MRI scans found girls' brains appeared 4.2 years older than expected, compared with 1.4 years for boysAdolescent girls who lived through Covid lockdowns experienced more rapid brain ageing than boys, according to data that suggests the social restrictions had a disproportionate impact on them.MRI scans found evidence of premature brain ageing in both boys and girls, but girls' brains appeared on average 4.2 years older than expected after lockdowns, compared with 1.4 years older for boys. Continue reading...
After completing preventive chemotherapy, Catherine would appear to be free of the disease though will probably need future check-upsThe Princess of Wales has announced that she has completed the preventive chemotherapy she began when her doctors discovered she had cancer after major abdominal surgery in January. We take a look at what this might mean for Catherine going forwards. Continue reading...
Eels use tail-first technique to back up digestive tract of fish towards oesophagus before coming out of gillsIt sounds like the plot of a horror movie - a predator swallows its prey only for the creature to burst out of its captor's body. But it seems Japanese eels do just that.Scientists in Japan have discovered that when swallowed by a dark sleeper fish, the eels can escape. Continue reading...
Obstetric physician who collaborated on the development of life-saving software to interpret foetal heart tracesPre-eclampsia is a dangerous pregnancy complication, once so mysterious it was dubbed the disease of theories", but the obstetric physician Christopher Redman greatly improved the understanding of how to treat it and why it develops. Redman, who has died aged 82, spent his career at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford, where he set up the world-class Silver Star Unit to care for women with pre-eclampsia and other complex pregnancies. He was an early pioneer of computer technology, creating a sonicaid monitoring device that bears his name, and which is used today in about 130 countries to analyse unborn babies' health and has saved countless lives.Redman initially intended to become a paediatrician, but his career path changed in 1970. Then a junior lecturer in Oxford University's department of medicine, he was asked to run a trial on women with high blood pressure as a result of pre-eclampsia. Continue reading...
In some fish species, couples lose all independence when they mate, even sharing one pair of eyes. Is that really something to aspire to?I have just discovered how the deep-sea anglerfish mates. My apologies if this is old ichthyological news to you, but it is new news to me, and it is very definitely going to be the hook for this week's column.The female deep-sea anglerfish is very large compared with the male deep-sea anglerfish. In some species, he sniffs her out (using his giant nostrils) and upon finding his mate, he bites into her, his teeth and lips then dissolving into her flesh. His little fishy body dangling off hers like a limp appendage, he loses himself utterly, including the use of his eyes - what is the point of them, when he has hers? Some males become little more than blobs or skin tags", says James Maclaine, senior curator of fish at the Natural History Museum. The two fuse together so completely as to become one physiological entity, with one combined bloodstream, living one life and, eventually, dying one death. Continue reading...
Large constellation of bright stars can be easily identified, especially as nights get longer in northern hemisphereThe days might be growing shorter for those in the northern hemisphere, but that means the nights will be longer and better for stargazing. This week, seek out one of the most striking constellations in the night sky: Cygnus, the swan.The chart shows the view looking into the south-eastern sky at 20:30 BST. Cygnus is a large constellation containing bright stars, and so it can be easily identified, even from suburban areas where light pollution interferes with seeing fainter celestial objects. Continue reading...
by Written by Jack Goulder and read by Sami Abu-Warde on (#6QJXQ)
For children with ADHD, getting the help they need depends on being correctly diagnosed. As a doctor, I have seen how tricky and frustrating a process that can be. By Jack Goulder Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6QJR8)
Wheat also raised risk of type 1 diabetes in study of Finnish children, while berries and some green vegetables lowered itChildren who are susceptible to type 1 diabetes and eat bananas, oats and yoghurt are more likely to contract the disease, while consuming strawberries and blueberries lowers the risk, research has found.Wheat also emerged from the study as a risk factor for the autoimmune form of diabetes, while vegetables such as broccoli, cauliflower and cabbage have a protective effect. Continue reading...
