Science | The Guardian

Farmers seek permission to import live molluscs so they can breed the sexually remarkable hermaphrodites and sell them to restaurants

From weightlifting to woodland walks, Guardian readers and health experts share their tried-and-tested ways to keep burnout at bayOverwhelm can come from multiple worries going round and round in our heads like a washing machine, which can deplete our energy. A helpful strategy is to set aside 10 to 15 minutes each day for constructive worrying", where you write down your concerns. Youcan then apply cognitive strategies such as if, then" planning (if X happens, I will do Y") or assess worst-best-probable case scenarios. This process can help reduce the emotional intensity of worries and lessens overwhelm. Sometimes, you may just need to remind yourself to tackle one problem and one task at a time. Nick Hatter, psychotherapeutic coach, life coach and author of The7 Questions Continue reading...

These nocturnal events are more spectacular from dark country sky, but they can still be seen from a light-polluted city - and for many, no telescope is needed

Thinking of breaking up with the booze?Addiction specialist and psychiatrist Xavier Mulenga tells Bridie Jabour the common reasons people think they can't quit and the steps you can take to reduce your alcohol intake

The Northern Lights Photographer of the Year collection from Capture the Atlas features the most extraordinary aurora photos captured over the 12 months. This year, as we reach the solar maximum of this solar cycle, the northern and southern lights have been more active than ever, illuminating skies in unexpected places where they've rarely - if ever - been photographed. Some examples of these unique locations include images from Arizona, California, Spain, the Chilean Patagonia, Namibia and Madeira. Continue reading...

For the regular drinker, the studies that say a daily tipple is better for a longer life than avoiding alcohol completely are a source of great comfort. But a new analysis challenges that thinking and says it was based on flawed research that compares drinkers with people who are sick and sober. In this episode from August, Madeleine Finlay hears from the study's lead author, Tim Stockwell, a scientist at the Canadian Institute for Substance Use Research at the University of Victoria, to find out why scientists (including him) were so convinced, and what the actual risks of alcohol areSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Researchers at New York University conclude a narrow waist and large hips are optimal for keeping a hoop spinningSnake hips, good core strength and a willingness to look slightly ridiculous all come in helpful for those wishing to master the art of hula hooping. Now scientists have concluded that an hourglass figure may also be advantageous.The study, involving gyrating robotic figures of various dimensions, suggests a narrow waist and large hips are optimal for keeping a hoop spinning in a stable position. But those with less curvy physiques may be able to compensate by making larger hip movements at a faster pace, the analysis concluded. Continue reading...

Study finds small but significant increase in characters talking about murder or killing over past 50 yearsTalk of homicide is on the rise in films, researchers have found, in a trend they say could pose a health concern for adults and children.A study found that over the past 50 years there had been a small but significant increase in movie characters talking about murdering or killing. Continue reading...

