Science | The Guardian

Cognitive health in later life is strongly influenced' by lifelong exposure to intellectually stimulating environments, say researchersReading, writing and learning a language or two can lower your risk of dementia by almost 40%, according to a study that suggests millions of people could prevent or delay the condition.Dementia is one of the world's biggest health threats. The number of people living with the condition is forecast to triple to more than 150 million globally by 2050, and experts say it presents a big and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems in every community, country and continent. Continue reading...

AMA to review safety of respiratory vaccines as health agencies end recommendations based on no new dataThe largest medical organization in the US will help conduct a review on the safety and effectiveness of respiratory vaccines as federal health agencies and advisers end vaccine recommendations based on no new information.They are filling a void that the government created," Ezekiel Emanuel, vice-provost for global initiatives at the University of Pennsylvania, told journalists on Tuesday. Continue reading...

Orbex's collapse would put 150 jobs at risk and dash hopes of it launching first homegrown rocket from ScotlandA British space company hoping to launch the first homegrown rocket from Scotland is on the brink of collapse, threatening 150 jobs and throwing doubt over the UK's extraterrestrial ambitions.Orbex, which is based in the Scottish Highlands, is lining up administrators as hopes fade that it will strike a rescue deal or raise funds, despite having been handed 26m in government loans last year. Continue reading...

We are raiding the Guardian long read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2022: A new wave of scientists argues that mainstream evolutionary theory needs an urgent overhaul. Their opponents have dismissed them as misguided careerists - and the conflict may determine the future of biologyBy Stephen Buranyi. Read by Andrew McGregor Continue reading...

Moderna requests meeting to discuss refusal as decision could have implications for all new and updated vaccinesUS regulators will not review Moderna's request to license a new, potentially more effective flu shot - even though the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) previously gave the green light to the project - in a decision that could have implications for all new and updated vaccines in the US.It's the latest move by the Trump administration against vaccines. Officials in January decided to stop fully recommending one-third of routine childhood vaccines, including flu vaccines. Continue reading...

Biggest improvements seen in young adults and new mothers, with group activities of most benefitAerobic exercise such as running, swimming or dancing can be considered a frontline treatment for mild depression and anxiety, according to research that suggests working out with others brings the most benefits.Scientists analysed published reviews on exercise and mental health and found that some of the greatest improvements were observed in young adults and new mothers - groups that are considered particularly vulnerable to mental health problems. Continue reading...

Astronomers had warned that proximity of INNA facility to telescopes would have irreparably damaged observationThe scientific community is celebrating the cancellation of a project which would have threatened the clearest skies in the world in Chile's Atacama Desert.The proposed $10bn, 3,000-hectare green hydrogen and ammonia production facility, known as INNA, included a port, transport links to the coast and three solar power plants, and had been under evaluation by Chile's environmental regulator for almost a year. Continue reading...

With medication largely unaffordable in the country, experts hope community support and a change in diet could reduce soaring type 2 diabetes ratesA return to the traditional lentil and rice dishes that have nourished generations of Nepalis could save them from a diabetes epidemic prompted by the influx of western junk foods, doctors have said.In a country where one in five of those over 40 has type 2 diabetes, the foods enjoyed by their grandparents have showed remarkable results in reversing the condition. Continue reading...

The release of the latest batch of documents relating to the late child sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has shed further light on his close relationship with the world of science. To find out why he cultivated scientists and where his interests lay, Ian Sample hears from Dan Vergano, a senior editor at Scientific American.Clips: Al JazeeraSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Celestial spectacle will be at its most impressive on 28 February, when Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune will align across the skySpace enthusiasts are in for a treat at the end of this month as six planets will appear close together in the night sky.The phenomenon, known as a planet parade or planetary alignment, occurs when at least four or five planets can be seen altogether, according to Nasa. On 28 February, stargazers will have the chance to spot Mercury, Venus, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune aligned closely across the sky - making this a rare planetary display. Continue reading...

Being unhealthy weight raises risk of severe illness or death from most infectious diseases significantly, researchers findPeople living with obesity are 70% more likely to be hospitalised by or die from an infection, with one in 10 infection-related deaths globally linked to the condition, research suggests.Being an unhealthy weight significantly increases the risk of severe illness and death from most infectious diseases, including flu, pneumonia, gastroenteritis, urinary tract infections and Covid-19, according to a study of more than 500,000 people. Continue reading...

