Six months ago, Emily Forrester had no idea that behind her daughter Leni’s bright, infectious smile lay a life-changing battle.

The toddler showed no signs of illness – nothing to suggest anything was wrong. Yet hidden beneath that cheerful exterior was a devastating condition.

The first warning came when a close relative had a routine genetic test and discovered they carried the gene for Sanfilippo, a rare disorder that leads to childhood dementia.

Doctors reassured the family that it was highly unlikely Leni would be affected. Still, the test results were enough to prompt her parents to seek further genetic investigation for their daughter.

What followed was a heartbreaking shock. Just one week before her second birthday, Leni was diagnosed with Sanfilippo.

The genetic condition is caused by an enzyme deficiency that prevents the body from breaking down certain molecules, which leads to catastrophic brain damage. Children with the disease suffer loss of memory, speech, mobility, and premature death.

There is currently no cure and no approved treatment available in the UK.

Leni could be saved from this bleak and painful future if she receives critical treatment within the next six months, before she turns three.

“If she has to wait six months, that could mean she can no longer talk. If she waits 12 months, that could mean she loses the ability to walk,” Ms Forrester, said. “It is a race against time.”

Life-saving treatment for Leni and other children with the genetic disorder is out there; however, it is blocked by a lack of funding.

“Getting the treatment could completely change the trajectory of her life, and she could go on to live normally with no symptoms,” the devoted mother said.

“This condition is particularly cruel because children develop normally until around two or three years old. So you get a glimpse of what kind of person they would be life if all was normal. Then it gets ripped away from you in a 10-minute phone call where you get the most catastrophic diagnosis you can imagine.”

But a delay in treatment, or no treatment at all, will have a fatal outcome.

A clinical trial for a treatment is expected to begin in the United States later this year. Leni’s parents are calling for the government to help fund the research so UK patients can be included.

The treatment replaces the enzyme that children with Sanfilippo are missing by fitting a permanent port in their brains. The body is then flushed with the enzyme via this treatment weekly for the rest of her life, as the body cannot make the enzyme by itself.

The clinical trial for the treatment was previously run by Great Ormond Street Hospital in London for six years. It reached the final phases of trial with effective results, but it was then cut because of a lack of funding. Children on the trial who developed normally with the treatment went on to decline once the funding stopped.

Another option is a gene therapy treatment developed by UK-based Professor Brian Bigger. However, his research cannot reach clinical trials without significant funding.

The cost of funding the US clinical trial stands at £5.5 million. “For an individual, £5.5 million is a huge amount. But for a nation, it is not,” Ms Forrester said, as she called on the government to expand newborn screening to help detect rare genetic conditions earlier, and grant more funding to accelerate game-changing treatments.

Ms Forrester praised singerJesy Nelson for using her platform to raise significant awareness for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which affects her twin daughters, Ocean Jade and Story Monroe, and meeting the health secretary, but said families without celebrity status struggle to get any response from senior politicians.

“Politicians should prioritise meeting families suffering with the genetic disorders, not only celebrities to get their screen time.”

“These children have been pushed to the side,” she added. “There is no support for the families, even though the impact of childhood dementia is the same as childhood cancer, there is a huge difference in research and funding.”

Bob Stevens, CEO of the MPS Society, a charity supporting people with Mucopolysaccharide Diseases, of which Sanfilippo is one, said he was promised a meeting with health secretary Wes Streeting last summer, but it was not upheld. Ms Forrester’s local MP, Laura Trott, has also requested a meeting with Mr Streeting, which has gone unanswered.

Mr Stevens said: “The UK currently screens for far fewer conditions than many comparable countries, meaning families are often diagnosed only after crucial time has been lost.

“There is no scientific reason that we cannot screen for many of these diseases, but we know it comes down to money.

“For conditions like MPS III, early diagnosis is essential as new therapies move closer to reality. If we treat early, then a far better outcome will be achieved for families.”

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “We are making sure patients with rare diseases, like Sanfilippo syndrome, get a definite diagnosis faster, while improving access to specialist care, treatment and drugs.

“At the same time, we are working hard to find new ways to slow down the progress of the dementia, speed up diagnosis and improve our understanding of the disease.”

Leni’s parents have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds for Leni to access treatment and to raise awareness for Sanfilippo disease.

