Jeopardy's Jennings is the king of kenJeopardy! is the long-running US quiz show where contestants are given an answer and must respond with a question for that answer.Ken Jennings", for example, is the correct answer to the following question: Continue reading...
Formed from dust once in the tail of comet 96P/Machholz, the meteors can leave persistent trails in the skyStart watching for the Delta Aquariids meteor shower this week. The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at midnight on 28 July. The radiate is marked. This is the point from which the meteors appear to radiate in all directions.Most annual meteor showers have a well-defined peak of activity, but the Delta Aquariids are a more drawn-out affair. Although the predictions place the peak somewhere between 28 and 30 July, the activity can be just as strong leading up to and after the moment. Continue reading...
by Written by Scott Sayare and read by Bert Seymour. on (#6YSA1)
When fossilised remains were discovered in the Djurab desert in 2001, they were hailed as radically rewriting the history of our species. But not everyone was convinced - and the bitter argument that followed has consumed the lives of scholars ever sinceBy Scott Sayare. Read by Bert Seymour Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6YS2W)
Exclusive: Research on burden of antibiotic resistance for 122 countries predicts dire economic and health outcomesSuperbugs could cause millions more people to die worldwide and cost the global economy just under $2tn a year by 2050, modelling shows.A UK government-funded study shows that without concerted action, increased rates of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) could lead to global annual GDP losses of $1.7tn over the next quarter of a century. Continue reading...
UK research has brought real hope to families suffering from one of the most common inherited disorders, with a breakthrough that's been years in the makingEight babies have been born free of a disease that canlead to terrible suffering and early death, thanks to pioneering scientists in the UK employing a form ofgenetic engineering that is banned in some countries, including the US and France. Ten years ago, when the government and regulators were consideringwhether to allow mitochondrial transfer technology, critics warned of Frankenstein meddling" that would lead to three-parent children. It's hard now to justify such hostility in the face of the painstaking work carried out by the scientific andmedical teams at Newcastle, resulting in these healthy babies and ecstatic families.Mitochondria, like tiny battery packs, supply energy to every cell of the body. Their DNA is handed down in the egg from mother to child. In rare instances, there are genetic mutations, which means the baby may develop mitochondrial disease. About one in 5,000 people is affected by it, making it one of the most common inherited disorders. As the cell batteries fail in various organs, the child can experience a range of symptoms, from muscle weakness to epilepsy, encephalopathy, blindness, hearing loss and diabetes. In severe cases, they die young.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...
President's assault on science -particularly climate science - has led to unprecedented funding cuts and staff layoffsOur ability to respond to climate change, the biggest existential threat facing humanity, is totally adrift," said Sally Johnson, an Earth scientist who has spent the past two decades helping collect, store and distribute data at Nasa (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) and Noaa (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration).Donald Trump's assault on science - but particularly climate science - has led to unprecedented funding cuts and staff layoffs across federally funded agencies and programs, threatening to derail research tackling the most pressing issues facing Americans and humanity more broadly. A generation of scientific talent is also on the brink of being lost, with unprecedented political interference at what were previously evidence-driven agencies jeopardizing the future of US industries and economic growth. Continue reading...
Administration's move to cut thousands of agency jobs will be devastating for US public health, union warnsThe Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) said on Friday that it is eliminating its research and development arm and reducing agency staff by thousands of employees. One union leader said the moves will devastate public health in our country".The agency's office of research and development (ORD) has long provided the scientific underpinnings for the EPA's mission to protect the environment and human health. The EPA said in May it would shift its scientific expertise and research efforts to program offices that focus on major issues such as air and water. Continue reading...
Research looks at health impacts of being exposed to multiple pesticides versus just one substanceExposure to multiple pesticides increases the chances of pregnancy complications compared to exposure to just one pesticide, new peer-reviewed research suggests. The findings raise new questions about the safety of exposure to widely used pesticides and herbicides in food and agricultural communities.The study, which bio-monitored pregnant women in a heavily agricultural state in Argentina, adds to recent-but-limited evidence pointing to heightened dangers in mixtures of pesticides. Continue reading...
