London bus use at its lowest point ever due to rises in fares
Ironically one of the most widely-used symbols of our capital, the use of London's iconic red buses has been declining exponentially over the last few years, with an increase in fares sighted as the main reason.
Only 4% of journeys were made by bus last year, say figures published by the Department for Transport, compared to its highest point of 42% in the 1950s. Since then, a reduction of subsidies for operators and restricted routes has increased the cost of a bus journey, which increased by almost twice the rate of inflation last year alone. It's also estimated that in the 2010s over 3,000 bus routes have been cancelled or reduced.
This news unfortunately comes at a time when public transportation is more important than ever as a way to reduce our carbon footprint, with Greta Thunberg praising overcrowded trains as evidence of high demand only three days ago.
6,000-year-old DNA reveals more clues about the lives of our ancestors
We thought we'd had our ancient artefact story of the week yesterday when a 90-million-year-old ‘swimming dinosaur’ skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, but another has come our way today, revealing how DNA extracted from ancient 'chewing gum' has allowed scientists to recreate the genetic code of 'Lola', a 6,000-year-old woman from Scandinavia.
The 'chewing gum' was actually tar from a tree, thought by Dr Hannes Schroeder from the University of Copenhagen and the rest of the academic community to be a very valuable source of DNA, especially from times when no human remains survive.
The DNA extract was so complete that scientists could distinguish her as genetically closer to the hunter-gatherers from mainland Europe than those who lived in Scandinavia at the time, evidenced by her dark hair and skin and blue eyes.
Other DNA traces in the tar indicated the presence of pathogens that cause glandular fever and pneumonia, while still more revealed that hazelnuts and and ducks were part of her diet – not unlike us at this time of year.
Significantly, this is the first time that an entire ancient human genome has been extracted from anything other than bone.
90-million-year-old 'swimming dinosaur' skeleton found by dogs out walking in Somerset, and the nonchalant moths who don't bother fleeing enemies
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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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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.
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Country Life Today: Why plastic is killing hermit crabsIn today's round-up, we learn than half a million hermit crabs have died from plastic pollution; find out what the Pope has to say about climate change; and discover why NASA have been 'bombing' the sun.