We have not seen him play competitive golf outdoors since the Open of July 2024, his only action a nine-shot cameo in this week’s TGL indoor simulator finals.

Of late, Woods’ primary influence has been off the course, chairing the PGA Tour’s Future Competitions Committee.

It is a relatively recent appointment, but for the best part of five years he has been at the forefront of shaping the tour’s response to the arrival of the breakaway LIV Golf circuit.

He was too busy to take America’s Ryder Cup captaincy last year and is currently weighing up whether to accept the job for the 2027 match at Adare Manor in Ireland.

But such roles, returning to action (he has registered for June’s US Senior Open) and indeed any public-facing activities have been upended in the way his Range Rover flipped on to its side on Friday afternoon.

Police officers are analysing skid marks on Jupiter Island’s 30mph South Beach Road to gauge the speed of the 82-time tour winner’s car while attempting his ill-fated overtake manoeuvre.

Prosecutors are looking to build their case on three charges: driving under influence (despite passing a breathalyser test for alcohol), refusing to give a urine sample and damage to property.

Regardless of whether he is able to play at the Masters, Woods was expected to be in Georgia for the unveiling of The Patch – a revamped public golf course he has worked on with the Augusta National club. He was also looking forward to Rory McIlroy’s champion’s dinner on the Tuesday night.

Instead, talk shows across America and beyond are into overdrive on a far less wholesome agenda, speculating about the turbulent life of this elite sportsman – someone who has enjoyed and endured more extreme highs and lows than pretty much any other.

Trying to play the Masters, trying to hit a ball 300 yards, escaping from the sand, holing a delicate three-footer or trying to mastermind the future of men’s professional golf or captaining his country all pale in significance now.

Tiger Woods’ priorities must lie elsewhere. He is in a bunker of a different kind. Recurring road incidents had already shown a deeply troubled side to this supreme champion.

And it has happened again.

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump says the United States is winning the war with Iran even as thousands of additional American troops deploy to the Middle East.

He has pilloried other countries for not helping the U.S., only to say later he does not need their assistance. He has twice delayed deadlines for Iran to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. He has both threatened to “obliterate” Iran’s energy plants if the vital waterway remains largely shuttered and said the U.S. was “not affected” by the closure.

At one point this month, Trump said one of his predecessors — who, he strongly suggested, was a Democrat — privately told him he wished he had taken similar action against Iran. Representatives for every living former president quickly denied that such a conversation happened.

As the war entered its second month on Saturday, Trump’s penchant for embellishments, exaggerations and falsehoods is being tested in an environment where the stakes are much higher than an isolated political fight.

A president who has long embraced bluster and salesmanship to shape narratives and focus attention is confronting the unpredictability of war.

Leon Panetta, who served Democratic presidents as defense secretary, CIA director and White House chief of staff, said he has “seen enough wars where truth becomes the first casualty.”

“It’s not the first administration that has not told the truth about war,” he said. “But the president has made it kind of a very standard approach to almost any question to in one way or another kind of lie about what’s really happening and basically describe everything as fine and that we’re winning the war.”

Michael Rubin, a historian at the American Enterprise Institute who worked as a staff adviser on Iran and Iraq at the Pentagon from 2002 to 2004, said Trump is “the first president of any party in recent history that hasn’t self-constrained to live within rhetorical boundaries.”

“So of course it creates a great deal of confusion,” he said.

The zigs and zags are the point

To his critics, Trump’s style is a sign that doesn’t have a coherent long-term strategy. But for Trump, the zigs and zags seem like the point, a method that keeps his opponents — and pretty much everyone else — always on their heels.

The approach was clear this week in the hours before he announced the second delay of the deadline for Iran to reopen the strait. Asked what he would do about the deadline, Trump said he did not know and that he had a day before he had to decide.

“In Trump time, a day, you know what it is, that’s an eternity,” the Republican president said to laughter from members of his Cabinet.

But investors are unimpressed, with U.S. stocks closing out their worst week since the war began. To some on Capitol Hill, the freewheeling is more frustrating than amusing.

Rep. Gregory Meeks of New York, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, lamented that Trump is “going back and forth and constantly contradicting himself.”

“The administration is winging it,” he said. “So how can you trust what the president says?”

