Latest finding adds to theory that animals, including humans, naturally arrange things in a certain order, even without being able to countBees order numbers in increasing size from left to right, a study has shown for the first time, supporting the much-debated theory that this direction is inherent in all animals including humans.Western research has found that even before children learn to count, they start organising growing quantities from left to right in what has been called the “mental number line”. Continue reading...

Video shows captive Madagascan primates using elongated finger to pick nose and eat the mucusWith its big eyes, bushy tail and sensitive ears, the aye-aye may appear a cute, if quirky, creature. But now researchers have discovered it has a less endearing trait: it uses its long middle finger to pick its nose – and eat the mucus.Aye-ayes are – like humans – primates, but they are nocturnal, endangered and only found in Madagascar. An object of superstition, they have a number of unusual features, including rodent-like teeth and a skinny, elongated finger with a ball-and-socket joint. Continue reading...

Experts find artefacts from ancient empire during restoration of historic site destroyed by Islamic StateArchaeologists in northern Iraq have unearthed 2,700-year-old rock carvings featuring war scenes and trees from the Assyrian empire, an archaeologist has said.The carvings on marble slabs were discovered in Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, where experts have been working to restore the site of the ancient Mashki Gate, which was bulldozed by Islamic State militants in 2016. Continue reading...

The mathematician, writer, presenter and podcast host will be back on our screens fronting Secret Wonders of the Modern World. She explains why, after undergoing treatment for cancer, she has come to see the limits to logicEven before she became a mathematician, Hannah Fry had strived to live her life by logic. Her most memorable fight with her sister when they were teenagers was over “the optimal route” home. She used to say that if there was a nutritionally complete pill to replace food, she would take it.She even came up with a “mathematically informed” seating plan for her wedding, crunching factors such as age, political persuasion and predicted alcohol consumption to decide which guests should share a table. Continue reading...

Jumble of rocks in far-flung locations help researchers work out how big and how far-reaching impact would have beenAny dinosaur that survived the Chicxulub asteroid impact 66m years ago then faced a mega-tsunami that washed around the entire world and began as a mile-high wave, a study shows.It is no surprise that a 14km-wide asteroid slamming into the Gulf of Mexico would generate one hell of a tsunami but this is the first time anyone has worked out how big and how far-reaching it would have been. Continue reading...

My friend Donald Pigott, who has died aged 94, was the last surviving founding professor of Lancaster University, and as a plant ecologist was influential in setting up the National Vegetation Survey in the 1970s, the first detailed classification of the range of plant species and their distribution within the vegetation types of the British Isles. The results were published in five volumes between 1991 and 2000, and have formed the basis for many other ecological studies.Donald was born in Sutton, Surrey, to John, a tea importer, and his wife, Helen (nee Lee). His mother taught him to recognise many plant species from an early age, and at Mill Hill school in north London, which was evacuated to Cumbria in the second world war, he developed a fascination with the countryside. Continue reading...

Many in my field are struggling. I value this work, but when my day ends I feel heavyA few weeks ago, I took two weeks of unplanned sick leave. It was nothing dramatic, just a creep of symptoms so slow I didn’t notice them, until suddenly, I did. Bad sleep, nightmares about violent clients, fatigue, poor appetite and concentration. For the past three years, I’ve felt like a bunch of overcooked spaghetti, repeatedly tossed at a wall. Most often, I stick – valiantly – but this time I slid right off.When I went back to work and spoke to colleagues about it, there were many nods. We started talking about how we felt, beyond the superficial and safe banalities of “tired” or “busy”. Since then, I’ve had many conversations with therapist friends and colleagues across the globe. The echoes are the same – tired, busy, exhausted, dropping caseloads, leaving the profession, reducing clinical work, indulging escape fantasies, re-training. Continue reading...

Skygazers able to see phenomenon on Tuesday morning, with best views in most northerly areasA partial eclipse of the sun has ended after the sun was blocked out on Tuesday as the moon passed between it and the Earth.Skygazers across the UK were able to see the phenomenon, with those in northern Scotland expected to enjoy good views. Continue reading...

