Science | The Guardian

Only private jabs are available to most, but annual shots could reduce healthcare costs and prevent deaths

The late Nobel laureate advocated deliberate thinking, but what rules now is haste and gut instinct. His passing should give us pauseHere is a simple maths problem: together a bat and ball cost 1.10. The bat costs one pound more than the ball. How much is the ball?It doesn't take long for most people to answer 10p. And most people get it wrong. If you are in the minority that pauses long enough to realise that the ball costs 5p and the bat 1.05, congratulations, smartypants. If you recognised the question as an exercise in misdirection to expose the foibles of human intuition, you are probably familiar with the work of Daniel Kahneman, psychologist and Nobel laureate, who died last week.Rafael Behr is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Space agency tasked with establishing Coordinated Lunar Time, partly to aid missions requiring extreme precisionThe White House wants Nasa to figure out how to tell time on the moon.A memo sent on Tuesday from the head of the US Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) has asked the space agency to work with other US agencies and international agencies to establish a moon-centric time reference system. Nasa has until the end of 2026 to set up what is being called Coordinated Lunar Time (LTC). Continue reading...

My colleague and friend John Midgley, who has died aged 88, was a scientist, biochemist and researcher best known for the invention and development of thyroid hormone blood tests in the 1980s.A pioneer in medical biochemistry, his work in the field of thyroid hormone detection hugely improved patient care. John was also a passionate advocate for patients - as a medical adviser to the charity Thyroid UK, commentator and writer. Continue reading...

Nasa investigates cylindrical slab believed to be part of discarded battery pallet that tore through Naples houseNasa is investigating after a sizable chunk of metal believed to be part of a discarded battery pallet from the International Space Station crashed through the roof and two stories of a house in Florida.Engineers for the American outer space exploration agency are analyzing the cylindrical slab, which weighs about 2lb and tore through the home in Naples on the afternoon of 8 March. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Multi-dose vials could push up charge per patient, with experts warning cost could widen inequalitiesCheaper private Covid jabs could end up being just as expensive as their pricier alternative because the vaccine must be given in groups of five, experts have warned.Boots and pharmacies that partner with the company Pharmadoctor are offering Pfizer/BioNTech jabs to those not eligible for a free vaccination through the NHS, with the former charging almost 100 a shot. The latter is also offering the latest Novavax jab, a protein-based vaccine, at a cost of about 50. Continue reading...

A majority of people imagine they're far fresher-faced than they actually are. So should we be battling our internalised ageism and embracing the ravages of time?Sit your old bones down, because I've got bad news: you probably look older than you think you do. Don't shoot the messenger - blame science. A recent study published in the journal Psychology and Aging found that 59% of US adults aged 50 to 80 believe they look younger than other people their age. Women and people with higher incomes were slightly more likely to say they thought they looked fresher than their peers; and only 6% of adults in the bracket thought (or realised) they looked older than others their age. In short, most of us are delusional.While the survey only included people over 50, I reckon they would have got the same results if they polled anyone over 30. Our brains have inbuilt denial mechanisms that stop us confronting our own mortality. Many people's biological age tends to differ from their subjective age" (or how old they feel). Mine certainly does: according to my passport I'm 40, but in my head I'm still a sprightly 29. Continue reading...

Lawsuit argues lockdown violates inmates' rights by preventing them from taking part in religiously significant eventInmates in New York are suing the state corrections department over the decision to lock down prisons during next Monday's total solar eclipse.The suit filed on Friday in federal court in upstate New York argues that the 8 April lockdown violates inmates' constitutional rights to practice their faiths by preventing them from taking part in a religiously significant event. Continue reading...

New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thoughtPatient One was 24 years old and pregnant with her third child when she was taken off life support. It was 2014. A couple of years earlier, she had been diagnosed with a disorder that caused an irregular heartbeat, and during her two previous pregnancies she had suffered seizures and faintings. Four weeks into her third pregnancy, she collapsed on the floor of her home. Her mother, who was with her, called 911. By the time an ambulance arrived, Patient One had been unconscious for more than 10 minutes. Paramedics found that her heart had stopped.After being driven to a hospital where she couldn't be treated, Patient One was taken to the emergency department at the University of Michigan. There, medical staff had to shock her chest three times with a defibrillator before they could restart her heart. She was placed on an external ventilator and pacemaker, and transferred to the neurointensive care unit, where doctors monitored her brain activity. She was unresponsive to external stimuli, and had a massive swelling in her brain. After she lay in a deep coma for three days, her family decided it was best to take her off life support. It was at that point - after her oxygen was turned off and nurses pulled the breathing tube from her throat - that Patient One became one of the most intriguing scientific subjects in recent history. Continue reading...

