Charity launched in name of Alice Wakeling funds breakthrough that could lead to less aggressive treatment and save more livesAlice Wakeling was three when a lump began to grow on her neck. Doctors were initially puzzled but, after six weeks of tests, consultants gave her parents, David and Sara, the devastating news. Alice had rhabdomyosarcoma, a rare childhood cancer that develops in muscle or fibrous tissue.For the next four years, Alice went through gruelling bouts of chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery. For a brief period, it looked as if she was free from her cancer. But it returned, and Alice died in October 2019. She was seven. Continue reading...

Concerns at mesothelioma death rate trigger study to detect exposure to now banned material used in school buildingsThe threat of asbestos-related cancer to female teachers is to be examined after possible signs of an elevated risk of fatal illness.Trade unions are to work with one of the country’s leading cancer experts on a study of the exposure women in their late-40s to mid-60s may have had to the material inside school buildings. It comes after researchers detected a possible increase in mesothelioma deaths among the group that could be statistically significant. Continue reading...

PestFix had assets of £18,000 and 16 staff but won contracts worth £344m after being put on government’s high-priority supplier listA pest control supplies firm has disclosed it made a profit of more than £9m for supplying personal protective equipment (PPE) during the pandemic after it was put into the government’s controversial VIP procurement lane.Crisp Websites, which trades as PestFix, had assets of just over £18,000 and 16 employees before the pandemic, but won contracts worth £344m. In its latest accounts, the firm says it “does not intend to return to the PPE market”. Continue reading...

Belgium suggests 21 drinks a week is safe for men, while Australia recommends no more than 10 for anyone. What goes into the decision making?Craft beer in Melbourne, pinot noir in Paris, mojitos in Havana –alcohol is part of nearly every culture around the world. As the evidence of harm has accumulated, the message from health authorities globally is that we need to drink less and even abstain entirely. But the advice on exactly how much less isn’t consistent. Why?As an addiction medicine specialist and public health physician at the University of Sydney, Prof Kate Conigrave is more aware than most about the damage caused by alcohol. She chaired the group who authored Australia’s latest guidelines on reducing the health risks of alcohol, which in 2020 recommended healthy adults drink no more than 10 standard drinks a week, and no more than four in a day. It’s a reduction from the 2009 guidelines which recommended no more than two drinks a day for men and women. Continue reading...

The latest claims by scientists that they are able to break the most common digital encryption system are far-fetchedSecurity in a digital world requires that our communications are safe from digital eavesdroppers. The way we do that is to encrypt our messages using mathematical tools. The most powerful of these use trapdoor functions – that is, ones that work easily in one direction (making encryption easy) but not in the other (making decryption difficult).Trapdoor functions utilise a property of multiplication – its asymmetry. It’s simple to multiply two numbers together, for example, 971 and 1,249, to get 1,212,779, but it’s quite hard to start with 1,212,779 and work out which two prime numbers (its factors) have to be multiplied to produce it. And the task becomes exponentially harder the bigger the original numbers are. Which is why, up to now, computer scientists believe that it’s impossible in practice for a conventional computer, no matter how powerful, to factorise any number that’s longer than 2,048 bits. Why so? Because it would take it 300tn years, or about 22,000 times longer than the age of the universe (to use just one of the popular analogies), for the machine to crack the problem. Continue reading...

Researchers spurred by injustice explain why 18th century Irish man famed for his exceptional height deserves burial he wantedThomas Muinzer recalls the day when, as a bored student in Belfast learning about property law, a few sentences about the 18th century “Irish Giant” Charles Byrne caught his eye.“I saw a footnote about a celebrity Irish giant from Northern Ireland whose remains were stolen on the way to his funeral – querying whether or not that was the theft of property, because it was a dead body,” he says. Continue reading...

Research suggests hormone replacement therapy may reduce risk of Alzheimer’s in some womenHormone replacement therapy may help prevent Alzheimer’s disease in millions of women at risk of developing the condition, research suggests.Dementia is one of the world’s biggest health threats. The number of people living with the condition worldwide is set to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050, and experts have warned it presents a major and rapidly growing threat to future health and social care systems in every community, country and continent. Continue reading...

