Wildlife Photographer of the Year’s portfolio award goes to Laurent Ballesta, who describes his long and deep dives under the iceHanging from the underside of an Antarctic ice floe, a sea anemone’s delicate, glassy tentacles wave in the current. This is Edwardsiella andrillae, one of the planet’s most remarkable creatures. Unlike other sea anemones that dwell on the ocean floor, this recently discovered species thrives by embedding itself in ice – though how it penetrates the floe with its soft body or survives there remains a mystery.The photograph, taken by Laurent Ballesta, is the first detailed image of the species and is one of a series that has won the portfolio award at the Wildlife Photographer of the Year competition, which will be unveiled this week at the Natural History Museum in London. Continue reading...

Roslin Institute engineered a flock to help research into the genetics of Batten diseaseA flock of gene-edited sheep has been used by scientists to pinpoint a promising treatment for a lethal inherited brain disease that afflicts young children. The researchers, based in the UK and US, say their work could lead to the development of drugs to alleviate infantile Batten disease.In the UK, Batten disease affects between 100 and 150 children and young adults and is inherited from two symptomless parents who each carry a rare recessive gene mutation. Continue reading...

The Harvard professor says we need to stop seeing dummy medicines as a novelty and instead make strides to understand them better and harness their powerThe placebo effect occurs when an inert treatment such as a dummy pill, fake injection or sham surgery leads to a real clinical improvement in symptoms. So strong is the effect it can be the bane of clinical trials, which must prove a drug’s efficacy beyond a placebo control. An assistant professor of medicine at Harvard medical school, Kathryn T Hall is a leader in placebo research. Her new book, Placebos, unpicks their power.You argue that placebo effects are underappreciated. How?

With seasonal sickness on the rise, experts say measures we adopted at height of pandemic should become commonplaceAt the height of the pandemic, there was hope that lessons learned from this period would provide the foundations for a healthier society. No longer would snotty commuters swap germs on packed trains; if people were ill, they would stay home – or at least wear masks to protect others.Now few people are masking, and I have lost track of the number of friends with “colds” who have happily coughed on me in recent weeks. Rather than “building back better”, the country seems to have reverted to business as usual, circa 2019. Continue reading...

Health and social care secretary’s decision to grant contracts to UK firm Abingdon Health was the subject of litigationA legal challenge to the government’s award of multimillion-pound contracts for lateral flow tests that later failed to gain regulatory approval has been rejected by the high court.The health and social care secretary’s decision to grant three contracts to UK firm Abingdon Health was the subject of litigation by campaigning organisation Good Law Project (GLP), which has brought several cases challenging the way contracts were awarded during the pandemic. Continue reading...

Duvalius djokovici named after tennis champion for qualities including speed and strength, says researcherSerbian scientists have named a new species of beetle after the tennis player Novak Djokovic, Serbian media has reported.The insect, which belongs to the Duvalius genus of ground beetles that are present in Europe, was discovered several years ago in an underground pit in western Serbia. Continue reading...

Research into dopamine-producing cells and rogue proteins among efforts to find far-reaching treatmentIt was while watching University Challenge that the doctor first suspected something wrong with Jeremy Paxman. Normally highly animated, the TV presenter was less effusive and exuberant than usual. He had acquired what specialists in the field call the “Parkinson’s mask”.Paxman was formally diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in hospital after he collapsed while walking his dog and found himself in hospital. There, Paxman recalled in an ITV documentary, the doctor walked in and said: “I think you’ve got Parkinson’s”. For Paxman, at least, the news came out of the blue. Continue reading...

My colleague and friend Tony Davies, who has died aged 90, was an eminent British scientist who conducted research that led to the development of modern immunology.Tony’s work was critical in elucidating the function of the thymus gland and the discovery of T-cells – a type of white blood cell that is central to our immune response. It could be argued that many modern therapies, from cancer immunotherapy to Covid vaccines, would not have been possible without the work of Tony and other immunologists of the 1960s and 70s. Continue reading...

