Many of my friends are leaping into wheelie bins full of ice cubes. I will be sticking to indulgence and easy living – and the research is on my sideSomehow, I’ve become the sort of person whose WhatsApp friends are planning a January ice bath challenge. The warning signs were all there: they have been going on about chlorine floaters and wireless thermometers for months, swapping pictures of their outdoor tubs and tipping each other off when B&Q has a flash sale on water butts. Now it has escalated: five minutes a day in the 12C glug is the prescription, with a 100 press-ups bonus round and no-booze rider for the genuine maniacs. In, I repeat, January.Obviously, I won’t be participating. First, I’m not convinced the science suggests I need 31 ice baths: yes, there’s some evidence that they reduce inflammation, but that might be counterproductive if you are aiming to build muscle, as I frequently am. Research also suggests that targeted cold exposure might improve attention, mood and cognitive focus, and that if it’s applied to your glabrous skin surfaces – a fancy word, as I’ve recently learned, for all the hairless areas – it might even improve your 5k time or bench press.Joel Snape is a writer and self-improvement enthusiast. Continue reading...

Study finds some strong auroras are accompanied by noises from changes in the atmosphereYou may have seen the shimmering greens and pinks of the aurora borealis lighting up the night sky, but have you ever heard them? Rare reports of crackling and whooshing noises accompanying auroras have traditionally been dismissed by scientists as folklore, but data gathered in Finland has shown that under the right weather conditions, auroras can be accompanied by a noise.The northern (and southern) lights are caused by solar particles colliding with gas molecules in Earth’s upper atmosphere. They tend to be visible near the poles because the charged particles are steered towards the poles by Earth’s magnetic field. But most aurora take place well out of earshot, about 62 miles (100km) above our heads. Continue reading...

When Nasa unveiled the first images from the long-awaited James Webb space telescope, they revealed our universe in glorious technicolour. The $10bn space science observatory will help scientists answer fundamental questions in astronomy and look back to the dawn of time.In this episode first broadcast in July 2022, Prof Ray Jayawardhana, who is working with one of the instruments onboard the JWST, speaks to Ian Sample about what these images show us, and what they mean for the very human quest of discovering our place in the cosmosArchive: NBC News, SciNews Continue reading...

Astronaut who took part in America’s first successful manned Apollo space mission in 1968On 11 October 1968, Walter Cunningham, who has died aged 90, and his fellow crew members, Wally Schirra and Donn Eisele, became the first astronauts to fly in an Apollo spacecraft. Cunningham was only the second American civilian in space – Neil Armstrong had been the first. Their vehicle was Apollo 7, which Cunningham regarded as providing the first of the five highly successful “giant steps” – Apollos 8, 9 and 10 provided the next three – that culminated, 10 months later, with Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin, from Apollo 11, making the first moon landing.The first Apollo mission, Apollo 1, had ended catastrophically in January 1967 when its three crew members were incinerated during a launchpad rehearsal, and the following missions were unmanned. But by October 1968, while the US was convulsed with anti-Vietnam war and civil rights protests, Apollo 7 was orbiting faultlessly some 187 miles above, and the astronauts were testing modules for the moon landing. However, Apollo 7 was not a happy ship. “The only thing that wasn’t working smoothly was the crew,” observed their fellow astronaut Tom Stafford. Continue reading...

Natural History Museum bought album of images by pioneering scientist in 1899 and has now digitised themFor most farming families in 19th-century rural Vermont, winter snowstorms were dreaded and endured. But for Wilson Bentley, snow was a source of intense fascination that led him, at the age of 19, to produce the world’s first photomicrographs of snow crystals, which he described as “tiny miracles of beauty”.A stunning album of 355 of the original prints by the man who came to be known as Snowflake Bentley was bought by London’s Natural History Museum in 1899, and the collection has now been digitised and made available to view online. Continue reading...

Scientists claim that heavier, rather than flatter, rocks can produce ‘almighty’ leaps out of the waterScientists have identified particular types of stone that can produce “almighty” leaps out of the water when skimmed across the surface.While aficionados of the pursuit favour thin, flat stones for long-distance skimming, the researchers’ mathematical model reveals that heavier, potato-shaped stones can achieve more dramatic results, which blast the rock into the air. Continue reading...