Withdrawal of USAID funds threatens decades of progress, say experts, with cuts to research and shortage of mosquito nets putting thousands at risk across the countryZimbabwe's efforts to control malaria have been dealt a huge blow as experts say the disease has returned with a vengeance" after US aid cuts, with 115 outbreaks recorded in 2025 compared with only one last year.The sharp rise in cases comes six months after Donald Trump halted critical funding for US research and national response programmes. Continue reading...
Analysis of bones from two caves shows prehistoric people butchered the same animals in different waysNothing turns up the heat in a kitchen quite like debating the best way to chop an onion. Now researchers have found even our prehistoric cousins had distinct preferences when it came to preparing food.Archaeologists studying animal bones recovered from two caves in northern Israel have found different groups of Neanderthals, living at around the same time, butchered the same animals in different ways. Continue reading...
by Kat Lay, Global health correspondent on (#6YPXP)
The country, beset by war, has the world's lowest rates of vaccination, says the World Health Organization, as global immunisation drive also stallsChildren in Sudan, caught up in what aid organisations have called the world's largest humanitarian crisis and threatened by rising levels of violence, are increasingly vulnerable to deadly infectious diseases as vaccinations in the country plummet.In 2022, more than 90% of young children in Sudan received their routine vaccinations. But that figure has nearly halved to 48%, the lowest in the world, according to the World Health Organization. Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Ian Sample, pro on (#6YPW1)
Madeleine Finlay is joined by Ian Sample to discuss three intriguing science and environment stories. From a breakthrough in the quest to create organs in the lab to a world-first climate visa that will see citizens relocate from the island of Tuvalu to Australia, plus what happens when two massive black holes collideScientists detect biggest ever merger of two massive black holesA climate crisis, a ballot, and a chance at a new life in Australia Continue reading...
Seeds of rocky planets forming in gas around star Hops-315 is called glimpse of time zero', when new worlds start to gelAstronomers have discovered the earliest seeds of rocky planets forming in the gas around a baby sun-like star, providing a precious peek into the dawn of our own solar system.It's an unprecedented snapshot of time zero", scientists reported on Wednesday, when new worlds begin to gel. Continue reading...
Meteorite weighing 54lb found in Sahara in 2023 beats estimate as dinosaur skeleton sells for more than $30mThe largest piece of Mars ever found on Earth was sold for just over $5m at an auction of rare geological and archaeological objects in New York on Wednesday, while a juvenile dinosaur skeleton went for more than $30m.The 54-pound (25kg) rock named NWA 16788 was discovered in the Sahara desert in Niger by a meteorite hunter in November 2023, after having been blown off the surface of Mars by a massive asteroid strike and traveling 140m miles (225m km) to Earth, according to Sotheby's. The estimated sale price before the auction was $2m to $4m. Continue reading...
Move follows concerns several papers in Forensic Sciences Research did not meet ethical standards on DNA collectionOxford University Press (OUP) will no longer publish a controversial academic journal sponsored by China's Ministry of Justice after years of concerns that several papers in the publication did not meet ethical standards about DNA collection.A statement published on the website of Forensic Sciences Research (FSR) states that OUP will stop publishing the quarterly journal after this year. Continue reading...
