Three people who appeared in court in relation to the murder of Benjamin McIntosh have all been granted interim name suppression and will remain in custody for now.The trio, two men jointly charged with McIntosh’s murder, and a…

Jacinda Ardern has been warmly greeted back to Australia for the first time since 2020 by Anthony Albanese, with the two swapping records “mostly by chance”.But Albanese’s choice of music has been sledged by Ardern’s fiance.The…

Petrol prices around the country are through the roof in a worrying sign of what's to come for motorists.

One service station in Brisbane reached $2.24 a litre for unleaded yesterday – 3c/L more than Queensland's previous high in March.

And the pain is being felt around the country.

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Sydney prices have reached $2.26/L, while Melbourne and Adelaide have both matched Brisbane's highs of $2.24/L.

Industry experts fear things won't improve any time soon.

Prices are expected to rise further through the current cycle.

And the fuel excise coming to an end in September will compound the hit to the wallet.

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In the short term, the long weekend in some states and territories is expected to push prices up further in coming days.

The federal government had previously ruled out extending the excise cut, but has pledged other cost of living relief measures.

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A species of "superworm" native to South and Central America could be the key to solving Australia's plastic waste crisis, a new study suggests.

According to the CSIRO, Australians consume one million tonnes of single use plastic each year – just 12 per cent of this is recycled.

But researchers at the University of Queensland have made a surprising discovery after feeding the common Zophobas morio superworm a diet of polystyrene, one which could change the process of recycling forever.

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The results of the study, published today in the journal Microbial Genomics, found the insects could not only eat through polystyrene thanks to a bacterial enzyme in their gut, but they also put on weight and thrived.

"That's a hint they can get energy from the polystyrene," lead author Dr Chris Rinke told 9news.com.au, adding the insects appeared unharmed by the plastic.

"Superworms can survive on plastic… even after eating polystyrene they went through their entire lifecycle," Rinke said.

"They're like mini recycling plants."

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For three weeks researchers fed three groups of the worms different diets. Some got bran flakes, others chowed down on plastic, while one unlucky group got nothing.

The group given a diet of plastic would shred the polystyrene before "feeding it to the bacteria in their gut".

It's hoped that down the line the "breakdown products" from this process could help form high-value compounds such as bioplastic, a type of biodegradable plastic derived from biological substances.

"Our next step will be to really categorise those enzymes in more detail," Rinke said, explaining an "enzyme cocktail" could also be created in time to help plastic degrade.

"We want to know exactly how they work, and maybe even optimise them to make them work faster."

It's hoped such innovations would help incentivise more recycling, while also decreasing landfill.

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So, what exactly are 'super worms'

Zophobas morio superworms are actually a species of darkling beetle native to South and Central America.

Their worm-like form is actually their "larvae" stage. They can reach lengths of up to five centimetres.

"They're eggs for about a week or so then they hatch. Then the larvae grow and they have to molt, this takes about five to six months," Rinke explained.

"Then they become a pupa, that takes a few weeks. Once the beetle has emerged it can live up to half a year."

The insects are not found in the wilds of Australia, instead they are bred or imported to our shores, most commonly as pet food for species like reptiles.

However, Rinke admitted he has also found them sold for human consumption, "oven-baked and covered in chocolate".

"They are very nutritious," he said.

"They're similar to the mealworm but bigger, I think that's how they got the name 'superworm'".

The missing infant daughter of a man and woman whose bodies were discovered in Texas in 1981 has been found "alive and well" more than four decades later, according to the office of Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

The bodies of Florida couple Tina Gail Linn Clouse and Harold Dean Clouse Jr were found in a wooded area in Houston, the office said in a news release. But the couple – "the apparent victims of a homicide" – were not positively identified until 2021 through the work of forensic genealogists with Identifinders International.

For the Linn and Clouse families – who last heard from the couple in 1980 and spent decades searching for answers about the Clouses' whereabouts – one question has been left unanswered: Where was their infant daughter Holly? According to authorities, the girl was not found with the couple's remains.

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But after more than 40 years, Holly – now 42 – has been found, per the AG's office.

"I prayed for more than 40 years for answers and the Lord has revealed some of it… we have found Holly," Holly's biological grandmother Donna Casasanta said in the news release.

Holly has been told about her biological parents' identities and has been in contact with her extended family, the AG's office said.

All hope to soon meet in person, it added.

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The release from the AG's office did not detail Holly's life for the last 40 years, though family members quoted in the news release said she'd had a good life and was well cared for.

The investigation into her parents' deaths is ongoing, the AG's office said, and anyone with information related to the case is asked to contact its Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit.

Paxton praised the unit in a statement, with the office noting the investigation "demonstrates the importance of working cold case and missing persons investigations."

"I am extremely proud of the exceptional work done by my office's newly formed Cold Case and Missing Persons Unit," Paxton said.

"My office diligently worked across state lines to uncover the mystery surrounding Holly's disappearance."

Eight-year-old Sienna Santiago was left fighting for her life in ICU after living in a house found to have "very high levels of mould".

Her father, former NT police officer Stephen Thomson, lived with his young family on the Tiwi Islands in police housing riddled with mould.

They moved to Pirlangimpi in April 2017 and said for the next two years he repeatedly reported the mould to police management, as did the remote sergeant on the island.

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By March 2019 Sienna's life hung in the balance — she spent 11 days in ICU, five weeks at Royal Darwin Hospital and months of rehab, with devastating consequences.

"Those disabilities are possibly going to be life-long," Thompson told 9News over Zoom.

A report conducted after Sienna's hospitalisation found "very high levels of mould" were identified throughout the house, constituting a health hazard.

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Entry to the premises is restricted, and those who enter should be wearing PPE.

Police officer turned politician Mark Turner wrote to the attorney-general on behalf of his former constituent.

"The more this unravels, it wasn't just Steven and his family, it went on before as well," the Member for Blain told 9News.

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"[Makes me] sick to my stomach and it's more as a father, your job is to protect your children," he said.

In a statement, Worksafe said it was investigating after new information came to light alleging the issue of mould was reported to NT Police before the child was admitted to hospital.

The information also detailed the deterioration of the child's health, including medical opinions confirming the probable link of her illness to mould exposure.

"We've had no compensation from NT Police and as I say, they've never admitted they failed us by ignoring our calls for help," Thompson said.

Nine News contacted Thompson's former employer for comment on Thursday.

"Worksafe is reviewing this matter and it's appropriate we leave Worksafe to complete their enquiries," NT Police said in a statement.

ICAC has also been notified.