He was one of three aboard the 1968 11-day mission that garnered an Emmy award for live reports beamed from Earth orbitWalter Cunningham, the last surviving astronaut from the first successful crewed space mission in Nasa’s Apollo program, has died. He was 90.A Nasa spokesman, Bob Jacobs, confirmed Cunningham’s death but did not immediately provide further details. Cunningham’s wife, Dot Cunningham, said in a statement that he died on Tuesday but did not say where or provide a cause of death. Continue reading...

Exclusive: iKnife can reliably diagnose endometrial cancer and help thousands of healthy women get all-clear quickerA revolutionary surgical knife that “smells tumours” can diagnose womb cancer within seconds, researchers have found in a breakthrough that could enable thousands of healthy women to get the all-clear quicker.The disease is the fourth most common cancer in women and affects about 9,000 a year in the UK, but only about 10% of those with suspected symptoms who undergo a biopsy are found to have it. Continue reading...

The offshoot accounts for 40% of Covid cases in the US, raising fears of fresh waves of illness as it spreads to other countriesScientists have raised concerns about a new Covid variant that is spreading fast in the US and threatening to fuel further waves of infection. Here’s what we know so far.What is the new variant called? Continue reading...

A culture of secrecy around sperm and egg donations has given way to greater openness, helped along by a key legal changeSince 2009, the number of donor-conceived children born in the UK has more than tripled. They now account for one in 170 of all births, which means, as the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) chair, Julia Chain, puts it, “a couple of donor-conceived children in every primary school, and an immeasurable amount of joy brought to families that could not have otherwise existed”. While nearly half of all donor gametes are used by heterosexual couples suffering male- or female-factor infertility, much of the recent increase, particularly in the use of donor sperm, has been driven by women in same-sex relationships and solo mums.The opening up of new routes to having children is a wonderful thing. But as the practice of donor conception – using donor sperm, eggs or embryos to create a family – has become more common, the resulting ethical dilemmas are also becoming more complex. Crucially, though, many warmly welcome the important changes happening this year, whereby donor-conceived children reaching 18 will finally have access to identifying information about their donors.Zeynep Gurtin is a lecturer in women’s health at UCL, an authority member of the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority and a fertility consultantSome names have been changed Continue reading...

Some rural women could find a way through the challenges brought by climate crisis, inequality and conflict by cultivating fungi in the former Marxist stateAt the forest’s edge, a scientist is giving a lesson on the mushrooms that grow here in the damp ground around the trees of Toui-Kilibo reserve in Benin. Olyvia Fadeyi is a mycologist – she studies fungi – and is teaching the women from the village of Yaoui how best to harness the economic value of this strangest of crops. Mushrooms can be cultivated year round, in back gardens, on vertically stacked shelves, rather than waiting for the naturally abundant ones in the rainy season.“There are 40 species, of which only 2% are currently harvested,” says Fadeyi. “I want to empower these women and help them break free from the pressures of society.” Continue reading...

It’s been a year of huge news on Earth, but how are things looking from up above? Plus: Waterloo Road returns. Here’s what to watch this evening Continue reading...

Exclusive: study is first to compare pioneering targeted treatment on difficult-to-treat tumours with standard radiotherapyThree breast cancer patients have undergone pioneering proton beam therapy for the first time on the NHS as part of a world-first trial.The hi-tech treatment targets tumours far more precisely than conventional radiotherapy, suiting patients with difficult-to-treat growths in critical areas. The NHS has previously used proton beam therapy to treat patients with tumours in and around their brain or spinal cord. Continue reading...

It’s estimated that 1 million women in the UK could have attention deficit hyperactivity disorder – but according to the ADHD Foundation, 50% to 75% of them do not know they have it. So why are women being left behind?In this episode, first broadcast in May 2022, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Jasmine Andersson about her experience of getting a late diagnosis, and asks Prof Amanda Kirby why the condition is so often missed in women and girls Continue reading...

Dogs’ tails play little or no role in acrobatic manoeuvres, and are more likely a communication tool, researchers sayAfter decades of research into man’s best friend, scientists have concluded that the tail cannot, in fact, wag the dog.An international team decided to investigate the purpose of the dog’s tail after studies showed that numerous animals from lizards to squirrels used their tails to pull off impressive manoeuvres, such as righting themselves mid-air when falling from trees. Continue reading...

