Research shows chances of developing cancer halve at least 15 years after stopping the habitStopping smoking at any age helps to reduce the risk of cancer, according to a major study, which found the most substantial drop in cancer risk came after the first decade of stubbing out.The chances of developing cancer halved in people who quit for at least 15 years, compared with those who continued to smoke, with the risk from lung cancer falling further and faster, particularly in those who quit before middle age. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with Phoebe Weston, produc on (#6JDDT)
The moment scientists had been dreading arrived late last year, when H5N1, or bird flu, was found for the first time in the Antarctic. Last week a king penguin on the island of South Georgia became the first in the region to be suspected to have died from the disease. The Guardian's biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, tells Ian Sample why researchers have said the spread of bird flu through the Antarctic's penguin colonies could signal one of the largest ecological disasters of modern times'You can follow all the Guardian's reporting on bird flu here Continue reading...
Estimated value of the samples thought to be in the millions as incident reported to policeResearch samples collected over decades at a Swedish medical university were destroyed when a freezer malfunctioned during the Christmas holidays, the institute has said.The samples were stored in tanks cooled with liquid nitrogen, at a temperature of -190C, at Karolinska Institutet (KI) in Stockholm. Continue reading...
Scientists propose new category 6 rating to classify mega-hurricanes', becoming more likely due to climate crisisHurricanes are becoming so strong due to the climate crisis that the classification of them should be expanded to include a category 6" storm, furthering the scale from the standard 1 to 5, according to a new study.Over the past decade, five storms would have been classed at this new category 6 strength, researchers said, which would include all hurricanes with sustained winds of 192mph or more. Such mega-hurricanes are becoming more likely due to global heating, studies have found, due to the warming of the oceans and atmosphere. Continue reading...
Research lab submits plans for next-generation model at least three times size of Large Hadron ColliderOfficials at Cern, home to the Large Hadron Collider near Geneva, are pressing ahead with plans for a new machine that would be at least three times bigger than the existing particle accelerator.The Large Hadron Collider, built inside a 27km circular tunnel beneath the Swiss-French countryside, smashes together protons and other subatomic particles at close to the speed of light to recreate the conditions that existed fractions of a second after the big bang. Continue reading...
Researchers find those with PCOS had 8.47-fold higher risk than similar women without the conditionWomen diagnosed with polycystic ovary syndrome may have an increased risk of attempting suicide, research suggests.PCOS is a common health condition thought to affect about one in 10 women in the UK, although many cases are undiagnosed. Continue reading...
The answers to today's puzzlesEarlier today I set you three puzzles for 12-year-olds, used by the charity Axiom Maths, whose mission is to help top performing children from low incomes continue achieving well throughout secondary school.1. Backwards multiplicationAgent 001 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 002Agent 002 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 003Agent 003 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 004and so on, untilAgent 009 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 001 Continue reading...
Findings in leading scientific journal that globe has breached key warming milestone challenged by climate science expertsBetween 30 metres and 90 metres below the surface of the Caribbean Sea, an ancient sponge species that grows a hard skeleton has been quietly recording changes in the ocean temperature for hundreds of years.Now those sponges are at the centre of a bold and controversial claim made in a leading scientific journal that, since the start of the Industrial Revolution, the planet may have already warmed by 1.7C - half a degree more than estimates used by the United Nation's climate panel. Continue reading...
Research into bacteriophages adds to evidence that gut and brain interactions influence our behaviourViruses are widely regarded as harmful to our health, but a subset of viruses living in the gut could play a crucial role in regulating stress, research suggests.The discovery adds to mounting evidence that interactions between the gut and brain influence people's behaviours, and could eventually lead to new treatments for stress-related conditions that target the vast community of viruses living inside us. Continue reading...
Researchers used AI to read letters on papyrus scroll damaged by the blast of heat, ash and pumice that destroyed PompeiiScholars of antiquity believe they are on the brink of a new era of understanding after researchers armed with artificial intelligence read the hidden text of a charred scroll that was buried when Mount Vesuvius erupted nearly 2,000 years ago.Hundreds of papyrus scrolls held in the library of a luxury Roman villa in Herculaneum were burned to a crisp when the town was devastated by the intense blast of heat, ash and pumice that destroyed nearby Pompeii in AD79. Continue reading...