Aseem Malhotra’s ‘misguided’ views linking some Covid vaccines to excess heart disease deaths should not have aired, say expertsThe BBC has come under fire from scientists for interviewing a cardiologist who claimed certain Covid vaccines could be behind excess deaths from coronary artery disease.Experts have criticised Dr Aseem Malhotra’s appearance on the corporation’s news channel on Friday, accusing him of pushing “extreme fringe” views, which are “misguided”, “dangerous” and could mislead the public. Continue reading...

ChatGPT is capable of producing high-quality essays with minimal human input

After watching LauncherOne abort, I felt briefly dejected. But our attempts to put these tiny satellites into space will pay offJust like any expectant parent, I had a bag packed and was waiting by the front door. In these situations you never know when things will kick off, so it’s best to be prepared. The birth that I was waiting for was not a child, but the UK’s new launch capability to get baby satellites (known as microsatellites) into space from right here in Britain.As a space scientist, and builder of satellites myself, I know of the frustration of a launch. Here in the UK we have developed an industry in small dynamic satellites. Microsatellites, unlike their larger brethren, can be turned around quickly. I spent part of my career working on the James Webb space telescope, a wonderful piece of hi-tech engineering designed to give us amazing new insight into the early universe and how it evolved. But it took about 40 years to develop, from concept to launch. Continue reading...

Scientists say sensual discovery could be used to design low-fat product that mimics feel of high fatThe irresistible melt-in-the-mouth sensation of chocolate comes down to the way it lubricates the tongue, according to scientists.A study investigated the physical process by which a solid square of chocolate morphs into a smooth emulsion. It found that chocolate released a fatty film that coats the tongue, giving a smooth sensation for the entire time it is in the mouth. Continue reading...

Is there any wee in this pool today? Continue reading...

Although many are attributed to drones or balloons, others point to the spying capabilities of rival nationsThe US government is examining 510 UFO reports, more than triple the number in its 2021 file. While many were caused by drones or balloons, hundreds remain unexplained, according to a report released on Thursday.The 2022 report (pdf) by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said that 247 “unidentified anomalous phenomena” or UAP reports have been filed with it since June 2021, when it revealed that it had records of 144 sightings of suspicious aerial objects under examination. Continue reading...

Research adds to concerns about the impact of human noise pollution on marine lifeWe have all experienced the frustration of trying to hold a conversation in a loud pub or restaurant. Now researchers have shown that dolphins may face a similar scenario, showing that they “shout” to each other when faced with background noise.The findings revealed that a noisy environment makes it harder for dolphins to communicate and cooperate on tasks, adding to concern about the impact of human noise pollution on marine life. Continue reading...

Guidance for NHS says extending cholesterol-lowering treatment could save thousands more livesAs many as 15 million more people could be eligible for cholesterol-lowering statins to protect them against heart attacks and strokes, according to draft guidelines for the NHS in England.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says the scope for those who can be considered for the drugs should be widened dramatically – in what would be the single biggest change in a decade – to save thousands more lives. Continue reading...

Baby western chimpanzee, of which there are said to be only 18,000 left across Africa, will be named after rock or pop starConservationists are celebrating the birth of the “world’s rarest chimpanzee” at a UK zoo.Chester zoo has welcomed the arrival of the male critically endangered western or west African chimpanzee, which was delivered after an eight-month pregnancy. Continue reading...

Women are increasingly discussing the forgetfulness, anxiety and suicidal thoughts they have experienced as their hormones change in midlife. Why is more help not available?At her lowest point, Karen Arthur came within a hair’s breadth of killing herself. Having been signed off from her teaching job with anxiety, which she had not then connected with going through the menopause, the 51-year-old had booked a few days away from home to try to clear her head. A long walk in the country brought her to a spot notorious for suicide attempts.At that stage, she says, she had not considered how she might kill herself, but she had put her affairs in order for her two daughters, who were away at university. “I did think it would be easier if I wasn’t here. The kids would get the house, the mortgage paid off.” Continue reading...