Exclusive: More than 70 guards at the London attractions taking part after years of real-terms pay cuts'Security guards at two of the UK's most prestigious museums - the Science and Natural History museums - are balloting for strike action in a dispute over wages.More than 70 guards who, unlike many other museum staff, are not employed in-house but are outsourced to a company called Wilson James, are taking part in the strike ballot, which opened on Friday (6 September). Continue reading...
Coming from a family of builders and roofers, a career in the law seemed unlikely. But then my elder brother ran into some difficulties...Perhaps the most important lesson I have learned in my life - certainly of those that apply to being a parent - is the need to give free rein to a child's ambitions. My son has just turned six and, as with most kids, what he wants to be when he grows up changes with the wind: marine biologist; palaeontologist; treasure hunter; film director. The list goes on.My reaction to his ambition just isn't the one my parents would have had. Their response would have been typical for their time, reminiscent of the old Eddie Izzard routine: I wanna be a taxidermist." You're British, boy, think smaller..."' Continue reading...
Using newly revealed archive footage and dramatic reconstructions, director Peter Middleton breathes new life into the familiar events of 1970We all know the outcome of Apollo 13, the seventh crewed mission in America's Apollo space programme: a 1970 expedition en route to the moon that had to be aborted after an oxygen tank in the command module ruptured. The story has been told before on numerous occasions, in feature films - notably the Tom Hanks-starring Apollo 13 - and in documentaries. But familiarity doesn't lessen the impact of this excellent documentary by Peter Middleton, directing solo here, having previously collaborated with James Spinney on the acclaimed Notes on Blindness.Apollo 13: Survival draws on Nasa's extensive archive resources, dramatic reconstructions, interviews and, most effectively, never-before-seen home video footage and Life magazine photographs of the family of mission commander Jim Lovell that are elegantly threaded through the story. Gripping stuff.On Netflix Continue reading...
We're warned not to assign human qualities to other species, but evidence of their complex abilities is mountingThe details differ, but really it's the same story, turning up every few weeks, for around a decade now. The revelation - and it'salways presented with a dramatic flourish - is this: animalsare much more like us thanwe thought.Last week, it was that dogs could remember the names of their old toys - even when they hadn't seen them for two years. Language acquisition, that uniquely human" thing, was being encroached on, the researchers said: dogs could store words in their memory. Last month, it was that horses could strategise and plan ahead, overturning the assumption that they simply respond to stimuli in the moment". And in April, it was that there's a realistic possibility of consciousness" in reptiles, fish and even insects - according to a declaration signed by some 40 scientists. One of the studies backing the claims recorded bumblebees playing with wooden balls. The behaviour had no obvious connection to mating or survival, the authors thought. It was for fun. Continue reading...
Boeing's Starliner spacecraft landed in a New Mexico desert late on Friday, months after its original departure date and without the two astronauts it carried when it launched in early June. The spacecraft re-entered Earth's atmosphere around 11pm ET. The Nasa astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who were supposed to fly the spacecraft back to Earth, remained at the International Space Station due to faults with the Starliner
Nasa's Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, who flew Starliner amid technical failures, will remain at ISS until FebruaryBoeing's Starliner spacecraft landed in a New Mexico desert late on Friday, months after its original departure date and without the two astronauts it carried when it launched in early June.Starliner returned to Earth seemingly without a hitch, a Nasa live stream showed, nailing the critical final phase of its mission. Continue reading...
by Kat Lay, Global health correspondent on (#6QHES)
Jab not yet approved for children, who make up most cases, while officials warn millions more doses will be requiredThe first donation of mpox vaccines arrived in Democratic Republic of the Congo on Thursday, but officials say millions more doses will be needed.The announcement came amid warnings that the geographical spread of the virus, formerly known as monkeypox, was increasing, and swift action was needed across the continent to contain the outbreak. Continue reading...
Research says outdoor light exposure in evening increases prevalence of the disease, especially in people under age 65New research claims that exposure to outdoor light at night may increase the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease, especially in people under the age of 65.The researchers who conducted the study, funded by a National Institutes of Health grant and published in the journal Frontiers in Neuroscience on Friday, said they have found correlations between areas of the US with excessive exposure to artificial light at night and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease. Continue reading...