Republicans were not willing to go that far, but their concern was apparent heading into a two-week break from Washington. Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana said his constituents “support what the president has done.”

“But most of my people are also equally or even more so concerned about cost of living,” he said.

Republican Rep. Chip Roy of Texas, who sits on the House Budget Committee and is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, said his constituents were on board with “blowing some crap up.” Nonetheless, he expressed reservations about the prospect of ground troops and said the administration has not provided enough details in briefings for lawmakers. Such sessions, he said, only reveal information you “read in the papers.”

“Taking out bad guys, taking out conventional (weapons), taking out or at least working to take out nuclear capability, pressing to keep the straits open, all those are good things and I’ve been supportive and will continue to be supportive,” Roy said. “But we’ve got to have a serious conversation about how long this is going to go, boots on the ground, all those things, press for further briefings and understanding of where it’s all headed.”

Republicans back Trump but there are risks

While Trump has maintained deep support among Republicans, a poll this week from The Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research indicates that the president risks frustrating his voters if the U.S. gets involved in the kind of prolonged war in the Middle East that he promised to avoid.

Although 63% of Republicans back airstrikes against Iranian military targets, the survey found, only 20% back deploying American ground troops.

That reflects the political challenges ahead for Trump, who did not prepare the country for such an extensive overseas conflict. If the war drags on or escalates, pressure on Republicans could build before the November elections, when their majorities in Congress are at risk. Some in the party have said sending in ground troops would be a red line that Trump should not cross.

The administration also will likely need congressional support for an additional $200 billion to support the war. That amount of money, which Trump has said would be “nice to have,” even as he said the war was “winding down,” would be a tough vote at any time. But it poses particular risks for budget-conscious Republicans in an election year.

White House spokesperson Anna Kelly said in a statement that Trump is “right to highlight the vast success of Operation Epic Fury.”

“Iran desperately wants to make a deal because of how badly they are being decimated, but the President reserves all options, military or not, at all times,” she said.

There could be some ‘logic’ to Trump’s approach

Rubin, the former Iran and Iraq adviser at the Pentagon, said there could be some “logic” to the president’s ever-evolving rhetorical approach to the war. He said Trump’s initial comments about ongoing negotiations, which Iran denied, could “spread suspicion and fear within the regime circles.”

“Perhaps Donald Trump or those advising him simply want the Iranians to grow so paranoid they refuse to cooperate with each other or perhaps they even turn on each other,” he said. “But then again, there’s always a danger with Donald Trump of assuming that his rhetoric is anything more than shooting from the hip.”

Rep. Adam Smith of Washington state, the top Democrat on the House Armed Services Committee, said Trump is not going to be able to fully achieve his objectives, including the complete elimination of Iran’s nuclear program, “in the current trajectory.”

And if that is the case, Smith said, the president has the option to rely on his rhetorical skills to simply say the U.S. won — and end the war.

“As I’ve jokingly said, nobody I have ever met or heard of in human history is better at exaggerating his own accomplishments than Donald Trump,” Smith said. “So go knock yourself out and claim this was some great success.”

HECK is recalling its two pack of Minted Lamb Burgers because some packs could contain milk, which is not included on the label.

Therefore, the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents.

The recall notice from the Food Standards Agency (FSA) adds that some products were incorrectly packed with HECK Steak and Butter Burgers which contain milk.

HECK recalls burgers due to incorrect labelling

The affected product is the HECK 320g two pack of Minted Lamb Burgers with a use-by date of April 3, 2026.

If you have bought the affected product and have an allergy or intolerance to milk or milk constituents, the FSA warns “do not eat it.”

Instead, you can return it to the store you bought it from for a full refund, even if you don’t have the receipt.

What is an FSA allergy alert?

For those who are not aware of FSA allergy alerts, the government department responsible for protecting public health in relation to food explains what they are.

It says: “Sometimes there will be a problem with a food product that means it should not be sold.

“Then it might be ‘withdrawn’ (taken off the shelves) or ‘recalled’ (when customers are asked to return the product).

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“Sometimes foods have to be withdrawn or recalled if there is a risk to consumers because the allergy labelling is missing or incorrect or if there is any other food allergy risk.

“When there is a food allergy risk, the FSA will issue an Allergy Alert.”