Findings suggest smaller cognitive decline, but US study cannot prove daily caffeine hit is good for the brainPeople who have a couple of teas or coffees a day have a lower risk of dementia and marginally better cognitive performance than those who avoid the drinks, researchers say.Health records for more than 130,000 people showed that over 40 years, those who routinely drank two to three cups of caffeinated coffee or one to two cups of caffeinated tea daily had a 15-20% lower risk of dementia than those who went without. Continue reading...

Charity says situation breaks Nice guidelines and is having devastating impact on couples struggling with infertility

Find an unobstructed view of the south-east horizon and the moon will guide you to the brightest star in ScorpiusEarly on the morning of 11 February, the waning moon passes close to Antares, the brightest star in the constellation Scorpius.Antares is a red supergiant star about 550 light years away. From the UK, it never climbs far above the horizon, so it always feels like an achievement to glimpse it, especially when it is joined by the contrasting silver light of the moon. Continue reading...

Study find nitazenes, which are up to 500 times stronger than heroin, can degrade significantly in portmortem blood samplesDeaths caused by a synthetic opioid that is hundreds of times stronger than heroin may have been underestimated by up to a third across the UK, according to research.Nitazenes are a class of synthetic opioids that are extremely potent, and up to 500 times stronger than heroin. They were manufactured originally as a painkiller in the 1950s but their development was halted due to their extreme potencies resulting in a high risk of addiction. Continue reading...

Expansion of space operations comes as ADF entering most challenging strategic environment since second world war', minister says

Researchers say best scientists are taking posts overseas because of lack of job stability at homeHundreds of early career researchers have warned the UK will lose a generation of scientists after the announcement of significant cuts to physics projects and research facilities.Scientists working in particle physics, astronomy and nuclear physics have been told their grants will be cut by nearly a third, with project leaders asked to report back on how their research would fare with cuts up to 60%. Continue reading...

Researchers say blood sample strip, which can be used at home, can pick up virus that causes cervical cancerA pioneering test of period blood for signs of cervical cancer could be a convenient, non-invasive and accurate way of screening for the disease, researchers have said.A regular sanitary pad topped with a blood sample strip can pick up human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes most cases of cervical cancer, and could be used by women at home, the results of a study indicate. Continue reading...

While labels list dozens of possible risks only four are supported by evidence, say researchersAlmost all side-effects listed for statins are not caused by the drugs, according to the world's most comprehensive review of evidence.Other than the well-known risks around muscle pain and diabetes, only four of 66 other statin side-effects listed on labels - liver test changes, minor liver abnormalities, urine changes and tissue swelling - are supported by evidence. And the risks are very small, according to the systematic review and meta-analysis published in the Lancet. Continue reading...

An ape was able to identify the location of imaginary objects in pretend scenarios, researchers find

Brain activity suggests newborns can detect and predict patterns relating to rhythm, study saysNewborn babies can anticipate rhythm in pieces of music, researchers have discovered, offering insights into a fundamental human trait.Babies in the womb begin to respond to music by about eight or nine months, as shown by changes in their heart rate and body movements, said Dr Roberta Bianco, the first author of the research who is based at the Italian Institute of Technology in Rome. Continue reading...

Giveaway' competitions on WhatsApp and Telegram for retatrutide and other drugs described as extremely dangerous'Hidden-market promoters of weight-loss drugs are running social media giveaway" competitions that offer powerful, unlicensed medicines as prizes.The Guardian has been monitoring WhatsApp and Telegram groups promoting substances such as retatrutide - a medicine unlicensed in the UK. Some groups have posted competitions for existing customers, claiming they have just 24 hours" to enter giveaways or claim injections. Continue reading...

