Latest news with #Rosalind
Telegraph
4 days ago
- General
- Telegraph
Ask the head gardener: How can I get my honeysuckle to flower?
Dear Tom, How can I get my honeysuckle to flower? It's Lonicera periclymenum 'Serotina' on a south-facing trellis about 7ft tall, with a fence next to it. It has shade at the roots from other planting, and the soil is clay but has been much improved with compost, manure, and so on. I've had it for about 10 years and it makes lots of foliage, but little in the way of flowers. I cut it back in the autumn to keep it in check. What else can I do? –Rosalind Dear Rosalind, I think you have certainly been patient with your honeysuckle; how frustrating that after 10 years you've not seen many flowers. Honeysuckles can be tricky to grow, being prone to mildew in times of drought, often producing lots of top growth with bare stems towards the base, not to mention their erratic flowering. There are many issues which can cause Lonicera not to flower and it could be one, or a combination of the following: Fertility Excessive feeding can lead to leafy growth; the plant does not feel the need to flower and reproduce itself through seeds, as life is good with little stress or threats. The priority for the plant is to get as big as it can, as quickly as it can, feasting on all that lovely fertility. I suspect that your clay soil is very fertile and is encouraging your climber to produce foliage and few flowers. I would avoid adding any more organic matter to your clay soil; simply provide a mulch layer with gravel or larger pebbles to shade the roots and conserve moisture, without adding any extra fertility, which promotes leaf growth. Pruning Honeysuckles can fall into two main groups, depending on their flowering times. There are those that flower in early summer, which should be pruned immediately after flowering, and those that flower in late summer, such as your 'Serotina', which simply need a light trim in the spring. Reduce the plant by about one third to keep it tight against your fence. Pruning at the wrong time would be detrimental to the flowering performance of your honeysuckle, but I do not think this is the case, as your pruning in the autumn would not compromise the following year's blooms. Light levels Flowering lonicera need high levels of sunlight to encourage flowers, and your south-facing trellis would certainly provide that. For other readers who suffer with a similar issue, a lack of sunlight may be a factor as to why their honeysuckles are not flowering. Moisture Excessively dry soils would also cause a honeysuckle not to produce flowers. Although clay soils sit wet during the winter months, just make sure that your clay soil is not drying out excessively during the summer. If this is the case, then water your climber during dry periods, especially when flower buds are developing. Fertilisers Fertilisers such as sulphate of potash will increase the levels of potassium, which will promote flowering but also add other nutrients such as nitrogen, encouraging more leafy growth, so proceed with caution. An application of sulphate of potash at the beginning of the growing season, at the rate of a handful per square yard, may help to encourage flowering, but don't overdo it. Replace Finally, probably the most fatalistic view is that some varieties are better performers than others. Although 'Serotina' has an award of garden merit, which is usually a benchmark that I would recommend using as a plant buying guide, an alternative cultivar you could try would be 'Graham Thomas', with white flowers that fade to yellow, in the hope that you might get more success. Alternatively, a Clematis viticella type or a Trachelospermum might be worth a try.