Have you bought HECK’s Minted Lamb Burgers recently? Let us know in the comments below.

Rand, who was born in Wells, Somerset, on 10 February 1940, was a prodigious talent, attending Millfield School on a sports scholarship before being expelled after going to Paris with her then boyfriend and becoming engaged.

She burst on to the international scene at 18 with long jump silver at the 1958 Commonwealth Games in Cardiff, and set a British record on her Olympic debut in Rome in 1960.

Four years later and now a wife and mother to the first of her three daughters, Rand set an Olympic record with her first-round jump. Her final jump of 6.76m broke the world record.

In an era of amateurism, all her success came when she was working part-time in the postal office at a Guinness factory in London.

She was described as “Marilyn Monroe on spikes” by a former national athletics coach and also caught the eye of Rolling Stones frontman Mick Jagger.

“I was at the BBC one day and the Beatles were there. I met two of them – Ringo [Starr] and George [Harrison] I think,” Rand told Sky Sports in 2023.

“And then Mick Jagger – I never actually met him, but they asked him if he could go on a date with anybody and he said it would be me.”

Ethan Platt, 21, and Simon Winterburn, 56, appeared in York Magistrates’ Court yesterday morning (Friday, March 27) in connection with a robbery that occurred in Harrogate earlier this week.

The incident happened on Ashfield Terrace at around 9pm on Wednesday (March 25).

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A spokesperson for the force said: “The two men are alleged to have stolen a gold bracelet from the 18-year-old victim, who sustained minor injuries during the incident.

“After initial enquiries were made, Platt resisted arrest resulting in an officer sustaining a hand injury that required medical assistance.”

After further questioning, both men were charged with robbery and Platt is facing additional charges of intentional strangulation and the assault of an emergency worker.

Platt has since been remanded into custody, while Simon Winterburn has been released on conditional bail with the pair set to appear at York Crown Court on Monday, May 4.

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russia launched over 270 drones at Ukraine overnight, killing at least five people, Ukrainian authorities reported on Saturday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, meanwhile, made an unannounced visit to the United Arab Emirates, as Kyiv seeks to use its drone expertise to help Arab states blunt Iran’s attacks.

Two people were killed and at least 11 more were injured in a nighttime Russian drone strike on Odesa, according to the head of the region, Serhii Lysak. According to Lysak’s Telegram posts, the attack damaged a maternity hospital and private houses in the major Black Sea port city.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the “massive” strike involved more than 60 drones.

“Last night, the Russians launched a massive strike on Odesa. There was no military purpose whatsoever — this was pure terror against ordinary civilian life,” he said Saturday on X. He added that port and “critical” infrastructure was also damaged, as well as business premises.

Two men died and two more were injured early on Saturday in Kryvyi Rih, Zelenskyy’s hometown in central Ukraine, after a Russian drone hit an industrial facility, regional head Oleksandr Gandzha said in a Telegram update. He did not specify what the industrial building was.

One person was killed overnight in the Poltava region, also in central Ukraine, as Russia struck unspecified industrial sites there, regional authorities reported on Saturday.

According to Ukraine’s air force, Russia launched 273 drones at Ukraine during the night, 252 of which were downed or electronically jammed.

Also on Saturday, Zelenskyy and Emirati state media reported on a meeting between the Ukrainian President and his Emirati counterpart, Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, to discuss regional security amid the Iran war.

Last week, Zelenskyy revealed that Kyiv is helping five countries in the Middle East and Gulf region — the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and Jordan — counter Teheran’s drone strikes on their territory.

“For Ukraine, this is also a matter of principle: terror must not prevail anywhere in the world. Protection must be sufficient everywhere,” Zelenskyy commented on X following his meeting with the Emirati leader.

He added they had discussed “the security situation in the Emirates, Iranian strikes, and the blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, which directly affects the global oil market”.

Ukraine has quickly grown into one of the world’s leading producers of cutting-edge, battle-tested drone interceptors that are cheap and effective. They are playing a key part in its defense against Russia’s more than 4-year-old full-scale invasion.

In return for its aid to Gulf countries, Ukraine is seeking more high-end air-defense missiles that they possess, and that Kyiv needs to blunt Russia’s attacks.