Being more flexible than the average person can have its advantages, from being great at games such as Limbo to feeling smug in yoga class.But researchers are coming to understand that being hypermobile can also be linked to pain in later life, anxiety, and even long Covid.Madeleine Finlay hears from the science correspondent Linda Geddes about her experience of hypermobility, and finds out what might be behind its link to mental and physical healthRead Linda Geddes' article on hypermobility here Continue reading...

Elite athletes and professional gamers may have higher than average visual temporal resolution, research suggestsIf you have wondered why your partner always beats you at tennis or one child always crushes the other at Fortnite, it seems there is more to it than pure physical ability.Some people are effectively able to see more images per second" than others, research suggests, meaning they're innately better at spotting or tracking fast-moving objects such as tennis balls. Continue reading...

The answers to today's questionsEarlier today I set you the following mini-pub quiz, based on wordplay puzzles from The Cryptic Pub Quiz Book by Frank Paul. Here they are again with answers. Continue reading...

CAP scheme, which pays more to farms that occupy more land, drives perverse outcomes for a food transition', says studyThe EU has made polluting diets artificially cheap" by pumping four times more money into farming animals than growing plants, research has found.More than 80% of the public money given to farmers through the EU's common agriculture policy (CAP) went to animal products in 2013 despite the damage they do to society, according to a study in Nature Food. Factoring in animal feed doubled the subsidies that were embodied in a kilogram of beef, the meat with the biggest environmental footprint, from 0.71 to 1.42 (61p to 1.22). Continue reading...

Get a few rounds inUPDATE: Swap papers. Answers up hereIn the world of pub quizzes, Frank Paul is a legend. Today's puzzles are taken from the fabulously fiendish quiz he has run at The Mill in Cambridge, and which appear in his latest book.I've chosen questions that involve wordplay rather than general knowledge. Like all great pub quiz conundrums, you will be able to work them out if you think hard enough (and maybe ask a friend for help.) Continue reading...

The moon will pass directly in front of the sun, exposing ghostly traces of the sun's atmosphere

China's He Jiankui, who used Crispr to edit genome, says he is working on genetic diseases and suggests human embryo gene editing will one day be acceptedA Chinese scientist who was imprisoned for his role in creating the world's first genetically edited babies says he has returned to his laboratory to work on the treatment of Alzheimer's and other genetic diseases.In an interview with a Japanese newspaper, He Jiankui said he had resumed research on human embryo genome editing, despite the controversy over the ethics of artificially rewriting genes, which some critics predicted would lead to demand for designer babies". Continue reading...

Conversations about menopause have matured but the question of when and how to treat perimenopausal symptoms remains confusing - even to a science journalistThere's a meme featuring a confident, suave, smiling Henry Cavill - the actor best known for playing Superman - posing for photographers on the red carpet. Sneaking up behind him is wild-looking, maniacally gleeful co-star Jason Momoa.To me, this is the perfect metaphor for perimenopause. Cavill is at the peak of his career, he looks great, clearly feels great, exudes confidence, strength and self-possession. And he's about to get crash-tackled by a capricious and unpredictable force. Continue reading...

Cognitive neuroscientist professor Joel Pearson tells Jane Lee when to trust your gut (and when not to)You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupportRead more: Continue reading...

Tests that can identify early changes in cells would give doctors more time to offer treatment, say Cambridge researchersScientists at a recently opened cancer institute at Cambridge University have begun work that is pinpointing changes in cells many years before they develop into tumours. The research should help design radically new ways to treat cancer, they say.The Early Cancer Institute - which has just received 11m from an anonymous donor - is focused on finding ways to tackle tumours before they produce symptoms. The research will exploit recent discoveries which have shown that many people develop precancerous conditions that lie in abeyance for long periods. Continue reading...

