in a radical new play against one of the world’s worst invasive species.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago Assetz Capital’s regional lending expertise delivers £20m funding in a two

Development finance specialist Assetz Capital has made a strong start to its new financial year with £20m of funding already deployed across seven transactions in April, underlining the lender’s growing presence and appetite across the UK’s key regional property markets.

Economics

2 w. ago 'Genetically modified cannibal tadpoles' set to take on toads in battle for ages

Boffins in Australia engineered cane toad tadpoles to stay juvenile and eat toad eggs, using their natural cannibalism to help control the invasive species’ spread

Events

2 w. ago UK economy grows by 0.5% in February in surprise boost for Labour

The figures are good news for Labour, which has made growing the economy its key priority since winning the election last year.

Politics

2 w. ago Visas shortage in key sectors revealed as Downing Street defends delay to new immigration blueprint

Home Office data shows that fewer than 181,000 visas out of a total of about 560,000 were allocated to foreign workers in the key fields identified for economic growth

Politics

2 w. ago UK work visas shortage in key sectors revealed as Downing Street defends delaying new immigration blueprint

Home Office data shows that fewer than 181,000 visas out of a total of about 560,000 were allocated to foreign workers in the key fields identified for economic growth

Economics

2 w. ago Housebuilding surges in key Scottish cities while other areas decline

Housebuilding has increased in key Scottish cities since 2019, while other regions have seen little growth.

Politics

2 w. ago UK visas shortage in key work sectors revealed as just third of permits given to highly skilled professionals

Home Office data shows that fewer than 181,000 visas out of a total of about 560,000 were allocated to foreign workers in the key fields identified for economic growth

Events

2 w. ago Breakthrough for MALE birth control pill: Scientists begin testing hormone

Developed in collaboration with Columbia University in New York and YourChoice Therapeutics, YCT-529 works as a contraceptive by stopping the production of sperm.

Science

4 w. ago Trump news at a glance: Vance stakes US claim for Greenland as new coalition insists it ‘belongs to us’

Vice-president and US delegation visit amid growing tension and Trump targets Smithsonian Institution – key US politics stories from 28 March 2025 JD Vance told troops in Greenland that the US has to gain control of the Arctic island to stop the threat of China and Russia as he doubled down on his criticism of Denmark, which he said has “not done a good job”.As the US vice-president toured Pituffik space base, Donald Trump reiterated his previous claims that the US needs Greenland for “world peace”. “I think Greenland understands that the United States should own it,” the US president said at a press conference at the White House on Friday. “And if Denmark and the EU don’t understand it, we have to explain it to them.” Continue reading...

Politics

4 w. ago Trump news at a glance: Vance stakes US claim for Greenland as island’s new coalition insists it ‘belongs to us’

Vice-president and US delegation visit amid growing tension and Trump targets Smithsonian Institution – key US politics stories from 28 March 2025 JD Vance told troops in Greenland that the US has to gain control of the Arctic island to stop the threat of China and Russia as he doubled down on his criticism of Denmark, which he said has “not done a good job”.As the US vice-president toured Pituffik space base, Donald Trump reiterated his previous claims that the US needs Greenland for “world peace”. “I think Greenland understands that the United States should own it,” the US president said at a press conference at the White House on Friday. “And if Denmark and the EU don’t understand it, we have to explain it to them.” Continue reading...

Politics