Science | The Guardian

Once escapees from the pet trade, Los Angeles's feral parrots have become a vibrant part of city life, and could even aid conservation in their native homelandsA morning mist hung over the palm trees as birds chattered and cars roared by on the streets of Pasadena. It was a scene that evoked a tropical island rather than a bustling city in north-east Los Angeles county.It feels parrot-y," says Diego Blanco, a research assistant at Occidental College's Moore Laboratory of Zoology, nodding to the verdant flora that surrounds us: tall trees and ornamental bushes with berries. Continue reading...

Respected ocean expert Katy Soapi continues to advocate to protect Tetepare, one of the last untouched places in Solomon IslandsScientist Katy Soapi's earliest memories are of the sea. She grew up on Rendova, a lush island in western Solomon Islands, and life centred around the ocean.I remember when the big waves came, we would dive under them and come up laughing on the other side. Being part of those natural elements brought me so much joy." Continue reading...

Third series of TV drama spiked interest in anti-anxiety drug amid warnings over illicit production of benzos'In the third series of the hit TV show The White Lotus, the entitled North Carolina housewife Victoria Ratliff is often shown reaching for her lorazepam. Now researchers say internet searches for the anti-anxiety drug surged after the show's release.Lorazepam, also known by its brand name Ativan, is a type of drug known as a benzodiazepine, or benzo". It is thought to work by boosting the effect of a neurotransmitter called gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. Continue reading...

Officials urge vaccination against mutated strain of virus that may be more transmissible than usualHospitals are bracing for a once-in-a-decade flu season, with a mutated version of the virus that is spreading widely in younger people expected to drive a wave of admissions when it reaches the elderly.The threat has prompted NHS managers to redouble efforts to vaccinate staff and communities, expand same-day emergency care and treat more patients in the community to reduce the need for hospital stays. Continue reading...

Blue Origin successfully launches its huge New Glenn rocket on Thursday with a pair of Nasa spacecraft destined for Mars. It is only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos's company and Nasa are counting on to ferry people and supplies to the moon. The 321ft (98-meter) New Glenn blasts into the afternoon sky from the Cape Canaveral space force station, sending Nasa's twin Mars orbiters on a long journey to the red planet. Company employees cheer wildly as the booster lands upright on a barge 375 miles (600km) offshore while an ecstatic Bezos watches the action from launch control

It certainly sounds like fun until you walk under a tree and...

Well-preserved oak and maple boats used for transport and fishing to be displayed in PeterboroughAfter lying undisturbed in mud for more than 3,000 years, three rare bronze and iron age log boats have emerged to offer fresh insights into prehistoric life.The boats were among nine discovered in a Cambridgeshire quarry 13 years ago - the largest group of prehistoric boats found in the same UK site. Most were well preserved, with one still able to float despite its long incarceration. Continue reading...

A huge New Glenn rocket successfully took off to place two spacecraft in orbit for a later boost to the red planetBlue Origin successfully launched its huge New Glenn rocket on Thursday with a pair of Nasa spacecraft destined for Mars. It was only the second flight of the rocket that Jeff Bezos's company and Nasa are counting on to ferry people and supplies to the moon.The 321ft (98-meter) New Glenn blasted into the afternoon sky from the Cape Canaveral space force station, sending Nasa's twin Mars orbiters on a long journey to the red planet. Liftoff was stalled for four days by inclement local weather as well as solar storms strong enough to paint the skies with auroras as far south as Florida. Continue reading...

Research among women finds those who eat more UPFs have greater risk of early onset of polyp that can lead to cancerWomen under 50 who have a diet high in ultra-processed foods (UPFs) stand a greater risk of having abnormal growths in their bowel that can lead to cancer, research suggests.Ultra-processed foods are typically defined as industrially produced products that are often ready-to-eat, contain little in the way of whole foods, fibre and vitamins, and are typically high in saturated fat, sugar, salt and food additives. Continue reading...