Researchers have found fresh evidence that may connect the mysterious Denisovans to the early human species Homo longiThey remain one of the most elusive groups of humans to have walked on earth. Evidence from the DNA traces left by Denisovans shows they lived on the Tibetan plateau, probably travelled to the Philippines and Laos in south Asia and might have made their way to northern China more than 100,000 years ago. They also interbred with modern humans.What Denisovans looked like or how they lived has remained a mystery, however. Only a jaw fragment, a few bits of bone and oneor two teeth provide any evidence of their physical characteristics. Continue reading...

Researchers say dual approach could quickly detect patients most at risk of severe complicationsDoctors say combining a simple blood test with artificial intelligence could help diagnose sepsis faster and identify patients at the highest risk of severe complications.Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body fails to respond properly to infection. It can progress to septic shock, which can damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs. When the damage is severe, it can lead to death, with an estimated 11 million sepsis-related deaths worldwide each year. Continue reading...

Mechanism unpicked that allows black-capped chickadees to stash and relocate huge quantities of foodWhile adults might be spending the weekend trying to remember where they have hidden a hoard of Easter eggs, the black-capped chickadee has no trouble recalling where its treats are stashed. Now researchers have discovered why: the diminutive birds create a barcode-like memory each time they stash food.Black-capped chickadees are known for tucking food away during the warmer months - with some estimates suggesting a single bird can hide up to 500,000 food itemsa year. But more remarkable still is their reliability in finding the morsels again. Continue reading...

Looking at the mass of information, there is only one conclusion: we are running out of timeThere is so much information on the newly launched Copernicus Climate Change Service atlas that my laptop started to overheat trying to process it all. As well as all the past data, it predicts where the climate is going and how soon we will breach the 1.5C limit", and then 2C. You can call up the region where you live, so it is specific to what is happening to you and your family - and all the more disturbing for that.A separate part called Climate Pulse intended particularly for journalists is easier to operate. The refreshing bit is that the maps, charts and timelines from 1850 to the present day on the main atlas are entirely factual measurements, so there can be no argument on the trends. It then follows those trends into the likely scenarios for the next few years. Examining current temperature increases, it seemed to this observer that scientists have been underestimating for some time how quickly the situation is deteriorating. Continue reading...

Researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across several genres from 1980 to 2020You're not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive, according to a study published on Thursday.Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music fans everywhere. Continue reading...

Swedish researchers say inflammation caused by obesity is likely to increase risk of developing conditions such as MSChildren who are obese may face more than double the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as adults, a study suggests.MS can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a range of potential symptoms including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It is a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability. Continue reading...

On 28 March it's the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discovered in association with a rare type of cancer located in Africa, but is now understood to be implicated in 1% of cancers, as well as the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, among others. Ian Sample meets Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, to hear the story of this virus, and how understanding it might help us prevent and treat cancer and other illnesses. Continue reading...

Patients taking certain progestogens as a contraceptive or for gynaecological conditions may be more likely to develop growths, researchers sayMillions of women around the world who use certain hormone drugs for contraception and to manage conditions such as endometriosis may have a raised risk of rare, usually benign, brain tumours, researchers say.Scientists found that prolonged use of certain progestogen medications was linked to a greater risk of meningioma, which are tumours (usually noncancerous) that form in tissues around the brain. Continue reading...

Trying to learn about menopause has been disorienting, but Angela Garbes has also experienced a softening, an openness'In my 20s and 30s, I went hard, driven by a desire to live life fully. I wanted to stay up all night having heated conversations, collect experiences and adventures, make art and meaning from everything that happened. Somewhere in the far-off distance I pictured myself making it to age 40, but never thought further than that: I would turn 40 ... and then I'd be 65?My naivete died three years ago in the middle of the night. I woke up drenched in perspiration, shivering. It was shocking to find myself suddenly so cold and in the dark. Within a month, I was waking at least twice a week - three, four or even five times a night. Continue reading...

Researchers studying satellite data show slope near village of Hoseynabad-e Kalpush moved after reservoir began to be filledIn recent decades there has been a dramatic rise in the number of dams being built, to keep pace with demand for water or to provide power. Concerns have been raised about increased landslide activity near new dams, and now a study has demonstrated a conclusive link in at least one incident.In March 2019 a landslide tore apart Hoseynabad-e Kalpush village in north-central Iran, damaging 300 houses and severing the road to the nearby dam. Local authorities blamed the landslide on heavy rainfall and insisted that the dam did not play a role. Continue reading...