Sky News
29-03-2025
- Science
- Sky News
British-built Mars rover stuck on Earth could soon be on its way to the Red Planet
Why you can trust Sky News A British-built Mars rover stuck on Earth since the start of the war in Ukraine may soon be on its way after the UK Space Agency agreed to pay for its ride down to the Red Planet. The European Space Agency's Rosalind Franklin rover was supposed to land on Mars in 2023. But the rocket powered system designed to ferry the fragile rover down to the planet's surface was being built under contract by Russia 's space agency Roscosmos. After the invasion of Ukraine, ESA cancelled the contract, leaving the Rosalind rover, designed to search for signs of past life on Mars, stranded. The £150m contract from the UK Space Agency for Airbus to replace the Russian landing system puts the mission back on track. "We could unlock some of the key questions that humanity is asking of itself," said Peter Kyle, Secretary of State for Science. "If we could do that, and benefit from some of the results and the innovation that will flow from it, then I think this is a pretty good investment for Britain to have." It's good news for the Rosalind rover - a central part of ESA's ExoMars programme - because it's been one of the most delayed, and disrupted missions in space history. Early plans saw it launching in 2018. But NASA, originally a partner in the venture, pulled out due to funding constraints leaving ESA member states having to make up the shortfall. Completion of the lander was then delayed by COVID restrictions, then essentially grounded when Russia was booted out of the project. 'Scary but exciting' Constructed by Airbus UK at its facility in Hertfordshire, it looked for a while as if Stevenage was as close to Mars as the Rosalind rover was going to get. Now Airbus has the contract to build the lander for the rover as well. It's a boost for the UK space sector, but a fraught one. The company has just three years to complete the project and neither Airbus, nor the UK has built a propulsion system for landing on another planet before. More stressful still, the fact 60% of Mars missions end in failure, many in the crucial landing phase. Europe's last Mars lander - a mission called Schiaparelli designed to test the rover's landing system - crash landed in 2016. The UK's last bid to land on Mars with the bin lid-sized Beagle 2 probe, shared the same fate. "There's a lot of effort all working together to make sure we go through each technical detail, that this is sound and we can make it happen," said Caroline Rodier, ExoMars lander lead at Airbus. "It is scary, but it is very exciting." The Rosalind Franklin rover is designed to look for signs of past, or even present, life on Mars. Named after the British scientist who helped discover the structure of DNA, the rover carries with it an on-board laboratory to test rock and soil samples for chemical signatures of life. NASA Mars rover missions have aimed to do the same, but Rosalind's edge comes in the form of a drill capable of penetrating two metres into Martian soil, hopefully deep enough to find molecules that haven't been degraded by the harsh radiation on the planet's surface. Having its all-important landing system built under the same roof in Stevenage as Rosalind herself, is if anything, a confidence boost, according to the man who led the rover's development. "Before we were building our rover and had to rely on others to get it down safely. Whereas now we're playing a big part in that lander platform," said Chris Draper, head of Mars programmes at Airbus. "Knowing these guys as well as I do, I'm pleased we're part of it." Since their earlier departure NASA has since rejoined the partnership to provide the rocket that will carry the rover to Mars. It's due to launch in 2028 and if all goes to plan, Rosalind Franklin could be drilling into the surface of Mars looking for evidence of life by late 2030.
Boston Globe
31-01-2025
- Entertainment
- Boston Globe
Designer creatively squeezes king bed into tiny South End bedroom
2 Thibault's Rosalind wallpaper picturing flowers, foliage, and birds on a soft pink ground was the starting point. 'The vintage-y toile feels right for a South End brownstone,' Hall says. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Enter Email Sign Up 3 Graphic black and white ink drawings by Mayumi Yamakawa complement the swirling floral backdrop rather than competing with it. 4 The curved headboard 's plush bouclé center panel protrudes for extra visual interest. Parisian calligraphy pillows add a note of romance atop the no-nonsense waffle bedcover, while the velvet lumbar pillow pulls it all together. 5 Hall chose Farrow & Ball's Sutcliffe Green paint for the ceiling and trim, a color pulled from the wallpaper, to 'over-pink' the space. 'A painted ceiling is cozier than a white one,' Hall asserts. 'It draws you into the room and keeps you there.' 6 Custom curtains made of pale pink wool from Holland & Sherry drape beautifully, accentuating the tall windows. Marni Elyse Katz is a contributing editor to the Globe Magazine. Follow her on Instagram
BBC News
29-01-2025
- Health
- BBC News
Cambridge 'super-survivor' to join international cancer study
