Living in the city might have its advantages, but we can now add “brake dust pollution” to the list of negatives. Researchers have discovered that pollution from brake dust may be just as damaging to our lungs as exhaust fumes – which can cause a broad range of health issues.

The constant friction to a car’s brakes causes iron particles to break off and become airborne. These not only trigger inflammation in our lung cells just like diesel fumes, but could also prevent immune cells from destroying the bacteria that cause pneumonia. The discovery might offer a new explanation for the high number of chest infections and froggy “city throats” that urban dwellers have to endure.

Elsewhere, Extinction Rebellion was bracketed by UK counter-terrorism police alongside neo-Nazis and Islamist terror groups in a pamphlet of threats to national security. As one specialist at Keele University writes, there is a long history of governments persecuting environmental organisations – and it seems to be going from bad to worse.

Looking to the skies, an astronomer poses a possible explanation for a star’s puzzling diminishing light. Betelgeuse, the bright red star in the Orion constellation, has dimmed dramatically recently, ranking it now as only the 21st brightest star in the sky. Some say it is actually about to explode – and become one of the brightest supernovas ever observed.

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