Mensun Bound, who found Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, says question of raising wreck is a ‘hot potato’Ernest Shackleton’s lost ship, Endurance, will “decay out of existence” on the Antarctic seabed unless it is raised and preserved, the archaeologist who discovered the wreck has said.Mensun Bound, who found the vessel in March, said the question of whether it should be hauled out of the freezing waters is a “hot potato” and brings forth a cavalcade of legal and logistical issues. Continue reading...

MSF calls situation ‘very serious’ as east African country grapples with outbreak of Sudan strain of virus, for which no vaccine existsIt seems like a normal day in Mubende, central Uganda. Shops remain open, children are at school and public gatherings are allowed, provided people remain socially distant.The ambulances that whisk past every few hours and the health workers who wash themselves meticulously before they return home are the only indications that it is not business as usual in the densely populated mining district, which is struggling to contain an outbreak of Ebola. Continue reading...

NHS trusts highlight mounting pressures while experts warn of disruption across many different sectorsAs Covid infection levels rise once more in parts of the UK, we take a look at what is behind the new wave, who can get vaccinated, and more. Continue reading...

On 13 September Mahsa Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman, was arrested in Tehran for allegedly violating Iran’s hijab rules. Three days later she was dead. Since then, videos of anti-regime demonstrations and acts of resistance have gone viral – leading the government to block internet access in parts of Tehran and Kurdistan.Madeleine Finlay speaks to Azadeh Akbari about why Mahsa Amini’s death has sparked so much anger, and hears from Alp Toker about how governments and regimes around the world are able to limit internet access.Archive: BBC News, CBS Mornings Continue reading...

Particles breathed by mothers pass to their vulnerable foetuses, with potentially lifelong consequencesToxic air pollution particles have been found in the lungs, livers and brains of unborn babies, long before they have taken their first breath. Researchers said their “groundbreaking” discovery was “very worrying”, as the gestation period of foetuses is the most vulnerable stage of human development.Thousands of black carbon particles were found in each cubic millimetre of tissue, which were breathed in by the mother during pregnancy and then passed through the bloodstream and placenta to the foetus. Continue reading...

Higher obesity risk linked to maternal diet of ultra-processed food is not affected by other lifestyle factors, US researchers sayChildren of mothers who consume ultra-processed foods such as ready meals, sugary cereals and biscuits are more likely to grow up overweight or obese, a study suggests.The link between a mother’s diet and her child’s obesity risk is independent of other lifestyle risk factors, including the child’s own consumption of ultra-processed food, according to the research. The findings are published in the BMJ. Continue reading...

Lung doctor says Gefapixant could be first new treatment for condition to be approved in UK for more than 50 yearsA new drug to treat chronic coughs could be a “gamechanger” treatment for the thousands of Britons who cough uncontrollably, many times a day.Prof Surinder Birring, a leading lung doctor, has led a global trial that found Gefapixant reduces a person’s coughing by up to 60% and brings some relief to 70% of those who take it. Continue reading...

Scientists say behaviour, filmed in South Africa, has never been seen in detail before – and never from the airScientists have published findings confirming that orcas hunt great white sharks, after the marine mammal was captured on camera killing one of the world’s largest sea predators.A pod of killer whales is seen chasing sharks during an hour-long pursuit off Mossel Bay, a port town in the southern Western Cape province, in helicopter and drone footage that informed a scientific study released this week. Continue reading...

SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket with quartet including first Russian to join US space flight since Ukraine invasion to blast off on WednesdayNicole Mann has become the first Native American woman in space as she lifted off in command of a flight to the International Space Station on Wednesday that also included the first Russian to join a US space flight since the invasion of Ukraine.Mann’s journey on the launch vehicle, which consists of a SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket topped with a Crew Dragon capsule named Endurance, took off on schedule at noon from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Continue reading...

Voyage to the Edge of Imagination at the Science Museum uses AI and interactive exhibits to create an immersive experienceScience fiction often taps into preoccupations of the day, from the existential threat of nuclear war to the rise of advanced AI. But when it comes to climate change, humanity is on such a clear trajectory that dystopian fiction is no longer required to picture where we might be heading, according to one of the world’s most celebrated science fiction writers.Speaking before the opening of a science fiction exhibition at London’s Science Museum, Kim Stanley Robinson said now that climate change is a reality rather than a hypothetical “what if?” scenario, writers should turn their imaginations to the question of how a better, fairer world might emerge on the other side. Continue reading...

