Science & Earth

Officials say they have closed unpermitted dredging sites and strengthened monitoring; dredging continues and is reshaping the Lagos lagoon while fishermen report shrinking catches.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese visited Victorian towns hit by bushfires, while authorities reported about 300 structures destroyed and roughly 350,000 hectares burned; a state of disaster remains in place.

Officials say an avalanche near Longs Pass in Kittitas County on Friday buried four snowmobilers; two men died and two were rescued.

Ex‑Tropical Cyclone Koji was downgraded to a tropical low after crossing Queensland's far north, and authorities warn heavy rain and flood risk will continue over the next 24–48 hours.

A rapid thaw after heavy snow, combined with heavy rain and strong winds, has led to flooding and transport disruption in parts of Scotland. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency issued 12 flood alerts and three flood warnings.

SEPA has three flood warnings and 12 flood alerts after a weekend of poor weather, and the Met Office has yellow wind and rain warnings for north‑west Scotland.

The Met Office has issued flood warnings for nine areas of Scotland with up to 110mm of rain forecast, and yellow rain alerts cover parts of northern and southwest Scotland.

Families took sledges to the North York Moors National Park after Storm Goretti, while Met Office amber and yellow warnings remained in parts of Scotland and northern England.

A study of deer on Scottish estates found invasive sika deer increased while native red deer declined, and researchers warn this pattern could mirror past losses of red squirrels.

The Met Office has issued an amber warning as WXCHARTS maps show snow arriving from 6am on Sunday across much of the UK, with forecasts suggesting up to 45cm in parts of northern Scotland.

A man in his 50s was found dead in a caravan after a tree fell on it in the Mawgan area of Helston; police said the death is not being treated as suspicious and next of kin have been informed.

Google removed AI Overviews for certain liver-test queries after a Guardian investigation found they gave inaccurate health information; Google says it is reviewing and updating summaries while health groups remain concerned.

The Met Office has issued a danger-to-life wind warning for parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland covering 11 areas from 9pm this evening until midday on Monday; a separate yellow rain warning for parts of Scotland warns of heavy rain and flood risk.

The direct Sheffield–Filey service runs about 75 miles and takes roughly two and a half hours, with Split My Fare reporting return fares as low as £4 when booked early and higher prices if booked later. The route passes moorland, the Humber Bridge, Hull and several coastal towns before reaching Filey’s long sandy beach.

Scientists warn that the introduced sika deer’s behavioural, physiological and genetic advantages, together with culling that does not distinguish species, could put native red deer in the UK under long-term pressure.

The Quadrantid meteor shower peaked on January 4 but is expected to remain active until January 12, and is most visible after midnight under dark skies; a full Moon at the peak will reduce visibility.

The film Zootopia 2 has coincided with increased online listings for Indonesian pit vipers in parts of China, and experts and charities say this trend poses public safety and animal welfare concerns.

The manuscript presents UNBAR, a programmable, RNA-triggered dual-site self-cleaving ribozyme encoded in a single RNA strand that can detect specific RNA triggers and release functional non-coding RNA effectors. The authors report cell-free sensing and protein-free amplification of microRNA and viral RNA, and demonstrate trigger-dependent regulation of CRISPR-Cas9 in zebrafish embryos and human cells.

US intelligence used a Glomar response and would neither confirm nor deny holding records on 3I/ATLAS. Astronomers report the object shows a visible coma and tail and civilian space agency data indicate no signs of artificial origin.

NASA said an astronaut developed a reported serious medical condition and that Crew-11 will begin returning from the International Space Station no earlier than 14 January, with a planned landing near California on 15 January.

Ryanair and Jet2 warned of possible flight disruption and asked passengers to monitor updates as Storm Goretti brings snow, ice and strong winds to parts of the UK.

A National Weather Service alert in Mississippi gave residents only minutes to take cover as severe storms and several tornadoes were reported across parts of the United States; forecasts show continued strong winds and thunderstorms into the weekend.

Weather models and forecasters report a potential three-day spell of heavy snow across parts of the UK around January 18–20, with up to 40 cm (about 16 inches) possible in parts of northern Scotland; the Met Office has issued local warnings including an amber alert for the Highlands.

On Jan. 7, 2026, President Trump announced the United States would leave the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, saying it ran "contrary to the interests of the United States." The article notes the decision follows a series of late-2025 and early-2026 policy moves that reduced U.S. participation in international climate reporting and research.

Reporting notes a 54C reading at Mitribah and multiple recent summers with days above 50C, and says authorities have allowed funerals at night in response to extreme heat.

A man in his 50s was found dead in a caravan after a tree fell during Storm Goretti near Helston; police say the death is not being treated as suspicious and next of kin have been informed.

The NHS is preparing to test an experimental anti‑ageing drug developed by British start‑up LinkGevity, and the company has begun talks with officials about starting clinical trials.

Devon and Cornwall Police reported a man in his 50s was found dead after a tree fell on a caravan during Storm Goretti, and the Met Office has issued warnings of freezing fog, ice and further wintry conditions across much of the UK.

A man in his 50s died after a tree fell onto a caravan in the Mawgan area of Helston during hurricane‑force winds from Storm Goretti; Devon and Cornwall Police say the death is not being treated as suspicious and a file will be prepared for the coroner.

A collapse at the Binaliw Landfill in Cebu buried dozens of workers; officials say at least four have died and 34 remain missing, while rescue teams continue operations amid risks of further slides.