The Earth has been hit by a powerful blast of energy from the very depths of the universe. The fast radio burst is the most distant of its kind of ever seen, coming from so far away that it has travelled eight billion years to get to Earth. It is also astonishingly powerful, one of the most energetic of its kind ever seen. In less than a second, it released the same energy that comes out of the Sun in more than 30 years. Fast radio bursts are intense, short bursts of energy that come from unknown but extreme activity in space. Scientists are still unsure of how they are formed, but explanations have included everything from extraterrestrial technology to neutron stars. The newly discovered burst appears to come from a small group of merging galaxies, scientists say, which helps support current theories about where they come from. But the intensity of the burst is harder to explain, which challenges our understanding of how they are actually emitted. “While we still don’t know what causes these massive bursts of energy, the paper confirms that fast radio bursts are common events in the cosmos and that we will be able to use them to detect matter between galaxies, and better understand the structure of the Universe,” said Ryan Shannon, from the Swinburne University of Technology. The blasts could be useful ways of answering some of the deepest questions about our cosmos, such as how much it actually weighs. At the moment, attempts to answer that have led to confusing results. “If we count up the amount of normal matter in the Universe — the atoms that we are all made of — we find that more than half of what should be there today is missing,” said Professor Shannon. “We think that the missing matter is hiding in the space between galaxies, but it may just be so hot and diffuse that it’s impossible to see using normal techniques. “Fast radio bursts sense this ionised material. Even in space that is nearly perfectly empty they can ‘see’ all the electrons, and that allows us to measure how much stuff is between the galaxies.” The blast was spotted last year, using a telescope in Japan. Researchers then used other telescopes to verify the find and examine it in more detail. “Using ASKAP’s array of dishes, we were able to determine precisely where the burst came from,” said Stuart Ryder, the first author on the paper. “Then we used the European Southern Observatory (ESO) Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile to search for the source galaxy, finding it to be older and further away than any other FRB source found to date, and likely within a small group of merging galaxies.” The findings are reported in a new paper, ‘A luminous fast radio burst that probes the Universe at redshift 1’, published in the journal Science. Read More Scientists unveil radical new ‘missing law’ to explain the universe India’s Modi declares goal to land human on Moon by 2040 Researchers reveal source of largest ever Mars quake

Just 22 minutes of housework, jogging or brisk walking per day could offset the negative effects of sitting down for too long, new research has suggested. Researchers found sitting for extended periods – for example, long stints in front of the TV or working at a desk – is associated with dying earlier. However, participating in moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA) can eliminate the risk. At the more moderate end of the scale, this could be anything from heavy cleaning around the home, playing badminton or cycling at 10-12mph, while more vigorous activities could include jogging at 6mph or faster, playing football, basketball or tennis. The study, published online in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, backs up the UK chief medical officers’ recommendation of trying to get 150 minutes of MVPA per week – roughly 21 minutes per day. The research looked at data for 11,989 people aged over 50, half of whom where women, from Norway, Sweden and the US, who had worn activity trackers which measured their MPVA. How long they spent sitting daily was also recorded. Over a five-year follow-up, 805 of the people died. Author Edvard Sagelv, from the Arctic University of Norway, told the PA news agency: “In our study, we found that only those people doing more than 12 hours per day sitting had a higher risk of death. Every minute higher MVPA showed a lower risk of death – meaning if people were doing less than 22 minutes (such as 10 minutes) there was still a lower risk of death. “However, doing 22 minutes eliminated the higher risk of death from sedentary time. This means that if doing 22 minutes or more per day, there was no excess risk from sedentary time. And, if doing more than 22 minutes per day, there was a lower risk of death overall. Basically, the more the better.” How can I get the best workout in 22 minutes? Less than half an hour a day to offset the negative effects of sitting for too long is good news for anyone who normally struggles to find time to exercise – but how can you make those 22 minutes really count? We asked a fitness pro for some suggestions… Compound exercises Ali Malik, personal trainer and founder of Fit Labs Kensington, suggested focusing on compound exercises. “Compound exercises are full-body exercises that engage with multiple muscle groups at the same time. When you are limited in time, it would be more beneficial to do a squat, for example, which engages your core, lumber spin and whole lower body, instead of a bicep curl, which doesn’t,” Malik said. “Push-ups are also great, as they engage your upper body muscles and core. If you are doing it on your knees, you use less of your legs, but a full push-up will be using your glutes and legs as well – engaging with more than one muscle group.” Planks are another great compound exercise, because “it’s predominately about your core but engages your full body, as you have to work hard to keep yourself stabilised”. Malik added: “People sometimes think dead lifts is an advanced exercise, but it’s not. Everyone does a does at least one everyday. For example, if you are picking up a bag from the floor, that’s a dead lift. It can be done with anything as light as two plastic bags filled with a water bottle each, but if you are in the gym you can use dumb bells and kettle bells.” Circuits For a well-rounded workout in 22 minutes, Malik also suggested a circuit based workout – starting with a three-minute warm-up. “This could include a cat cow stretch, a walk out [start standing up, then bend forwards and walk your body out in front of you using your hands, and then back up to standing], then jumping jacks to get your heart rate up and loosen your muscles.” Then for the circuits, it’s all about repeating multiple exercises in the same order. “I would do 10 squats, 10 press-ups and a 30-second plank. Then rest for 30 seconds, and then repeat that pattern six times. This is about 16 minutes of the workout,” said Malik. “But if you are feeling bored and would like to switch things up, you could do 10 lunges, 10 shoulder taps and leg raises instead.” Being efficient during a short workout is key, added Malik: “You don’t want to rush through the exercises to risk poor form, but you also don’t want to waste time with long five minute breaks.” Allow for a three-minute cool-down at the end. Malik explained: “It’s all about calming movements at this stage, to bring down your heart rate and relax your muscles. Start with a child pose, striking cobra – push your pelvis into the floor and then raise your chest, whilst applying pressure with both hands on either side of the body – then I would do a pigeon pose, where you have one leg out in front of you in a bent position and one leg behind you that is straight. This stretches your glute muscles.” What are the benefits? There are various benefits to exercises using this format. Malik said: “It will elevate your heart rate, put your muscles under tension to maintain and build strength, and help with your cardiovascular system.” Read More What crops will we be growing in the future, as climate change alters the landscape? As Rebecca Adlington shares heart-breaking miscarriage news: How to support others experiencing baby loss What you need to know about new research into treating cervical cancer How to do Halloween make up and still take care of your skin Which houseplants best suit your star sign? 5 of the hottest new perfume launches for autumn/winter