Administrator Bill Nelson says Beijing could seek ‘own’ resource-rich areas and next two years could be key to US-China contestThe US is locked in a space race with China and the country needs to “watch out” that its rival does not gain a foothold and try to dominate lunar resources, Nasa’s top official has warned.The assessment came from the Nasa administrator, Bill Nelson, a former astronaut and Florida senator, who went on to warn that China could eventually claim to “own” the moon’s resource-rich areas. Continue reading...

We can’t change what’s happened – but we can learn to make better decisions in the futureNow is the time when we look back over the past year and wonder: how did I do? Did I make the right decisions? Could I have made better ones?Well, could you? A determinist who believes that the world unfolds in an inexorably preordained manner would say not. If, on the other hand, you believe in free will, you might feel sure that other decisions were available to you, other paths not taken. “I could have done otherwise” is sometimes taken as the very definition of free will. Continue reading...

New year conjunction takes place in constellation of TaurusThe moon and Mars are the heralds of this particular new year. On 3 January, they will pass each other in the night sky. The moon will be in its waxing gibbous phase, about 11 days old with 92% of its visible surface illuminated.The chart shows the view looking south-south-east from London at 21.00 GMT on 3 January. Continue reading...

It’s a well-established therapeutic tool for allowing couples to make sense of each other, but now social media has given the idea of ‘love languages’ a real boostRecently, my boyfriend and I had a check-in. He told me that he felt as if I’d grown complacent when it came to physical affection. I bristled at the accusation, but clamped my mouth shut, mostly because he was right. Truthfully, it’s not the first time I’ve been given this relationship feedback.When it comes to physical touch, my factory setting is “awkward”. But I am truly excellent at small, thoughtful gestures. Just two weeks ago I curated a care package for my partner, so that after a 10-hour flight for work he’d find a bag of liquorice, a pack of incense and a boujie bottled lemonade – all things he loves – waiting for him on the kitchen table. This tiny token of love wasn’t ballad-worthy, but it’s how I naturally show care. Continue reading...

Research indicates that low-level stress from moderate exercise or work can enhance our cognitive and physical abilities in later lifeFew words in the English language conjure up more negative emotions than stress. The mere mention of those six letters might elicit mental images of looming work deadlines, unpaid bills, the pressure of exams or tense family Christmases, to list just a few scenarios.But what if I told you that stress can also be positive? That just as it can harm us, it also plays a key role in strengthening our immune system, forging connections in our brain that improve mental performance and building the resilience we need to navigate our way through the vagaries of life. Continue reading...

On New Year’s Day, copyright in the US expires on a new clutch of artistic works. But shady legal shenanigans mean it’s a little overdue…Here’s a reason to be cheerful this morning: it’s Public Domain Day, ie the day on which a new batch of hitherto copyrighted works comes out of copyright and enters the US public domain – the zone that consists of all the creative work to which no exclusive intellectual property rights apply. For those readers who do not reside in the US, there is perhaps another reason for celebrating today, because copyright terms are longer in the US than they are in other parts of the world, including the EU and the UK. And therein lies a story about intellectual property laws and the power of political lobbying in a so-called liberal democracy.Among the works liberated for the delight of American citizens this morning are: Virginia Woolf’s To the Lighthouse; the final Sherlock Holmes stories by Arthur Conan Doyle; Fritz Lang’s seminal science-fiction film Metropolis; Alfred Hitchcock’s first thriller; and compositions by Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller. The interesting thing is that these were originally supposed to enter the public domain in 2003, but as Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain puts it, “before this could happen, Congress hit a 20-year pause button and extended their copyright term to 95 years”. Continue reading...

Scientists are to pick a location that sums up the current epoch when Homo sapiens made its markIn a few weeks, geologists will select a site that demonstrates most vividly how humans have changed the structure of our planet’s surface. They will choose a place they believe best illustrates when a new epoch – which they have dubbed the Anthropocene – was born and its predecessor, the Holocene, came to an end.The Holocene began at the conclusion of the last ice age 11,700 years ago as the great glaciers that had previously covered the Earth began to retreat. In their wake, modern humans spread inexorably across the planet. Continue reading...