Fans say the use of an accurate physics engine to reimagine historic shipwrecks makes it ‘difficult to look away’A shark swims slowly and serenely beneath the Bismarck seconds before it sinks deep into the ocean. Seemingly out of nowhere, the battleship tilts and falls; its bow crashes on to the seabed. Its hull floods before briefly resurfacing out of the water. Then the voiceover says: “Oh! Uh oh, uh oh, uh oh! Boom!” The Bismarck snaps in half and sinks.This was not the Bismarck’s real end, but a shipwreck simulated by Alex Reifsnyder, a 27-year-old retail supervisor from Pennsylvania. Reifsnyder uses the physics simulator Floating Sandbox to sink ships with tidal waves, icebergs and lightning for between one and two hours almost every night. On his TikTok page @an_angry_flyy, 167,000 loyal followers cannot get enough. Continue reading...

Group says forcing polluters to store carbon dioxide underground is needed to help world reach net zeroFossil fuel companies should be forced to “take back” the carbon dioxide emitted from their products, handing them direct responsibility for cleaning up the climate, a group of scientists has argued.The principle that the producer of pollution should pay for its clean-up is established around the world, but has never been applied to the climate crisis. Continue reading...

The peculiar hush is partly due to less human activity, but also down to snow’s acoustic damping effectGoing outside after a snowfall can be magical, with the spectacle of a winter wonderland underlined by the change in the soundscape. Suddenly, all is quiet.The peculiar hush is partly due to the reduction in human activity. There are fewer people and less traffic about, often fewer planes and trains. Building sites, road mending and other sources of noise fall silent. Birdsong is equally subdued. Continue reading...

A UN report has found the Earth’s ozone layer is on course to be healed within the next 40 years. What was once humanity’s most feared environmental peril is now an example of how the world can take collective action. Madeleine Finlay speaks to atmospheric scientist Paul Newman about this momentous achievement and whether it really is the end of the storyThe ozone layer is an important part of the Earth’s atmosphere that absorbs ultraviolet radiation from the sun. After alarm over the loss of the ozone layer in the 1980s, governments signed the Montreal protocol in 1987, an international agreement that has helped eliminate 99% of ozone-depleting chemicals, such as chlorofluorocarbons that were used as solvents and refrigerants.Since then, scientists have been monitoring levels of CFCs in the atmosphere and ozone depletion. This week, a UN report found that it is set to be completely healed by 2066. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Paul Newman, the chief scientist for earth sciences at Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Centre, about how this was achieved and what it means for the climate crisis. Continue reading...

The Swedish geneticist on winning the Nobel prize, his laureate father and early man’s sensitive sideA greyish neanderthal skeleton stands at the door of Svante Pääbo’s office, acting like a doorman to check up on his visitors, who have grown considerably in number since it was announced he was to receive a Nobel prize. It clutches a white party balloon in its left hand and is missing its right lower arm.“Unfortunately my son broke it off once,” says Pääbo with a chuckle, patting the skeleton’s head. Continue reading...

Antony Blinken says China is ‘greatest shared strategic challenge’ in the region as US backs Japan’s biggest military build-up since second world warThe US and Japan have said that an attack in space would trigger their security treaty, as senior officials from both countries warned that China represents the “greatest strategic challenge” to regional security.“We agree that [China] is the greatest shared strategic challenge that we, our allies and partners face,” the US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said on Thursday after meeting his Japanese counterpart, Yoshimasa Hayashi, in Washington. Continue reading...

James Webb space telescope brings insight into birth of stars at ‘cosmic noon’ with image of NGC 346 clusterScientists have been given an unprecedented glimpse into the birth of stars and the early stages of the universe, after a new image was released by the James Webb space telescope.The image shows a young cluster of stars, known as NGC 346, which is more than 200,000 light years from Earth. Continue reading...

The 70s for over-60s | Essential services | ‘Working’ royals | Wordsearch | Coming outProf Rob Ford seems to have a very dim view of the ability of individuals to remember anything before they were adult if he really thinks that you need to be aged over 60 to have any “meaningful memory” of 1978 (Carrots, sticks and Thatcher replays: what is Sunak’s strikes strategy?, 6 January). I am over 60, but I vividly remember Churchill’s state funeral (when I was not yet six), the moon landing (aged 10), Harold Wilson as the first Labour prime minister in my lifetime (11), Ted Heath and the three-day week, and so on.

Reported casualties in Ukraine were eight times more than Afghanistan – and real figure likely to be much higher

Space agency mounts rescue mission to bring home two cosmonauts and US astronaut marooned on ISSMoscow will launch a rescue vessel to the International Space Station next month to bring home three crew members who are in effect stuck in orbit after their original capsule was hit by a meteoroid.The docked Soyuz MS-22 sprang a major leak last month, spraying radiator coolant into space and prompting a pair of cosmonauts to abort a planned spacewalk. Continue reading...