Researchers say Scleromochlus taylori belonged to species that evolved into giant flying reptilesAfter more than a century of debate, researchers have settled the mystery of a tiny, enigmatic reptile that left an impression on Scottish sandstone nearly a quarter of a billion years ago.The 20cm-long creature, Scleromochlus taylori, was discovered near Elgin in Moray in the early 1900s, but all that remained from a handful of specimens were the natural moulds created in the rock when the fossilised bones dissolved away. Continue reading...

On 4 October 1957, Russia took a lead in the space race when Sputnik 1 became the first human-made object to orbit the EarthRussians’ success: circling world every 95 minutes

Carolyn Bertozzi, Morten Meldal and double winner Barry Sharpless devised way to click molecules togetherThree scientists who fuelled a revolution in chemistry by devising a way to “click” molecules together like Lego bricks, even inside living organisms, have been awarded the 2022 Nobel prize in chemistry.Carolyn Bertozzi, at Stanford University, Morten Meldal, at the University of Copenhagen, and K Barry Sharpless, from Scripps Research in California, were honoured for finding and exploiting elegant and efficient chemical reactions to create complex molecules for the pharmaceutical industry, mapping DNA and making designer materials. Continue reading...

Knowledge-sharing hub in Cape Town reverse engineered the Moderna vaccine, but future of the initiative to reduce inequity remains unsureWhen news broke that scientists had developed an effective vaccine against Covid, Emile Hendricks was living in a deprived suburb of Cape Town and studying for a degree in biotechnology.He thought he and his community would not have access to such a vaccine, or at the very least would be at the back of the queue. Continue reading...

PFAS, now found in nearly all umbilical cord blood around the world, interfere with hormones crucial to testicle developmentA new peer-reviewed Danish study finds that a mother’s exposure to toxic PFAS “forever chemicals” during early pregnancy can lead to lower sperm count and quality later in her child’s life.PFAS – per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances – are known to disrupt hormones and fetal development, and future “reproductive capacity” is largely defined as testicles develop in utero during the first trimester of a pregnancy, said study co-author Sandra Søgaard Tøttenborg of the Copenhagen University hospital. Continue reading...

Research suggests immune response may be cause of delirium and brain fog in Covid patientsSevere Covid infections can cause immune reactions that damage nerve cells in the brain, causing memory problems and confusion, and potentially raising the risk of long-term health issues, research suggests.Scientists at King’s College London found that a wayward immune response to the virus increased the death rate of neurons and had a “profound” impact on regeneration in the hippocampus region of the brain, which is crucial for learning and memory. Continue reading...

The vaccination programme for gay and bisexual men is simply not enough to protect against future outbreaksReports that new health secretary, Thérèse Coffey, has rejected her officials’ expert advice to procure an additional 70,000 doses of monkeypox vaccine are deeply concerning and shortsighted.Less than a month into the role, Coffey is said to have gone against the recommendation of those who have been leading the country’s response, and made a critical decision that leaves the UK vulnerable to future outbreaks of monkeypox.Comments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site. Continue reading...

Its enzymes degrade polyethylene within hours at room temperature and could ‘revolutionise’ recyclingEnzymes that rapidly break down plastic bags have been discovered in the saliva of wax worms, which are moth larvae that infest beehives.The enzymes are the first reported to break down polyethylene within hours at room temperature and could lead to cost-effective ways of recycling the plastic. Continue reading...

Alain Aspect, John F Clauser and Anton Zeilinger win prize for work on phenomenon Einstein described as ‘spooky action at a distance’The 2022 Nobel prize in physics has been won by three researchers for their work on quantum mechanics.Alain Aspect, 75, John F Clauser, 79, and Anton Zeilinger, 77, have won the 10m Swedish kronor (£802,000) prize announced on Tuesday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. All three will receive an equal share of the prize. Continue reading...