World Health Organization identifies priority pathogens of greatest threat to public health as diseases grow resistant to antifungal treatmentsHealth-threatening fungi are spreading in geographic range due to climate change, while some fungal diseases spiked during the Covid-19 pandemic, according to authors of a newly released World Health Organization report.On Tuesday the WHO published its first ever list of fungal priority pathogens, cataloguing 19 organisms that experts identified as being of the greatest threat to public health.Sign up for our free morning newsletter and afternoon email to get your daily news roundup Continue reading...

Cats more responsive if owners speak to them like babies but less so if adult-to-adult tone used, study claimsAny cat owner knows that the correct way to get their pet’s attention is to sing “here, kitty kitty”, rather than utter a flat “come here cat”. Now research suggests cats may routinely tune into their owner’s tone of voice to detect when they are talking to them, rather than to other humans.Most people automatically adopt a higher-pitched, sing-song tone when speaking to animals and human infants. Although previous research has suggested that such “baby-talk” is more likely to capture dogs’ attention, less was known about how cats react to being spoken to in this way. Continue reading...

Researchers have successfully transplanted human neurons into the brains of rats. The recent, groundbreaking study described how the human cells took root inside the rat brains, hooked up to their blood supplies and tapped into neural circuitry. Rather than create a kind of super-rat, the ultimate aim is to better understand neuropsychiatric disorders such as epilepsy and schizophrenia, and examine the effects of drugs in real time.But do the potential benefits outweigh the ethical questions that come with combining human cells with other animals? Ian Sample speaks to Prof Julian Savulescu about how the scientists managed to transplant the neurons, what this means, and how we decide where to draw the line in such an ethically complex field of researchArchive: ABC7 News Bay Area Continue reading...

Researchers found the RSV and influenza viruses fused together to form a new type of virus pathogenTwo common respiratory viruses can fuse to form a hybrid virus capable of evading the human immune system, and infecting lung cells – the first time such viral cooperation has ever been observed.Researchers believe the findings could help to explain why co-infections can lead to significantly worse disease for some patients, including hard-to-treat viral pneumonia. Continue reading...

Analysis of oldest DNA in Britain from pair of individuals unexpectedly shows two distinct ancestriesBritain was home to at least two genetically distinct groups of humans at the end of the last ice age, the oldest human DNA from the UK has revealed.About 19,000 years ago, ice sheets that had covered much of Britain were melting and the landscape once again became habitable to humans. Evidence of their return dates back to about 15,500 years ago. These early groups crossed now submerged land that once connected Britain to mainland Europe. Continue reading...

Two Just Stop Oil protesters have smeared cake on a Madame Tussauds waxwork of King Charles, quoting the monarch: 'In the words of the King, the science is clear.' They went on to say: 'The demand is simple, just stop new oil and gas, it's a piece of cake. The stunt was part of a series of protests organised by the environmental activist group Continue reading...

Our Future Health project to recruit 3m people to share health records, give blood samples and have DNA analysedA project to diagnose and treat diseases early – or even prevent them from developing – has been launched in the UK, with 3 million people to be invited to take part this autumn.The project, called Our Future Health, will eventually recruit 5 million or more people from all walks of life, with participants sharing their health records and giving blood samples, as well as having their weight, blood pressure and cholesterol measured, and their DNA analysed. Continue reading...

From the UK, a maximum of about 15% of the sun’s surface will be blacked by the moon on TuesdayA partial solar eclipse visible from the UK will take place on Tuesday. It will be visible from most of Europe, north Africa, the Middle East and western parts of Asia, but nowhere will there be a total solar eclipse.From London, the eclipse begins at 10.08am BST. Over the next 50 minutes, the silhouette of the moon will slip across the top left-hand limb of the sun. At 10.59am, the maximum eclipse will occur, with 15.17% of the sun’s surface blacked by the moon. This will not result in any noticeable difference to daytime illumination levels. Continue reading...

Naturalist penned document in response to request for sample of his handwriting to reprint in magazineA rare manuscript containing a passage from Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species is to be sold at auction in November.The document, which is expected to fetch between £530,000 and £700,000, is said to be the most significant autograph manuscript by Darwin to have appeared at auction. Continue reading...