Study estimates 53,000 females have died on South Georgia since 2023, with dramatic impact' on future of the speciesBird flu has wiped out half of South Georgia's breeding elephant seals, according to a study that warns of serious implications" for the future of the species.The remote island in the South Atlantic Ocean is home to the world's largest southern elephant seal population. Researchers estimate 53,000 females died after bird flu hit in 2023. Continue reading...

Was the wartime chant about his solitary testicle correct? Did he have Jewish ancestry? New documentary Hitler's DNA is trying to answer these, and more contentious, questions - but should it have gone there at all?If a TV programme sets about sequencing the genome of Adolf Hitler - the person in modern history who comes closest to a universally agreed-upon personification of evil - there are at the very least two questions you want the producers to ask themselves. First: is it possible? And second, the Jurassic Park question: just because scientists can, should they?Channel 4's two-part documentary Hitler's DNA: Blueprint of a Dictator is not the first time the self-consciously edgy British broadcaster has gone there. In 2014's Dead Famous DNA, it inadvertently answered both these questions in the negative. Having first cast aside ethical integrity by paying Holocaust denier David Irving 3,000 for a lock of hair purporting to belong to Adolf Hitler, the programme's makers then discovered it not to be Hitler's and thus useless for DNA sequencing. Continue reading...

Ian Sample joins Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories from the week. They discuss the complicated legacy of James Watson, who won the Nobel Prize for the discovery of the structure of DNA; a new breakthrough in the quest to understand the autoimmune disease lupus; and why everyone from Joe Rogan to Kim Kardashian is talking about comet 3I/Atlas.Clips: PBS, Fox 32 Chicago, NBC News, Joe Rogan, News NationJames Watson obituary Continue reading...

The geomagnetic storm, caused by powerful bursts of energy from the sun, also postponed the launch of two Mars-bound Nasa spacecraft in the US

Data also shows an average of nearly 400 newly reported cases of antibiotic-resistant infections a week last yearThe number of deaths linked to superbugs that do not respond to frontline antibiotics increased by 17% in England last year, according to official figures that raise concerns about the ongoing increase in antimicrobial resistance.The figures, released by the UK Health Security Agency, also revealed a large rise in private prescriptions for antibiotics, with 22% dispensed through the private sector in 2024. Continue reading...

Connection of near-ubiquitous EBV to autoimmune disease affecting about 1 in 1,000 people may spur hunt for vaccineA common childhood virus appears to be the trigger for the autoimmune disease lupus, according to groundbreaking research.The study suggests that Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), which for most people is harmless, can cause immune cells to go rogue" and mistakenly attack the body's own tissues. The team behind the work said that uncovering the cause of lupus could revolutionise treatments. Continue reading...

Aurora borealis reported in over a dozen states, stretching from New York to Texas and TennesseeA powerful geomagnetic storm lit up skies across much of the US late Tuesday and early Wednesday, giving people in dozens of states a rare chance to see the northern lights, and forecasters say that more auroral activity could be visible on Wednesday night too.The aurora borealis, commonly known as the northern lights, was reported in more than a dozen states, stretching from New York to Washington state to Texas, Oklahoma and Tennessee. Photos of the glowing colorful skies also poured in on social media from Nevada, Massachusetts, Georgia, Alabama, Montana, Alaska, Wyoming, California, Louisiana, New Mexico, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Nebraska, Iowa, Idaho, South Dakota and more. Continue reading...

Animal behaviourists tested 61 gulls in Cornwall to find most effective method of countering feathery threatSome people respond to the unwanted attentions of a gull eyeing up a bag of chips or a Cornish pasty by frantically flapping their hands at the hungry bird while others beat a rapid retreat into the nearest seaside shelter. But researchers have found that a no-nonsense yell - even a relatively quiet one - may be the best way to get rid of a pesky herring gull.Animal behaviourists from the University of Exeter tried to establish the most effective method of countering a feathery threat by placing a portion of chips in a place where gulls were bound to find them. Continue reading...

