Science | The Guardian

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...

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...

As global leaders and environmental activists descend on Brazil for next week's Cop30 climate summit, Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian's global environment editor, Jon Watts, who recently sat down for an exclusive interview with the UN secretary general, Antonio Guterres. As he approaches his penultimate summit as the UN chief, Guterres reflected on humanity's progress in attempting to limit global warming to 1.5C above pre-industrial levels, why Indigenous voices must be listened to and how he remains positive in the face of the climate crisisChange course now': humanity has missed 1.5C climate target, says UN headSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Scientists find even modest amounts of exercise appear to delay brain changes and cognitive decline in patientsEven modest amounts of daily exercise may slow the progression of Alzheimer's disease in older people who are at risk of developing the condition, researchers have said.People are often encouraged to clock up 10,000 steps a day as part of a healthy routine, but scientists found 3,000 steps or more appeared to delay the brain changes and cognitive decline that Alzheimer's patients experience. Continue reading...

On 5 November, the moon will be just under 357,000km from Earth, making it appear bigger and brighterThis week brings the largest supermoon of the year. Supermoons occur because the moon's orbit is not perfectly circular around the Earth. Instead, it is an ellipse, meaning that sometimes the moon will be closer to the Earth than at other times.When a full moon coincides with the moon being within 10% of its closest point to Earth, we call it a supermoon. Its proximity makes it appear subtly bigger and brighter than other full moons. Continue reading...

Esther Addley reports on a class action suit of more than 3,000 cancer survivors and their loved ones against Johnson & JohnsonI remember lying on a bed,' says Sue Rizello of her earliest memory nearly 60 years ago, with my mum leaning over me and using baby powder on me.'Baby powder, or, more specifically, the talcum powder sold by pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson, is one of those things which was there all my life ... it's very deeply embedded in the psyche that this was a gentle, safe product', she tells Annie Kelly. It was good for your baby. It's good for you.' Continue reading...

Three-year study will test biopsy analysis tool shown in trials to identify men likely to benefit from certain drugsA tool that uses artificial intelligence to help diagnose men with prostate cancer and guide decisions about treatment is to be tested in NHS hospitals, researchers have announced.The 1.9m Vanguard Path study, funded by Prostate Cancer UK and led by researchers at the University of Oxford, is expected to last three years and will test an AI tool called the ArteraAI Prostate Biopsy Assay. In total, biopsies from more than 4,000 men will be used. Continue reading...

Researchers tracking large cohorts are discovering the effects of sleep, light and therapy on people impacted by winter's arrivalFor some, the darkening days of autumn bring more than the annual ritual of reviving woolly jumpers and turning on the central heating. As the evenings close in and the mornings grow murky, energy ebbs and a heavy sadness settles in.Although seasonal affective disorder (Sad) was only formally recognised by psychiatrists in the 1980s, the link between the seasons, mood and vitality has long been observed. Continue reading...

Risk to general public is low but cases in California suggest virus is spreading undetected in some communitiesA newer variant of mpox, the virus formerly known as monkeypox, is now spreading through some communities in the US and Europe.The risk to the general public is low, but community transmission in new places signals greater challenges for public health to detect cases and stop the spread. Continue reading...

Others languishing near bottom of 61-country study include Canada, Germany, Israel, Japan and SpainBritain is one of the least nature connected" nations in the world, according to one of the first ever global studies of how people relate to the natural world.Britain ranks 55th out of 61 countries in the study of 57,000 people, which looks at how attitudes towards nature are shaped by social, economic, geographical and cultural factors. Continue reading...

Huge increase in tree-killing disease is result of climate crisis, experts sayA golden mushroom that grows in clusters and can attack and kill trees has increased by 200% in the UK in a year because of the hot summer and damp autumn.Recorded sightings of honey fungus are up by almost 200% compared with the same period last year, according to iNaturalist. Continue reading...

