More than a mile beneath the Pacific Ocean, is a seascape of oddly shaped corals and a glass sponge named after ETIn 2017, on a submerged volcano a mile and a half underwater in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, a team of scientists were left gasping in wonder at a scene they called the “forest of the weird”.Instead of trees, the forest was made up of oddly shaped corals, including some that resembled frizzy bottlebrushes (Rhodaniridogorgia) and others that were flattened and harp-shaped (Narella) with leggy, pink brittlestars, relatives of starfish, wrapped around their branches. Continue reading...

Recalling the experience almost one year later, the actor admits ‘everything I had expected to see was wrong’William Shatner expected he would achieve the “ultimate catharsis” after his historic flight into space. Instead, the voyage left him filled with grief, an “overwhelming sadness” and a newfound appreciation for the beauty of Earth, the Star Trek actor has said.“My trip to space was supposed to be a celebration; instead, it felt like a funeral,” an excerpt from his book Boldly Go: Reflections on a Life of Awe and Wonder, published by Variety, reads. Continue reading...

Back in April this year, Tesla chief executive Elon Musk signed a $44bn (£40bn) takeover agreement for Twitter. But, in July, the world’s richest man said he was walking away from the controversial deal, arguing Twitter has more spam accounts than it claims. Then, last week, Musk offered to complete the acquisition in a dramatic U-turn. So what might happen next?Ian Sample talks to the Guardian’s global technology editor, Dan Milmo, about why Musk wants to own the social media platform, hears about the twists and turns of the saga so far, and finds out if the takeover is ever likely to happenArchive: Fox News, NBC News, Yahoo Finance, MSNBC, Financial Times, BBC News Continue reading...

My mother epitomises cancer ward optimism – and it shines amid all the world’s illsSixteen months ago, my mother – riddled with cancer – was told she had two months to live.I raced to Sydney at the onset of her illness and have been her carer since. Over these months she’s endured radiotherapy, chemotherapy and now the doctors giving up on therapy at the same time world events have weathered all of us. I reached my mother’s house just in time for us to be confined together for Sydney’s long pandemic lockdown. Mum herself caught coronavirus during a brief stay on a cancer ward. Then my partner and I caught the wretched virus and were cut off from her, trapped with it at home. Continue reading...

Scientists ditch plans to develop nasal spray version of Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine in its current formHopes of distributing the Oxford/AstraZeneca Covid vaccine as a nasal spray have been dealt a blow after researchers said it performed poorly in its first clinical trial.The underwhelming results have led scientists to abandon plans to develop the spray in its current form, with hopes now resting on different formulations of the vaccine and more complex delivery devices, such as nebulisers that can deliver medicines deep into the lungs. Continue reading...

If the hydrogen-gobbling, methane-producing microorganisms existed, they would have caused their own demiseAncient Mars may have had an environment capable of harboring an underground world teeming with microscopic organisms, French scientists reported on Monday. But if they existed, these simple life forms would have altered the atmosphere so profoundly that they triggered a Martian Ice Age and snuffed themselves out, the researchers concluded.The findings provide a bleak view of the ways of the cosmos. Life – even simple life like microbes – “might actually commonly cause its own demise”, said the study’s lead author, Boris Sauterey, now a post-doctoral researcher at Sorbonne University. Continue reading...

A selection of significant moments during the agency’s space exploration and research are captured in the book Out of this World – Historic Milestones in Nasa’s Human Space Flight by Bill Schwartz Continue reading...

Covid has led to pandemic fatigue, but for both humanitarian and self-interested reasons, global governments must helpEbola is one of those diseases you’d rather not know about. It has a high mortality rate, often over 50%, and while the symptoms start with a fever and headache, in the latter stages, the body internally bleeds to death. Because it’s spread through body fluids, such as an infectious person’s blood, vomit, urine, saliva, sweat or semen, it’s not as infectious as respiratory pathogens such as Covid-19, which spread through air. Those most at risk of Ebola are healthcare workers and family members caring for their sick loved ones.Uganda is currently battling one of its largest outbreaks of Ebola. The Ugandan outbreak is caused by the Sudan strain of the virus, for which there are no approved vaccines or treatments. This is why the new outbreak is particularly concerning public health experts. As with Covid-19, the race is now on to find an effective vaccine: there are two potential candidates from GSK and Oxford, and clinical trials are being launched in the middle of this outbreak.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of EdinburghDo you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 300 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at guardian.letters@theguardian.com Continue reading...

Scientists of color are disrupting the rules of historically colonial institutions in Stem and academia. For Earyn McGee, that means engaging with her public through games

Red planet will make an interesting triangle with the red giant stars Aldebaran and BetelgeuseThis week it is Mars’s turn to receive a visit from the moon. After last week’s full moon, Earth’s natural satellite is now in its waning phases. It is rising later and later, with less and less of its visible surface illuminated.When it meets Mars this week on 15 October, 74.8% of its visible surface will be illuminated by the sun. Mars will be its usual baleful red colour, and will make an interesting triangle with the red giant stars Aldebaran in Taurus, the bull, and Betelgeuse in Orion, the hunter. Continue reading...

Svante Pääbo deserves his accolade – palaeogenetics is an expanding field that tells us who we areThe Neanderthals have won a Nobel prize. Well, almost. Even if most people haven’t heard of Svante Pääbo, the Swedish geneticist whose work on ancient genomes and human evolution has landed him with 2022’s award for physiology or medicine, or the exact science behind palaeogenomics and ancient DNA, they certainly have heard of Neanderthals.Honouring his contribution to building this incredibly vibrant field of palaeogenomics, the award is much deserved: you need vision, persistence and pioneering methods to recover and sequence immensely old, fragile genetic material. But it’s also a recognition of the astonishing revelations about our deep history that have come from palaeogenomics, which holds many untapped secrets about who we are today, including settling the long-debated question of whether Neanderthals and Homo sapiens ever encountered each other and, let’s say, “warmed up” those icy tundra nights (the answer is yes, many times).Rebecca Wragg Sykes is an archaeologist and author of Kindred: Neanderthal Life, Love, Death and Art Continue reading...

Dame Kate Bingham says former health secretary aggressively questioned her competence in front of cabinetThe leader of Britain’s successful Covid vaccination programme has accused Matt Hancock of aggressive political grandstanding during the pandemic that left her “stuck to the ceiling with fury”.Dame Kate Bingham, the head of the UK’s vaccine taskforce, said the former health secretary conducted an “extraordinary ambush” in a meeting in June 2020 and questioned her competence in front of cabinet colleagues and civil servants, despite having a “friendly” conversation beforehand. Continue reading...

Latour’s work on how humanity perceives the climate emergency won praise around the worldThe French thinker Bruno Latour, known for his influential research on the philosophy of science has died aged 75.Latour was considered one of France’s most influential and iconoclastic living philosophers, whose work on how humanity perceives the climate emergency won praise and attention around the world. Continue reading...

The children’s author, who lived through the Troubles, believes that kids should be taught to seek peace from an early ageOliver Jeffers doesn’t just hate conflict. He abhors it. And that is why the prize-winning children’s author and illustrator, who grew up in Belfast during the Troubles, thinks parents have a responsibility to teach their children about it. “Children are future adults. I think if we walk on eggshells or tiptoe around subjects – tell them ‘everything is perfect, life is rosy’ – people will walk into the same failures that humans have been making for time eternal,” he says.Parents need to find a way to talk to their children about war and other types of political and social conflict, he says. “I think it’s their responsibility to do that. But from the perspective of: conflict doesn’t accomplish very much.” Continue reading...

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...