Can we really maintain our levels of empathy in the face of an increasingly brutal news cycle?If you believe some commentators, we're in the midst of a compassion crisis, with a particularly brutal daily news cycle taking itstoll on our reserves of sympathy. The moresuffering we see, the less we care, as wementally switch off from others' pain. Theresult may even be that we struggle to feel as muchconcern for people close at hand when they cometo us for support; we end up feeling numb to any expression of emotion.The whole world is at risk for compassion fatigue,'"Time magazine declared recently. And while occasionally disengaging might seem like a sensible form of self-protection, the prospect of losing any senseof concern for others over the longer term would be a disaster. But is this an inevitable consequence of paying attention to the realities of the world around us? Are there ways to avoid it? Continue reading...
The futuristic $1.9bn Vera C Rubin Observatory took nine years to build and will survey the night sky in unprecedented detailAfter nine years of construction, a state-of-the-art telescope connected to the world's largest camera is set to change our understanding of astronomy.Perched on top of a barren mountaintop in the arid Chilean desert region of Coquimbo, the Vera C Rubin Observatory looks out of this world, quite literally. Continue reading...
First such piece to be found in Britain is incredibly well-made', say experts, and remarkably preservedArchaeologists in London have made the exceptionally important" discovery of a complete wooden funerary bed, the first ever discovered in Britain.The remarkably preserved bed, described as unparalleled" by experts, was excavated from the site of a former Roman cemetery near Holborn viaduct, central London, alongside five oak coffins. Prior to this dig, only three Roman timber coffins in total have been found in the capital. Continue reading...
Teasers for top tweensToday's problems come from Axiom Maths, a charity that that takes high-attaining primary school children and provides them with maths enrichment during secondary school.One of Axiom's main activities is to organise maths circles', in which small groups of pupils get together to tackle fun problems. Such as the ones below, which are aimed at children aged 11/12, and form the basis for further explorations.Agent 001 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 002Agent 002 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 003Agent 003 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 004and so on, untilAgent 009 gives a present to the agent who gives a present to agent 001 Continue reading...
It's bright in the morning sky now, but the planet will be lost to the dawn light by early MarchVenus is beautifully bright in the morning sky at the moment. The chart shows the view looking south-south-east from London at 7am GMT early in the week (and the view is easily visible from the southern hemisphere too).The waning crescent moon will be fast approaching the horizon, and its phase will be shrinking. On successive mornings, it will pass by the red supergiant star Antares in Scorpius, the scorpion, before heading for a close encounter with Venus just 24 hours later. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6JCC5)
Charities say deaths will be prevented if sponge on a string' test is widely adoptedA test that can detect oesophageal cancer at an earlier stage than current methods should be made more widely available to prevent deaths, charities have said.The capsule sponge test, previously known as Cytosponge, involves a patient swallowing a dissolvable pill on a string. The pill then releases a sponge which collects cells from the oesophagus as it is retrieved. Continue reading...
Russian surpasses compatriot Gennady Padalka after logging more than 878 days at the international space stationA Russian cosmonaut has set a world record for the most time spent in space on Sunday, after logging more than 878 days or nearly two-and-a-half years.As of 0830 GMT, Oleg Kononenko overtook the record set by his compatriot Gennady Padalka, according to Russia's space corporation Roscosmos. Padalka logged 878 days, 11 hours, 29 minutes and 48 seconds during five space flights before retiring in 2017. Continue reading...
Janet Dube, Hazel Davies and Peter Emerson respond to a piece by George Monbiot on the psychology of voters' supportGeorge Monbiot suggests we can see human values as clustering around two poles, extrinsic and intrinsic (To beat Trump, we need to know why Americans keep voting for him. Psychologists may have the answer, 29 January). There might be something more at play.In 1980, physicist David Bohm wrote about explicate and implicate orders in reality. Before the advent of quantum theory, said Bohm's colleague and biographer, David Peat, science dealt with the order of space and time, separation and distance, mechanical force and effective cause, which Bohm called the explicate order. He posited a deeper order, more congruent with quantum theory and closer to our unconditioned thought. He called it the implicate or enfolded order. Continue reading...
