SWMRmummy – By Izzy Hawksworth A bread crumb that was buried for 3,000 years alongside an ancient Egyptian’s mummified remains has been discovered. The tiny morsel was collected and preserved by an unknown Victorian microscopist but was originally unearthed in Thebes, Greece. The piece of bread is stored on a small wooden tray at the Leeds Discovery Centre in West Yorks., and is being looked at as part of a volunteer project. Clare Brown, Leeds Museums and Galleries’ curator of natural sciences, said: “What began as a fairly routine cataloguing exercise has slowly uncovered a remarkable archive that includes of…

SWSCcore – by Stephen Beech ONLINE EMBARGO 16.00 GMT, 10/02/25 Earth’s inner core is less solid than previously thought, reveals new research. American scientists have detected structural changes near the planet’s centre. Changes to the inner core has long been a topic of debate for scientists, but most research has been focused on assessing rotation. Study principal investigator Professor John Vidale, of the University of Southern California Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, explained that the team “didn’t set out to define the physical nature of the inner core.” He said: “What we ended up discovering is evidence that…

SWNAbirds – By Ed Chatterton A wildlife snapper has managed to capture stunning images of winter birds in flight – by photographing them through his kitchen window. Andrew Fusek-Peters, 59, used his own home as a makeshift hide in order to snap incredible images of visitors to his Shropshire garden. He spent a two month period waiting patiently to capture the likes of woodpeckers, bullfinches, long tailed tits, blue tits, nuthatches and greenfinches His photos show greenfinches fighting mid-air, a long tailed tit in full flight at dawn and a blue tit swooping for seeds at sunset. Andrew said he…

SWLSdad – By Adam Dutton and Peter Walsh The father of an 18-year-old stabbed to death in broad daylight is facing trial accused of threatening two people with a knife. Raymond Quigley, 61, is accused of making the threats days after his son’s teenage killers were convicted of murder. His son Raymond James Quigley was repeatedly knifed on the streets of Ipswich, in Suffolk, amid rising tensions between two gangs in Norwich. He had travelled to the town to meet two friends and was set upon as he walked through the streets by Alfie Hammett and Joshua Howell, both 19.…

SWMRfootprint – by Jack Fifield A bungling burglar was caught red-handed after police traced his footprints he left in the SNOW. Josh Mansfield, 25, was arrested just after 4am on January 5 – just 35 minutes after breaking into a home and stealing a BMW from the driveway. He has been jailed for three-and-a-half years after pleading guilty to burglary, theft of a motor vehicle, dangerous driving, driving while disqualified, and driving without insurance. The hapless crook drove at speeds of 80mph as he tried to evade cops in Doncaster, South Yorks., while the county was subject to weather warnings…

SWMRbike – By Adam Dutton Police are hunting a bike thief who stole a penny farthing from an elderly woman. The distinctive bicycle belonged to a woman who kept it in her garage as a memento of her late husband who used to ride it. It was last seen inside a garage in Lenton Road, The Park, Nottingham, last December. The victim realised it was missing on December 21 and police believe it was stolen around December 18. Police are appealing for anyone who saw anything at the time of the burglary to come forward. Officers have released a picture…

SWLNbirds – By Imogen Howse In scenes reminiscent of Alfred Hitchcock’s 1963 thriller The Birds, a UK village has been invaded by tens of thousands of starlings – which have covered everything in poo. Residents of Rearsby, Leics., are upset about the “downpours” of bird droppings since the flock started to appear two weeks ago. At first, locals were amazed by the beautiful sunset displays of clouds of birds circling overhead. But it quickly turned into a “nightmare”. The birds have left behind a mountain of mess, covering cars and homes in droppings. Villagers have had to wash their vehicles…

SWLSpredator – By Jack Fifield and Jack Tooth An ex-champion motorbike racing driver has been jailed for 18 years after raping and sexually assaulting a seven-year old girl. Connor Behan, 33, of Newcastle-Under-Lyme, Staffs., raced superbikes between 2004 and 2015, becoming the Irish road race super twins champion in 2014. He was jailed for 18 years and handed a restraining order at Chester Crown Court on Friday (7/2) following years of abuse. Judge Michael Leeming said: “You accept no responsibility for your actions and you continue to deny them but I cannot accept it. “You have no awareness, you have…

SWSCcovid – by Stephen Beech The virus that causes Covid also increases the risk of a heart attack or stroke, warns new research. SARS-CoV-2 is linked with the rapid growth of plaque in the coronary arteries which increases the chances of major cardiovascular events, say scientists. Study senior author Professor Junbo Ge, of Fudan University in Shanghai, China, said: “Covid-19, caused by SARS-CoV-2, is initially characterised by acute lung injury and respiratory failure. “However, emerging evidence indicates Covid-19 also involves an extreme inflammatory response that can affect the cardiovascular system.” Dr. Ge, says the systemic inflammation produces “consequences” for the…

SWMRgun – By Jack Fifield A drug dealer who was caught with a loaded gun in a busy city centre tells stunned cops, “It’s real bro, be careful” before offering to show them how to make it safe. Sepehr Yousefali and David Meti, both 22, were stopped by police in Bristol after their black BMW was suspected of having cloned number plates. Bodycam footage shows officers pulling the pair out of the car during the busy rush hour at around 4.30pm on October 2 last year. Video shows Yousefali telling shocked cops that he has a gun tucked in the…