Thought extinct in wild until three plants were found in 2002, Snowdonia hawkweed numbers have risen to sixOne of the rarest plants in the world is growing at a secret location on the edge of Eryri in north Wales.The Snowdonia hawkweed (Hieracium snowdoniense) is a small plant, barely reaching 30cm high, but with a brilliant golden yellow inflorescence that looks a bit like a dandelion, which it is closely related to. The Snowdonia hawkweed was first discovered only in 1880 at a remote hillside near Bethesda on the edge of Eryri, or Snowdonia, but in about 1950 the plant vanished, feared extinct after sheep grazed heavily in the area. And so the plant earned the unenviable title of the Welsh dodo. Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Rhiannon Lucy C on (#6YNQ8)
Guardian feature writer Rhiannon Lucy Cosslett recently wrote about the growing cohort of parents whose children are on the waiting list for an autism or ADHD diagnosis, and are turning to the internet to buy melatonin to help them sleep. She tells Madeleine Finlay about their experiences and what is driving them to the hidden market. Paul Gringras, a consultant in paediatric sleep medicine and neurodisability, and lead of sleep medicine at King's College London, also explains why melatonin can be helpful for neurodivergent children and why he is concerned about the increasing number of parents looking for it onlineI feel like a drug dealer': the parents using hidden-economy melatonin to help their children sleepWhat you should know about melatonin for sleep problems in children - International Pediatric Sleep Association Continue reading...
Axiom-SpaceX mission led by Peggy Whitson, 65, returns to Earth from International Space StationThe Nasa retiree turned private astronaut Peggy Whitson splashed down safely in the Pacific early on Tuesday after her fifth trip to the International Space Station, along with crewmates from India, Poland and Hungary returning from their countries' first ISS missions.A SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule carrying the four-member team parachuted into the sea off the coast of California at about 2.30am PDT (10.30am BST) after a fiery reentry through Earth's atmosphere that capped a 22-hour descent from orbit. Continue reading...
UK Biobank project to share 1bn images of organs, blood vessels and bones to help study ageing and ill healthScientists expect to gain unprecedented insights into human ageing and the earliest signs of disease after scanning 100,000 people from head to toe in the world's largest whole body imaging project.The completion of the decade-long task means qualifying researchers worldwide will have access to 1bn de-identified images of the hearts, brains, abdomens, blood vessels, bones and joints of volunteers alongside medical histories and rich data on their genetic makeup, health and lifestyle. Continue reading...
Over the coming months, the planet will be in retrograde motion, and will also appear brighter as it draws closerThe moon will help us track down Saturn, the sixth planet in the solar system, this week. Currently residing in the constellation of Pisces, the fishes, Saturn is gradually building in brightness as the Earth's orbit is carrying the two planets closer together. This year, the closest approach between them will occur on 21 September.In the meantime, the moon can be useful as your guide to locate Saturn and then watch it over the coming months as the planet performs a lazy pirouette in the sky, known as retrograde motion. This is an optical illusion caused by our changing line of sight to the planet as Earth overtakes it on the inside. Continue reading...
Hollingside lane, Durham: Pleated inkcaps may live for a day but here we've been watching other fungi, such as dryad's saddle, grow since springThere were none here yesterday, and by the end of tomorrow they'llhave deliquesced and disappeared, but for now the neatly mown grass under our feet was studded with 2in-tall parasol inkcaps (Parasola plicatilis). They looked like an invasion of tiny parachutists; in reality they'd risen from the underworld.They were here all along, as a mycelium of microscopically slender hyphae, down among the grassroots. Autumn is the fungal forager's season but fungi, as hyphae or spores, are everywhere, unseen, all the time. Occasionally, driven by the imperative to reproduce, their ramifying network of independent threads collaborates, producing spores in toadstools. Some, like these inkcaps, are ephemeral; others, like the dryad's saddle (Cerioporus squamosus) we'd been watching since spring, grow from teacup to tea-tray proportions, slowly digesting dead wood, taking months to reach maturity. Continue reading...
Research papers found carrying hidden white text giving instructions not to highlight negatives as concern grows over use of large language models for peer reviewAcademics are reportedly hiding prompts in preprint papers for artificial intelligence tools, encouraging them to give positive reviews.Nikkei reported on 1 July it had reviewed research papers from 14 academic institutions in eight countries, including Japan, South Korea, China, Singapore and two in the United States. Continue reading...