As fewer people choose to pair up, let alone marry, it could be that our species' mating patterns are moving closer to the natural orderMonogamy, you may have heard, is in crisis. Fewer people are in relationships, let alone opting to be in one 'til death. And even those who have already exchanged vows seem to be increasingly looking for wiggle room. Quiet divorce" - mentally checking out of your union, rather than going through the rigmarole of formally dissolving it - is reportedly on the rise, as is ethical non-monogamy" (ENM) and opening up a relationship to include other partners.This is borne out by my experience on mainstream dating apps. About one profile in every 10 I come across seems to express a preference for ENM" or polyamory, or mentions an existing wife or girlfriend. The best you can hope for, if you're prepared to accept those terms, is that the primary partner" really is across the arrangement as described.Elle Hunt is a freelance journalist Continue reading...

On a recent trip to Lake Geneva in Switzerland, biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston witnessed the impact of one of the planet's most potent invasive species, the quagga mussel. In just a decade the mollusc, originally from the Ponto-Caspian region of the Black Sea, has caused irreversible change beneath the surface of the picturesque lake. While ecologists believe invasive species play a major role in more than 60% of plant and animal extinctions, stopping them in their tracks is almost impossible. Phoebe tells Madeleine Finlay how invasive species spread, how conservationists are trying combat them and why some think a radical new approach is needed.It's an open invasion': how millions of quagga mussels changed Lake Geneva for everSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

By age 20 diagnosis rates for men and women almost equal, research finds, challenging assumptions of gender discrepancyFemales may be just as likely to be autistic as males but boys are up to four times more likely to be diagnosed in childhood, according to a large-scale study.Research led by the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden scrutinised the diagnosis rates of autism for people born in Sweden between 1985 and 2020. Of the 2.7 million people tracked, 2.8% were diagnosed with autism between the ages of two and 37. Continue reading...

Two-decade study indicates a diet rich in foods such as olive oil, nuts and vegetables can cut risk of every type of strokeA Mediterranean diet can reduce the risk of every type of stroke, in some cases by as much as 25%, a large study conducted over two decades suggests.A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, seafood, whole grains and vegetables has previously been linked to a number of health benefits. However, until now there has been limited evidence of how it might affect the risk of all forms of stroke. Continue reading...

My wife, Lelia Duley, who has died aged 67, was an obstetric epidemiologist who studied health outcomes related to pregnancy, childbirth and its aftermath.Working alongside frontline clinicians, she designed large-scale trials to test commonly used, but under-evaluated, treatments for pregnant women. Continue reading...

We don't have a single verb to express smelling something nice. Welsh and Croatian, by contrast, are never caught short when something fragrant gets right up your noseI remember the first time I remembered a smell. This was remembering to the extent that it stopped me in my tracks, taking me back to a specific moment, a specific place and a specific feeling. The smell was that of a bike shop. Mainly rubber, with notes of oil and plastic and a strong hint of sheer excitement. In that instant I was about 10 years old, in Bache Brothers Cycles at Lye Cross, near Stourbridge, in the West Midlands. My grandad was next to me, with the shop man. I was getting a bike for my birthday.When I was talking about the power of smell on the radio, Speth, a Welsh speaker from Manchester, got in touch to say that in Welsh you can hear a smell as well as smell it. At first this sounded charming, if far-fetched. But the more I thought about it, the more sense it made. While I can't - in English, anyway - exactly hear the smell of that Black Country bike shop in 1977, I can smell, hear and see it very clearly. I can feel it too. I can feel the shop man's grip as he lifts me into the saddle. And I can hear him saying to my grandad: Blimey, he's a lump, isn't he?" Ever sensitive about my weight, that was a sour note. But I'll let it pass, because all I can feel, then and now, is the general joy. Continue reading...

While some benefits such as stress relief are backed by solid evidence, they can be achieved without expensive hyped-up courses

Novo Nordisk share price plunges after blaming lower US drug prices, patent protection issues and rising competitionThe maker of Wegovy and Ozempic, Novo Nordisk, has predicted a sharp drop in revenues this year owing to what its boss described as a painful" push by Donald Trump to lower US weight-loss drug prices, rising competition, and the loss of important patent protections.Denmark's Novo, once the poster-child for the growth in weight-loss treatments, said sales this year were likely to fall between 5% and 13%, ending years of double-digit gains, despite the promising launch of its new Wegovy pill in the US. Continue reading...