5 March 1934 - 27 March 2024

The US right is misrepresenting science to support its racist agenda. There's far more to it than good' or bad' genesLike so many of us, I was dispirited to wake up a few weeks ago to learn that Donald Trump will be back in the White House. This time he was aided by the world's richest man and professional spaceship-crasher, Elon Musk. Among the many charming aspects of their partnership is a fondness for some highly unsavoury views on genetics. Trump is an enthusiastic advocate of racehorse theory", which he shares with white supremacists; the belief that he is personally superior and that this is rooted in his good genes". It's a vapid idea, but it directly informs his toxic views on immigration, where he argues the country needs to be shielded from the bad genes" of outsiders.Meanwhile, Musk has his own equally baffling take on genetics, infused with a characteristic messiah complex. Like some of his fellow tech moguls, he is determined to save humanity" by producing as many offspring as possible, convinced that our future depends on it. This might all be laughable were it not for the fact that Trump and Musk now wield more power than they ever have before. The shared thread running through their rhetoric is genetic determinism: the idea that who you are, and what you can achieve, is all down to your DNA. Nothing else matters.Jonathan Roberts is a genetic counsellor and academic who researches health inequalities and the accessibility of genetic testingDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Our brains are miraculous and weird things, and it turns out everyone has different ways of processing the worldSometimes I like to start a column by asking myself: should this really be a column that will live on the internet forever, for all and sundry to see? Or is this really an airing of my many neuroses that is better shared privately, with a therapist?Not infrequently the answer is the latter. But therapy is expensive and comment is free, so I'm afraid, dear reader, that you're going to have to be my shrink today. And I'll get straight into my issues: I have a voice in my head that won't shut up.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, will be the brightest object in the constellationFinish the year by tracking down one of the oldest known constellations: Taurus, the bull. The chart shows the view looking south from London at 22.00 GMT on 30 December. The view will remain essentially the same all week.According to Babylonian star charts from about 1000BC, the grouping of stars we now call Taurus was known as the bull of heaven. However, the pattern's association with a bull could be much older: some believe that the constellation can be found embedded in the 17,000-year-old cave paintings of bulls at Lascaux in France. Continue reading...

Social monogamy has been observed in less than 10% of mammal species - and birds have been shown to be less faithful than previously believed

My husband, Colin Robson, who has died aged 89, pioneered the degree of behavioural sciences, combining psychology and sociology, in the 1970s. The fifth edition of his textbook Real World Research, originally published in 1993, came out earlier this year.Born in the village of Almondbury, near Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, the only child of Mary (nee Addy) and Raymond Robson, a clerk in the council rates office, he attended King James's grammar school in the village, remaining loyal to his home town and its football team all his life. After studying physics at Manchester University, he signed up for a PGCE at King's College London, where he came across psychology for the first time. Continue reading...

Existing evidence is dominated by western regions but researchers want to find out whether benefits are the same around the worldThe science of happiness has spawned hundreds of thousands of studies, surveys, books and reviews, but what reliably lifts the spirits, to what extent, and who benefits most are still far from nailed down.Now, psychologists have drawn up plans for the world's largest happiness experiment to thrash out once and for all what really gives people an emotional boost, how effective different strategies are, and whether the benefits are the same around the globe. Continue reading...

Prof Low anticipated home speakers and gender neutral clothing, but missed his mark on herb-based street lightingWhen the scientist and inventor Prof Archibald Montgomery Low predicted a day in the life of a man of the future" one century ago, his prophecies were sometimes dismissed as ruthlessly imaginative".They included, reported the London Daily News in 1925, such horrors" as being woken by radio alarm clock; communications by personal radio set"; breakfasting with loudspeaker news and television glimpses of events"; shopping by moving stairways and moving pavements. Continue reading...

22 March 1957 - 5 June 2024

I always thought genealogy was as dull as looking at other people's holiday snaps - until I found out about a 16th-century architect who transformed the stately homes of his eraFriends and family, back in the 1970s, would often aggravate each other with a lengthy holiday slideshow, presenting a string of identical beach views and nameless hillside vistas over the course of a dull evening. Today, there is a new phrase that can freeze the heart just as easily as the sight of a slide projector, and it is: I've done some research into my family history and you'll never guess what I've found out!" A scroll bearing a family tree unrolls to reveal a roster of Jacks and Noreens, leading back to some Charleses and Marys, each perching on ever-more-distant branches and ultimately signifying little about the people who are actually living and breathing around you.For me, this became a domestic issue a while ago, because my husband, a history buff, takes genealogy quite seriously. To be fair, he was early to spot the wider growing public interest in family history as a hobby, even before the genetic element had truly taken hold with the arrival of rival commercial DNA-tracing services. Continue reading...