University of Virginia officials are further delaying the public release of the findings of an investigation into the events surrounding a 2022 campus shooting that killed three student-athletes and wounded two other students

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Wilfried Gnonto has submitted a transfer request to try and seal a move away from Leeds.

Former Tottenham Hotspur and Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino is set to join Chelsea ahead of next season, the club announced on Monday.

Property records show the target of a search warrant tied to the investigation into Tupac Shakur's death belongs to the wife of a self-proclaimed witness to the rapper's shooting.

Celtic fans defied a club appeal and waved Palestinian flags before Wednesday’s Champions League fixture. The Green Brigade, a supporter group which occupies the north curve of Celtic Park, traditionally organise a tifo - a choreographed display involving a large banner - for major games. But as the teams emerged from the tunnel for their Group E match against Atletico Madrid, they instead held up Palestinian flags. Celtic have already banned the group from away games after they displayed the flags at recent matches in the wake of the attacks in Israel and Gaza. It is expected the Scottish club will now receive a fine from Uefa. Read More Moment Gerard Pique falls into huge hole as he’s distracted by phone Bobby Charlton’s football was ‘poetry in motion’, says former teammate Ten Hag lays flowers in centre circle as Man United pay tribute to Bobby Charlton

Eddie Izzard is returning to a New York stage this winter for an ambitious version of “Hamlet.”

A Domino’s delivery driver has faced backlash after scolding a customer for not picking up their order from the store. Food delivery services are commonplace, especially in major towns and cities, and offer a convenient way for people to order food without having to leave their houses. But, one woman found she was being judged by the delivery driver for getting her food delivered a short distance. The incident was caught on a person’s doorbell camera when customer Ercina Rodriguez unexpectedly got into an argument with the person delivering her Domino’s order. In the clip, Rodriguez was asked by the person delivering her order: “You know the Domino’s is right there, right?” In an inaudible part of the clip, Rodriguez appeared to give her reasoning for why she opted for delivery, to which the delivery person replied, “Ok, that’s fair. That’s fair”. @erica.bk11 #fyp #dominos #viral Rodriguez then calmly responded: “I don’t see why I should have to explain myself to you about why I’m doing a delivery. They pay you for that, right? And you get a tip. What more do you want?” The driver shrugged their shoulders and said, “I’m just wondering”, to which Rodriguez replied, “It’s none of your business”. The TikTok has been viewed almost 700,000 times and people have been giving Rodriguez their support. One person commented: “So you paid the fee for delivery and tipped and this person asked why? I keep getting amazed every day.” “Love the way you handled that. People need to mind their own business,” another wrote. Another questioned: “Why is delivery an option then.” Someone else suggested: “I would’ve taken the tip back and called the store.” Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.

Italian lawmakers on Wednesday backed a bill to extend the country's ban on surrogacy to couples who seek it abroad, sparking warnings the move was...