Cabinet papers 2002: PM lifted ban despite opposition of conservatives and religious leaders, including then Archbishop Pell

Chris Stringer, who has just received a CBE for his work on human evolution, tells how his remarkable quest as a young researcher transformed understanding of our speciesAs with so many other careers, chance played a major role in my pursuit of science. After a childhood in which I displayed a disquieting interest in skulls and stories about Neanderthals, I was – after a challenging stint as a supply teacher in east London in 1966 – about to train as a doctor at London Hospital medical college when I discovered there was actually a university subject called “anthropology”.The course included archaeology as well as studies of fossils. My parents were unsure but in the end backed my switch away from medicine. I started a course – at University College London – that included behind-the-scenes visits to London’s Natural History Museum. Continue reading...

It was a great year for a slight lifting of the veil on the final frontier – from redirecting an asteroid to a glimpse into creationThe year has been a blast in space exploration, from Nasa’s big step in returning to moon missions, to glimpses at the origins of the universe and hope that humanity could survive the doomsday scenario of an asteroid hurtling towards Earth.These are the events that shaped 2022 in space advances: Continue reading...

It’s not easy being a ‘good’ person – what can we learn from the people who have thought about it the most?

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says WHO officials stressed to Beijing the importance of sharing data ahead of easing of travel restrictions on 8 JanuaryThe World Health Organisation again urged China’s health officials to regularly share specific, real-time information on the country’s Covid surge, as the UK joined other countries in bringing in travel restrictions, citing a lack of data as the reason.WHO Covid experts met Chinese officials on Friday and “again stressed the importance of transparency and regular sharing of data to formulate accurate risk assessments and to inform effective response”, said the WHO chief, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Continue reading...

Our approach to the pandemic has always been science-led, and that’s still the case with our new, more lenient guidelines

A trawl of terms used for the first time or with fresh significance reveals the annus horribilis that was 2022It has been an extraordinary year, so extraordinary, in fact, it required a new word to sum it up: “permacrisis”. This entered the Guardian’s lexicon for the first time in March, an apt word for the annus horribilis that was 2022.“Permacrisis” went on to become Collins Dictionary’s word of the year and was one of several that broke through, while others gained fresh significance. Continue reading...

It’s the potential of individuals to change the world which is at the heart of democratic liberalism – but their actions must be matched by global supportAs we farewell 2022, many of the world’s citizens will be hoping for a better new year. It is hard to look back on the past year – indeed couple of years – without a high degree of angst about the direction of our global community.We have been battered by a pandemic that, while past the peak for most nations, is still disrupting societies and economies. After two years of its hermit-like isolation, 1.4 billion Chinese citizens are now experiencing a nationwide Covid onslaught for the first time with ripples that will not only affect the lives of those in China but the rest of the world linked to the second largest economy. Continue reading...

New varieties of the insect include species that could be useful for controlling crop pestsEighty-five new species of wasp are among more than 350 new species identified in 2022 by the Natural History Museum, and scientists say there are many more to come.By combing through its collections, as well as sending scientists on research trips, curators and researchers have managed to describe a total of 351 new species. Continue reading...

Two years of barely being exposed to such bugs seems to have disrupted their usual patternsNew Year’s Eve gatherings, drinks with the neighbours: with zero restrictions on mixing, and almost three years of catching up to do, it’s perhaps no surprise that many of us have been struck down with a mysterious lurgy that causes fever, sore throat, headache and other decidedly Covid-like symptoms – perhaps more than once.But if you are consistently testing negative for Covid on a lateral flow test, what else could it be? And are we really more vulnerable to getting sick this winter, or have we just forgotten what life was like before Covid restrictions stopped the usual merry-go-round of seasonal infections? Continue reading...

Further studies under way as ‘remarkable’ results offer new hope in treating biliary tract cancerA man given a year to live after being diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer is now disease-free thanks to a UK trial of a personalised drug regime.Robert Glynn, 51, a welder from Worsley in Greater Manchester, said he “wouldn’t be here” if it were not for the remarkable results of the immunotherapy trial run by the Christie NHS foundation trust in Manchester. Continue reading...