Neuroimaging studies have shown that the amygdala, the tiny almond-shaped brain structure that mediates fear, is larger in people with more rightwing viewsAny attempt to understand the attraction which fascism exercises upon great nations compels us to recognize the role of psychological factors," the German-Jewish social psychologist Erich Fromm asserted in 1941. Such factors are not specifically German or, say Italian, nor were they the manifestations of a unique historical era, now safely in the distant past. Not only can the malignant political-economic-ideological climates required for the flowering of fascism develop anywhere, so are its emotional dynamics present in the psyche of most human beings.We each have a Nazi within," the Auschwitz survivor Edith Eger has written - pointing, in my observation, to a near-universal reality. Many of us harbor the seeds for hatred, rage, fear, narcissistic self-regard and contempt for others that, in their most venomous and extreme forms, are the dominant emotional currents whose confluence can feed the all-destructive torrent we call fascism, given enough provocation or encouragement.Gabor Mate is a public speaker and the author of five books published in 41 languages, most recently The Myth of Normal: Trauma, Illness and Healing in Toxic Culture Continue reading...
My hands were shaking. It was the first time a person had touched it and the first time it had been seen in 66 million yearsI have loved dinosaurs since Iwas a little kid. I have loads of model dinosaurs, books about dinosaurs and I've watched all the Jurassic Park movies. My dad, Sam, is buddies with the paleontologist Tyler Lyson, and I've been able to visit his lab a few times.The area where we live in North Dakota is well known for dinosaur fossils. I like to go out and look for them, but normally find only chunksof rock. Continue reading...
Researchers say procedure not yet tested on people could eventually be used to help locate injuries or tumoursResearchers have peered into the brains and bodies of living animals after discovering that a common food dye can make skin, muscle and connective tissues temporarily transparent.Applying the dye to the belly of a mouse made its liver, intestines and bladder clearly visible through the abdominal skin, while smearing it on the rodent's scalp allowed scientists to see blood vessels in the animal's brain. Continue reading...
Weeks after revelation that megalith came from Scotland, researchers make surprise discoveryThe plot has thickened on the mystery of the altar stone of Stonehenge, weeks after geologists sensationally revealed that the huge neolithic rock had been transported hundreds of miles to Wiltshire from the very north of Scotland.That discovery, described as jaw-dropping" by one of the scientists involved, established definitively that the six-tonne megalith had not been brought from Wales, as had long been believed, but came from sandstone deposits in an area encompassing the isles of Orkney and Shetland and a coastal strip on the north-east Scottish mainland. Continue reading...
Up to 19% of dementia cases in older people could be attributed to vision impairments, research suggestsUp to one in five cases of dementia in older people might be avoided if problems with eyesight are prevented or treated, research has suggested.According to the World Health Organization, there are about 55 million people living with dementia globally. Continue reading...
In 2011, aid worker Jessica Buchanan was taken captive in Somalia. It was more than three months before she was freed - and every day felt like it might be her lastIn the first moments of her kidnapping, Jessica Buchanan's brain seized up, her mind went blank - but her body knew. Her experience of terror was physical. She struggled to breathe. She somehow turned icy cold, while at the same time she felt roasted alive.I had this very basic rumination: This is so bad, this is so bad,' running through my head and I couldn't move past it," she says. I'd been given some rudimentary training through my work, but there's no course, no book, no movie that's going to prepare you for something like this, because you never in a million years think it will happen to you. It doesn't matter if you're in Somalia, LA or London, we always think we're the exception - that's how human beings survive. And then suddenly it hits like a bat to the middle of your forehead that you're not the exception, you're in the middle of it and completely powerless. I don't think I'd recognised that mentally yet - but my body recognised it." Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample; produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6QG0B)
Last month the World Health Organization declared the recent mpox outbreak that began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo a public health emergency of international concern. As scientists race to find out more about the new strain, Ian Sample talks to Trudie Lang, professor of global health research and director of the global health network at the University of Oxford, to find out what we still need to learn in order to tackle and contain the virusFollow more Guardian reporting on mpox here Continue reading...
Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet - but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaborationLove rarely gets the credit it deserves for the advancement of science. Nor, for that matter, does hatred, greed, envy or any other emotion. Instead, this realm of knowledge tends to be idealised as something cold, hard, rational, neutral and objective, dictated by data rather than feelings. The life and work of James Lovelock is proofthat this is neither possible nor desirable. In hiswork, he helped us understand that humans can never completely divorce ourselves from any living subject because we are interconnected and interdependent, all part of the same Earth system, which he called Gaia.Our planet, he argued, behaves like a giant organism - regulating its temperature, discharging waste and cycling chemicals to maintain a healthy balance. Although highly controversial among scientists in the 1970s and 80s, this holistic view of the world had mass appeal, which stretched from New Age spiritual gurus to that stern advocate of free-market orthodoxy, Margaret Thatcher. Its insights into the link between nature and climate have since inspired many of the world's most influential climate scientists, philosophers and environmental campaigners. The French philosopher Bruno Latour said the Gaia Theory has reshaped humanity's understanding of our place in the universe as fundamentally as the ideas of Galileo Galilei. At its simplest, Gaia is about restoring an emotional connection with a living planet. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6QFWE)
Environmental pollutants may have different effects on male and female reproduction, research in BMJ suggestsAir pollution is associated with a higher infertility risk in men, while noise pollution is associated with a higher risk of infertility in women, a study has found.The study, which has been peer-reviewed and published in the BMJ, looked at whether long-term exposure to road traffic noise and fine particulate matter (PM2.5), a particular form of air pollution, was associated with a higher risk of infertility in men and women. Continue reading...
Fitted with robotic arms and navigation cameras, the rovers are being developed for mooted missions to the moon and MarsTwo space rover prototypes that could be used to help search for life on Mars are being trialled at a quarry in Bedfordshire. The robots are being put through their paces by the European aerospace giant Airbus, which is considering using the technology to aid missions to the moon.A four-wheeled rover, named Codi, features navigation cameras and a robotic arm that it can use to collect rocks sealed in small tubes without the need of a human operator. Continue reading...
Netflix's archival documentary relives the near-fatal explosion of 1970 with remarkable and urgent footageOn paper, the survival of three astronauts aboard Apollo 13, a Nasa spacecraft bound for the moon and imperiled by a near-fatal explosion in April 1970, is nothing short of astounding. The explosion, over two days and 210,000 miles into the mission, nearly drained the three-part spacecraft of oxygen and electrical power. The three astronauts - Fred Haise, Jack Swigert and mission commander Jim Lovell - were forced to spend four harrowing, near-suffocating days in a lunar module meant for just two people and 45 hours, with just a few light bulbs' worth of power. The unprecedented and untested maneuvers to get them home - transferring flight data by hand to the life boat" module, catapulting off the moon's orbit, manually aiming an unpredictable rocket blast at the earth - were each dicey and high-risk, requiring exact precision to avoid certain death. The compounded odds of their survival were slim.As arranged in Apollo 13: Survival, a new documentary about the flawed mission, these facts somehow seem much drier, though meticulously and sumptuously rendered through restored archival material. Director Peter Middleton recreates a play-by-play of the six-day mission - aboard Apollo 13, at mission control in Houston and in living rooms across the country - primarily through archival recordings, old interviews with the crew and never-before-seen footage of the spacecraft, ground control and the astronauts' families. The result is a faithful and explicative, though at times too clinical, depiction of an ill-fated chapter of the US space program that seems as fit for a classroom as it is on-couch entertainment. Continue reading...
New archaeological research adds to view that siege may have been quicker and more efficient than was thoughtThe Roman siege of Jewish rebels in Masada, one of the founding myths of modern Israel, may have been far quicker and more efficient and brutal than it has been traditionally represented as, according to new archaeological research.The end of the AD72-73 Jewish Revolt is conventionally depicted as a heroic last stand against the might of Rome by a handful of rebels who eventually killed themselves rather than be overwhelmed by the emperor Vespasian's forces. Continue reading...
