New research shows the gut of the Zophobas morio beetle larvae contains enzymes capable of breaking down the plastic, which is difficult to recycleBeetle larvae that can shred and eat polystyrene may provide alternative methods of breaking down and upcycling plastic waste, new research suggests.The larvae of Zophobas morio, a species of beetle, are commonly known as superworms and contain several gut enzymes that are capable of digesting polystyrene, Australian scientists have found.Sign up to receive an email with the top stories from Guardian Australia every morning Continue reading...

Japanese innovation thought to have potential to ‘build a new relationship between humans and robots’Japanese scientists have developed a “slightly sweaty” robotic finger covered in living skin in an advance they say brings truly human-like robots a step closer.The finger, which was shown to be able to heal itself, is seen as an impressive technical feat that blurs the line between living flesh and machine. But scientists were divided on whether people would warm to its lifelike anatomy or find it creepy. Continue reading...

Remains suggest spinosaur, a crocodile-faced hunter, measured over 10 metres from snout to tailFossil hunters on the Isle of Wight have unearthed the remains of what may be the largest predatory dinosaur ever found in Europe.Pieces of bone belonging to a massive spinosaur, a two-legged crocodile-faced beast that lived 125m years ago, suggest the land-based hunter measured over 10 metres from snout to tail. Continue reading...

The current outbreak of monkeypox in the UK has reached over 300 cases, according to official figuresThe current outbreak of monkeypox in the UK has reached over 300 cases, according to the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA). Experts, while concerned, have stressed that the risk for the general public remains low.We want to hear from anyone affected by the outbreak, particularly cases and contacts. Do you have any concerns? You can tell us about your experiences below. Continue reading...

European Chemical Agency’s positive assessment for continued sale of substance is flawed, say environmental campaignersEU regulators dismissed key scientific evidence linking glyphosate to rodent tumours in a positive assessment they gave for continued sales of the substance last week, according to a new report by environmental campaigners.Glyphosate is the world’s most widely used weedkiller and its EU relicensing has become a touchstone in a wider battle between environmentalists and agribusiness over the future of farming. Continue reading...

Research suggests a daily glass reduces harmful inflammation by boosting nitric oxide levelsA daily glass of beetroot juice could reduce harmful inflammation in people with coronary heart disease, according to new research.Coronary heart disease is the most common type of heart disease, the most common cause of heart attacks and the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide. Continue reading...

When reports surfaced that Boris Johnson would be announcing the return of imperial measurements to mark the Queen’s platinum jubilee, there was some celebration, consternation, and a lot of confusion. Britain already uses a mix of both imperial and metric, and it is legal to price goods in pounds and ounces if this is displayed alongside the price in grams and kilograms. So what’s really behind this rekindled debate over units? Science editor Ian Sample speaks to author and metrology historian James Vincent about the rise of metric, the enduring political power of measurement, and why it’s unlikely we’ll be getting rid of pints in pubs any time soon.Archive: Good Morning Britain, GB News Continue reading...

Moderna shot is said to produce eightfold increase in antibody levels against Omicron in first four weeksAn updated version of Moderna’s Covid vaccine produces an eightfold increase in antibody levels against the Omicron variant, according to early trial results, raising hopes for a once-a-year booster to protect against the disease.The vaccine is the first “bivalent” formulation to combine protection against Omicron and the original strain of coronavirus, and is the company’s leading candidate for upcoming autumn booster programmes. Continue reading...

Every patient treated with immunotherapy drug went into remission, researchers in New York reportedEvery patient treated for rectal cancer with an experimental immunotherapy drug went into remission, in findings that researchers have hailed as a breakthrough.All 14 patients who were given the new drug, dostarlimab, were found after six months to have no trace of cancer. Researchers at Memorial Sloan Kettering cancer center in New York could find no sign of the disease through physical examination, endoscopies, MRIs or other scans. Continue reading...

Experts hope study can help with reintroducing captive otters into wild to aid conservation effortsOtters are able to learn from each other – but still prefer to solve some puzzles on their own, scientists have found.The semi-aquatic mammals are known to be very social and intelligent creatures, but a study by the University of Exeter has given new insight into their intellect. Continue reading...

From relationships, to sport, to happiness – why data points, not feelings, are a better guide to what worksIntuition is a funny business. Back in the day, you might have thought that making life decisions by blindly following your “gut feeling” was a bad idea and could get you into trouble. But in 2005 along came Malcolm Gladwell’s book Blink, a massive bestseller that made the scientific case for “the power of thinking without thinking”. Split-second decisions, Gladwell argued, are often far better than ones that involve deliberation. Perhaps ironically, the idea that intuition was a good thing was itself quite counterintuitive – and counterintuitive ideas really sell books.But now it’s time for another U-turn. The new book by the economist and ex-Google researcher Seth Stephens-Davidowitz is the anti-Gladwell: it’s about how we can learn from “big data” to help us make better decisions in our lives – and how this often goes against what our intuitions might tell us. Continue reading...