Ripples in space-time from collision recorded by gravitational wave detector forces a rethink of how the objects formScientists have detected ripples in space-time from the violent collision of two massive black holes that spiralled into one another far beyond the distant edge of the Milky Way.The black holes, each more than 100 times the mass of the sun, began circling each other long ago and finally slammed together to form an even more massive black hole about 10bn light years from Earth. Continue reading...
Finalists for 2025 will be exhibited at Hobart's Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery from 6 to 31 August as part of the Beaker Street festival and will include the first-ever image of a wild eastern quoll glowing under UV light
Do you scream when you stub your toe? Could you play a grand final with a shattered jaw, or work all day as your belly fills with blood? When it comes to suffering, perspective is everythingSome say it was John Sattler's own fault. The lead-up to the 1970 rugby league grand final had been tense; the team he led, the South Sydney Rabbitohs, had lost the 1969 final. Here was an opportunity for redemption. The Rabbitohs were not about to let glory slip through their fingers again.Soon after the starting whistle, Sattler went in for a tackle. As he untangled - in a move not uncommon in the sport at the time - he gave the Manly Sea Eagles' John Bucknall a clip on the ear. Continue reading...
Michael Kirk Moore accused of distributing at least 1,937 false vaccination cards and administering saline to childrenThe US Department of Justice dropped charges on Saturday against Michael Kirk Moore, the Utah doctor accused of destroying more than $28,000 worth of government-provided Covid-19 vaccines and administering saline to children instead of the shot.Pam Bondi, the US attorney general, announced the news in a statement on the social media platform X, saying the charges had been dismissed under her direction. Continue reading...
Widespread mockery of AI-generated rat with giant penis in one paper brings problem to public attentionIt was, at first glance, just another scientific paper, one of the millions published every year, and destined to receive little to no attention outside the arcane field of biological signalling in stem cells destined to become sperm.But soon after the paper was published online, in the journal Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology, it found a global audience. Not all of the readers came for the science. Continue reading...
Centre for animal sentience to look into animal consciousness and the ethical use of AI in how we treat themIf your cat's sulking, your dog's whining or your rabbit's doing that strange thing with its paws again, you will recognise that familiar pang of guilt shared by most other pet owners.But for those who wish they knew just what was going on in the minds of their loyal companions, help may soon be at hand - thanks to the establishment of the first scientific institution dedicated to empirically investigating the consciousness of animals. Continue reading...
The International Space Station has been flying over the country this week and excited children tracking Shubhanshu Shukla's every move will be hoping for a glimpse of his temporary home on Saturday nightAs the International Space Station passes over India this weekend, many of those looking up to catch a glimpse as it goes by will be excited schoolchildren, who, like millions across the country, have their eyes, hopes and dreams pinned on astronaut Shubhanshu Shukla, the first Indian to visit the ISS.What if the astronauts find evidence of intelligent life forms in space? Or even better, what if Shubhanshu Shukla's experiments help humans discover a way to survive on other planets?" says Deborshi Halder, an excited 15-year-old. His classmate, however, is concerned. But if places beyond Earth become habitable, we humans may land up exploiting them too, leading to space pollution," says Sabnam Sireen. Continue reading...
My father, Arthur Callaghan, who has died aged 93, was a biology lecturer at Staffordshire University and passionately committed to blue sky" research: scientific endeavour for its own sake. His investigation of the natural world, in particular the study of fungi and their interactions with microscopic organisms, sustained a deep fascination that lasted throughout his life.Part of his research involved the study of the fungi Conidiobolus and Basidiobolus, and their saprotrophic and pathogenic qualities (ie species' ability to colonise and obtain nutrients from dead microscopic animals such as mites and springtails, or infect and kill them). In 1989, he co-discovered and named, with Steve Waters, a new species, Conidiobolus iuxtagenitus. Continue reading...
