Londons science museum

Russian officials have continued to criticise the U.S. state department on social media this week after the agency did not mention cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin in a Facebook post about "International Day of Human Space Flight." "Regrettably, the US State Department has again demonstrated memory loss regarding the history of space exploration," the Embassy of Russia in the USA said in a statement on Monday, accusing the state department "distorting the memory" of Gagarin. In its earlier Facebook update, the U.S. agency had said the date marked "technological advances space exploration brings and the international cooperation it fosters," without noting Gagarin's well-documented achievements in Soviet-era space flight. International Day of Human Space Flight is on April 12, which was the same date that Gagarin carried out the first-ever human space flight back in 1961. The Russian embassy's social media post in response to the apparent snub continued: "Our forgetful colleagues can … [Read more...] about Russia Accuses U.S. State Department of ‘Memory Loss’ Over First Man in Space Yuri Gagarin

LONDON - Much of Europe has been forced back into lockdown amid a deadly third wave of the coronavirus. In Britain however, pubs, shops and services reopened Monday as the government hailed its vaccination program for cutting infections. In Rome, around 200 restaurant and business owners staged a protest Monday outside parliament, demanding that the Italian government allows them to reopen. Lockdown measures, which were originally meant to expire Monday April 12, were extended until May 3 amid a resurgence in coronavirus infections. “We call on the government to open immediately, respecting the rules and protocols which they have given us several months ago and which we have spent money investing in,” said Saviano Raffaele of the Tuscany Trade Union Association, attending the protest in Rome Monday. “We are tired of this, we need to return to work, we just can’t do it anymore,” said a restaurant owner from the northern Veneto region, who did not want to be named. Italy has … [Read more...] about Britain Reopens as Rest of Europe Goes Into Lockdown

Record-breaking, steeped in history and incredible feats of engineering, Britain's brilliant bridges have aided trade, brought communities together and are always the most exciting part of the journey. So much more than a simple way of getting from A to B, these much-loved crossings have become part of the landscape of our country. They all have unique and fascinating tales to tell too, from the early stages of design, right through to construction and the materials that were used. With some immortalised in books, films or associated with events, these must-see road, rail and foot bridges are now tourist attractions in their own right. Clifton Suspension Bridge, Bristol Described by its legendary engineer Isambard Kingdom Brunel as "my first love, my darling", it was originally designed to cater for horse-drawn traffic. Now, more than four million vehicles a year cross the 1,352ft-long toll bridge over the Avon Gorge, a route from Clifton in Bristol to Leigh Woods in … [Read more...] about Britain’s most beautiful bridges – and they offer some incredible views too

During the Jurassic period, long-necked dinosaurs migrated hundreds of miles across what is now the American Midwest, a new study finds. How do researchers know that these giant beasts migrated? The dinosaurs gulped down pink stones in what is now Wisconsin, trekked westward more than 600 miles (1,000 kilometers) and then died in the area that's now Wyoming, leaving the stones in a new location. "We believe [that these stones] were transported from southern Wisconsin to north-central Wyoming in the belly of a dinosaur," study lead researcher Josh Malone, a graduate student in the Jackson School of Geosciences at the University of Texas at Austin, told Live Science. This new finding is "one of, if not the longest inferred examples of [nonavian] dinosaur migration" on record, added study co-researcher Michael D'Emic, an associate professor in the Department of Biology at Adelphi University in New York. Related: Photos: School-bus-size dinosaur discovered in Egypt … [Read more...] about Long-necked dinosaurs migrated hundreds of miles, ‘stomach stones’ reveal

SINGAPORE - Two hundred years ago, Singapore looked nothing like the sprawling metropolis it is today. Like the rest of South-east Asia, it was covered with large swathes of relatively unexplored jungles. But two intrepid explorers - British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace and his field assistant Ali - were willing to brave the wilderness, home to tigers, tapirs and all sorts of wildlife. They collected specimens as they explored Singapore and the rest of the Malay archipelago - specimens which, until today, are instrumental in helping modern scientists understand more about the natural heritage in Singapore and the region. On Friday (Aug 30), the two men's contributions were commemorated, as their statues were unveiled at the National University of Singapore's Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum. This coincides with Singapore commemorating its bicentennial year. Senior Minister and Coordinating Minister for National Security Teo Chee Hean, who was guest of honour at the … [Read more...] about Statues of region’s natural history pioneers unveiled for Singapore’s bicentennial year