One apple to rule them all? The 'Cosmic Crisp' hits shelves
After two decades of research and millions spent in the labs, scientists have finally unveiled the fruit — literally — of their hard work: the Cosmic Crisp apple. It's said to be particularly tasty and juicy, and if kept in the fridge will stay fresh for up to a year.
'It's an ultra-crisp apple, it's relatively firm, it has a good balance of sweet and tart and it's very juicy,' according to Kate Evans, head of the team at Washington State University who bred the apple.
If that sounds good to you, don't get too excited just yet — unless you live in the USA. The 12 million Cosmic Crisp trees that have been planted are in Washington State, and (for the moment at least) there are strict licensing conditions in place prohibiting others from planting and growing this fruit.
Great queen, terrible handwriting
When University of East Anglia academic Dr John-Mark Philo chanced upon a Tudor translation of Tacitus’ Annals, he had an inkling it might have been written by Elizabeth I herself. But it was the handwriting that clinched the attribution.
The Queen had a notoriously bad hand and the ill-formed letters that peppered the manuscript’s notes and corrections confirmed Dr Philo’s hunch, leading the literary historian to say that ‘in terms of proving someone’s authorship, [messy handwriting] is an absolute gift.’
Read more (Country Life)
On This Day... in 1697
St Paul Cathedral was consecrated exactly 322 years ago. The church was built by Sir Christopher Wren to replace Old St Paul’s which had been destroyed in the Fire of London. The architect was given free rein with the design but his views met mixed success at the time, with some saying the Cathedral had an ‘unfamiliar, un-English’ look.
It took 22 years for the construction to advance enough for services to be held at St Paul’s — but the Cathedral was not finished until much after the consecration. Work was officially declared complete in 1710 but some statuary was added to the roof well into the 1720s.
'The war against nature must stop'
Those are the words of United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, speaking on Sunday ahead of the UN climate conference in Madrid, which runs for the next two weeks in the Spanish capital.
'We simply have to stop digging and drilling and take advantage of the vast possibilities offered by renewable energy and nature-based solutions,' he added.
There are huge challenges, however. While some nations are honouring their commitments under the 2015 Paris agreement, many are not — with the USA stepping back, China increasing its coal dependency and Brazilian deforestation continuing apace.
'We also see clearly that the world’s largest emitters are not pulling their weight,' added Guterres, 'and without them, our goal is unreachable.'
And finally...meet a ‘fishy’ Christmas Tree
Villagers in Ullapool, in the Western Highlands, have made a 29.5-ft Christmas Tree from 340 creels used to catch shellfish.
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Game, set, match: 12 of the world’s most beautiful tennis courtsFrom Italy to Indonesia, when it comes to hotel amenities, a picturesque tennis court will always trump a 24-hour gym. So, before you book your next holiday, take a look at our pick of the 12 best.
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Five frankly enormous mansions, including one with its own private swimming lake, as seen in Country LifeSometimes bigger really is better.
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The brilliant tractor tribute to the NHS from a group of Warwickshire farmersPeople around Britain have been paying tribute to the efforts of our NHS workers at the time of the coronavirus pandemic — but few have been as creative and clever as this one.
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London's iconic red bus at risk and 6,000 year old chewing gum gives clues into our DNA historyCuts to industry subsidies and an increase in fares has left bus use at its lowest point ever, while DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' allows scientists to decipher the genetic code of a Stone Age woman.
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90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemiesA superbly intact dinosaur skeleton — described as being 'museum quality' — has been discovered on a beach in Somerset.
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Battle to ban 4x4s from the idyllic Lake District spot bequeathed by Beatrix Potter, eagle fights octopus and the 'snail's pace' climate talksThis morning we look at Little Langdale's fight for peace, reflect on the climate change talks in Madrid and discover the soundtrack for Brexit.
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Country Life Today: How Greta Thunberg shifted the dial on climate change — and the backlash shows just how muchThis morning we ponder whether Greta Thunberg is the Joan of Arc for the environmental movement, look at a key election — one from 19 years ago — and ponder the marvel of 'dad tidying'.
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Country Life Today: Great news for those who love our great country pubs — the years of decline are overThere is a great sign of health in the pub industry, we look back at Edward VIII's abdication message and fret about Greenland's melting ice.
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Country Life Today: Spain accused of being 'a deplorable choice' for UN climate conferenceA no-holds-barred assault on the Spanish fishing industry, Banksy raising awareness of the homeless and the woes of the Christmas jumper are in today's news round-up.
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Country Life Today: 'This is perhaps the ultimate wake-up call from the uncontrolled experiment humanity is unleashing on the world’s oceans'In today's round up, we examine why oxygen loss is putting oceans at risk, discover that action to cut air pollution brings almost immediate benefits to human health and find out which bird's arrival marks the start of winter in Gloucestershire.