Five key questions answered after first Cornish space mission ended in failure

In today’s newsletter: The first rocket mission from the UK didn’t reach orbit, but industry leaders explain why the burgeoning field is ready for liftoff – and what comes next

Video footage shows fireball which was sighted in areas including London and WolverhamptonAn apparent meteor has stunned stargazers after lighting up the sky above parts of the UK on Monday night.Video footage was shared online of the fireball, with reported sightings in London, Hertfordshire and Wolverhampton, among other locations. Continue reading...

A bright meteor was seen from various parts of the UK tearing through the night sky on Monday. Several people managed to film it as it passed overhead. The Met Office encouraged people to share footage Continue reading...

Teams behind historic mission describe tearful scenes but express determination to try again

Study suggests 23m years of evolutionary history could be wiped out if the island’s endangered mammals go extinctFrom the ring-tailed lemur to the aye-aye, a nocturnal primate, more than 20m years of unique evolutionary history could be wiped from the planet if nothing is done to stop Madagascar’s threatened mammals going extinct, according to a new study.It would already take 3m years to recover the diversity of mammal species driven to extinction since humans settled on the island 2,500 years ago. But much more is at risk in the coming decades: if threatened mammal species on Madagascar go extinct, life forms created by 23m years of evolutionary history will be destroyed. Continue reading...

Sanger Institute initiative could lead to single test allowing more effective vaccines and treatmentsAt the peak of the Covid pandemic, UK labs were sequencing thousands of Sars-CoV-2 genomes a day to keep track of circulating variants, and identify any new ones that emerged.Now researchers at the Sanger Institute are launching a project that could ultimately achieve something similar for the numerous other respiratory viruses that make us sick – and fill up UK hospital beds – each year. Continue reading...

Gaping hole mysteriously appears where former PM once stood at UK space mission with business secretary

A historic space mission that took off from Cornwall, in south-west England, has ended in bitter disappointment after a rocket carrying the first satellites launched from British soil failed to reach orbit and was lost.Virgin Orbit, which is leading the mission, announced there had been 'an anomaly' and the rocket failed to reach the required altitude. The rocket and satellites were lost but the UK Space Agency insisted they posed no danger and were expected to burn or break up over the north Atlantic. The 747 returned to Cornwall safely

Last year saw several major science breakthroughs – from the first time a nuclear fusion experiment produced more energy than it used, to Nasa smashing a spacecraft into an asteroid in a mission that demonstrated the possibility of redirecting any space rocks heading our way. So what will 2023 bring?Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the major stories they are expecting to hit the headlines in 2023, and their science predictions for the year ahead.Archive: PBS NewsHour, CNET Highlights, STV News, BBC News, CBC News, euronews Continue reading...

Boeing 747 used in mission from Cornwall successfully released rocket before ‘anomaly’ was reported

Successful trial of groundbreaking device, now approved by Nice, uses algorithm to determine amount of insulin neededMore than 100,000 people with type 1 diabetes in England are to be offered an artificial pancreas, which experts believe could become the “holy grail” for managing the disease.The groundbreaking device uses an algorithm to determine the amount of insulin that should be administered and reads blood sugar levels to keep them steady. Continue reading...

Swimming-induced pulmonary oedema involves the accumulation of fluid in the lungs of swimmers without it having been inhaledA potentially life-threatening condition that can affect fit and healthy open-water swimmers causing them to “drown from the inside” may involve a buildup of fluid in the heart muscle, researchers have suggested.Swimming-induced pulmonary oedema – SIPE – is a form of immersion pulmonary oedema and involves the accumulation of fluid in the lungs of swimmers without it having been inhaled. The condition is thought to be a result of increased pressure on the body’s blood vessels as a result of exertion, immersion and cold. Continue reading...

The solutions to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you these two questions, in the spirit of Lewis Carroll, who died 125 years ago this week.1. A handy chat Continue reading...