Chair Lady Hallett tells families upset their evidence will not be heard directly that they will be ‘at the heart’ of hearingThe bereaved will be “at the heart” of the Covid-19 public inquiry, its chair, Lady Hallett, has pledged at the first public hearing in the investigation into the UK’s handling of the pandemic, which the inquiry’s counsel described as an “unprecedented and vastly difficult undertaking”.Opening the first module to a sprawling inquiry expected to run for several years, Hallett addressed anger from some of the bereaved that their testimonies may not be heard as direct evidence, by saying: “We shall ensure that those most affected, particularly the bereaved, will be properly consulted.” Continue reading...

Vehicle no longer needed for collecting tubes on red planet being put through its paces in English cityA planetary rover potentially destined for missions on the moon or Mars has been put through its paces at a quarry in Milton Keynes.The Sample Fetch Rover (SFR), known as Anon, was intended to collect sample tubes left on the surface of Mars by Perseverance. Continue reading...

As the UK heads into autumn, Covid-19 appears to be surging again. According to official data, 40,650 people tested positive in England in the seven days up to and including 24 September. This was an increase of 42% on the week before. But as we brace for another wave, experts are also concerned about a potential rise in influenza. Ian Sample speaks to Prof Peter Openshaw about the Omicron variant, why we’re at risk of a ‘twindemic’ this year and whether it’s time we all start taking more preventive measuresArchive: 60 Minutes, Sky News, Continue reading...

The remains of Māori people taken by an Austrian taxidermist in 1877 and displayed in a Vienna museum have finally been returnedOn the shorelines of Wellington, the sound of weeping poured out into the thick mist of the city harbour. A procession moved in slow, measured steps. Their heads were bowed and crowned with ferns. At the centre of the group walked 64 people, each cradling a beige cardboard box.Inside those boxes are the remains of their ancestors, stolen in secret from their graves and kept for more than a century in a Viennese museum. The battle for their return has taken 77 years of negotiations, entreaties and diplomacy. At the ceremony on Sunday, each ancestor was carried inside, placed at the entrance to the marae (meeting house) and gently covered by woven blankets and feathered cloaks. The crowd sang, cried and laughed. Continue reading...

The solution to your coffee woes, and other problemsEarlier today I set these puzzles, suggested by the Department of Physics at Oxford University.1. Cuppa conundrum1) Add milk right away, then wait a few minutes before drinking.2) Wait a few minutes, then add milk just before drinking.1) it goes up2) it goes down Continue reading...

Calls for more support after England research shows those diagnosed under 65 also at greater riskPeople who have recently been diagnosed with dementia, or who are diagnosed with the condition at a younger age, are among those at increased risk of suicide, researchers have found. The findings have prompted calls for greater support for those experiencing such cognitive decline.While previous research has explored a potential link between dementia diagnosis and suicide risk, the results have been inconclusive, with some suggesting a raised risk and others a reduced risk.•In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline is at 800-273-8255 or chat for support. You can also text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis text line counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Svante Pääbo receives 2022 award in physiology or medicine for genome discoveries including NeanderthalsA Swedish geneticist has been awarded the 2022 Nobel prize in physiology or medicine.Svante Pääbo won the 10m Swedish kronor (£802,000) prize announced on Monday by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in Stockholm. Continue reading...

Every human brain is different – it’s time to embrace the diversity of our experiencesImagine you and I are walking together along Brighton seafront on a day bathed in sunshine, and we both stop to gaze up at the deep blue sky. It’s a beautiful sight, but are we having the same experience? Do you see the same blue that I see?It’s easy to assume that we do. After all, we both use the word “blue”, and the colour seems to be a property of the sky, not of our minds. But the science of perception – of how the brain interprets sensory information to bring forth objects, people and places – suggests otherwise. Just as we all differ on the outside, it’s likely that our inner experiences differ too. Continue reading...