New funding for researchers and streamlined regulation part of roadmap for phasing out use of animals in scienceAnimal testing in science would be phased out faster under a new plan to increase the use of artificial intelligence and 3D bioprinted human tissues, a UK minister has said.The roadmap unveiled by the science minister, Patrick Vallance, backs replacing certain animal tests that are still used where necessary to determine the safety of products such as life-saving vaccines and the impact pesticides have on living beings and the environment. Continue reading...

Do you have an uncanny recall for faces? Have you ever recognised the same extra in TV shows that are decades apart? If so you could be part of the small number of super recognisers. Research from the University of New South Wales indicates they naturally pick out the most useful parts of a given face to help commit it to memory.So what else have scientists uncovered about this elite cohort? Dr David Robertson, a senior lecturer in psychology at the University of Strathclyde, talks to Ian Sample about what life is like for super recognisers, and how their powers could be put to use for the public goodAre you a super recogniser? Take one of these tests to find out: Continue reading...

The solution to today's poison puzzlerEarlier today I set you the following puzzle. Here it is again with the solution.Two dead at the drink-off Continue reading...

Blue Origin says it is aiming for another attempt as soon as Wednesday as competition with Musk's SpaceX intensifiesBlue Origin, the space company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, was forced on Sunday to postpone the anticipated launch of its New Glenn rocket due to unfavorable weather conditions in Cape Canaveral, Florida.Rain and a ground system issue caused delays that were followed by cumulus cloud cover as the 88-minute launch window closed, leaving managers with the only option of pushing back the rocket's planned second mission. Competition between Blue Origin and Elon Musk's SpaceX has been intensifying in recent months. Continue reading...

Tearing up, sweating and other bodily functions are all signs that the body is trying to expel spicy foods as quickly as possible. But there is a simple reason why some people enjoy those sensationsThe first thing to understand about eating spicy food is that it really isn't a matter of taste. Capsaicin, the active chemical in capsicum plants that are a key ingredient in anything you'd think of as spicy", evolved as an irritant to stop mammals from chewing and destroying plant seeds. It acts on the nervous system directly through receptors in the tongue, throat and skin - no taste buds required - and, in theory, tells our bodies that the thing we've just ingested is something to get rid of as soon as possible. The obvious question, then, is: why do some of us like the sensation so much?To start to understand that, it's helpful to know a bit more about what's going on in the body. Think of an engineering brief where we have to detect irritants in a system and clear them rapidly," says Liam Browne, an associate professor at UCL who specialises in the neuroscience of sensory perception and pain. Capsaicin binds to a receptor in the body called TRPV1, which is found in a specialised class of neurons called nociceptors that usually detect things that are potentially damaging to the body." When that happens, it's like a little fire alarm goes off and activates parts of the autonomic nervous system, which regulates various involuntary bodily functions without conscious control. That's what leads to all these physiological effects like tearing up, sweating, or your nose running," says Browne. It's your body trying to get rid of the irritant." Continue reading...

Who poisoned whom?UPDATE: Read the solution hereToday's puzzle is credited to Michael Rabin, the legendary computer scientist, who in the late 1980s posted it to an electronic bulletin board at Carnegie Mellon University.It has recently been brought to light by a puzzle enthusiast who thinks it deserves to be better known. I agree - it's an all time classic. Continue reading...

Wrap up warm, grab a deck chair and take your place to spot about 10-15 bright meteors an hourIt is time again for one of the more reliable meteor showers of the year: the Leonids. Active between early November and early December, the shower experiences a sharp peak this week, expected on the night of 16-17 November.The meteors take their name from the constellation Leo, the lion, and appear to emanate from the region of the lion's head", an asterism known as the sickle because of its shape. Continue reading...