You can't fight death, sickness, ageing and life's various indignities, but you can play very loud rock'n'rollEvery morning my older daughter calls from London. What you doing today?" Erm... she's most solicitous. She's really checking in to check that I'm not checking out - that I haven't woken up dead or had a stroke or a dizzy spell or plunged down some stairs or otherwise conked out. That I'm still above ground and that the manifold pills I'm compelled to take to prevent extinction, continue to kick in. So what are you up to today?"Erm... doing? Up to? That's a little too chirpy. Active. Aspirational. I'm 79. I've been fortunate: I'm still here, a lucky boomer with privilege and a triple-lock pension. A war baby with free orange juice, free milk and a free education for life. They paid me. I even passed the 11-plus. It's been all right. It's been more than all right. Then it wasn't. My wife, Jill, died. Cancer in a time of plague. Continue reading...
The British clinical trial of the revolutionary new mRNA treatment will test its effectiveness in combating a range of cancersA revolutionary new cancer treatment known as mRNA therapy has been administered to patients at Hammersmith hospital in west London. The trial has been set up to evaluate the therapy's safety and effectiveness in treating melanoma, lung cancer and other solid tumours.The new treatment uses genetic material known as messenger RNA - or mRNA - and works by presenting common markers from tumours to the patient's immune system. Continue reading...
If tests are successful, Windracers Ultra UAV will be used for research such as surveying marine ecosystems and studying glaciersPilotless drones are being tested in Antarctica with the aim of using them to carry out scientific research.A test crew has arrived at the largest British science facility on the continent, the Rothera Research Station. Continue reading...
Last year, 10,000 sham papers had to be retracted by academic journals, but experts think this is just the tip of the icebergTens of thousands of bogus research papers are being published in journals in an international scandal that is worsening every year, scientists have warned. Medical research is being compromised, drug development hindered and promising academic research jeopardised thanks to a global wave of sham science that is sweeping laboratories anduniversities.Last year the annual number of papers retracted by research journals topped 10,000 for the first time. Most analysts believe the figure is only the tip of an iceberg of scientific fraud. Continue reading...
Psychiatrist whose insights into bereavement were shaped by events such as the Aberfan disaster, the Rwanda genocide and 9/11The much-quoted phrase Grief is the price we pay for love" reached a global audience in 2001 when Queen Elizabeth II used it in her message of condolence to those affected by the 9/11 attacks in the US.But it was the psychiatrist Colin Murray Parkes, who has died aged 95, who first came up with the words that have given solace to so many. In his 1972 book Bereavement: Studies of Grief in Adult Life, he wrote: The pain of grief is just as much a part of life as the joy of love; it is, perhaps, the price we pay for love." Continue reading...
Flowers used in the microbiome garden' can enhance gut health by being eaten or just walked pastAn edible meadow" designed to improve gut health is to be displayed at the Chelsea flower show this year.The two gardeners behind the microbiome garden" say it will be filled with flowers that can enhance gut health by being eaten or just walked past. Continue reading...
Researchers say they have found how anemonefish identify unwelcome guests of their own kind, by counting white markingsUnlike the star of Disney's Finding Nemo, real-life common clownfish are not keen on sharing their home with members of their own species.Researchers say they have discovered how they kick unwelcome guests out, by counting the stranger's vertical white markings. Continue reading...
Nasa says it will be a harmless flyby by the giant rock, one of several near-Earth objects slated to swing by the planet this weekAn asteroid as big as a skyscraper will pass within 1.7m miles (2.7mkm) of Earth on Friday.Don't worry: there's no chance of it hitting us since it will miss our planet by seven times the distance from the Earth to the moon. Continue reading...
Female dogs from that category have biggest lifespan among pure breeds, but flat-faced canines more at risk of early deathEvery dog has its day - but some clock up more years than others. Now research has revealed that when it comes to longevity, small, long-nosed breeds are top dog, while flat-faced ones are more at risk of an early death.Once size, face shape and sex were taken into account researchers found that overall small, long-nosed female dogs tended to have the longest lifespans among pure breeds, notching up a median of 13.3 years. Continue reading...