From cows and cats to squirrels and birds, all have their own methods but may need more help as heatwaves intensifyWith the UK bracing for its third heatwave of the summer, 2025 is on course to be a record-breaking year for temperature. As people retreat into paddling pools and beneath the breeze of pedestal fans, a quieter and less visible struggle is playing out across the country's fields, forests and hedgerows. So how are Britain's animals weathering the heat?From cows and cats to herons, horses and even earthworms, each species has evolved its own tactics for staying cool - some more effective than others. But as extreme heat events become more frequent and intense, scientists are beginning to question the longer-term resilience of UK wildlife, and what we can do to help. Continue reading...
Colossal Bioscience is adding the extinct animal to its revival wishlist, joining the woolly mammoth, dodo and thylacine. But scepticism is growingStanding more than three metres (10ft) high, the giant moa is the tallest bird known to have walked on Earth. For thousands of years, the wingless herbivore patrolled New Zealand, feasting on trees and shrubs, until the arrival of humans. Today, records of the enormous animal survive only in Mori oral histories, as well as thousands of discoveries of bone, mummified flesh and the odd feather.But this week, the US start-up Colossal Biosciences has announced that the giant moa has joined the woolly mammoth, dodo and thylacine, or Tasmanian tiger, on its list of animals that it is trying to bring back from the dead. The announcement has provoked public excitement - and deep scepticism from many experts about whether it is possible to resurrect the bird, which disappeared a century after the arrival of early Polynesian settlers in New Zealand about 600 years ago. Continue reading...
A hole drilled 750ft deep to study museum's geothermal potential yielded an unexpected surpriseA Denver museum known for its dinosaur displays has made a fossil bone discovery closer to home than anyone ever expected: under its own parking lot.It came from a hole drilled more than 750 ft (230 meters) deep to study geothermal heating potential for the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Continue reading...
Transportation secretary named as interim administrator of space agency as it faces crisis amid Trump's budget cutsDonald Trump has appointed his transportation secretary, Sean Duffy, as interim administrator of Nasa, six weeks after withdrawing the nomination of the Elon Musk ally and billionaire Jared Isaacman for the permanent role.The president announced the appointment on Truth Social on Wednesday evening, praising Duffy's work on transportation infrastructure and describing him as someone who would be a fantastic leader of the ever more important space agency, even if only for a short period of time". Continue reading...
Neuroscientist, author, political activist and advocate for social responsibility in scienceScience and politics can make awkward bedfellows, with the very question of whether it is possible to make purely objective observations about the world drawing forth highly politicised positions. The neurobiologist Steven Rose, who has died aged 87, took a broadly reductionist approach to his research into biochemical mechanisms of memory, while at the same time adopting a high-profile political stance against the idea that human behaviour is determined by our genes.Less publicly but equally influentially, as the first biology professor to be appointed at the Open University - the distance-learning institution founded through a Labour government initiative in 1969 - Rose helped to pioneer a democratic and distributed approach to teaching practical science. He developed experiments that students could complete at home, pooling their results and prefiguring many of the citizen science" projects that have become popular in recent years. Continue reading...
by Kat Lay, Global health correspondent on (#6YJ1W)
Curbs on LGBTQ+ rights and a halt to US funding may reverse decades of progress in fight to end Aids epidemic, warns UNAidsPeople at higher risk of HIV, such as gay men and people who inject drugs, are facing record levels of criminalisation worldwide, according to UNAids.For the first time since the joint UN programme on HIV/Aids began reporting on punitive laws a decade ago, the number of countries criminalising same-sex sexual activity and gender expression has increased. Continue reading...
Cuts further the push to slash federal government through early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignationsThe Trump administration is reportedly planning to cut at least 2,145 high-ranking Nasa employees with specialized skills or management responsibilities.According to documents obtained by Politico, most employees leaving are in senior-level government ranks, depriving the agency of decades of experience as part of a push to slash the size of the federal government through early retirement, buyouts and deferred resignations. Continue reading...