Modern life is waging a war against ecosystems around us and inside us. Keeping our own microbes healthy is another reason to demand action to preserve the natural worldRead more: The luxury effect: why you'll find more wildlife in wealthy areas - and what it means for your healthHuman bodies are like cities, teeming with microcitizens - vast communities of viruses, fungi and bacteria that live all over our skin and inside us. Unsung public servants help us digest food, regulate our immune system, defend against pathogens, and keep hormones in check. Together, they make up what we call the human microbiome.Most people have probably heard of the gut microbiome, but different microbes thrive all over our bodies - in our nostrils, on our feet, in our eyes. They are slightly different, like boroughs are composed of different communities of people. Ninety per cent of cells in our body are microbes, and clouds" of bacteria come off someone's body as they enter a room. We are all walking ecosystems, picking up and shedding material as we move through life. Continue reading...

Nasa chief Sean Duffy confirms 1969 landing was indeed real after US celebrity on TV show says I think it was fake'Nasa has rejected comments made by Kim Kardashian about the 1969 moon landing and confirmed that it did, in fact, happen.During Thursday's episode of The Kardashians, the Skims founder questioned whether the space mission ever took place while noting her interest in conspiracy theories. Continue reading...

Analysis of Montana fossils shows the battling predator was a fully grown Nanotyrannus, not a young T rexThe fossilised remains of two dinosaurs locked in combat have unleashed a fresh drama, suggesting diminutive specimens thought to be Tyrannosaurus rex teenagers could instead be separate, smaller species.The duelling dinosaurs" fossil, which reveals a triceratops in battle with a medium-sized tyrannosaur, was unearthed in Montana by commercial fossil hunters in 2006 and dates to shortly before the asteroid strike that ended the reign of the dinosaurs 66m years ago. Continue reading...

The pricing standoff between government and industry has stalled research and put thousands of jobs at riskWe want to see more investment flow to Britain," the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, urged of big pharmaceutical companies this month, as she indicated that the government was willing to increase the price it pays for NHS drugs. Ministers are likely to announce a rethink on pricing soon, potentially by the end of this week.But the size of that rise remains uncertain. The big question is whether it will be generous enough to convince pharmaceutical companies, which account for a near-100bn slice of the UK economy, to resume the investments they had paused in a strong-arm campaign to secure concessions from government. Continue reading...

Science correspondent Nicola Davis investigates the strange story of Tam O'Braan and his attempts to grow tea in Scotland.In episode three, all of Tam's lies come to a head and Stuart uncovers exactly where Tam was sourcing tea to supply to hotels and shops. At trial, Tam takes the stand and Richard and the Scottish growers finally get some answers. But what remains today of the nascent Scottish tea industry that Tam instigated?Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Lawyer says difficult to understand' rules on storage consent led to confusion and left clients in limbo'A group of at least 15 fertility patients are taking legal action to prevent their frozen embryos being destroyed as a result of administrative errors that could deny them a chance to have children.The group, which includes people with cancer and fertility problems, froze gametes or embryos to improve their chances of conceiving later on, but were informed by their clinics that owing to administrative errors they had not renewed their consent in time and would not be able to access their embryos or extend their storage without a court order. Continue reading...

Researchers find the longest-living mammal is particularly good at fixing faulty DNA - and cold water may helpWith a maximum lifespan of more than 200 years, the bowhead whale lives longer than any other mammal. But how the 80-tonne beasts survive so long has never been fully explained.Now scientists have found hints of an answer and are drawing up plans to see whether the same biological trick can be performed in humans. If so, it raises hopes for boosting healthy ageing and protecting organs and tissues during surgery and transplantations, they say. Continue reading...

Videos about personality science are going viral on social media, but beware of giving them credence ...In the 1950s, a secretary in a San Francisco medical office noticed something weird: some of the chairs in the waiting room needed to be reupholstered more frequently than others. Patients with coronary disease, she realised, nearly always arrived on time and gravitated towards hard upholstered chairs rather than comfy sofas. They'd then sit on the edge of the chair, fidget, and aggressively leap up when their names were called.This insight took on a life of its own. First it helped inspire the cardiologists she reportedly mentioned it to - Dr Ray Rosenman and Dr Meyer Friedman, who wrote a 1959 paper that essentially invented the idea of a type A" personality. It classified competitive, productivity-obsessed workaholics as demonstrating overt behaviour pattern A", and argued they were more likely to get heart attacks. They later wrote a book, Type A Behaviour and Your Heart, which became a bestseller. Familiar story, eh? A woman has an insight which is then monetised by two men. Continue reading...