A psychologist offers practical advice for dealing with life's ups and downsIt is refreshing to read a psychology book intended for mainstream audiences that isn't trying to push you towards a particular goal; to achieve more, to work harder. Thanks to the rapid societal and technological changes of the past century, self-actualisation is now possible for more of us than ever before. As welcome as this might seem, self-actualising is hard work, and possibilities can quickly become standards that we fail to live up to. Consciously or unconsciously, our unlived potential can haunt us and provoke us to strive until we burn out.In this book, the second in a planned trilogy, and a follow-up to 2015's How We Are, health psychologist Deary delivers a much-needed message: we have a finite capacity to meet the unpredictable challenges life throws at us. The concept of allostatic load (the wear and tear of chronic stress) crops up repeatedly. In chapter four we are introduced to Anne, a single mother struggling to look after her son and father while working as a probation officer (Deary's case studies are composites of patients he has treated in a fatigue clinic). Anne looksafter everyone except herself. Asher life becomes more difficult and complex, her ability to function is gradually eroded until she collapses into a state of chronic fatigue. During acourse of psychotherapy she comes to understand the vulnerability that results from doing too much for too long, to the point that a few ordinary difficulties can tip you over the edge. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Pet owners risk contaminating their hands with neurotoxins for at least 28 days after application, scientists findVets should limit the use of flea treatments containing pesticides on dogs and cats, scientists have said, after a study revealed the vast amount of toxic substances in them that end up in rivers.Pet owners using these flea treatments risk contaminating their hands with fipronil and imidacloprid, two insecticides, for at least 28 days after the treatment has been applied, according to research by the University of Sussex and Imperial College London. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with Hannah Devlin, produc on (#6J9RC)
Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big science stories of the week - from news that Elon Musk's Neuralink has implanted its first chip into a human, to research suggesting Alzheimer's can pass between humans in rare medical accidents, and the revelation that Rishi Sunak begins each week with a 36-hour fastClips: BBC Continue reading...
With insurance companies using genetic information to set prices and policies, advocates say the need for protection against genetic discrimination is urgent'
Single-dose treatment transformed lives of patients with potentially deadly condition in first human trialA groundbreaking gene therapy has been hailed as a medical magic wand" after the treatment transformed the lives of patients with a hereditary disorder that causes painful and potentially fatal swelling.Patients who took part in the first human trial of the therapy experienced a dramatic improvement in their symptoms, and many were able to come off long-term medication and return to life as normal. Continue reading...
Mark Samuels on why accessing medicines, from routine to life-changing, is getting harder; Philip Clayton wonders why we don't manufacture our own drugsNews that European countries are working together to safeguard drug supplies with a stockpile of 200 critical products comes at a time when the UK is facing the increasingly bleak prospect of more regular shortages (EU plan for medicine stockpile could worsen UK's record shortages, 25 January).Generic medicines - exact copies of original patented products - fulfil 80% of all prescriptions used by NHS patients. They also save the taxpayer 15bn annually via a competitive market, which has meant we have enjoyed the lowest medicine prices in Europe. However, a range of threats are undermining the resilience of the UK's generic medicine supply chain, meaning shortages are becoming much more common. Continue reading...
by Lisa O'Carroll in Brussels and Angelique Chrisafis on (#6J93T)
Delay to rules on setting aside land to encourage biodiversity offered as concession amid continuing protestsFarmers protesting across Europe have won their first concession from Brussels, with the EU announcing a delay in rules that would have forced them to set aside land to encourage biodiversity and soil health.About 10,000 French farmers stepped up their protests on Wednesday, with at least 100 blockades on major roads across France, as 18 farmers were arrested for blocking traffic as they tried to reach the wholesale food market at Rungis, south-east of Paris and 79 others were detained after they managed to get inside. Continue reading...
Christopher Rufo recommends a newsletter to his readers that has published several supporters of discredited genetics theoryThe rightwing activist Christopher Rufo has links to a self-styled sociobiology magazine" that is focused on the supposed relationships between race, intelligence and criminality, and which experts have characterized as an outlet for scientific racism.At the time of reporting, Aporia was one of 19 Substack newsletters Rufo links to in the recommended" section on his own newsletter, which according to Substack has more than 50,000 subscribers. Rufo also appeared on Aporia's podcast, which has published flattering interviews with proponents of scientific racism and eugenics. Continue reading...
Increase in cardiorespiratory levels of 3% annually found to be beneficial, Swedish research suggestsMen can reduce their risk of prostate cancer by as much as 35% by doing a little more jogging, cycling or swimming, a study suggests.Boosting cardiorespiratory fitness by only 3% over the course of a year was linked to a much lower chance of developing the disease. The findings prompted the researchers to encourage men to boost their fitness levels to help cut their prostate cancer risk. Continue reading...
