Shipwreck discovery could be ‘the missing link'
Shifting sands have revealed "exceptionally well-preserved" artefacts, including wooden chests, iron cannons, and copper cauldrons.
Historians consider the Northumberland a "missing link" for understanding Stuart-period shipbuilding, built in 1679 as part of Samuel Pepys' English Navy regeneration.
Experts warn that the newly exposed artefacts are at a "high risk of deterioration" from environmental factors like strong currents and wood-boring sea creatures.
Future work may involve wood sampling to confirm the ship's identity and construction, with a related film set for release on 31 July.
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The Independent
25 minutes ago
- The Independent
Avoiding these foods could help people lose twice as much weight, study finds
Cooking from scratch and avoiding ultra-processed foods like pre-packaged sandwiches and protein bars could help people lose twice as much weight, a study has found. Ultra-processed food (UPF) is typically high in saturated fat, salt and sugar, contains ingredients you would not find in your kitchen cupboard like emulsifiers and preservatives, and is ready-to-eat or heat. The study published in the journal Nature compared a UPF diet to a minimally processed one, and found avoiding UPFs helped curb food cravings, increased weight loss and improved fat loss. The trial, led by experts at University College London (UCL) and University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (UCLH), involved 55 people who were overweight but otherwise healthy. Half of the participants were given an eight-week diet plan comprising minimally processed foods such as overnight oats, cottage pie and chicken salad cooked from scratch. The other half were given a diet of ready-to-eat protein bars, shop-bought sandwiches and microwave lasagne. Both diets were matched nutritionally and contained the recommended levels of fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, salt and fibre. After completing one diet for eight weeks, the groups switched. Dr Samuel Dicken, of the UCL centre for obesity research and UCL department of behavioural science and health, said: 'Previous research has linked ultra-processed foods with poor health outcomes. 'But not all ultra-processed foods are inherently unhealthy based on their nutritional profile.' Researchers aimed to find out whether eating more processed foods impacts weight, blood pressure, body composition and food cravings. Results showed those on the minimally processed diet lost twice as much weight (2.06 per cent) compared to the UPF diet (1.05 per cent loss). Those on the UPF diet also did not lose as much fat, researchers said. Dr Dicken explained that although a 2 per cent reduction may not seem like much weight loss, it is a significant amount for eight weeks. 'If we scaled these results up over the course of a year, we'd expect to see a 13 per cent weight reduction in men and a 9 per cent reduction in women on the minimally processed diet, but only a 4 per cent weight reduction in men and 5 per cent in women after the ultra-processed diet,' Dr Dicken said. However, researchers measured other markers like blood pressure, heart rate, liver function, glucose levels and cholesterol but found no significant negative impacts of the UPF diet. Gunter Kuhnle, professor of food science and nutrition at Reading University, who was not involved in the study, told The Independent: 'I think it confirms it is not processing that is important but rather food composition.' He suggests consumers should focus more on composition, such as carbohydrates and fats, rather than on processing. However, those on the UPF diet ate more calories than those on the minimally processed diet. The NHS recommends the average woman should consume around 2,000 calories a day, while the average man should consume 2,500. Participants were given more food than they needed, but those on a minimally processed diet spontaneously had 230 calories less than is recommended and those on the UPF diet had 120 calories less. A questionnaire also revealed those on the minimally processed diet had fewer cravings than people on the diet of ready meals and packaged snacks. Rob Hobson, registered nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Family Life, who was also not involved in the study, told The Independent: 'The findings support the idea that cutting back on UPFs may help with appetite control and weight regulation and not because UPFs are inherently toxic, but because of how they affect eating behaviour. 'Many are designed to be hyper-palatable, easy to eat quickly, and less satisfying. They don't give us the same satiety signals as minimally processed foods.' Professor Rachel Batterham, senior author of the study, said: 'The best advice to people would be to stick as closely to nutritional guidelines as they can by moderating overall energy intake, limiting intake of salt, sugar and saturated fat, and prioritising high-fibre foods such as fruits, vegetables, pulses and nuts. 'Choosing less processed options such as whole foods and cooking from scratch, rather than ultra-processed, packaged foods or ready meals, is likely to offer additional benefits in terms of body weight, body composition and overall health.'