Poultry farmers from Arctic to Portugal reported 2,500 outbreaks in past year, with migrating birds taking avian flu to North AmericaThe UK and continental Europe have been hit by an “unprecedented” number of cases of avian flu this summer, with 47.7m birds having been culled since last autumn, according to new figures.Poultry producers from as far north as Norway’s Svalbard islands to southern Portugal have together reported almost 2,500 outbreaks of the disease since last year. Continue reading...

How to cool your coffee and other crucial questionsUPDATE: The solutions can be read hereToday’s puzzles have been suggested by he Department of Physics at Oxford university, for reasons that will become clear below.They kick off with a question that could change your life, that is, if you are always burning your mouth on hot coffee.1) Add milk right away, then wait a few minutes before drinking.2) Wait a few minutes, then add milk just before drinking.1) it goes up2) it goes down Continue reading...

Planet is shining brightly and travelling westward – a backward motion that will be reversed on 23 NovemberThe moon draws close to the shining planet of Jupiter this week, making a pretty pairing in the evening sky.The chart shows the view looking south-southeast from London at 2300 BST on 8 October, although the conjunction should be visible from sunset onwards. The moon will be almost full, with 98.7% of its visible surface illuminated. Officially the full moon takes place on 9 October, but to the eye it is going to look almost full until 12 October, when the illuminated percentage falls below 95. Continue reading...

The Pelagothuria natatrix is an extremely rare species of sea cucumber – with a gelatinous body, it spends most of its time swimming

A growing chorus of scientists and philosophers argue that free will does not exist. Could they be right? Continue reading...

This remote part of Scotland, so central to my beginnings, works like a time machine on meWest of Sligachan, the Black Cuillins rise – icebound in the winter and shrouded in cloud. I begin my walk beneath their sentry, Sgùrr nan Gillean, the peak that heralds the start of the dark serrated ridge that coils around the most mysterious of all Scotland’s lochs – Loch Coruisk, whose name means “cauldron of the waters”.This is the Isle of Skye, where you will find all seasons in a single day – blinding snow, pelting rain, snatching wind and sudden, inexplicable sun. And it’s here I like to come to forget myself and to remember who I am. Continue reading...

A new understanding of the fundamental connection between mind and body explains phenomena such as phantom limbs, and has surprising implicationsIn 2018, billionaire Silicon Valley entrepreneur Sam Altman paid a startup called Nectome $10,000 to preserve his brain after he dies and, when the technology to do so becomes available, to upload his memories and consciousness to the cloud.This prospect, which was recently popularised in Amazon Prime’s sci-fi comedy series Upload, has long been entertained by transhumanists. Although theoretically possible, it is rooted in the flawed idea that the brain is separate from the body, and can function without it. Continue reading...

If the Russian president has finally started listening to his military chief, you can bet he’ll soon target all those poorly protected internet cables at the bottom of the sea“Once is happenstance,” wrote James Bond’s creator. “Twice is coincidence. Three times, it’s enemy action.” As European politicians and security agencies ponder the three explosions that caused leaks in the two Nord Stream gas pipelines under the Baltic Sea on Monday, they may find this adage of Ian Fleming’s helpful in resolving their doubts about who was responsible.The strange thing about Putin’s assault on Ukraine was that he clearly hadn’t consulted Valery Gerasimov, the guy who in 2013 had radically reconfigured Russian military doctrine at his behest (and is now chief of the Russian armed forces). Gerasimov’s big idea was that warfare in a networked age should combine the traditional kinetic stuff with political, economic, informational, humanitarian and other non-military activities. This would mean, for example, that before firing a shot, you should first use social media and other network tools to misinform, confuse, polarise and demoralise the population of your adversary. In that way, democratic regimes would find it more difficult to motivate their citizens for combat. Continue reading...

Health leaders urge vaccination and return to mask-wearing as hospitalisations rise by 37 per cent in a weekEvery hospital in the UK is under significant pressure and a new Covid surge is “a very heavy straw on the camel’s back”, health leaders have warned.At least eight hospitals declared a critical incident, cancelled operations or asked people not to come to A&E unless they were seriously ill last week. One of Britain’s most senior emergency doctor said there were links between incidents like these and the rapid rise in hospitalisations for Covid, up nearly 37% in a week to 7,024. While the Office for National Statistics said it was too early to say if an autumn Covid wave had begun, health leaders said ministers need to urgently address staffing shortages. Continue reading...