The thrill of a frightening film can feel euphoric – and mild horror, say researchers, can also help foster lasting psychological resiliencePalms sweat, heartbeat quickens, muscles tense. Your skin prickles and stomach churns. When fear subsides, we can be left with feelings of pleasure. Is this just the relief of having survived – or is it something more? Continue reading...

Push back the sofa and roll out your mat for Hatha yoga sessions in your front roomYoga studios had a tough pandemic. Just as the public’s interest in yoga reached an all-time peak, in-person classes – with all that close bodily proximity and deep breathing – came to an abrupt stop. But a new paradigm emerged almost overnight: coffee tables were pushed aside for yoga mats and this ever-evolving form with its roots in the ascetic practices of medieval India entered the Zoom world. Teachers grappled with video conferencing and online payments, while students figured out how to use the mute button to stop the kids’ Fortnite sessions from interrupting everyone’s savasana.Yoga, it turned out, was coming home. A whopping 91% of yoga students and 86% of teachers continued their classes from home, more than double the number who had ever tried an online class before. Two and a half years on, there’s a new normal. Many studios have reopened and, much like office life, yoga has settled into a hybrid pattern that combines in-person and at-home practice. But look closer and it isn’t so new at all. Continue reading...

Many sportswomen say menstruation affects their performance, but researchers and companies hope to turn period woes into medalsIt should have been a show of British sporting dominance when Dina Asher-Smith and Daryll Neita made it to the 100-metre final of the European Championships in August. Then, unexpectedly, Asher-Smith pulled up and Neita was not quick enough for the gold, both because of cramps. Later, Asher-Smith revealed hers to be a symptom of her period and shared her frustration at its impact on her sport. If it were a men’s issue, she argued, it would have been fixed by now.It is a feeling shared by many fellow athletes and coaches, including Chelsea FC’s manager, Emma Hayes. “Once a month for potentially up to around five days, many female players have an event that can cause significant distress and impact heavily on their performance,” she wrote in the Telegraph earlier this year. “Athletes deserve a greater understanding of the array of symptoms that can crop up.” Continue reading...

Despite encouraging survey, scientists warn of emergence of serious variant, leading to parallel epidemicBritain’s current wave of Covid-19 cases appears to be peaking at a lower level than previous outbreaks of the Omicron variant of the disease, researchers have revealed.The news is encouraging – though scientists have also warned that a further wave of the disease could sweep the nation before the end of the year. “We need to be vigilant and monitor the data with great care, all the time,” said Professor Mark Woolhouse, of Edinburgh University. Continue reading...

New medicines will be made available across the country to end regional disparitiesThe NHS believes it will prevent all new cases of HIV by 2030 after signing a series of deals to ensure new medicines are available across England to end regional disparities.People with HIV have access to injectable forms of cabotegravir and rilpivirine, and those with drug-resistant infections will be able to receive fostemsavir after it was approved last week. Continue reading...

When the oncologist and bestselling author of The Gene found himself drowning in a tide of sadness, he instinctively looked to cells for an explanation. Did the answers lie in the brain?In the spring of 2017, I was overwhelmed by the most profound wave of depression that I have ever experienced. I use the word “wave” deliberately: when it finally burst on me, having crept up slowly for months, I felt as if I were drowning in a tide of sadness I could not swim past or through. Superficially, my life seemed perfectly in control – but inside, I felt drenched in grief. There were days when getting out of bed, or even retrieving the newspaper outside the door, seemed unfathomably difficult. Simple moments of pleasure – my child’s funny drawing of a weeping shark (“Do the tears go up like bubbles, or just mingle into the saltwater?”) – seemed locked away in boxes, with all their keys thrown into the depths of the ocean.Why? I could not tell. Part of it, perhaps, was coming to terms with my father’s death a year before. In the wake of his passing, I had thrown myself manically back to work, neglecting to give myself time and space to grieve. Some of it was confronting the inevitability of ageing. I was at the edge of the last years of my 40s, staring into what seemed like an abyss. My knees hurt and creaked when I ran. An abdominal hernia appeared out of nowhere. The poems I could recite from memory? I would now have to search my brain for words that had gone missing (“I heard a Fly buzz – when I died – / The Stillness in the Room / Was like” … um … like what?). I was becoming fragmented. It wasn’t my skin that had begun to sag, but my brain. I heard a fly buzz. Continue reading...

