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Lionel Wilson

Emeritus Professor, Lancaster Environment Centre, Lancaster University
By background Lionel is a physicist; his doctoral thesis was concerned with the load-bearing properties of the surface of the Moon just prior to the Apollo landings. When ancient lava flows were detected on the Moon in images taken by the astronauts he was amazed to find that there was essentially no literature on the physics of volcanic eruptions that he could use to analyse these flows; as a result he has spent the last 50 years developing mathematical physical models of all types of volcanic eruption.

Spacecraft data have shown that all of the silicate planets - Venus, Mars, Mercury, our Moon, Jupiter's satellite Io, and even some asteroids - have been volcanically active at some point in their lives. Comparing eruption deposits on these bodies, which differ as a result of differences in the acceleration due to gravity and the presence or absence of an atmosphere, has been a major spur to Lionel's research. He has been involved in the analysis of data from virtually all of the spacecraft that have visited the inner planets and asteroids, as a Principal Investigator in the Nasa Planetology Program, and as a Visiting Professor at two U.S. institutions, Brown University and the University of Hawai'i. His contributions to planetary volcanology have been recognized by the American Geophysical Union, with the N.I. Bowen Award in 1983, and by the Geological Society of America, with the G K Gilbert Award in 2005.

Economy

Global Markets Rebound as Trump Eases Tariffs, TSX and Wall Street Surge

Canadas main stock index rebounded sharply Wednesday after U.S. President Donald Trumps unexpected tariff rollback eased fears of a global trade war. The Toronto Stock Exchanges SP/TSX Composite Index surged 1,220 points,...

Trump Pauses Tariffs Amid Market Turmoil, Keeps Pressure on China

In a dramatic shift, U.S. President Donald Trump announced a temporary pause on sweeping new tariffs targeting dozens of countries, calming financial markets after days of turmoil. The move came less than 24 hours after...

U.S. and Vietnam Begin Trade Talks After Tariff Pause

The United States and Vietnam have officially agreed to begin negotiations on a new trade agreement, the Vietnamese government announced Thursday. The development comes just hours after the U.S. temporarily halted the...

Asian Chip Stocks Surge as U.S. Suspends Tariffs, Eases Trade Tensions

Asian semiconductor stocks rallied on Thursday following U.S. President Donald Trumps announcement of a 90-day suspension of certain tariffs, offering relief amid ongoing trade tensions. The move reduced newly imposed...

Oil Prices Dip as China Inflation Weakens, Trade War Escalates

Oil prices declined in Asian trading Thursday following weak inflation data from China and rising tensions in the U.S.-China trade war. Brent crude futures for June delivery fell 1.1% to $64.79 per barrel, while West Texas...

Politics

Trump Opposes Nippon Steel’s $14B Bid for U.S. Steel, Deal Faces Uncertainty

U.S. President Donald Trump voiced strong opposition on Wednesday to Nippon Steels $14 billion acquisition of U.S. Steel, saying he doesnt want the American steel giant to go to Japan. His remarks conflict with recent...

Brazil Vows Reciprocal Tariffs Amid U.S. Trade Tensions, Emphasizes Negotiation First

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has pledged a reciprocal response to potential U.S. tariffs but emphasized that Brazil will prioritize diplomacy and dialogue before taking action. Speaking at the Community of...

Trump Signs Executive Order to Boost U.S. Shipbuilding and Counter China’s Maritime Dominance

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order on April 9 aimed at revitalizing American shipbuilding and curbing Chinas growing control over the global shipping industry. The order proposes significant investments...

Trump Signs Executive Order to Cut Energy Regulations and Boost Production

U.S. President Donald Trump has signed a new executive order aimed at increasing domestic energy production by streamlining regulatory processes. The order, signed on April 9, 2025, seeks to automatically eliminate...

House Delays Vote on Trump Tax Plan Amid GOP Spending Clash

The Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives postponed a key vote on President Donald Trumps tax cut agenda due to internal GOP divisions over federal spending cuts. House Speaker Mike Johnson expressed hope for a...

Science

Kennedy Sets September Deadline to Uncover Autism Causes Amid Controversy

U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced a bold plan to identify the cause of autism by September 2025. Speaking at a cabinet meeting with President Donald Trump, Kennedy declared a global...

AstraZeneca’s Imfinzi Gets US Approval for Bladder Cancer Treatment

AstraZenecas drug Imfinzi (NASDAQ: AZN) has received U.S. approval to treat adult patients with muscle-invasive bladder cancer, a significant advancement in cancer therapy. The approval allows Imfinzi to be used in...

Sanofi’s New Hemophilia Drug Qfitlia Gains FDA Approval with Breakthrough Bimonthly Dosing

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved Qfitlia, a groundbreaking hemophilia treatment by French pharmaceutical giant Sanofi (NASDAQ: SNY). Designed for patients aged 12 and older with hemophilia A or B,...

FDA Vaccine Chief Peter Marks Resigns Amid Controversy Over Transparency

Peter Marks, the U.S. Food and Drug Administrations (FDA) top vaccine official, has resigned after reportedly being forced out by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), according to The Wall Street Journal....

What are the chances an asteroid will impact Earth in 2032?

For a few days in mid-February, headlines around the world buzzed about the potential for an asteroid to hit the Earth in 2032 specifically, asteroid 2024 YR4. The chance of this impact rose to a high of 3.1 per cent on...

Technology

Amazon Delays Kuiper Satellite Launch Due to Weather Conditions

Amazons planned launch of its first 27 Kuiper internet satellites was postponed on Wednesday due to unfavorable weather, according to the launch provider, United Launch Alliance (ULA). Project Kuiper, Amazons ambitious...

US Senators Question Microsoft and Google Over AI Cloud Partnerships

Two Democratic U.S. senators are pressing Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Google (NASDAQ:GOOGL) for transparency over their cloud computing partnerships with leading artificial intelligence firms. Senators Elizabeth Warren of...

Telegram Fined $80K by Moscow Court for Extremist Content Refusal

A Moscow court has fined Telegram Messenger Inc. 7 million roubles (approximately $80,000) for refusing to remove content allegedly promoting extremist activities, according to Russian state news agency TASS. Court...

Samsung Posts Resilient Q1 Profit on Strong Chip and Smartphone Demand

Samsung Electronics reported a better-than-expected 0.2% drop in Q1 operating profit, reaching 6.6 trillion won ($4.49 billion), beating market forecasts of 5.1 trillion won. This resilience was driven by solid memory chip...

Meta Unveils Llama 4 Maverick and Scout, Boosts AI Ambitions

Meta Platforms (NASDAQ:META) has unveiled its latest AI modelsLlama 4 Maverick and Llama 4 Scoutcalling them its most advanced large language models (LLMs) to date. Designed as multimodal AI systems, they can process and...