
How Britain can poach America's top scientists
From the time of Newton, Britain led the world in science. That began to change in 1940, when, with the Battle of Britain raging, Winston Churchill sent the scientist Henry Tizard on a secret mission to America. His objective was to secure financial and industrial help in the fight against Hitler. His currency was British military technology, in particular the cavity magnetron, a device that made it possible to locate the enemy with radar. This wowed the Americans and achieved his objective. According to one historian, it was 'the most valuable cargo ever brought to [America's] shores.'
While this was a hand-over of scientific power, it catalysed the Anglo-American scientific alliance, which has seen a flow of talent ever since between our two nations. At times there have been concerns that this might be one-way traffic: from us to them.

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Spectator
15 hours ago
- Spectator
How Britain can poach America's top scientists
From the time of Newton, Britain led the world in science. That began to change in 1940, when, with the Battle of Britain raging, Winston Churchill sent the scientist Henry Tizard on a secret mission to America. His objective was to secure financial and industrial help in the fight against Hitler. His currency was British military technology, in particular the cavity magnetron, a device that made it possible to locate the enemy with radar. This wowed the Americans and achieved his objective. According to one historian, it was 'the most valuable cargo ever brought to [America's] shores.' While this was a hand-over of scientific power, it catalysed the Anglo-American scientific alliance, which has seen a flow of talent ever since between our two nations. At times there have been concerns that this might be one-way traffic: from us to them.


Daily Mirror
a day ago
- Daily Mirror
'Strawberry Moon' to rise in rare sky event not repeating until 2043
The first full Moon of meteorological summer, known as the 'Strawberry Moon', will light up the skies for stargazers on June 11 - the Moon will sit low in the southern sky Stargazers in the UK are gearing up for a cosmic display as the 'Strawberry Moon' is set to rise next week, but something's different this time around. June's full Moon is an event that casts a glow on our celestial neighbour when sunlight completely illuminates the side of the Moon facing Earth – an occurrence that takes place every 29.5 days, marking a full lunar cycle. The approach of summer heralds the first full Moon of the season, affectionately termed the 'Strawberry Moon', scheduled to grace the night sky on June 11. However, due to a recent occurrence known as a "major lunar standstill", this year's Strawberry Moon will find itself in an atypical position in the British skies. Observers can expect to see the full Strawberry Moon hanging unusually low in the southern sky - the lowest it gets throughout its 18.6-year orbital journey. It's been a long time since the full Moon appeared so low, with the previous occurrence dating back over 18 years to 2006, and it won't repeat until 2043. But what exactly makes the Strawberry Moon standout, and does it actually look different? The Moon dances around Earth in a tilted orbit, which spans almost 20 years, leading to interesting phenomena such as major and minor lunar standstills, during which the Moon reaches extreme points on the horizon, making it appear peculiarly low or high in the sky. Stargazers are in for a treat as the Strawberry Moon is set to rise just 10 days before the summer solstice on June 21, promising a celestial spectacle, reports the Manchester Evening News. NASA has revealed that moons generally appear lower in the sky around the summer solstice, explaining: "On the summer solstice the sun appears highest in the sky for the year. Full moons are opposite the sun, so a full moon near the summer solstice will be low in the sky." Not only will the Moon be hanging low in the night sky, but it's also expected to look larger than usual, with BBC Sky at Night Magazine confirming this illusion. The reason behind the Moon's enlarged appearance is its proximity to the horizon, which tends to make it seem more substantial than it actually is. Best time to see 'Strawberry Moon' in UK For those keen to catch a glimpse of the 'Strawberry Moon' in the UK, mark your calendars for 8.44am BST when the Moon will reach its full phase. Although it will be daylight by then, with sunrise at approximately 4.45am on June 11, the prime viewing time will be at dusk on Tuesday, June 10, when the Moon will dominate the night sky, appearing full all through the night. Why it's called the 'Strawberry Moon'? Each month's full Moon has its own unique moniker; January's is known as the 'Wolf Moon', while February's is dubbed the ' Snow Moon'. Despite not taking on a berry-like hue, the 'Strawberry Moon' owes its name to the season when wild strawberries begin to ripen, as noted by the Farmers' Almanac. Other traditional names for this June spectacle include Rose Moon, Hot Moon, and Mead Moon. Below is the full Moon schedule for 2025, as well as the name given to each one: Monday, January 13 – Wolf Moon Wednesday, February 12 – Snow Moon Friday, March 14 – Worm Moon Saturday, April 12 – Pink Moon (Micromoon) Monday, May 12 – Flower Moon (Micromoon) Wednesday, June 11 – Strawberry Moon Thursday, July 10 – Buck Moon Saturday, August 9 – Sturgeon Moon Monday, October 6 – Hunter's Moon (Supermoon) Wednesday, November 5 – Beaver Moon (Supermoon) Thursday, December 4 – Cold Moon (Supermoon)


Daily Mirror
2 days ago
- Daily Mirror
Elon Musk to halt SpaceX's NASA astronaut missions after Trump's contract threat
The rift between Musk and Trump started following Musk's criticism of the GOP-endorsed "Big Beautiful Bill" and in the latest online spat Musk says he is decommissioning his company's Dragon spacecraft 'immediately' The feud between Elon Musk and President Trump rages on and in their latest online spat Musk has effectively threatened to leave NASA astronauts stranded aboard the International Space Station. Once Trump's right hand man, Musk left his special government position as the Department of Government Efficiency - specially set up by the President for the Tesla CEO who seemed to be longing for a top job in Washington - a week ago. The fall out between Musk and Trump has gotten out of control in just a few days, spiralling into a series of petty online fights. The rift between Musk and Trump started following Musk's criticism of the GOP-endorsed "Big Beautiful Bill." The controversial budget bill, feared to drastically hike the national deficit, spurred Musk to sever ties with the Trump administration in dissent. But On Thursday, Musk took things to the next level by asserting that Trump features "in the Epstein files," igniting an already fiery dispute. He also suggested that Trump ought to be impeached, proposing 40 year old Vice President JD Vance as a successor. Musk's incendiary Epstein comment followed Trump's assertion on Truth Social that he'd requested Musk's departure from the administration, alleging Musk had gone "CRAZY!". Trump subsequently hinted at a fresh approach to cut federal expenses, implying potential "Billions and Billions of Dollars" in savings by cutting off SpaceX and Tesla. In the latets move Musk announced on X yesterday that he is decommissioning his company's Dragon spacecraft 'immediately.' It follows Trump's post on Truth Social, implying he might cut all US government ties with Musk's space enterprise, SpaceX. On X user responded: "Trump just set back US space program by a decade," while another wrote: "How did this go from 0 to 100 so quickly? What's actually going on?" Just two months earlier, SpaceX's Dragon capsule played a critical role in saving astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore after their 286-day stint on the ISS. The cessation of the Dragon service leaves NASA bereft of a reliable American craft for shuttling astronauts to the ISS and back, Currently, four NASA astronauts reside on the ISS after the safe return of Williams and Wilmore. It is not yet clear whether Musk will permit the return of those astronauts aboard the Dragon capsule- a reusable spacecraft designed to transport cargo and astronauts to the ISS. Despite NASA having an alternative arrangement with Boeing for the Starliner spacecraft, persistent technical setbacks render it unsuitable for crewed missions as of now.