Can you teach an old dog new tricks? Animal lovers describe what it’s like to care for an extremely talented animalWe bought Dexter as a puppy. He was an adorable bundle of energy, a pure-breed Brittany spaniel. My husband, two children and I fell in love with him straight away. We’d lost an elderly dog the year before, and had rescued another, who we tragically had to put to sleep. It devastated us. So we poured our love into Dexter. Continue reading...

Unlike previous waves fuelled by variants such as Alpha and Delta, the picture now is more complexAs the UK rides a new wave of Covid, we take a look at the variants causing infections, and what the future may hold. Continue reading...

After James Corden was accused of being ‘nasty’, psychologists explain why rudeness doesn’t payWhether it is clicking their fingers at the waiter, talking loudly on their phone or letting the kids go feral, there are few things as unappealing as a rude dining companion in a restaurant.But mistreating the staff is perhaps the cardinal sin of eating out, and has long been seen as indicative of a poor character. And this week, the talkshow host James Corden has found himself in hot water after such an allegation. Continue reading...

Many Australians living overseas wanted or needed to return – yet we made it impossibly difficult for tens of thousands of people

After decades of argument, psychologists finally seem to agree on the ‘facial feedback hypothesis’It won’t bring sunshine to the darkest days, but those in need of a little cheer may want to extend the corners of their lips towards their ears and lift their cheeks towards their eyes – using only their facial muscles, mind.After decades of argument and counter-argument, psychologists have apparently agreed that arranging one’s features into the shape of a smile helps brighten the mood. In other words, if you want to feel a little happier, try looking a little happier first. Continue reading...

‘Very small’ number of cases reported at Manston airfield, where about 3,000 people are staying in tentsThere has been an outbreak of diphtheria at an asylum seeker processing centre at a former MoD site in Kent.The Home Office refused to confirm the number of cases of diphtheria at Manston – an airfield in Ramsgate providing tented accommodation for about 3,000 people who have arrived in the UK on small boats – but said the number was “very small”. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Documents seen by Guardian detail effort to refute scientific research into paraquat and derail nomination of key EPA adviserFor decades, Swiss chemical giant Syngenta has manufactured and marketed a widely used weed-killing chemical called paraquat, and for much of that time the company has been dealing with external concerns that long-term exposure to the chemical may be a cause of the incurable brain ailment known as Parkinson’s disease.Syngenta has repeatedly told customers and regulators that scientific research does not prove a connection between its weedkiller and the disease, insisting that the chemical does not readily cross the blood-brain barrier, and does not affect brain cells in ways that cause Parkinson’s. Continue reading...

Last week, a scientific assessment found wildlife populations have plunged by an average of 69% in just under 50 years. Such rapid and significant losses are leaving many of us with a deep sense of grief and anxiety. To make sense of these emotions and channel them into action, people are increasingly performing rituals and commemorative acts for the natural world.Madeleine Finlay speaks to Prof Claire White about the power of rituals in bringing us together to process grief, and hears from author Andri Magnason about why he wrote a eulogy for Okjökull, the first Icelandic glacier officially lost to the climate crisisArchive: BBC News, CBS Mornings Continue reading...

Pictures attract most attention initially, but a profile’s text and information given is also importantWhen swiping through online dating profiles, the same topics come up with alarming regularity: Sunday roasts, pineapple on pizza and a love of travel being but a few.But rather than sticking with the crowd, the use of metaphor and personal information is more likely to land you a date, research suggests. Continue reading...

Organisers appeal to public for help tracking down ice age relics that were once subject of fascinationIt was about 450,000 years ago that a glacier from Wales scattered hundreds of large boulders over what is now Bromsgrove and south-west Birmingham.These ice age relics, some the size of a small car, became mini tourist attractions in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, attracting visitors from across the country in their best clothes who posed in front of them for photographs. Continue reading...