Fascination of investors such as Elon Musk with uploading their brains to computers is hindering progress in curing disease, say scientistsIt has been an excellent year for neurotech, if you ignore the people funding it. In August, a tiny brain implant successfully decoded the inner speech of paralysis patients. In October, an eye implant restored sight to patients who had lost their vision.It would just be better, say experts, if the most famous investors in the space - tech magnates such as Elon Musk and OpenAI's Sam Altman - were less interested in uploading their brains to computers or merging with AI. Continue reading...

Nobel prize-winning biologist whose discovery, with Francis Crick, of the structure of DNA solved the mystery of genetic inheritanceJames Watson, who has died aged 97, had an extraordinary gift for science, combined with ruthless ambition and an arrogant disregard for most of his peers. These combined qualities earned him a key role in one of the 20th century's most profound scientific revolutions, a share in a Nobel prize, a bestselling memoir, a place in science history and the anger of many of his colleagues.With Francis Crick, at Cambridge University in 1953, Watson discovered the structure of the giant molecule DNA - deoxyribonucleic acid, found in almost every living cell - and demonstrated that all inheritance, and even life itself, could be explained by chemistry and physics. The discovery revealed new horizons in evolutionary, biological, medical, archaeological, conservation and criminal sciences, and launched an industrial revolution, all within the working lifetime of the discoverers. Continue reading...

Parenthood can seeman impossible dream for many, and online sperm donor groups offera solution, but they can be a murky worldA man going by the name Rod Kissme" claims to have very strong sperm". It may seem like an eccentric boast for a Facebook profile page, but then this is no mundane corner of the internet. The group where Rod and other men advertise themselves is a community where women and couples come, in many cases, to fulfil a lifelong dream: parenthood.There is a growing number of online sperm donor groups on social media. They offer people the chance of parenting children in an unregulated, dangerous but surprisingly straightforward way. Continue reading...

Robert Beattie, 82, has found specimens of a 151m-year-old midge that challenge what we know about how the insects evolved

Last weekend's Cambridgeshire train attack brought up a question that we often ask ourselves. But the answer isn't simple

Modern research shows the public work together selflessly in an emergency, motivated by a strong impulse to helpIt was early morning on 1 January last year when Colin McGarva dived into a flooding river in Worcester to rescue an unconscious woman. McGarva said he didn't think twice about the risk to himself, or the devastating loss his newborn son would suffer had he too been swept away by the fast-flowing icy waters.I didn't stop to think because the instinct - the instant reaction - is to help someone in need," he said. Someone's life is an important thing. Helping is just something you have to do." Continue reading...

Nobel prize winner shaped medicine, crimefighting and genealogy, but later years marred by racist remarksJames Dewey Watson, whose co-discovery of the twisted-ladder structure of DNA in 1953 helped light the long fuse on a revolution in medicine, crimefighting, genealogy and ethics, has died, according to his former research lab. He was 97.The breakthrough - made when the brash, Chicago-born Watson was just 24 - turned him into a hallowed figure in the world of science for decades. But near the end of his life, he faced condemnation and professional censure for offensive remarks, including saying Black people were less intelligent than white people. Continue reading...

Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how to save the Amazon?In the final episode of this three-part series from June 2025, Jon encounters a radical new view of the Amazon's history being uncovered by archaeologists. Far from an uninhabited wilderness, the rainforest has been shaped by indigenous peoples for thousands of years. Jon finds out how their expert knowledge could be harnessed to secure the Amazon's future Continue reading...

History tells us that polite incrementalism and political kowtowing will prevail at Cop30 - even as catastrophe unfolds around usAs world leaders gather in Brazil this year for Cop30 - the first Amazonian Cop - it's worth doing a quick reality check on how we are collectively tracking to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.Despite 30 years of UN climate summits, about half of the carbon dioxide accumulated in the atmosphere since the Industrial Revolution has been emitted since 1990. Incidentally, 1990 was the year the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the global authority on climate change science - released its First Assessment Report confirming the threat of human-caused global warming. As scientists all over the world prepare the IPCC's Seventh Assessment Report, we do so knowing that our work is still being overshadowed by politics. Despite all the well-intentioned half-measures, the truth is that the world is still disastrously off track to limit dangerous climate change.Dr Joelle Gergis is an award-winning climate scientist and writer from the University of Melbourne. She served as a lead author on the United Nations' Intergovernmental Panel on the Climate Change's Sixth Assessment Report Continue reading...