For too long we’ve dismissed Indigenous knowledge of the natural world. At Sydney’s botanic garden, signage is starting to reflect Aboriginal namesLike all botanic gardens, the Royal Botanic Garden Sydney is a classic artefact of the activities that took place during the colonisation of Australia in the 18th and 19th century.It was established to create a patch of landscape that mirrored those found in the United Kingdom, with the aim of “discovering” and documenting the floral biodiversity of New South Wales (in itself a name reflecting the perspective of those holding power). Continue reading...

Readers respond to an article that argued that the field of physics is too obsessed with discovering new particlesSabine Hossenfelder (No one in physics dares say so, but the race to invent new particles is pointless, 26 September) has missed the point of a big part of particle physics, and indeed fundamental research as a whole. While we’d all like to revolutionise our respective fields by discovering a new particle or otherwise, in reality, winnowing out the impossible – the particles that don’t exist – is an equally important, if painstaking, function of science. Nature has an infinite capacity to surprise, and our scientific forebears learned long ago to take nothing for granted. Every impossibility proved gets us closer to a deeper understanding of the real universe; it’s just as important to know that faster-than-light travel is impossible as it is to understand that light is made up of photons, for instance.It would of course be tremendously tedious to rule out every last outlandish possibility (Hossenfelder’s octopuses on Mars, for example), and so we need a set of principles to guide us on where to look. There is general disagreement about what works best, but many of the hypothetical particles mentioned in the article have been designed with useful functions in mind – breaking cherished principles of the standard model for instance, or adding new features to it. What we’re testing are the principles themselves, not the particles; while some of them might really exist, others are simply straw men to help us formulate useful tests.

Rules will require operators to more quickly dispose of defunct satellites that are endangering spacecraft on active missionsThe US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has voted to adopt new rules to address the growing risks of orbital debris – commonly known as space junk – posing a hazard to extraterrestrial exploration.The government body will give US operators much tighter deadlines to get rid of defunct satellites whizzing uselessly around the planet and getting in the way of spacecraft on active missions. Continue reading...

Sphagnum moss found to drastically slow down rainwater runoff in Peak District ‘outdoor laboratory’ studyA “superhero” moss can significantly reduce the risk and severity of flooding for communities living in downstream areas, researchers have found.Scientists from the conservation group Moors for the Future Partnership who conducted a six-year study into sphagnum moss found that planting it in upland areas could dramatically slow the rate at which water runs off the hillsides, preventing river catchments being inundated with water downstream. Continue reading...

The number of veteran runners is on the up and they’re leaving the times of their predecessors for dust

Ian is one of the five worst hurricanes in America’s recorded history. That’s not a fluke – it’s a tragic taste of things to comeClimate change once seemed a distant threat. No more. We now know its face, and all too well. We see it in every hurricane, torrential rainstorm, flood, heatwave, wildfire and drought. It’s even detectable in our daily weather. Climate disruption has changed the background conditions in which all weather occurs: the oceans and air are warmer, there’s more water vapor in the atmosphere and sea levels are higher. Hurricane Ian is the latest example.Ian made landfall as one of the five most powerful hurricanes in recorded history to strike the US, and with its 150 mile per hour winds at landfall, it tied with 2004’s Hurricane Charley as the strongest to ever hit the west coast of Florida. In isolation, that might seem like something we could dismiss as an anomaly or fluke. But it’s not – it’s part of a larger pattern of stronger hurricanes, typhoons and superstorms that have emerged as the oceans continue to set record levels of warmth.Michael E Mann is presidential distinguished professor of earth and environmental science at the University of Pennsylvania. He is author of The New Climate War: The Fight to Take Back Our PlanetSusan Joy Hassol is director of the non-profit Climate Communication. She publishes Quick Facts on the links between climate change and extreme weather eventsThis article was amended on 1 October 2022 to clarify that Hurricane Ian was a category 1 storm when it hit Puerto Rico, and subsequently strengthened Continue reading...