Modellers say those within 4km of an infected piggery potentially vulnerable, meaning 740,546 people at risk of mosquito-borne virus

Analysis of remains found in southern Siberia shows interconnecting web of relationshipsThe first snapshot of a Neanderthal community has been pieced together by scientists who examined ancient DNA from fragments of bone and teeth unearthed in caves in southern Siberia.Researchers analysed DNA from 13 Neanderthal men, women and children and found an interconnecting web of relationships, including a father and his teenage daughter, another man related to the father, and two second-degree relatives, possibly an aunt and her nephew. Continue reading...

Nikon Small World is widely regarded as the leading forum for recognising the art, proficiency and photographic excellence involved in photomicrography, or the art of photography through a light microscope. Each year, the competition attracts hundreds of vivid pictures revealing details of a world unseen by the naked eye. Founded in 1975, this year’s entries numbered almost 1,300 and were drawn from 72 countries

Scientists find people with ERAP2 variant survived 14th-century plague at much higher ratesScientists have identified genetic traits that determined who survived the Black Death more than 700 years ago, but which are today associated with an increased susceptibility to some autoimmune diseases.The study of centuries-old DNA from victims and survivors of the bubonic plague that occurred in the 14th century found that people with what the scientists describe as a “good” variant of a particular gene, known as ERAP2, survived at much higher rates. Continue reading...

Researchers discover some humans produce certain chemicals tied to smell that mosquitoes find attractiveA new study finds that some people really are “mosquito magnets” and it probably has to do with the way they smell.The researchers found that people who are most attractive to mosquitoes produce a lot of certain chemicals on their skin that are tied to smell. And bad news for mosquito magnets: they stay loyal to their favorites over time. Continue reading...

Biotech firm’s data shows stronger immune response to Omicron than original vaccine three months after being givenThe updated Covid booster from Moderna produces a stronger immune response to the Omicron variant than the firm’s original vaccine three months after being given, according to data from the US biotech.The company said the findings indicated the “superior” immune response triggered by the booster was durable and should provide “important protection” against Covid in the months leading up to the winter. Continue reading...

Video of girl struggling to breathe is circulating online, with claims family’s pleas for help were ignoredReports that a 16-year-old girl has died in a Covid quarantine centre after pleas from her family for medical help were ignored have caused anger in China, where ongoing tight pandemic controls have started to take their toll on a weary population.Videos of the girl have spread across Chinese social media in the last 24 hours. The distressing footage, which the Guardian has not been able to independently verify, shows the teenager ill, struggling to breathe and convulsing in a bunk bed at what is purported to be a quarantine centre in Ruzhou, Henan province. Continue reading...

Test created by UCL and Innsbruck University also detects DNA markers for breast, womb and ovarian cancerScientists have developed a more accurate test for cell changes that can lead to cervical cancer.The revolutionary test can also pick up DNA markers for some other common cancers, meaning that it could in future be used as a predictive test for breast, womb, cervical and ovarian cancer. Continue reading...

Scientists in the Maldives were only able to reach the rose-veiled fairy wrasse by using specialised diving gearAround the Maldives, between 40 and 70 metres (130-230ft) beneath the Indian Ocean, there are flickering shoals of brightly coloured, finger-length fish that never venture up to the coral reefs at the surface.The rose-veiled fairy wrasse (Cirrhilabrus finifenmaa) is one of many species that deep-diving scientists have found in the mesophotic (or twilight) zone, which lies between the sunlit shallows and the dark, deep ocean. It extends about 150 metres down and contains its own distinct mix of species.

Artist Siobhán McDonald will turn recordings into an acoustic installation exploring humanity’s impact on the oceanAn expedition of scientists and an artist is deploying underwater microphones in the ocean off Greenland to record and preserve the soundscape of melting icebergs.The hydrophones will record sounds every hour for two years before being collected, harvested for data and the recordings turned into an acoustic composition. Continue reading...

Analysis of Arctic lake suggests viruses and bacteria locked in ice could reawaken and infect wildlifeThe next pandemic may come not from bats or birds but from matter in melting ice, according to new data.Genetic analysis of soil and lake sediments from Lake Hazen, the largest high Arctic freshwater lake in the world, suggests the risk of viral spillover – where a virus infects a new host for the first time – may be higher close to melting glaciers. Continue reading...

