'No one is irreplaceable', says BBC chief after scandals BBC director general Tim Davie has said he is not letting anything lie when it comes to rooting out abuses of power within the corporation. If you're not living the values, it is clear you leave the BBC or there are consequences, he told MPs on Tuesday, adding that no one was irreplaceable. Davie is facing questions from the Culture, Media and Sport Committee on a number of scandals. One of the topics discussed was the MasterChef crisis, after both of its presenters - Gregg Wallace and John Torode - were sacked following a report which upheld allegations against them. During the hearing, Davie discussed some of the changes that have been made to how abuses of power are dealt with following a recent review into the BBC's workplace culture.

"A future where trusted information strengthens democracy, where every child has a fair start, where creativity fuels growth and social capital, and where no-one is left behind in the digital age." The speech in Salford will set out Mr Davie's vision for the corporation's future. The BBC's current royal charter, which sets out the terms and purposes of its existence, expires in 2027, and negotiations with the government about its renewal are ramping up. He will argue that the BBC can play a key part in making the UK a "global leader in trusted information", support democracy, boost education and economic growth, and improve digital access. "The future of our civilised, cohesive, democratic society is, for the first time in my life, at risk," Mr Davie will say.

Researchers might be one step closer to keeping you looking younger for longer thanks to a new study which looks at the gene expression of each individual brain cell during the aging process. Using a fruit fly as the first test subject, the research, which was lead by a scientist called Professor Stein Aerts from the Flanders Institute for Biotechnology, saw the team create a "cell atlas" of the brain, which provided insights into the workings of the brain as it ages. The study was published in the scientific journal Cell, and has since been touted as an important first step in the development of techniques that can help us gain a better understanding of human disease development. The scientists used a fruit fly because the insect's brain consists of some 100,000 different cells, and while that makes it much smaller than that of a person's, it contains hundreds of different types of neurons and other cells forming a complex network, much like the human brain. Kristofer Davie, one of the many researchers involved in the effort, explained that it was no easy task mapping the cells on such a small organism as it required zooming in on each and every individual cell.

A blood test could help to diagnose autism in children by detecting early warning signs. It is almost 90 per cent accurate and could be available to doctors within a year, scientists at the University of Warwick say. Their test, which delivers a result within four hours, is believed to pick up damage in the blood that mirrors brain problems linked to autistic symptoms. Study leader Dr Naila Rabbani said: 'We have been working for five years on this test, believing it would be beneficial to children and their parents to identify the problem and provide intervention therapy at an earlier point. 'More research is needed to identify if the same biomarkers are found in younger children, but we are determined to take this forward to the level where it could be available on the NHS.' Around 700,000 people in Britain – approximately one in 100 – are believed to be autistic.