The decision to stop reporting the Covid growth rate is the latest in a series of attempts to limit the available information about the current spread, writes Dr Brian Ramsden, while Susan Treagus has been keeping a Covid diaryWith a predictable adherence to the principle of burying bad news, the government’s UK Health Security Agency announced on the Friday before Christmas that it is now ceasing to publish the reproduction number – the R value – and the growth rate for Covid-19 in the UK (UK to stop publishing Covid modelling data, 25 December).This decision was taken at a time when the R value and the growth rate both show that the prevalence of Covid is increasing in the UK. This is just the latest in a series of attempts to minimise the availability of information about Covid. Data about tests is virtually nonexistent, because tests are no longer freely available; contact tracing has ceased; and daily reporting of infections stopped when people were told there was no longer a need to use masks or to self-isolate. Continue reading...

After long pursuing a strict zero-Covid regime, restrictions have been lifted in China as new variants emergeAfter long pursing a zero-Covid policy, China has relaxed many restrictions including quarantine rules for travellers. But some experts have raised concerns the U-turn may cause problems. We take a look at why.What has happened in China? Continue reading...

Friederike Otto, a member of the world’s only rapid reaction force of climate scientists, on looking into the apocalypse of extreme weatherCycling over London Bridge as the dry heat pushed the temperature above 40C and a hot wind gusted down the River Thames, Friederike Otto paused to look at the monument to the city’s great fire more than 350 years earlier.“The heat was intense, the humidity was so low and there were these winds. You could almost feel if there was one spark now, London will burn again,” she said. Continue reading...

Scientists setting up ‘post-detection hub’ in Scotland are concerned humans would react ‘like headless chickens’The moment has been imagined a thousand times. As astronomers comb the cosmos with their powerful telescopes, they spot something that makes them gasp. Amid the feeble rays from distant galaxies lies a weak but persistent signal: a message from an advanced civilisation.It would be a transformative event for humankind, one the world’s nations are surely prepared for. Or are they? “Look at the mess we made when Covid hit. We’d be like headless chickens,” says Dr John Elliott, a computational linguist at the University of St Andrews. “We cannot afford to be ill-prepared, scientifically, socially, and politically rudderless, for an event that could happen at any time and which we cannot afford to mismanage.” Continue reading...

Friendships won’t save the world. But they can sure save your sanity, shore up your health and make your life a lot betterHere is a much-needed resolution for many of us in the new year: make new friendships and shore up old ones.Americans are an increasingly lonely bunch, spending more time solo and on our devices than with others. A decade ago, the average American spent about six and a half hours a week with friends. In 2014, time with friends declined, while time alone shot up. By 2019 – before the pandemic – Americans were spending just four hours a week with friends, a number that tanked in 2021 to two hours and 45 minutes. And it’s not that those hours were going to other people – to kids, spouses or family. As time with friends decreased, time spent alone soared. Continue reading...

Back in November, researchers hailed the dawn of a new era of Alzheimer’s therapies. After decades of failure, a clinical trial finally confirmed that a drug, lecanemab, was able to slow cognitive decline in patients with early stages of the disease. The result may have been modest – a reduction in the decline in patients’ overall mental skills by 27% over 18 months – but it could not be more significant in the journey towards better understanding and treating the disease.Ian Sample speaks to Prof Nick Fox about the clinical trial results, if this could be the first of many new Alzheimer’s therapies, and whether we could one day see a cure. Continue reading...

In the northern hemisphere five planets can be seen by the naked eye, and Uranus and Neptune with a telescope or binocularsEvery planet in the solar system was visible in the night sky simultaneously on Wednesday, which is regarded by experts as a rare astronomical event.Venus, Mercury, Saturn, Jupiter and Mars could all be seen in that order in the northern hemisphere with the naked eye, starting from the south-western horizon and moving east. Continue reading...

There are 2.5m of these tiny creatures for each human and they play a big role as ecosystem engineers, as well as providing insights on everything from the climate to ageing

Study shows sea level rise on Amalfi coast over last 20 years is twice that on Costa del SolOver the last 20 years, there has been twice as much sea level rise on Italy’s Amalfi coast as on Spain’s Costa del Sol, a study shows.Researchers combined data from tide gauges and satellites with ice melt measurements to model sea level change across the Mediterranean basin since 1960. To their surprise, they found that sea level fell by about 9mm between 1960 and 1989, owing to increased atmospheric pressure over the basin. Continue reading...