Research suggests expanded frontostriatal salience network could be risk factor for developing conditionResearchers have gained new insight into how and why some people experience depression after finding a particular brain network is far bigger in people living with the condition.The surface of the brain is a communication junction box at which different areas talk to each other to carry out particular processes. But there is a finite amount of space for these networks to share. Continue reading...
Nuclear is costly, risky and slow, Ramana says. Why then, he asks in his new book, do governments still champion it?You would be forgiven for thinking that the debate on nuclear power is pretty much settled. Sure, there are still some naysayers, but most reasonable people have come to realise that in an age of climate crisis, we need low-carbon nuclear energy - alongside wind and solar power - to help us transition away from fossil fuels. In 2016, 400 reactors were operating across 31 countries, with one estimate suggesting roughly the same number in operation in mid-2023, accounting for 9.2% of global commercial gross electricity generation. But what if this optimism were in fact wrong, and nuclear power can never live up to its promise? That is the argument the physicist MV Ramana makes in his new book. He says nuclear is costly, dangerous and takes too long to scale up. Nuclear, the work's title reads, is not the solution.This wasn't the book Ramana, a professor at the University of British Columbia, planned to write. The problems with nuclear are so obvious", he wagered, they do not need to be spelled out. But with the guidance of his editor, he realised his mistake. Even in the contemporary environmental movement, which emerged alongside the anti-war and anti-nuclear movements, there are converts. Prominent environmentalists, understandably desperate about the climate crisis, believe it is rational and reasonable to support nuclear power as part of our energy mix.Nuclear is Not the Solution: The Folly of Atomic Power in the Age of Climate Change by MV Ramana is out now Continue reading...
Research into canine cognition suggests some pets store object names in long-term memoryDog owners may have trouble remembering which toy is Mr Squeaky, but such names can be seared into the memory of their pets, researchers have found.Scientists previously discovered some dogs have a remarkable ability to learn the names of toys, with a border collie known as Chaser having learned the labels of more than 1,000 objects. Continue reading...
Pathologising young people is less effective than tackling the social causes of their worries, suggest clinical psychologists Dr Lucy Johnstone and Dr Helen Care. Plus, letters from a concerned grandparent and Linda KarlsenThe staggering" rise in anxiety among children (NHS referrals for anxiety in children more than double pre-Covid levels, 27 August) deserves a more sophisticated response than installing counsellors in every school, useful though that may be in some cases, and I say this as a mental health professional - a consultant clinical psychologist.Well-meaning awareness campaigns that encourage us to translate every feeling into a mental health issue" convey the message that children have an individual deficit, while obscuring the reasons for their distress. And yet research consistently shows that their feelings are understandable in context. Continue reading...
Some 63 studies from 1994 to 2022 have been analysed by Australian researchers commissioned by the World Health OrganizationMobile phones are not linked to brain and head cancers, a comprehensive review of the highest quality evidence available commissioned by the World Health Organization has found.Led by the Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency (Arpansa), the systematic review examined more than 5,000 studies from which the most scientifically rigorous were identified and weak studies were excluded. Continue reading...
Impact may have caused largest moon in solar system to swing on its axis, say scientistsThe largest moon in the solar system was struck by an ancient asteroid 20 times bigger than the rock that clattered into Earth and ended the reign of the dinosaurs 66m years ago, research suggests.The devastating impact took place 4bn years ago and caused Ganymede, one of nearly 100 known moons of Jupiter, to spin around such that the impact crater faces almost directly away from the gas giant. Continue reading...
by Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay, with A on (#6QE5M)
The arrest of Telegram's founder and CEO in Paris last month has thrown the spotlight on the messaging app and its approach to content moderation. Madeleine Finlay hears from Russian affairs reporter Pjotr Sauer and technology journalist Alex Hern about how the case could influence how social media companies approach problematic content on their platformsClips: Global News, NBC NewsInternet prophet': arrest of Telegram CEO could strengthen heroic image Continue reading...