Time flies when you're... in a boring routine, according to research, which shows that new experiences, from foreign travel to a walk in nature, can alter our perception of timeIt's the time of the year for endless cliches. From tis the season" and the gift that keeps on giving" to new year, new you", there's nowhere to hide from tired old phrases. One of my favourites is Christmas comes around quicker each year" - which ignores the fact that one year equals one trip around the sun.There's often a kernel of truth in a cliche, though. A recent study by Ruth Ogden from Liverpool John Moores University and colleagues showed that the vast majority of people in both the UK and Iraq really did experience Christmas (or Ramadan) approaching more rapidly every year. This may be down partly to festive decorations appearing ever earlier in the season. But it's also a result of how we perceive time psychologically. Continue reading...

In 2024 horticulturalists made single biggest introduction of rare seeds to collection in the past decadeThe Codonopsis clematidea smells like a skunk, the Tulipa toktogulica has a peculiar, elongated bulb and the Fritillaria imperialis is exceptionally tall. But to the horticulturalists who journeyed to remote alpine meadows and forests to find these rare flowers growing in the wild this year, they are nothing less than the jewels of the earth".Now, the seeds from these and hundreds of other wild plants that were collected in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan have entered the living collections at the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew. Continue reading...

With the aid of the birds I was able to learn to love the nightAs a child I was afraid of the dark, as so many children are. Not the dark in and of itself, but what I was certain it contained: bad spirits, bad people, monsters with ill intent. The dark hid creatures with talons and teeth, or men with weapons who would use them to sneak up on an unsuspecting child and do them harm. The dark let curses slip out of buildings or hedges and attach to a child walking past. I kept myself bounded within the dome of torchlight on winter afternoons, thinking of light as a spell of protection. I went to bed by the orange glow of a nightlight, the hall light on and the door ajar.I borrowed Jill Tomlinson's book The Owl Who Was Afraid of the Dark from the library and fell in love with the baby barn owl, Plop. He thinks dark is nasty" and won't go hunting with his parents. He learns through others who love the dark that it can be exciting, kind, fun, necessary, wonderful, beautiful and super. I identified with Plop, but I wasn't convinced about the wonderfulness of the dark. Continue reading...

Academic Danilo Brozovi says studies of failed civilisations all point in one direction - today's society needs radical transformation to surviveFor someone who has examined 361 studies and 73 books on societal collapses, Danilo Brozovi's conclusion on what must happen to avoid today's world imploding is both disarmingly simple and a daunting challenge: We need dramatic social and technological changes."The collapse of past civilisations, from the mighty Mayan empire to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), has long fascinated people and for obvious reasons - how stable is our own society? Does ever-growing complexity in societies or human hubris inevitably lead to oblivion? In the face of the climate crisis, rampant destruction of the natural world, rising geopolitical tensions and more, the question is more urgent than ever. Continue reading...

Readers offer their views on getting rid of earworms using the composer's 4'33"In her letter (Want to get rid of a earworm? Try John Cage, 22 December), Joan Friend says shehas listened to different versions of 4'33'' and that they all sound the same". This is impossible, because the whole point of the piece is that during it we hear the sounds all around us.Composed after Cage had experienced an anechoic chamber, a room without echoes where true silence is possible, the score for the piece is marked Tacet" (an instruction in music which tells the player not to play), so here we have what appears to be a piece where nothing happens. Continue reading...

Parker solar spacecraft got the closest any human-made object has ever come to the starSanta and his reindeer were not the only bodies making a celestial journey on 24 December: Nasa has revealed that its Parker solar probe successfully completed its closest-ever approach to the sun and remains in good health.It is the closest any human-made object has ever come to our star, with the probe experiencing temperatures of up to 982C (1,800F) and intense radiation. Continue reading...