BBC News
3 hours ago
- BBC News
Skyrora becomes first UK-based firm to get space launch licence
A Scottish company has become the first UK-based rocket firm to receive a space launch Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) licence allows Skyrora to launch from the SaxaVord Spaceport in a future launch is successful, the company could become the first British company to manufacture and launch a rocket into space from the welcomed the news. Both the Edinburgh-based company and the CAA both describing it as a "huge milestone". The license will allow the firm to launch and operate its suborbital rocket Skylark L from the hopes to launch the rocket up to 16 times a year by 2030. A number of companies hope to use SaxaVord in Unst, the northernmost point in the UK, as a launch site for commercial January, German firm Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) was awarded the first launch operator licence allowing it to launch rockets from says Skylark L has the potential to be used for microgravity experiments at a lower cost than an orbital 11m (36ft) tall rocket was produced using components that were 3D-printed in the UK and it is capable of reaching 3.5 times the speed of is hoped that the rocket would reach an altitude of about 310 miles (500km) and then return to Earth, which would involve passing into and out of space. Rob Bishton, the chief executive of the CAA, said: "Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation."Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it."Skyrora chief executive Volodymyr Levykin said the journey to getting the license was a "long but ultimately rewarding one".He added: "Becoming the first homegrown company in the UK to receive a vertical launch operator licence is a testament to the hard work and dedication of everyone at Skyrora."Safety is paramount to us, and so we are grateful to the CAA for its diligence in ensuring any launch activity is held to the highest of standards."Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all." Scottish Secretary Ian Murray MP called the news "a massive boost to the whole of Scotland and the wider UK's space sector".He added: "I'm very proud that Scotland is at the forefront of such pioneering technology and I look forward to blast off from SaxaVord Spaceport in Shetland."The SaxaVord Spaceport is a former RAF radar year, during a test known as a hot-fire, an engine exploded at the resulted in a some damage to the launch platform and completely destroyed the space industry in the UK is estimated to be support tens of thousands of jobs.
Telegraph
3 hours ago
- Telegraph
British rockets to launch for first time in 50 years
British rockets will launch for the first time in 50 years. The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) announced it had granted the first-ever vertical launch licence to Skyrora, a UK-based company, which will allow 16 flights from the SaxaVord spaceport in Shetland. It would be Britain's first vertical launch since the Black Arrow programme in the 1970s, in which a handful of UK rockets were fired from Woomera in Australia, including one that took the Prospero satellite into space. The licence is for Skyrora's suborbital rocket, Skylark, which can reach 62 miles high and could carry small payloads, such as scientific experiments that need access to space-like conditions. For example, observing the effects of cells in microgravity. The company is also planning a larger rocket that would place satellites into orbit. Mike Kane, the aviation and space minister, said: 'I am thrilled we've reached this important milestone in the UK space sector, and I congratulate Skyrora for being the first UK company to receive a rocket launch licence. 'This is the kind of scientific innovation and exploration that will help the UK cement itself as a global player in the space race.' Britain first began developing space rockets in the 1950s, as a way of repurposing Blue Streak ballistic missiles, which were developed as a nuclear deterrent. UK engineers had even contemplated using the rocket to put British people on the Moon and drew up plans for an Apollo-style programme that would have beaten the US to the lunar surface and established a Moon base. The launch programme was cancelled at the beginning of the 1970s after it was deemed less expensive to use American rockets to send satellites into orbit. Earlier this year, the CAA granted the first vertical licence to the German company Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) and had also previously licensed Virgin Orbit for horizontal launch before the company folded following a failed launch from Cornwall. UK-based Orbex has also applied for a launch licence but it has not yet been granted. Rob Bishton, chief executive of the CAA, said: 'Granting a home-grown company, Skyrora, its launch licence is a major milestone for our space sector and our nation. 'Our work as the UK's space regulator is enabling the burgeoning launch industry to safely grow, bringing new jobs and investment with it.' It is likely that RFA will beat Skyrora to launch from Britain, but both companies have faced setbacks in recent years. In Oct 2022, Skyrora attempted to launch Skylark from Iceland, but a software problem led to it falling into the sea shortly after lift-off. Likewise, an RFA rocket exploded on the launchpad at SaxaVord during testing last summer. The CAA said that it would be closely monitoring operations to ensure that Skyrora met all the requirements for launch. The company is aiming to do the initial test-firing of this rocket's first stage this year. Volodymyr Levykin, the chief executive of Skyrora, said: 'Skyrora is proud to be leading efforts that enable launch activity from the UK and we look forward to achieving a reliable commercial launch programme that benefits us all.' The licence comes with a number of conditions that will need to be met before launch including adequate insurance, a data-sharing agreement with the UK Government, satisfactory arrangements with SaxaVord, and airspace agreements with other countries. Dr Paul Bate, chief executive of the UK Space Agency, said: 'Congratulations to Skyrora. This demonstrates the growing strength of our domestic launch capabilities, and the thriving commercial space economy we are building across the country.'