Magic mushrooms are no magic cure for society’s ills, and a substance as powerful as psychedelics can be dangerous if it falls into the wrong handsPsychedelic therapies are receiving unprecedented financial and political support – and much of it comes from the right. Peter Thiel has invested extensively in the emerging psychedelic therapeutic industry. Jordan Peterson is a psilocybin fan. In 2018, the Mercer Foundation donated $1m to the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (Maps), the leading US psychedelics research organization, for studies of MDMA treatment of PTSD in veterans.The Mercer family also supports the American right wing and climate crisis denial. They’re a long way from Woodstock – but Maps and some other psychedelic advocates seem glad for any support they can get.Ross Ellenhorn is a sociologist, psychotherapist and author and the founder and CEO of Ellenhorn. His new book, Purple Crayons: The Art of Drawing a Life, is out on 1 November. Dimitri Mugianis is a harm reductionist, activist, musician, poet, writer, and anarchist, with over two decades of experience as a psychedelic practitioner. Ellenhorn and Mugianis are the founders of Cardea Continue reading...

Dr Paul McCrory is a world-renowned concussion expert whose work shaped concussion policy across global sport for the past 20 years. In his work, and through his role on the influential Concussion in Sport Group, McCrory had previously adopted a sceptical view on the link between concussions and chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) – a progressive brain condition whose symptoms are similar to Alzheimer’s disease.Last week, the British Journal of Sports Medicine (BJSM) retracted nine of his articles and attached an ‘expression of concern’ to another 74. In an editorial, the BJSM, and its publisher, BMJ, stated that ‘their trust in McCrory’s work –specifically the articles that he has published as a single author – is broken’.Ian Sample speaks to senior sports writer Andy Bull about how the scandal unfolded, what it could mean for players and what is likely to happen nextArchive: BBC News, 5 News Continue reading...

Researchers find uterine cancer risk more than two and a half times higher for women who used straightening productsHair-straightening products may significantly increase the risk of developing uterine cancer among those who use them frequently, a large study published on Monday suggests.“We estimated that 1.64% of women who never used hair straighteners would go on to develop uterine cancer by the age of 70, but for frequent users, that risk goes up to 4.05%,” the study leader, Alexandra White of the US National Institute of Environmental Health Safety (NIEHS), said in a statement. Continue reading...

The solutions to today’s questionsEarlier today I set you these three problems from Nick Berry’s fabulous DataGenetics blog. Nick died last week aged 55, as I wrote about in the original post.1. No-zero heroesIf he selects two odd numbers, the absolute difference between two odd numbers is always an even number. What has happened is that the quantity of odd numbers remaining has been reduced by two.If he selects two even numbers, the absolute difference between a pair of even numbers is also even. The quantity of odd numbers remaining stays the same.If he selects an odd and an even number, the absolute difference between this pair is odd. We lost one odd number, but gained a new one, so the quantity of odd numbers remaining stays the same. Continue reading...

Research finds participants’ recall of certain material decreased after being played audio while asleepPlaying sounds while you slumber might help to strengthen some memories while weakening others, research suggests, with experts noting the approach might one day help people living with traumatic recollections.Previous work has shown that when a sound is played as a person learns an association between two words, the memory of that word association is boosted if the same sound is played while the individual sleeps. Continue reading...

The status quo puts the onus on parents to monitor what their children are engaging with when they log on – which puts a lot of strain on us mortalsLast week, my six- and three-year-olds kept singing some irritating song with a repeated “diggity-dog” and butt wiggle in it. Was that from school? I asked. Oh no, from something on the iPad. Somehow, they’d navigated there from another app I’d approved. And I, of course, had no idea, because my head was under two pillows, a small puddle of drool accumulating on the sheet as I willed myself back to sleep for just another 20 minutes.“Do you know dolphins sleep with half their brain awake?” my first-grader told me, recently, after a trip to the museum.Sophie Brickman is a contributor to the New Yorker, the New York Times and other publications, and the author of Baby, Unplugged: One Mother’s Search for Balance, Reason, and Sanity in the Digital Age Continue reading...