Police continue to search for missing 18-year-old Declan Berry

Potholes at the site of a fatal car crash were filled in within 40 hours of the tragedy, locals said, describing the road as “deteriorating into a mess”. A teenager died, one is missing and three were taken to hospital after a car mounted a riverbank on North Brink, Wisbech, and plunged into the River Nene at about 8.20pm on Tuesday, March 17.

A resident who lives next to the crash site in Cambridgeshire said she was stunned at the sight of two council vehicles arriving before 9am on Thursday to fix potholes. She said one area was so bad that motorists had been driving on the wrong side of the road to avoid it.

“There was a huge pothole in the middle of the road, which is now filled in,” she told the Express. “I’m guessing if you’d hit that at speed, it really would not have done your car any good whatsoever, and it’s not that far away from where the car hit the bank. But that’s completely filled in now.”

The resident said the whole lane was closed and full of police officers on the Wednesday because it was a crime scene, adding: “It was terrible.” Eden Bunn, 16, from Sutton Bridge, Lincolnshire, died in the crash and her body was recovered a day later.

Police are searching for 18-year-old Declan Berry, believed to have been driving the Volkswagen Polo, which has been recovered from the river. Two 16-year-old girls and an 18-year-old boy managed to escape and were taken to hospital.

But on Thursday before 9am, the council had “suddenly managed” to get two large tarmac-spraying vehicles onto North Brink, the resident said. “All the cordons were still up because the road was closed, but the council had got in to fill in the potholes, which is really odd because they’re not filling potholes in anywhere else,” she said.

“It is just dodgy. It just seems unreasonable that they should suddenly rush these two vehicles in to fill in the potholes after such a horrific accident.”

While residents had reportedly been informed in advance about fibre optic works, which would cause road closures, the woman said they were given no warning about works to fill in potholes. The neighbour said the road has deteriorated due to long-running closures on the main A-road, Barton Road, which had diverted traffic onto country lanes for over a year.

“So, all the traffic’s been going down this little tiny country track that’s down the side of the river, and of course, the road’s just completely disintegrated,” she said. She claimed the “huge potholes” were between six to eight inches deep.

“I’ve seen people changing tyres and things like that on the side of the road,” she said. “The road’s just broken away, and you can see where cars pull up onto the banks to get around each other. The whole road was just deteriorating into a mess.”

Cambridgeshire Council said it carries out regular inspections and it has previously repaired a number of potholes along the route. It said to minimise disruption, the council carried out further repairs last week while the road was closed, as soon as it was appropriate to do so, and that since the road was already closed, there was no requirement to notify residents.

A Cambridgeshire County Council spokesperson said: “Following the tragic incident on North Brink in Wisbech St Mary our thoughts and sympathies remain with the families and friends of those involved. Whilst there is an ongoing police investigation, it would be inappropriate for us to comment further. We’re assisting the police with their investigation.”

Cambridgeshire Police declined to comment given that an investigation is ongoing.

Following the departure of hosts Claudia Winkleman and Tess Daly in the latest series, this week the show has announced the departures of professional dancers Karen Hauer, Nadiya Bychkova and now Luba Mushtuk.

In a statement posted to Instagram, the BBC show shared “a heartfelt thank you” to Luba, acknowledging “her outstanding contribution” to Strictly.

The statement continues: “Since joining in 2016 as an assistant choreographer and stepping into the professional dancer line-up two years later, Luba has been a valued member of the team – bringing professionalism, creativity, and her quality expertise year after year.

“Respected both on and off the dance floor, she has consistently delivered unforgettable routines, captivating audiences with her remarkable talent and signature elegance.

“We are incredibly grateful for her dedication to the programme and for always going above and beyond—whether through the care and commitment she showed her celebrity partners or her warmth and kindness behind the scenes.

“Luba has been, and always will be, a much-loved member of the Strictly family, and we wish her every success in the future.”

Luba has been a part of Strictly for 10 years and released her own statement about her exit on Instagram: “With a heart full of gratitude, the time has come for me to step away from Strictly Come Dancing.

“I am deeply grateful for the past 10 years on this beautiful show!

“Thank you for the amazing opportunity and the unforgettable memories.

“It has truly meant the world to me.

“Now it’s time for me to follow my dreams beyond the show, and I’m excited for what the future holds.”