A genomic entrepreneur's guide to the coming revolution in biology raises troubling questions about ethics and safetyThe prophet Ezekiel once claimed to have seen four beasts emerge from a burning cloud, sparkling like the colour of burnished brass". Each had wings and four faces: that of a man, a lion, an ox and an eagle. Similarly, a creature called Buraq, something between a mule and a donkey with wings and a human face, was said to have carried the prophet Muhammad on his journeys; while the ancient Greeks gave us the centaur, the mythical human-horse hybrid recently rebooted by JK Rowling in the Harry Potter books.The impulse to blend the anatomical traits of other species with those of humans appears to be hardwired into our imagination," notes Adrian Woolfson in his intriguing and disturbing analysis of a biological revolution he believes is about to sweep the planet. Very soon, we will not only dream up imaginary animals - we will turn them into biological reality. Continue reading...

Researchers say waste dumping and climate breakdown have contributed to rise in brick, concrete and glass on beachesAs much as half of some British beaches' coarse sediments may consist of human-made materials such as brick, concrete, glass and industrial waste, a study has suggested.Climate breakdown, which has caused more frequent and destructive coastal storms, has led to an increase in these substances on beaches. Six sites on the Firth of Forth, an estuary on Scotland's east coast joining the River Forth to the North Sea, were surveyed to better understand the makeup of urban beaches". Continue reading...

Artemis II mission was due to begin as early as next week and astronauts have spent almost two weeks in quarantineNasa has postponed its historic mission to send astronauts around the moon and back again, after issues arose during a critical test of its most powerful rocket yet.The US space agency had planned to launch the Artemis II mission from Kennedy Space Center in Florida as early as next week, but announced overnight that it would be delayed until March, without specifying a date. Continue reading...

Aerospace business and artificial intelligence firm to unite for IPO as world's most valuable private company

Just like men, women are increasingly being told by online influencers that the classic symptoms of middle age could be down to low testosterone. In the second part of this miniseries exploring the hormone, Madeleine Finlay finds out what testosterone supplementation is doing for women. She hears from science journalist Linda Geddes, who is taking testosterone for low libido, and from prof Susan Davis, a consultant endocrinologist and head of the Monash University Women's Health Research Programme. Susan explains what the evidence really shows about the benefits and risks of women taking testosteroneFrightening' how easily women can get hold of testosterone, say doctorsSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

UPFs are made to encourage addiction and consumption and should be regulated like tobacco, say researchersUltra-processed foods (UPFs) have more in common with cigarettes than with fruit or vegetables, and require far tighter regulation, according to a new report.UPFs and cigarettes are engineered to encourage addiction and consumption, researchers from three US universities said, pointing to the parallels in widespread health harms that link both. Continue reading...

The answers to today's problemsEarlier today I set you these three problems about the number 11. Here they are again with solutions.1. Funny formationodd positions: 9,7,5,3,1 sum to 25;even positions: 8,6,4,2,0 sum to 20. Continue reading...

Puzzles one louder than tenIt's two decimal digits long, it's prime, it's a palindrome and it's the number of players in a football team.Let's hear it for legs" eleven! Continue reading...

Straddling the celestial equator, the constellation is visible in both hemispheresOrion, the hunter, one of the most recognisable constellations in the night sky, is well placed for observation from the northern hemisphere during February. Straddling the celestial equator - the projection of Earth's equator on to the night sky - the constellation is also visible from the southern hemisphere.From the UK this week, Orion rises in the east shortly after sunset and is highest in the south at about 2100 to 2200 GMT. By late evening, the constellation dominates the southern sky before setting in the west after midnight. The chart shows the view looking south from London on 2 February at 2000 GMT, although the view will be mostly unchanged for the entire week. Continue reading...

Every second, 11m bits of information enter our brains, which then efficiently prioritise them. We need to learn to work with the process, rather than against itIt's believed that we have about 50,000 thoughts a day: big, small, urgent, banal - Did I leave the oven on?". And those are just the ones that register. Subconsciously, we're constantly sifting through a barrage of stimuli: background noise, clutter on our desks, the mere presence of our phones.Every second, 11m bits of information enter our brains. Just 0.0004% is perceived by our conscious minds, showing just how hard our brains are working to parse what's sufficiently relevant to bring to our attention. Continue reading...