Scientists spot traces of 10,000 miles of rivers in area where many believed there wasn't any evidence for water'Thousands of miles of ancient riverbeds have been discovered in the heavily cratered southern highlands of Mars, suggesting the red planet was once a far wetter world than scientists thought.Researchers spotted geological traces of nearly 10,000 miles (16,000km) of ancient watercourses, believed to be more than 3bn years old, in high resolution images of the rugged landscape captured by Mars orbiters. Continue reading...
AI-trained robot carries out procedures on dead pig organs to remove gall bladders without any human helpAutomated surgery could be trialled on humans within a decade, say researchers, after an AI-trained robot armed with tools to cut, clip and grab soft tissue successfully removed pig gall bladders without human help.The robot surgeons were schooled on video footage of human medics conducting operations using organs taken from dead pigs. In an apparent research breakthrough, eight operations were conducted on pig organs with a 100% success rate by a team led by experts at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore in the US. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with Eric Holthaus, produc on (#6YHZW)
In the days since the deadly floods in the Texas Hill Country, speculation has grown about whether cuts to US weather agencies may have contributed to the the number of casualties. Ian Sample talks to the meteorologist and climate journalist Eric Holthaus to find out whether this narrative stacks up and what the consequences could be for extreme weather prediction in the futureClips: NBC news, ABC news, Forbes, White House audioTexas floods reveal limitations of disaster forecasting under climate crisis Continue reading...
European Commission unveils strategy for storing medicine, generators and raw materialsThe EU should develop stockpiles of medicine, generators and raw materials to be better prepared for a military invasion, pandemic or natural disaster, the European Commission has said.Outlining its first-ever strategy on stockpiling, the EU executive said on Wednesday member states should also consider emergency supplies of water purification products, equipment to repair undersea cables, drones and mobile bridges for use in conflicts. Continue reading...
Satellite built to track emissions fails just as New Zealand scientists about to take control and reap returns of NZ$29m government investmentFor scientist Sara Mikaloff-Fletcher, the news that a methane-tracking satellite was lost in space last week left her feeling like the air had been sucked from her lungs.It happened just days before New Zealand was due to take control of the spacecraft, known as MethaneSat, which was designed to name and shame" the worst methane polluters in the oil and gas industry. Continue reading...
Watchdog releases nine new rulings setting clear precedents for online sellingOnline pharmacies are no longer allowed to run adverts for weight loss injections, the advertising watchdog has ruled, as part of a crackdown on what has been described as a wild west" culture of online selling.In the UK, advertising prescription-only medications (POMs) - which includes all weight loss jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro - to the public is illegal. However, a Guardian investigation previously found some online pharmacies either breaking these rules outright, or exploiting grey areas to peddle the medications to the public. Continue reading...
A standard Earth day is 86,400 seconds, but over three days in July and August, scientists expect the planet's rotation to quicken relative to the sunTime flies, and three days in July and August could flit by faster than usual this year - but only if your clocks are set to astronomical time.A standard Earth day is 86,400 seconds. But on 9 July, 22 July and 5 August, scientists expect the planet's rotation to quicken relative to the sun, truncating the days by a millisecond or more. Continue reading...
Experts scrambling to understand losses in hives across the country are finally identifying the culprits. And the damage to farmed bees is a sign of trouble for wild bees tooBret Adee is one of the largest beekeepers in the US, with 2 billion bees across 55,000 hives. The business has been in his family since the 1930s, and sends truckloads of bees across the country from South Dakota, pollinating crops such as almonds, onions, watermelons and cucumbers.Last December, his bees were wintering in California when the weather turned cold. Bees grouped on top of hives trying to keep warm. Every time I went out to the beehive there were less and less," says Adee. Then a week later, there'd be more dead ones to pick up ... every week there is attrition, just continually going down." Continue reading...
Science | The Guardian