Luba confirmed she would still be performing on the Strictly Professionals tour: “I can’t wait to see you all on the Pro Tour and I’m really looking forward to it for one last time.”

Fans call out BBC for “very strange” and “fishy” agenda amid axing of professionals

Commenting on the show’s official announcement about Luba’s exit, one fan said: “The agenda is ‘fishy’ I mean why would the two main presenters leave suddenly and announce it mid series ?

“Then all these lovely popular dancers being let go . It’s very strange .”

Another fan said: “I’ve hit the like button out of respect for Luba. Not the Strictly producers.

“You’re going to have to let us in on your strategy for this mass cull because loyal viewers like myself root for all the pros and I have really struggled to understand why they are doing this xx”.

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Someone else commented: “The show will lose it’s traditional and faithful audience base with too many changes of popular dancers along with Tess and Claudia going.

“Younger people won’t be rushing home on a Saturday teatime to make sure they’re in for Strictly, or take the time out their week to watch it back on iplayer.”

This person commented: “Strictly please can we stop announcing any more pros leaving cause my heart can’t take it ❤️”.

A fan accused the BBC of ruining the show: “What in gods name are you doing BBC – I almost hope this is your way of saying the show is going to end because you’ve ruined it for those that have watched for years.”

TV presenter Helen Skelton, who has competed on the show, commented on Luba’s post: “Thank you for your support and kindness during my time.

“Those eyes😍 love and hugs. Here is to turning the page x”.

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Another former contestant on the show, Karen Carney, who is a pundit and former England footballer, said: “Thank you for being so kind and supportive to me on the show.

“It was so great to get to know you and I’m excited for you and your next adventures ❤️

“big love Luba ❤️”.

Newsquest has contacted the BBC for comment.

Who is your favourite Strictly professional? Let us know in the comments below.

A research team led by scientists at Northumbria University has revealed the cause of Saturn’s changing spin rate, a question that has baffled scientists for decades.

By using the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) to observe the planet’s northern lights in unprecedented detail, the team discovered a self-sustaining cycle of heat and electrically charged particles powered by the aurora itself.

Professor Tom Stallard, lead researcher and professor of planetary astronomy at Northumbria University (Image: Supplied)

Saturn has long puzzled astronomers.

In 2004, data from NASA’s Cassini spacecraft suggested that the planet’s rotation rate was shifting over time—something not thought possible.

Professor Tom Stallard, lead researcher and professor of planetary astronomy at Northumbria University, said: “What we are seeing is essentially a planetary heat pump.

“Saturn’s aurora heats its atmosphere, the atmosphere drives winds, the winds produce currents that power the aurora, and so it goes on.

“The system feeds itself.”

Research in 2021 led by Professor Stallard identified upper atmospheric winds as the source.

These winds, not actual rotation, were producing electrical currents that distorted the auroral signals and gave the illusion of a variable spin rate.

The team’s latest study, published in the Journal of Geophysical Research: Space Physics, used JWST to observe Saturn’s northern auroral region over a full Saturnian day.

By examining the infrared signature of the trihydrogen cation, a molecule in Saturn’s upper atmosphere that acts as a thermometer, the team mapped temperature and particle density at higher resolution than ever before.

These patterns matched predictions from computer models—but only if the primary source of heat was located at the site of the auroral emissions.

This confirms that Saturn’s aurora directly heats the atmosphere, powering winds that produce the currents responsible for the aurora in a continuous feedback loop.

Professor Stallard said: “For decades, we knew something strange was happening with Saturn’s apparent rotation rate, but we could not explain it.

We then showed it was being driven by atmospheric winds, but we still did not know why those winds existed.

“These new observations, made possible by JWST, finally give us the evidence we needed to close that loop.”

The findings have broader implications, suggesting a two-way relationship between Saturn’s atmosphere and its magnetosphere—the enormous region of space shaped by the planet’s magnetic field.

Professor Stallard said: “This result changes how we think about planetary atmospheres more generally.

If a planet’s atmospheric conditions can drive currents out into the surrounding space environment, then understanding what is happening in the stratospheres of other worlds may reveal interactions we have not yet even imagined.”

The study was a collaboration between researchers in the UK and US, including teams from Boston University, the University of Leicester, and Aberystwyth University.