Why did we succeed when other hominins didn't, and can lessons from our evolutionary past help rein in our destructive impulses?In an institute in Germany, scientists are growing Neanderthalised" human brain cells in a dish. Thesecells form synapses and spark asthey would have done in a living Neanderthal as she (they are female cells) foraged or breastfed or gazed out of a cave mouth at dusk. That is the spine-tingling opening gambit of a book co-authored by one of the directors of the institute, Johannes Krause, and the information that sets it apart from a host of popular science books that attempt to predict humanity's future based on our evolutionary past.A mere 90 genetic differences distinguish modern humans, Homo sapiens, from Neanderthals, Homo neanderthalensis. That's paltry, given the roughly 20,000 genes that make upthe human blueprint, and not all ofthem affect the brain. Yet those 90differences could explain why Neanderthals died out, some 40,000 years ago, while we went on to dominate the planet. They could hold the key to how we, the apparently more adaptable human type, might adapt again before we destroy the ecosystems we depend on, and ourselves along with them. Continue reading...

Plant native to Sumatra boasts huge fly-attracting flower that can be sustained for only a few daysIt looks like a giant erect penis, stinks to high heaven and warms up to about the temperature of a human body. This is the inflorescence of the titan arum, Amorphophallus titanum, a plant with a phallus-shaped spike called a spadix that stands up to three metres tall, warms up to 36C at night and gives off the stench of a rotting corpse. This wonder is actually a ruse to attract carrion flies and beetles to pollinate the small flowers that are tucked away at the base of the spadix inside a large bucket-shaped leafy wrapper, where the insects are trapped until the flowers are successfully pollinated.A recent study revealed the plant's pungent odours were made up of a stinky cocktail of sulphur chemicals, including the aptly named compound putrescine, which is given off by rotting animal carcasses. This foul concoction is released only when the spadix warms up in short pulses. Continue reading...

Making it easier to get chest X-rays, rather than having to wait for a GP referral, could improve survival rates, finds studyMore people with lung cancer symptoms in the UK should be able to self-refer for tests rather than wait for their GP to request them, experts have suggested.Making it easier for those with symptoms to get chest X-rays could help speed up diagnosis and improve survival rates from the disease, they said. Continue reading...

Researchers say drugs may be able to increase lifespan by extending health and thus shortening the rate of ageingNot for nothing are dogs called man's best friend: they are good for their owners' mental and physical health, and some studies have shown that if you're looking for a date and want to seem more attractive, it might be time to get a canine companion.So what would it be like if dogs could live for ever - and what if that secret could help their owners live longer, healthier lives too? Continue reading...

Delicate 650-year-old pages to be preserved are some of the island's most important historical textsWork has begun to conserve and digitise one of the oldest paper documents still in existence on the island of Ireland.The ecclesiastical register, which dates back to the medieval period, is about 650 years old. It belonged to the former archbishop of Armagh Milo Sweteman. Continue reading...

Review of 116 clinical trials finds less than 30 minutes a day, five days a week only results in minor reductionsPeople who want to lose meaningful amounts of weight through exercise may need to devote more than two-and-a-half hours a week to aerobic training such as running, walking or cycling, researchers say.The finding emerged from a review of 116 published clinical trials that explored the impact of physical exercise on weight loss, waist size and body fat. In total, the trials reported data for nearly 7,000 adults who were overweight or obese, meaning their body mass index (BMI) was more than 25. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Sword is among striking objects unearthed from Anglo-Saxon cemetery near CanterburyA spectacular sixth-century sword has been unearthed from an Anglo-Saxon cemetery in rural Kent, to the astonishment of archaeologists.The weapon is in an exceptional state of preservation and is being likened to the sword found at Sutton Hoo, the Anglo-Saxon burial in Suffolk. Continue reading...

Guardian review finds many online pharmacies flouting strict advertising rules that govern prescription-only drugsWeight-loss injections are being aggressively marketed to British consumers through often illegal promotions, in a practice experts have described as a wild west" industry of drug selling.The booming market for jabs such as Wegovy and Mounjaro has triggered a price battle among online pharmacies, with even high-street chains cashing in on the soaring demand.Supermarkets are using loopholes in the rules by advertising discount deals for weight-loss services" that include - and prominently feature - the injections.The Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) is preparing to launch an investigation into the marketing of weight-loss injections.The regulatory body responsible for drug advertising has upheld complaints against online ads for weight-loss drugs every month since April 2023. Continue reading...