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: Now is its time to shine, and having no leaves yet, it is purest black and white, spines and starsWhile the magnolia's decidedly middle-class flowering dominates everyone's attention, I prefer the hidden, grubbier events of spring, the kind I know we'll find down the muddy path that runs between the industrial units and the strip of boggy wetland on our old housing estate.It is a beautiful day. The sky is blue, the breeze fresh. There's litter here, sure - piles of it - and the loud whine of machinery, but my senses soon return me to the mouthy, joyful cascade of wren song. First we pass hawthorn holding its clean, new leaves in quiet readiness. But it isn't its turn just yet: right now it's the blackthorn's turn to take spring's stage. Continue reading...

Beyond simply feeling decrepit, perception of being older can affect health by encouraging unhealthy eating and reducing exerciseTwo nights of broken sleep are enough to make people feel years older, according to researchers, who said consistent, restful slumber was a key factor in helping to stave off feeling one's true age.Psychologists in Sweden found that, on average, volunteers felt more than four years older when they were restricted to only four hours of sleep for two consecutive nights, with some claiming the sleepiness made them feel decades older. Continue reading...

Researchers in Belgium use artificial intelligence to improve taste, but say the skill of the brewer remains vitalWhether you prefer a fruity lambic or a complex Trappist, Belgian beers have long been famed for their variety, quality and heritage. Now, researchers say they have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to make brews even better.Prof Kevin Verstrepen, of KU Leuven university, who led the research, said AI could help tease apart the complex relationships involved in human aroma perception. Continue reading...

Pharmacy to offer Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those not eligible for NHS booster shot from next weekBoots is to offer Covid vaccinations for almost 100 a shot, making it the latest provider to sell the jabs to those not eligible for a booster through the NHS.The company has confirmed it will offer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to healthy customers in England aged 12 and over from next week, at a cost of 98.95 a jab. Continue reading...

The sun is currently ramping up to hit the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. In the past few days, powerful solar eruptions have sent a stream of particles towards Earth which are set to produce spectacular auroras in both hemispheres. But these kinds of geomagnetic storms can also have less appealing consequences. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Lisa Upton, a solar scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, about how the mysterious inner workings of the sun create space weather, how solar events can significantly disrupt Earth's infrastructure, and whether we are prepared for the worst-case scenarioRead more about the Northern lights here Continue reading...

Spectacular aurora borealis caused by geomagnetic storms on sun's surface may be visible in North America as far south as the midwest

The 100-day challenge, to be able to contain a virus while a vaccine is approved, manufactured and delivered, looks ever more remoteFour years on from the first Covid lockdown, life feels to be largely back to normal, although legacies of the pandemic remain. Collective amnesia seems to have set in. Politicians seem eager to move forward and not relive the decisions, delays and deaths that characterised public policy and press briefings. Yet we can't forget such a brutal event, when Covid is estimated to have killed nearly 16 million people worldwide in 2020 and 2021, and caused life expectancy to decline in 84% of countries, including Britain. Pandemics aren't a one-off event. There's still a risk of another happening within our lifetimes.Fortunately, what to do about the next pandemic is still very much at the top of the global health agenda. In 2021, I was asked to co-chair the US National Academy of Sciences' committee on advancing pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine preparedness and response. This group was sponsored by the US government to provide recommendations on how to improve preparedness for influenza, which is seen as one of the most likely candidates for the next pandemic. I was also involved with the Lancet Covid-19 taskforce, which brought together global experts to look at how to improve on the Covid response, and what challenges there were going forward. These groups represent some of the world's best thinkers on global health and pandemic preparedness. Here's what I learned.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...

Nodding syndrome is a distressing disease that stunts growth, harms brains and sparks convulsions. Though its cause is still unknown, there is now hope that epilepsy drugs can help afflicted childrenThe other children move away, frightened, when the convulsions start. Tabo takes a long, guttural breath before slumping on to the ground unconscious, her entire body shaking. The 17-year-old's mother, Penina Monyo Gulu Biro, gently holds the girl while the attack lasts.A minute or two later, Tabo (pictured above) sits up again, tears rolling down her cheeks. She cries because she's sad to be like this," says Biro.An aerial view of the Dombolo River, near Mvolo town, in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state Continue reading...

National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme aims to understand why population has declinedArtificial intelligence will be used for the first time to track hedgehog populations as part of a pioneering project aimed at understanding how many of them are left in the UK and why they have suffered a decline.Images of the prickly mammals snuffling around urban parks, private gardens, woodlands and farmland will be captured by cameras and filtered by AI trained to differentiate between wildlife and humans. Continue reading...