Scientists say test could replace a costly brain scan or painful lumbar puncture and enable earlier detection of diseaseScientists have developed a blood test to diagnose Alzheimer’s disease without the need for expensive brain imaging or a painful lumbar puncture, where a sample of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is drawn from the lower back. If validated, the test could enable faster diagnosis of the disease, meaning therapies could be initiated earlier.Alzheimer’s is the most common form of dementia, but diagnosis remains challenging – particularly during the earlier stages of the disease. Continue reading...

Call for UK government ban of chemical in processed meat such as bacon and ham after mice tumours studyA leading scientist has urged ministers to ban the use of nitrites in food after research highlighted the “clear” risk of developing cancer from eating processed meat such as bacon and ham too often.The study by scientists from Queen’s University Belfast found that mice fed a diet of processed meat containing the chemicals, which are used to cure bacon and give it its distinctive pink colour, developed 75% more cancerous tumours than mice fed nitrite-free pork. Continue reading...

On a continent that has long attracted western expeditions, a wave of young people are now exploring sitesA late morning in Khartoum. Inside a low, dusty building in the centre of the Sudanese capital, there are crates of artefacts, a 7ft replica of a 2,000-year-old stone statue of a Nubian god, and students rushing through the corridors. Outside is noisy traffic, blinding sunlight and both branches of the Nile.Heading down one staircase are Sabrine Jamal, Nadia Musa, Athar Bela and Sabrine al-Sadiq, all studying archaeology at Khartoum University. Not one of them is older than 24 and they see themselves as pioneers, breaking new ground on a continent that has long attracted western expeditions, specialists and adventurers but whose own archaeologists have received less attention overseas. Continue reading...

From a fragment of skull in a washing machine to a finger bone found by a dog walker, the forensic anthropologist Prof Dame Sue Black has helped solve many strange and mysterious cases.This year, she will be giving the Royal Institution Christmas lectures, Britain’s most prestigious public science lectures. In them, she’ll be investigating the secret clues hidden in our bodies and how the scientific detective process can be used to identify the living and the dead. Nicola Davis sat down with Black to discuss the lectures, her most memorable cases, and why she didn’t want her daughters to get braces. Madeleine Finlay hears from them both in this Christmas special of Science Weekly Continue reading...

Constellation of 200 satellites set to improve flight safety and communication, including helping limit turbulence

The solutions to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you these three challenges by Argentina’s puzzle guru Rodolfo Kurchan. Here they are again with solutions.1. Messi maths Continue reading...

It feels great to give at Christmas. But does that pleasure detract from the good deed?“I really enjoy doing it: it makes me feel good about myself. It gives me a boost, mentally and physically.” If these were your reactions to an activity, you’d surely be inclined to do it as often as you could. After all, aren’t a lot of us looking for ways to find more meaning in life and to be happier and healthier? What, then, is the act that elicits such positive responses? The answer: being kind.A growing body of evidence from the fields of psychology and neuroscience demonstrates that performing kind acts increases mental wellbeing, enhances physical health and might even improve life expectancy. Kindness is not just beneficial for the recipient, but also for the giver. Continue reading...

Astronomer who explored how a white dwarf star and a normal one can interact to provide surges in brightness or a supernovaTom Marsh, the founding professor of the astronomy and astrophysics group at Warwick University, who has died aged 60, was a world-leading expert on compact binary star systems, two stars closely orbiting around each other. It is believed that the majority of stars are in fact in binary systems, with some close enough to produce complex interactions.As the two stars orbit each other, we see them alternately receding from us and coming towards us. When the light from the stars is spread out into a spectrum of wavelengths, we see the features in the stellar spectra moving backwards and forwards in wavelength as they are redshifted and blueshifted by the Doppler effect. Detailed observations allow astronomers to estimate the masses of the stars, and – if the stars happen to be lined up so that they eclipse each other – their radii, and the distance of the system. Continue reading...