Drugs such as Wegovy amd Mounjaro are an attractive prospect for online businesses and traditional pharmacies as well as the firms that make themIt is a trend rooted in profit-making. Adverts featuring prescription-only weight-loss medications are splashed across the internet - and it is causing concern among experts.But the question remains: who is driving the boom? Continue reading...

Star-gazer's long-exposure shots unexpectedly capture mysterious blue light of triboluminescenceOn 27 October, photographer Shengyu Li set up his camera on a long exposure to record stars in the night sky near a mountain in Sichuan, China. As he waited, suddenly an unstable block of ice broke free from a glacier near the peak of the mountain and set off an avalanche. Looking at his photographs afterwards revealed mysterious blue flashes given off from the avalanche, when the ice crashing down smashed into rocks and the friction gave off the flashes of blue light. It was a phenomenon called triboluminescence, which occurs when certain materials are mechanically stressed from fracturing, scratching or rubbing.This strange effect was widely seen in the 1790s, when sugar began to be produced with more refined sugar crystals. These crystals were made into large cones which could be nipped into chunks as needed. If the nipping was done in dim light, it gave off tiny bursts of light. Something similar is caused by rubbing the sides of quartz crystals together or even when pulling sticky tape from a roll. Continue reading...

In this episode from July, Ian Sample talks to Josh Davis, a science writer at the Natural History Museum in London and author of the book A Little Gay Natural History. A study published in June 2024 suggested that, although animal scientists widely observe same-sex sexual behaviour in primates and other mammals, they seldom publish about it. Josh considers why this might be and describes some of his favourite examples of sexual diversity from the animal kingdom.Penguin noises by permission of freesound.orgSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Reports that psilocybin can help some mental health conditions has led to increase in recreational use, which carries risksMagic mushrooms are rapidly growing in popularity, sparking a psychedelic renaissance" as people become more interested in their mental health benefits. But experts have warned that using them recreationally risks doing more harm than good.

Volunteers asked to go about normal routine while paying more attention to natural worldThe start of a new year: a time for optimism, ambitious plans to improve the world, and the grim suspicion that the first couple of months may well be a miserable slog through the deepest of winter's gloom.But for those who fear the cold and dark ahead, help is on the horizon. Researchers in Canada are investigating a simple trick they hope will boost flagging spirits even when the days are short and frost is in the air. Continue reading...

Band of remarkably mild' weather arrives in time for Christmas Eve, with 15C possible in some areasBritain is on track for one of its warmest Christmases on record with the Met Office predicting temperatures that could peak at more than 6C above the seasonal average in some parts of the country.The band of remarkably mild" weather arrived in time for Christmas Eve, with forecasters expecting automated weather stations to record 13 to 14C across much of Britain, with 15C possible in places such as north-east Wales. Continue reading...

Probe was scheduled to pass 3.8 million miles from sun's surface on Christmas EveNasa's Parker solar probe is attempting its closest ever flyby of the sun, passing 3.8m miles from its surface on Christmas Eve.The spacecraft was scheduled to make the record-breaking approach, known as a perihelion, at 6.53am US eastern time (11.53 GMT). Continue reading...

From the Flask glacier to King George Island, intrepid researchers expect good cheer, snow and penguinsMany of us will not get a white Christmas this year, but a group of scientists are guaranteed one while carrying out research on the Antarctic peninsula.While ice and good cheer are expected, their yuletide activities will be very different from those back home. Dr Kate Winter, of Northumbria University, and colleagues will be deploying instruments on Flask glacier to study the way that meltwater affects how quickly glaciers flow into the ocean. Continue reading...