California scientist and film-maker spot apparent pup - never before seen in the wild - in drone picturesResearchers in California may have gotten the first ever look at a newborn great white shark, which they captured in drone images taken last summer.The newborn animal has never before been spotted in the wild. But in July, the wildlife film-maker Carlos Gauna and Phillip Sternes, a biology doctoral student at the University of California, Riverside, glimpsed something unexpected in the waters near Santa Barbara on California's central coast. Continue reading...
Dashboard allows people to explore data including egg and sperm donors from 1991 onwardsPeople turning to fertility treatments such as IVF can now access an online tool to compare NHS funding in their area with the rest of the UK.The dashboard, launched by the regulator Human Fertility and Embryology Authority (HFEA), is thought to be a world first, and allows those looking to undergo processes such as IVF and ICSI, as well as researchers, to explore data from 1991 onwards, covering 665,690 patients. Continue reading...
Insect flight paths were filmed at night using hi-res and infrared technology with surprising resultsFrom the Bhagavad Gita to the Merchant of Venice, storytellers have warned of the unappealing fate awaiting those who are drawn like a moth to a flame.Despite the rich history of the baffling behaviour, the science of why insects gather around lights at night has never been nailed down. Popular theories propose that moths navigate by the moon and mistake lamps for moonlight, or that the insects fly towards light to escape imminent danger. Continue reading...
Patient recovering well with signs of promising neuron spike detection', says startup's founderElon Musk, the billionaire founder of the neurotechnology company Neuralink, has said the first human received an implant from the brain-chip startup and is recovering well.The surgery is not a surprise: the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had given the company clearance in September to carry out the first trial of its implant on humans. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6J7WQ)
The trillions of microbes living on and inside the human body are an important part of who we are, from mediating all of our interactions with the environment to determining our cancer risk and influencing who we fall for. And scientists are only just beginning to decipher the species of bugs we share our lives with, and how they shape us.In the final part of this Science Weekly mini-series, Ian Sample meets Julie Thornton, academic director of the Centre for Skin Sciences and professor in cutaneous biology at the university of Bradford. Julie tells Ian how the skin microbiome varies across our bodies, how it helps with everything from wound healing to immunity, and how we can protect it from the disruptive impact of modern life. Continue reading...
Handful of patients who received human growth hormone from deceased donors in now-banned practice went on to develop signsAlzheimer's can be spread from human to human through rare medical accidents, research suggests, although experts stress there is no evidence the disease can be passed between people through everyday activities or routine care.Researchers say a handful of people who received human growth hormone from the pituitary glands of deceased donors have gone on to develop early onset Alzheimer's - likely because the hormones used were contaminated with proteins that seeded the disease in their brains. Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay. Produced by Rachel on (#6J76C)
Health and science journalist Catherine Price investigates the science behind our relationships with our devices, and what we know about how to break the cycle. Prof Barbara Sahakian of Cambridge University explains why many of us are drawn to looking at bad news on our phones, and what it's doing to us
Sholto David has flagged thousands of papers, most because of concerns over potential image manipulationWhen Sholto David quit his job last autumn he could have looked for another post, taken time out to travel, or grabbed his tent and hopped on his bike. But David, a biologist living in Pontypridd, Wales, threw his efforts into a somewhat obscure hobby: finding flaws in scientific papers and doing his best to have them rectified.The work, David says, is largely thankless. Academics often got defensive about their studies or refused to respond to his criticisms. Journal editors took a similar tack, ignoring his letters, rejecting them, or investigating on timescales bordering on the glacial. Continue reading...
US culture is an incubator of extrinsic values'. Nobody embodies them like the Republican frontrunnerMany explanations are proposed for the continued rise of Donald Trump, and the steadfastness of his support, even as the outrages and criminal charges pile up. Some of these explanations are powerful. But there is one I have seen mentioned nowhere, which could, I believe, be the most important: Trump is king of the extrinsics.Some psychologists believe our values tend to cluster around certain poles, described as intrinsic" and extrinsic". People with a strong set of intrinsic values are inclined towards empathy, intimacy and self-acceptance. They tend to be open to challenge and change, interested in universal rights and equality, and protective of other people and the living world. Continue reading...
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