Virgin Orbit’s Start Me Up mission to conduct first rocket launch of satellites from British soilThere was a festival atmosphere at Cornwall Airport Newquay on Monday afternoon as more than 2,000 space fans began to arrive to view a historic rocket launch.As long as there are no last-minute technical hitches and the weather in the far south-west of Britain behaves, a converted Boeing 747 will take off from Spaceport Cornwall, fly out across the Atlantic and launch a rocket that will propel nine satellites into space. Continue reading...

Analysis will help improve treatment for millions affected by poorly understood conditionScientists have mapped the cellular changes linked to endometriosis to help improve therapeutic options for the millions of women affected by the disease.Roughly 1 in 10 women are affected by the condition, which is characterised by cells similar to those lining the uterus growing elsewhere in the body – most commonly on the ovaries, fallopian tubes and in the abdominal cavity. Patients with the disorder can experience chronic pain, infertility, headaches and fatigue, as well as bowel and bladder dysfunction. Despite it being so common, it takes an average of seven to eight years to be diagnosed with endometriosis because it is so poorly understood. Continue reading...

Scientists in Italy are testing the impact of fire and drought to learn how the changing climate affects underground fungal networksWhen Toby Kiers and a group of fungi experts hiked the Apennine mountains in northern Italy last July, the country was experiencing its worst drought for 70 years. But Kiers, an evolutionary biologist at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam, saw the dried vegetation and burnt forests of the drought- and fire-stricken areas bordering Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna as a unique learning opportunity.Armed with rubber mallets, measuring tape and GPS devices, Kiers and her team were investigating a very particular life form: the bustling fungal life beneath their feet. Continue reading...

Logical adventures with cats and cardsUPDATE: Read the solutions hereLewis Carroll, who died 125 years ago on Saturday, was perhaps the world’s greatest populariser of logical puzzles. His most famous book, Alice in Wonderland, is a masterclass in how to turn arcane mathematical logic into whimsy and humour. Today’s challenges begin with a little known conversation between two of Carroll’s best-loved characters.1. A handy chat Continue reading...

There are no very bright stars in Lepus and it’s not clear how it acquired its name eitherWe return to the same southern patch of sky as last week to track down the faint constellation of Lepus, the hare. Lying just south of the celestial equator, Lepus can be seen from both hemispheres at this time of year.The chart shows the view looking south from London at 22.00GMT on 9 January. Continue reading...

Start Me Up mission will send nine civil and defence satellites into orbit from Newquay spaceport on MondayThousands of people are expected to descend on Cornwall to witness the first orbital rocket launch from UK soil in what is being heralded as the start of a “new era” for the British space industry.As long as there are no last-minute technical hitches – and the Cornish weather does not spoil the party – the historic Start Me Up mission will take off on Monday night from Spaceport Cornwall, blasting nine satellites into orbit. Continue reading...

Guardian is given unique access to observe procedure that can radically improve outcomes for babies with spina bifidaEmily Ellis flicks through photos of her four-day-old baby, Austin, on her phone. “He is perfect,” she says with the certainty of any new parent. But the journey to his arrival has been more complicated than most. Austin has spina bifida and is one of a growing number of babies in the UK to have undergone a pioneering foetal surgery that is transforming outcomes for infants with the condition.Before his birth, surgeons at King’s College hospital operated on Austin’s spinal defect while he was still inside the womb and the Guardian was given unique access to observe the same procedure on another mother and baby from inside the operating theatre. The procedure is not a cure, but could be the difference between Austin walking or not. Continue reading...

Warming seas almost certainly prompted the huge mammal’s wanderings, even if deniers claim all is well in the ArcticAs migrant arrivals go, the appearance of Thor the Walrus in British waters last week was encouraging. Thousands flocked to greet the huge mammal as he meandered up England’s east coast after his arrival in Hampshire in December.Subsequent stopovers included Scarborough, where the local council cancelled New Year’s Eve celebrations so they did not frighten Thor, who gratefully responded by masturbating. Then he moved on to Blyth, in Northumberland, before heading home to the Arctic.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

Wildlife photography contest that was subject to the agreement described environmental impact of oil rigs in positive lightThe Natural History Museum has been denounced for signing a contract with a gagging clause that prevented it from criticising a Danish oil company that sponsored its wildlife photography competition.The clause was put into a contract with Dong Energy in 2016 when the company was heavily invested in oil and gas. Dong changed its name to Ørsted in 2017 when it divested of fossil fuels to focus on renewables. Continue reading...