Southern lights may be visible in Tasmania, along Victoria's coastline and on Western Australia's south-west coast

Fears raised that prime lunar locations for universe-unravelling instruments are in danger from imminent wave of human activity Bases, experiments, mining: race to protect surface of moonAstronomers are calling for the urgent protection of sites on the moon that are rated the best spots in the solar system for advanced instruments designed to unveil the secrets of the universe.The prime locations are free from ground vibration, shielded from Earth's noisy broadcast signals or profoundly cold - making them uniquely well-suited for sensitive equipment that could make observations impossible from elsewhere. Continue reading...

Early diagnosis and better awareness mean tumours can be caught early - and when disease is found, under-45s can often tolerate chemotherapy betterProf Andrew Beggs of Birmingham University runs a special clinic for young people with cancer and has noted, as have other experts, that more and more people under the age of 45 are being diagnosed with some form of the condition.There are a number of reasons for this rise," he told the Observer. For one thing, we are simply getting better at spotting cancer at earlier and earlier stages. In addition, special awareness is involved. Young people are much more perceptive about their health than previous generations and so they are more willing to seek help at an early stage when their symptoms have first appeared." Continue reading...

Excavations of bronze age graves have found battle-scarred female archers, says the historian Bettany HughesIn Greek legends, the Amazons were feared and formidable women warriors who lived on the edge of the known world. Hercules had to obtain the magic girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyte in one of his 12labours, and Achilles killed another queen, Penthesilea, only to fall in love with her as her beautiful face emerged from her helmet.These horseback-riding, bow-wielding nomads, who fought and hunted just like men, have long been shrouded in myth, but archaeologists are discovering increasing evidence that they really did exist. Continue reading...

The benefits of drugs such as donanemab, aducanumab and lecanemab are proving harder to quantify than potential harms, experts sayIt was heralded in news articles as a breakthrough", a turning point" and a gamechanger" for Alzheimer's disease. Some experts went so far as to call the drug, donanemab, the beginning of the end" for the debilitating condition.Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in May 2023 released data from a clinical trial they said showed donanemab slowed cognitive and functional decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease by 35% over 18 months. Continue reading...

New research findings are contrary to what had previously been thought about pandemic's effect on children's wellbeingTeenage boys were hit hardest by the Covid lockdowns, with their mental health failing to recover despite the return to normality, according to the most comprehensive academic study of its kind.Early research into how lockdown affected children indicated that girls had suffered more significant mental health problems than boys. Continue reading...

Museum's funding by Indian energy group sparks controversy - with activists calling for boycott of tainted' partnership but others in full supportIt is intended to be an exploration of humanity's past and future efforts to decarbonise the way we live. Historical objects mixed with interactive displays will show how environmentally friendly energy systems are shaped by imagination and innovation.But the new Science Museum gallery, Energy Revolution, the Adani Green Energy Gallery, has gone down badly - with environmentalists. Continue reading...

Anti-abortion researchers exaggerate' and obfuscate' in their scientific papers - but by the time they're published, it's too late

Heritage orchard at RHS Rosemoor to be sampled this spring as part of search for previously unrecorded survivor' cultivarsGardeners are searching for lost apple varieties by sequencing the genetics of trees in ancient orchards, in the hope they hold traits that can help the fruit survive climate breakdown.Heritage apple trees at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden Rosemoor will be sampled this spring with the aim of finding species of apple enjoyed by people hundreds of years ago. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Scientists say people with disease who drink two to four cups a day are less likely to see it returnPeople with bowel cancer who drink two to four cups of coffee a day are much less likely to see their disease come back, research has found.People with the illness who consume that amount are also much less likely to die from any cause, the study shows, which suggests coffee helps those diagnosed with the UK's second biggest cancer killer. Continue reading...

Study confirms our canine companions can grasp more than simple commands - or at least for items they care aboutDogs understand what certain words stand for, according to researchers who monitored the brain activity of willing pooches while they were shown balls, slippers, leashes and other highlights of the domestic canine world.The finding suggests that the dog brain can reach beyond commands such as sit" and fetch", and the frenzy-inducing walkies", to grasp the essence of nouns, or at least those that refer to items the animals care about. Continue reading...