The Nasa astronaut Butch Wilmore reported a 'strange noise' coming from the stricken Boeing Starliner space capsule whose problems have left him and colleague Suni Williams stuck in orbit for six months longer than they anticipated when they blasted off from Earth in June. Wilmore radioed mission control in Houston on Saturday to report a pulsing sound from a speaker inside the capsule. The source of the pulsing noise is believed to have come from a speaker feedback loop between the space station and Starliner
The answer to today's puzzleEarlier today I set you the following counterintuitive puzzle, about a curious object that fits through a small hole, but not through a big one. Here it is again with solutions. Continue reading...
Forces unleashed by quakes squeeze quartz enough to generate electric fields, driving formation of depositsChunky gold nuggets tend to form far underground along fracture lines that run through quartz, but the reason why has never been nailed down.Now, scientists have proposed an explanation for the effect: the immense forces unleashed by earthquakes squeeze quartz enough to generate electric fields, which in turn drive the formation of the precious deposits. Continue reading...
Butch Wilmore reports pulsing sounds from capsule dogged with issues and set to return without astronautsThe Nasa astronaut Butch Wilmore has reported a strange noise" coming from the stricken Boeing Starliner space capsule whose problems have left him and his colleague Suni Williams stuck in orbit for six months longer than they anticipated when they blasted off from earth in June.Wilmore radioed mission control in Houston on Saturday to report a pulsing sound from a speaker inside the capsule. I've got a question about Starliner," Wilmore said. There's a strange noise coming through the speaker ... I don't know what's making it." Continue reading...
Window painUPDATE: Read the answer hereToday's puzzle is about defenestration. Now there's a word I've never used in this column before. Continue reading...
Scientists who examined Eddie Hall say findings suggest set of muscles in the legs are more important than we thought'Gym-goers who want to pump the heaviest weights might figure that bulging thighs and bulky buttocks are the path to greater power. But a study involving one of the world's strongest men found that a set of slender, rope-like muscles that typically get far less attention could be more important than previously thought.Scientists at Loughborough University's school of sport, exercise and health sciences examined the rippling sinews of Eddie Hall, a Staffordshire truck mechanic nicknamed the Beast" who became the world's strongest man in 2017. Continue reading...
Early risers will get a prime opportunity to glimpse the planet as it moves to its furthest point west from the sunThis week, on 5 September, Mercury will reach the astronomical configuration known as greatest western elongation. This is the point at which Mercury will be at its furthest point west from the sun, as viewed from Earth. It offers a prime opportunity to catch a glimpse of the elusive planet.A greatest western elongation event means that the planet will be visible in the sky before sunrise. The chart shows the view looking east-north-east at 05.30 BST on the morning of 5 September. This is about 50 minutes before sunrise. Find a spot with a clear view of the horizon, and as far away from any street lights as you can. Continue reading...
My uncle David Ish-Horowicz, who has died aged 75 from a brain tumour, was a molecular biologist at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund (ICRF), now Cancer Research UK (CRUK), from the late 1970s.He was one of the pioneers in the application of molecular biology to developmental genetics. His research career focused on unravelling the intricate mechanisms that govern how embryos turn into complex organisms. He utilised both drosophila (fruit fly) and vertebrate models to identify and analyse the molecular and genetic pathways that establish and regulate spatial organisation within embryos. Continue reading...
When my father died my grief was deep - for him and the dad I wished he'd beenGrief is a thing with wings. It swoops in when and how it wants, often uninvited. When I think of my father, I think of sound. His laughter: a deep rumble from his slightly distended gut, ending with a sigh, as if he were reluctant to let it go. The gentle push of his windscreen-shaped glasses up the bridge of his nose. I think of 5am wake-up calls - me at five or six, my brother five years older, both of us trudging drowsily to the dining table for maths lessons. I think of his short afro, often patted into a near perfect square.An ex-military man, his life was ruled by discipline. He both scared and fascinated me. I was in awe of his mind: brilliant with numbers yet complex, shielded by an impenetrable layer. I admired his style: beige and unremarkable, distinctly his. His personality was uninhibited, exuberant, vivacious. He loved entertaining, clinking champagne glasses at our home on Victoria Island in Lagos, discussing Nigeria's woes. Continue reading...
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhat is the evolutionary purpose of blushing? Peter Walls, LiverpoolSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading...
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