We are living longer and longer, but many of us are unprepared for the challenges age brings, says the novelist and psychotherapist Frank TallisWe have never lived so long, so well, nor had more available advice on how to do so: don't smoke, don't drink, don't eat ultraprocessed foods; lift weights, get outside, learn a language. Cosmetics - or surgery - have never been so available, so advanced, nor so widely used; we take for granted medical procedures that previous ages would have considered miracles. And something's clearly working: average global life expectancy is the highest in recorded history. The fastest growing demographic is now the over-80s.There is much public hand-wringing about the burdens this ageing population will place on health and care systems, and on younger people. But what is far less talked about, argues the clinical psychologist Frank Tallis in his new book, Wise, is how to get older well: not just in physical, but in mental good health. Continue reading...

Recreating cosmic dust may help answer questions about how meteorites hitting Earth came to contain organic matter

Nick Carter says easing controls on MDMA will allow drug to be used as alternative treatment for those with PTSDA former head of the British military is calling for the government to ease restrictions on the party drug MDMA so that it can be tested more cheaply as a treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).Sir Nick Carter, who was chief of the defence staff until 2021, said existing regulations meant a single gram of medical grade" MDMA cost about 10,000 compared with a street price of about 40, inflating the cost of trials. Continue reading...

Researchers tell human story' about crisis during plague of Justinian, which killed millions in Byzantine empireA US-led research team has verified the first Mediterranean mass grave of the world's earliest recorded pandemic, providing stark new details about the plague of Justinian that killed millions of people in the Byzantine empire between the sixth and eighth centuries.The findings, published in February's Journal of Archaeological Science, offer what researchers say is a rare empirical window into the mobility, urban life and vulnerability of citizens affected by the pestilence. Continue reading...

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Weather service research concludes that less accurate probability-based predictions are still considered helpfulThe Met Office is to lean into one of Britain's favourite pastimes - talking about the weather - by launching a new two-week forecast.At present, the publicly funded weather and climate service offers a seven-day forecast on its website and app with an hourly breakdown for the first five days and then a three-hourly breakdown for the final two days. Continue reading...

Champion of respiratory medicine who was passionate about building bridges between academics and cliniciansMike Morgan, who has died aged 75, was a leading figure in respiratory services in Leicester for more than 30 years. He also championed respiratory medicine at the highest level. It had long been a poor relation compared to other areas of medicine but, as the national clinical director for respiratory disease at NHS England from 2013 to 2019, Morgan ensured it was prominent in the national long-term strategy set out in NHS England's 10-year health plan in 2019. The aim was to transform outcomes by diagnosing diseases earlier with greater access to spirometry (a lung function test) and to increase provision for the key treatment, pulmonary rehabilitation.When Morgan began working as a consultant respiratory physician at Glenfield hospital in Leicester in 1988, he joined a small team, with two other doctors (today there are more than 20 respiratory specialists). They faced a huge challenge: respiratory diseases such as chronic pulmonary obstructive disease (COPD) were widespread. Not only can they result in disabling breathlessness and blight sufferers' lives, they are also a leading cause of death. Continue reading...

Rocket company examining feasibility of both options before potential $1.5tn stock market flotation, report says

Swedish study of 100,000 women found higher rate of early detection, suggesting potential to support radiologistsThe use of artificial intelligence in breast cancer screening reduces the rate of a cancer diagnosis by 12% in subsequent years and leads to a higher rate of early detection, according to the first trial of its kind.Researchers said the study was the largest to date looking at AI use in cancer screening. It involved 100,000 women in Sweden who were part of mammography screening and were randomly assigned to either AI-supported screening or to a standard reading by two radiologists between April 2021 and December 2022. Continue reading...

Agency updates guidance after increase in reports of condition to its yellow card schemePatients on weight-loss jabs and diabetes injections should be aware there is a small risk of developing severe acute pancreatitis, the UK medicines regulator has said.About 1.6 million adults in England, Wales and Scotland used GLP-1 medication, such as semaglutide (Wegovy, Ozempic) and tirzepatide (Mounjaro), between early 2024 and early 2025 to lose weight, according to recent research. Continue reading...