Country's top court declines to block controversial cull of hundreds of birds amid fears of an avian flu outbreakCanada's food inspection agency says it plans to begin a complete depopulation" of hundreds of ostriches at a farm after the country's top court declined to block the controversial cull.On Thursday, the supreme court said it would not take up a case that has catalyzed a fierce protest by the farm owners and protesters - as well as senior figures in the Trump administration, who have decried the public health effort as government overreach. Continue reading...

Droughts and heatwaves causing water in some areas to reach 41C, killing fish and endangered dolphins, say researchersAmazonian lakes are being transformed into simmering basins hotter than spa baths as severe heatwaves and drought grip the region, research shows.The temperature of one lake exceeded 40C (104F) as water levels plummeted under intense sunlight and cloudless skies. The extreme heat triggered mass die-offs among endangered Amazon river dolphins and fish, which cannot survive in such high temperatures. Continue reading...

UN body's recommendations driven by AI advances and proliferation of consumer-oriented neurotech devicesIt is the latest move in a growing international effort to put guardrails around a burgeoning frontier - technologies that harness data from the brain and nervous system.Unesco has adopted a set of global standards on the ethics of neurotechnology, a field that has been described as a bit of a wild west". Continue reading...

Tech billionaire relying on false binary' with call to focus less on emissions and more on aid for poor, experts sayA new memo on the climate crisis from Bill Gates relies on straw man" arguments about the threat to humanity and false dichotomies" between spending on climate or aid for the poor, some climate scientists say.Published last week, the tech billionaire's 17-page missive called for a strategic pivot" away from focusing on slashing emissions and towards preventing poverty and suffering. It was quickly picked up by some on the right, including Donald Trump, who hailed it as a much-needed backpedaling on climate efforts. Continue reading...

AI-inspired word joins biohacking', Henry' and broligarchy' on tech-heavy 2025 listVibe coding", an emerging software development that turns natural language into computer code using artificial intelligence, has been named Collins dictionary's word of the year for 2025.Lexicographers at Collins monitor the 24bn-word Collins Corpus, which draws from a range of media sources, including social media, to create the annual list of new and notable words that reflect our ever-evolving language. Continue reading...

This hit debut from Finland is intensely readable, but could have delved more deeply into the links between human progress and environmental destructionIn November 1741 Georg Wilhelm Steller, theologian, naturalist, and curious man", was shipwrecked on an island between Alaska and Russia. There he found, floating in the shallow waters, a vast sirenian, Hydrodamalis gigas, nine feet long and soon to be known as Steller's sea cow. Having made it through the winter, largely byeating the sea cows, the following August Steller and the remaining survivors of the Great Northern Expedition left the island. Within 30years, Steller's sea cow was huntedto extinction.Having described these events, Finnish author Iida Turpeinen's debut novel goes on to describe the lives of other historical figures, each of whom are touched in some way by the sea cow, now reduced to bones. There is Hampus Furuhjelm, governor of Alaska, in search of a complete skeleton, and his sister Constance, who finds peace and intellectual autonomy among her taxidermy collection. Later, there's Hilda Olson, a scientific illustrator, andJohn Gronvall, specialist in the reconstruction of birds' eggs, who is tasked with preparing a sea cow's relicsfor exhibition. Continue reading...

Hut where father of immunology trialled first smallpox vaccine among 138 additions to Historic England listA rustic, ordinary-looking English garden hut regarded as the birthplace of immunology - revolutionising global public health and saving countless lives - has been added to the nation's heritage at risk register.The hut belonged to Edward Jenner (1749-1823), regarded as someone who has saved more lives than any other human. It was there that he first trialled a vaccine for smallpox in the late 18th century. Continue reading...

