World

During the Second World War, a small, uninhabited island off Scotland’s north-west coast became the site of one of Britain’s most secret military experiments. In 1942, Gruinard Island was deliberately contaminated with anthrax spores as part of a classified biological warfare programme designed to test whether the deadly bacterium could be used against enemy livestock. … Read more

Image: National Geographic In March 1999, archaeologists climbing one of the highest volcanoes in the Andes discovered something never seen before. Near the 6,739-metre summit of Mount Llullaillaco, on the border of Argentina and Chile, they uncovered the remarkably preserved body of a teenage Inca girl who had remained frozen for more than 500 years. … Read more

For years, China’s empty subway stations became some of the internet’s favourite examples of “ghost cities” and questionable urban planning. Images of polished platforms, escalators and station entrances surrounded by fields appeared to show infrastructure built far ahead of demand. Among the most famous examples was Caojiawan Station in Chongqing, which seemed to stand alone … Read more

Once synonymous with isolation, imprisonment and political persecution, the remote Greek island of Gyaros is today gaining recognition for a dramatically different reason. The uninhabited island in the Cyclades, which was used for decades to exile and imprison political dissidents, has become an important refuge for the endangered Mediterranean monk seal, one of the world’s … Read more

For decades, wind turbines have followed the same basic design: towering structures fitted with enormous rotating blades that convert wind into electricity. As manufacturers compete to build ever-larger turbines with blades stretching more than 100 metres, one Spanish company has taken a completely different approach. Instead of spinning blades, its device is a slender vertical … Read more

A depiction of Cassiodorus, 1493, from the Nuremberg Chronicles by Michel Wolgemut and Wilhelm Pleydenwurff (Public Domain) War does more than destroy buildings. It can also wipe out knowledge collected over centuries. In Italy during the sixth century, battles across the region damaged cities, schools and libraries that had once been centres of learning.At a … Read more

Cities in the Netherlands are experimenting with a greener approach to urban surfaces by using grass-filled permeable paving blocks in places where conventional sealed concrete or asphalt might otherwise be used. These specially designed blocks contain open spaces where grass can grow, while gaps in the surface allow rainwater to pass through rather than immediately … Read more

Kamprad reused tea bags and ate at IKEA cafeterias, avoiding expensive dining options. (AP file photo) Ingvar Kamprad built one of the world’s biggest furniture brands, but his personal life looked very different from what many would expect of a billionaire.The IKEA founder, whose fortune was once estimated at $58.7 billion, was known for living … Read more

Deep within the Ecuadorian Amazon rainforest, scientists discovered a fungus with an extraordinary ability that could offer new clues in the fight against plastic pollution. Known as Pestalotiopsis microspora, the fungus can break down polyester polyurethane, a widely used type of plastic, and use it as a source of carbon. Even more remarkably, laboratory research … Read more

In New Jersey, farmland is helping researchers explore whether livestock farming and solar power can successfully share the same land. At the centre of the project is a small herd of beef cattle grazing among rows of vertical solar panels, which have been installed without replacing the grass beneath them. While the cows continue their … Read more