A NEW laboratory is taking a closer look at the natural world, using the latest technology.

The Arthur Holmes Laboratory, at the University of Durham, is the first in the country to use new techniques to study natural processes on a minute scale.

The laboratory is named after one of the most influential figures in geo-science in the 20th century, who worked at Durham for 20 years.

Equipment worth £600,000 was delivered last week, and will be used to carry out a number of investigations.

These will include evaluating changes in the diet of ancient populations by analysing layers in teeth