The largest supermoon of the year, the so-called beaver' moon is the biggest and brightest of 2025, just 357,000 km from Earth

Jon Watts, the Guardian's global environment editor, goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how to save the Amazon?In episode two of this miniseries from June 2025, Jon meets the people trying to make sure the rainforest is worth more standing than cut down - from a government minister attempting to establish Brazil's bioeconomy' to a startup founder creating superfood supplements and a scientist organising night-time tours hunting for bioluminescent fungi. Jon explores new ways of finding value in the forest and asks whether they will be enough to secure its survival Continue reading...

Astronomers cast doubt on Nobel prize-winning theory and suggest universe could end in big crunch'Astronomers have cast doubt on a Nobel prize-winning theory that the expansion of the universe is accelerating, suggesting that instead it may be slowing down.If confirmed, this would have profound implications for the fate of the universe, raising the possibility that rather than expanding for ever, the universe could ultimately enter a reverse big bang scenario known as the big crunch. The astronomers behind the work say their observations also imply that dark energy - the mysterious force thought to be propelling the expansion of the universe - is weakening over time. Continue reading...

Experts find artefacts left behind in Caral showing how population survived drought without resorting to violenceArchaeologists in Peru have found new evidence showing how the oldest known civilization in the Americas adapted and survived a climate catastrophe without resorting to violence.A team led by the renowned Peruvian archaeologist Ruth Shady, 78, concluded that about 4,200 years ago, severe drought forced the population to leave the ancient city of Caral, and resettle nearby. Continue reading...

The three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission flew to the Tiangong space station in April, and were expected to return on WednesdayThe return to Earth of three Chinese astronauts has been delayed until an unspecified date after their spacecraft was apparently struck by a small piece of debris, according to Chinese state media.The three astronauts from the Shenzhou-20 mission flew to the Tiangong space station in April, and were expected to return on Wednesday at the end of a six month mission. Their replacements, the crew of Shenzhou-21, had already arrived on the weekend. Continue reading...

Global environment editor Jon Watts goes in search of answers to the question the journalist Dom Phillips was investigating when he was murdered: how to save the Amazon?In episode one of this miniseries from June 2025, Jon explores what's at stake if we fail to act in time. He hears about the crucial role of the rainforest for South America and the global climate, and asks how cattle ranching came to dominate and destroy huge swathes of the rainforest - pushing it to a dangerous tipping point today Continue reading...

Research uses eye-tracking data to examine some people's extraordinary recognition abilityThey have been used in the search for the Salisbury novichok poisoners, finding murder suspects and even spotting sexual predators. Now, research has revealed fresh insights into why super-recognisers are so good at identifying faces.Previous research has suggested people with an extraordinary ability to recognise people look at more areas across a face than typical people. Continue reading...

Blocking the sun may reduce global heating - but rogue actor' could cause drought or more hurricanes, report findsSolar geoengineering could increase the ferocity of North Atlantic hurricanes, cause the Amazon rainforest to die back and cause drought in parts of Africa if deployed above only some parts of the planet by rogue actors, a report has warned.However, if technology to block the sun was used globally and in a coordinated way for a long period - decades or even centuries - there is strong evidence that it would lower the global temperature, the review from the UK's Royal Society concluded. Continue reading...

President withdrew Jared Isaacman's nomination in May but says on Truth Social he is ideally suited' for top roleDonald Trump has renewed his nomination for the billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman to become Nasa administrator.This evening, I am pleased to nominate Jared Isaacman, an accomplished business leader, philanthropist, pilot, and astronaut, as Administrator of NASA. Jared's passion for Space, astronaut experience, and dedication to pushing the boundaries of exploration, unlocking the mysteries of the universe, and advancing the new Space economy, make him ideally suited to lead NASA into a bold new Era. Congratulations to Jared, his wife Monica, and their children, Mila and Liv," Trump wrote on Truth Social on Tuesday. Continue reading...