In this episode from September, Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Saul Newman, an interdisciplinary researcher at University College London and the University of Oxford, who has recently won an Ig Nobel prize - given to scientific research that first makes people laugh, and then makes them think' - for his work showing that many claims of people living extraordinarily long lives come from places with short lifespans, no birth certificates, and where clerical errors and pension fraud aboundFor more on ageing, listen to Science Weekly's miniseries Secrets of AgeingEpisode 1: What makes me age? Continue reading...

After decades of debate, one of the largest ever studies on birth order suggests it does actually make a differenceThe debate has raged for more than a century: does birth order help to shape personality, or are conscientious firstborns and creative youngest children flawed stereotypes based on flimsy evidence?After decades of contested claims, a handful of recent studies found there was little evidence for meaningful differences. But in a study published on Monday, psychologists have pushed back and claim there is an effect after all. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Two London hospital trusts to trial tool that can predict those at risk up to 13 years before condition developsThe NHS in England is launching a world-first trial of a gamechanging" artificial intelligence tool that can identify patients at risk of type 2 diabetes more than a decade before they develop the condition.More than 500 million people worldwide have type 2 diabetes, and finding new ways to spot people at risk before they develop the condition is a major global health priority. Estimates suggest 1 billion people will have type 2 diabetes by 2050. Continue reading...

Researchers in Russia have unveiled the near intact carcass of a juvenile female mammoth, whose remarkably well-preserved remains were discovered in thawing permafrost after more than 50,000 years. The creature was recovered from the Batagaika crater, a huge depression more than 80 metres (260 feet) deep which is widening as a result of climate change

Paul Collins on how to improve the criminal justice system, and Ellie Dwight on an understaffed and ineffective probation serviceIn the 1990s, judges attending Judicial Studies Board seminars would hear the late David Faulkner, a humane and immensely knowledgable Home Office star, explain how German prison sentences were so much shorter than ours, with no corresponding increase in offending. Politicians, terrified of being pilloried for being soft on crime, have never taken any notice. The problem is that wehave no principled national idea of what prison is for(Editorial,12 December).As a junior assistant recorder, I did my duty and gave long sentences to drug mules from South America, based on the ludicrous theory that the deterrent effect would resound with other potential drug mules, often semi-literate women coerced into criminal activity with no conception of the consequences. Retribution, deterrence, rehabilitation? Some shapeless idea of punishment for its own sake is the unquantifiable last refuge of the ideologically barren. But it's all we seem to have. Continue reading...

The solutions to today's puzzlesEarlier today I set you the following two puzzles loosely related to 2025. (For more information on the number 2025 please read the original post.) Here they are again with the solutions.Queens and pawns Continue reading...

The 50,000-year-old female, nicknamed Yana, is one of only seven whole remains discovered in worldRussian scientists have displayed the remarkably well-preserved remains of a baby mammoth found in the permafrost-covered region of Yakutia in Siberia.The 50,000-year-old female mammoth has been nicknamed Yana after the river in whose basin it was discovered this summer. Experts say it is the best-preserved mammoth carcass in the world and is one of only seven whole remains ever found. Continue reading...

Research finds people who have more than four coffees a day have 17% lower chance of head and neck cancersIf the only thing getting you through a mountain of present-wrapping is a mug of tea or coffee, be of good cheer. Researchers have found people who consume those drinks have a slightly lower risk of head and neck cancers.There are about 12,800 new head and neck cancer cases and about 4,100 related deaths in the UK every year, according to Cancer Research UK. Continue reading...

Five fives alive!UPDATE: Read the solutions hereAs is traditional for the final column of year, we look ahead to all that the following twelve months will bring us.Numerically speaking, of course.44 = 193645 = 202546 = 2116 Continue reading...

As this elusive inner planet orbits its furthest from the sun westwards, it will be visible in the morning skyGet your Christmas started with a celestial achievement by tracking down the inner planet Mercury early in the morning.Because of its tight orbit, Mercury never appears far from the sun. This makes it a challenging object to observe because it never appears in a fully dark sky, only close to the horizon during twilight. Continue reading...