Equine specialist questions whether the animals’ behavioural needs are being met and says capital may be overwhelming

The stress of life as a military horse could explain why several of the animals have bolted through London on two occasions in the past three months, an equine expert has suggested.

On Monday three horses from the Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment (HCMR) broke loose and ran through central London. Video footage showed one colliding with a car. It is thought one of the horses had been spooked by a bus, causing the other two to unseat their riders and run.

Scientists say changes since 1950 could partly be due to new genres such as stadium rock, disco and hip-hop

“Won’t you play a simple melody,” sang Bing Crosby in his rendition of the Irving Berlin classic. Now it seems his wish has come true: research has revealed the tunes of modern chart-toppers are less complex than those of the past.

Scientists say the change could – at least in part – be down to the emergence of new genres over the decades, such as stadium rock, disco and hip-hop.

With evidence that infections are on the rise, we look at the so-called FLiRT variants, and assess the risks

Research on carpenter ants provides first example of a non-human animal severing limbs to curb infections

It sounds like a scene from a Spielberg film: an injured worker undergoes an emergency amputation, performed by one of her colleagues, allowing her to live another day. But this is not a human story – it is behaviour seen in ants.

While it is not the first time wound care has been seen in ants, scientists say their discovery is the first example of a non-human animal carrying out life-saving amputations, with the operation performed to treat leg wounds and prevent the onset or spread of infection.