A woman diagnosed with an aggressive brain tumour and told she had months to live, is now in remission, five years later, making her survival of interest to Webster, 52, from Cambridge, was told she had a grade four glioblastoma in March 2020 when she was 47. It is a fast-growing, aggressive type of brain tumour, with 25% of patients surviving more than a year, and only 5% of patients surviving more than five years, according to The Brain Tumour surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy treatment at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Ms Webster has been described in medical circles as a cancer "super-survivor". In March, when she marks five years since her diagnosis, she will be invited to take part in the Rosalind study, an international trial aimed at understanding the biological factors behind long-term cancer survival. The UK phase of the Rosalind study is being co-ordinated by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, with eight UK hospitals joining others around the world identifying the small percentage of cancer patients who beat the odds and survive years after being clinical oncologist at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge, and chief investigator for the UK part of the study, Dr Thankamma Ajithkumar, said the work was focusing on the three most aggressive and deadly cancers - advanced small-cell lung cancer, advanced pancreatic cancer and said: "Rather than focusing on why cancer patients do not survive, this study seeks to understand what it is that makes them live. "By investigating the biology of this elite group of super-survivors, the study aims to discover insights that could potentially benefit and improve outcomes for all patients." 'Such a joy' Ms Webster does suffer some memory loss and has had physiotherapy to help with the rehabilitation of her right hand side, but otherwise describes herself as doing "remarkably well". "I'm not sure what the secret is as to why I am still here," she said. "I was told that I had months to live, not years. "Almost five years on from receiving that cancer diagnosis, I try to make the most of life - I live every day as if it's my last."Ms Webster used to row competitively before her diagnosis, and with help and support from family and friends at Chesterton Rowing Club, she now rows every week."Rowing is a big passion, so the thought of returning to the river got me through radiotherapy and chemotherapy," she said."After receiving such a shocking prognosis, it is now such a joy for me being out on the river. "I can't believe I'm potentially one of these so-called cancer super-survivors."Researchers intend to gather tumour samples from more than 1,000 consenting patients who are among the top 3% in terms of cancer Ajithkumar added: "We don't want to just hear stories like Katherine's – we want to learn from them." Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Sky News
28-01-2025
- Health
- Sky News
Doctors look for clues on why 'super survivors' overcome cancer in first global study
Doctors have begun the first global study of why some people with cancer beat the odds and survive so much longer than expected. Many cancer specialists have anecdotal stories of patients who have overcome even the most aggressive forms of the disease, despite being given only months to live. The Rosalind study will now bring together large numbers of 'super survivors', allowing scientists to look for clues to why they have responded so well to treatment, while others die. In the past doctors may have put stark differences in survival down to luck. But Dr Thankamma Ajithkumar, who is leading the UK arm of the study at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, said the hunt was on for a more scientific reason. "This is the first time anybody has tried to answer this question why there is a select group of people who do exceptionally well after these dreadful cancers," he told Sky News. "We will have a much larger database to say more confidently that this is what is making you live longer." The study will focus on some of the most aggressive forms of the disease - extensive-stage small cell lung cancer, the brain cancer glioblastoma, and metastatic pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. Just 3% to 5% of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis. 'I never believed I was going to die' Katherine Webster will be joining the study. She was found to have a stage four glioblastoma after suffering a seizure on a train. Scans revealed the tumour in her brain was around 8cm across. Yet after surgery and a course of radiotherapy and chemo all signs of the cancer disappeared. Her latest scan, in December, showed she only has a small fluid-filled space in the left side of her brain. "I never believed I was going to die," she said. "I just remember coming out of the surgery and saying, 'I'm going to fight this'. "Having that positive mental attitude has been really important for me." Katherine rows regularly near where she lives in Cambridge. Apart from tiring easily and having an occasional tremor in her hand, she is well. "The thing that really struck me was the study's approach," she said. "It's looking at the positive effects, why you survive as opposed to why you get ill, which is the normal default setting for studies these days. "It synchronised with my approach to the disease." Scientists in more than 40 countries - including eight cancer centres in the UK - will take part in the study. They'll analyse detailed biological information from more than 1,000 patients and their tumours, comparing genetic mutations, proteins and other factors that may determine their response to treatment. 'We might find targets for drugs' Dr Ajithkumar said: "We hope to answer our basic curiosity of why somebody is alive. "And second, we might find a number of targets for future drugs." The study is being run by French biotech startup Cure51, with backing from the venture capital firm Sofinnova. Nicolas Wolikow, Cure51's co-founder, told Sky News that the aim was to "kill cancer" in 20 years. "The ambition of the project is to eradicate cancer," he said. "If we could unlock these biological mechanisms that are possessed by these survivors and replicate that for the majority of patients, I think we could do it."