Visitors from select countries will be allowed to return to Japan from Friday but will only be allowed to travel under strict conditions

Injectable, biodegradable technology developed by UK team works as a scaffold to help new tissue growBritish researchers have developed a biodegradable gel to repair damage caused by a heart attack in a breakthrough that could improve the health of millions of survivors worldwide.There are more than 100,000 hospital admissions every year due to heart attacks in the UK alone – one every five minutes. Medical advances mean more people than ever before survive, with 1.4 million Britons alive today after experiencing a heart attack. But hearts have a very limited ability to regenerate, meaning survivors are left at risk of heart failure and other health problems. Continue reading...

Missions will study heliophysics, astrophysics and planetary science phenomena only observable from southern hemisphere, Nasa says

Discrepancy between aesthetic value and extinction vulnerability could have repercussionsThere are plenty of fish in the sea, but “ugly” fish deserve love too, according to a study.The reef fish people rate as most aesthetically pleasing are also the ones that seem to need the least conservation support, while the fish most likely to rank as “ugly” are the most endangered species, the research has found. Continue reading...

CDC warns travelers to avoid contact with sick people, with more than 1,000 cases in at least 29 countriesThe US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has raised its monkeypox alert level and warned travellers to be mindful of approaching sick people, though it also said the risk to the general public remained low.More than 1,000 monkeypox cases have been reported in at least 29 countries and every continent except Antarctica as of Monday. The US has seen 31 cases of the virus in 13 states, including seven in New York and six in California. Continue reading...

Are synthetic chemicals we encounter every day causing us to gain weight? According to a major scientific review authored by dozens of scientists, there is now enough evidence to conclude that they are. Termed ‘obesogens’, these chemicals can be found in food packaging, personal hygiene products, electronics and even water. Madeleine Finlay speaks to environment editor Damian Carrington about how obesogens might be contributing to the global obesity pandemic, what they may be doing to our bodies, and if there’s anything we can do to avoid them.Archive: CBS Mornings, CGTN America, VOA Africa, Channel 4 News Continue reading...

Global La Niña-like conditions could result in more flooding rains in east Australia and bushfires in south-west US

Close human contact only started about 3,500 years ago and birds were initially venerated, find archaeologistsChickens were originally tempted down from the trees and into domestication by rice, according to research.Chicken is one of the most popular foods in the world today, with more than one billion birds slaughtered annually in the UK alone. But researchers at the University of Exeter, the University of Oxford and Cardiff University say in a new study that the birds are actually a relatively new addition to our farms. Continue reading...

Jim Fitton, 66, hoped for short suspended sentence after collecting fragments during archaeology tourLawyers for a British geologist handed a 15-year sentence by an Iraqi judge after being convicted of smuggling antiquities will immediately appeal against the shock verdict, which has left his family “stunned”.Jim Fitton, 66, arrived at court in Baghdad hoping for a short suspended sentence after being charged with collecting fragments from a site in southern Iraq during an organised archaeology tour. Instead, he was found guilty under a Saddam-era law that legal experts should not have applied to the case. Continue reading...

CO2 has not been so high since before hominids walked upright – and are not dropping fast enough to avert catastropheThe level of carbon dioxide in the world’s atmosphere is now more than 50% higher than during the pre-industrial era, further pushing the planet into conditions not experienced for millions of years, well before the emergence of humans, US government data shows.The latest measurements showing the relentless upward march of CO follows scientists’ new warning that the world may still barrel into disastrous climate change even if planet-heating emissions are drastically cut, which governments are still failing to achieve. Continue reading...

Extinction, a new book by Marc Schlossman, explores endangered and extinct species and the factors threatening them through a rare behind the scenes look at one of the most important sets of natural history collections in the world at the Field Museum in ChicagoConservation status chart:VulnerableEndangeredCritically endangeredExtinct Continue reading...

Noctilucent clouds, which glow after sunset, are the highest known clouds in Earth’s atmosphereLate spring/early summer in the northern hemisphere is a good time to look for noctilucent clouds. Roughly translated from Latin, noctilucent means “night shine”, which is a good description of these beautiful cloud formations. They can be seen glowing an electric blue colour against the darkening western sky about 30 minutes after the sun sets.Noctilucent clouds are the highest known clouds in Earth’s atmosphere, existing at an altitude of about 80km, which is virtually the edge of space. The Kármán line, which marks the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space, is defined as being 100km in altitude. Continue reading...

New Zealand scientists ‘jumping up and down’ at find during investigation of climate-induced melt of ice shelfBeneath a vast Antarctic ice shelf, in a cathedral-like cavern hundreds of metres high, are swarms of little shrimp-like creatures in a newly discovered underwater ecosystem that, until recently, had remained an ice-locked secret.A team of scientists from New Zealand discovered the ecosystem 500 metres below the ice in a suspected estuary, hundreds of kilometres from the edge of the Ross Ice Shelf. Continue reading...

Experts say the apparent effects of a weekly dose of tirzepatide are potentially game changingA weekly dose of a diabetes drug appears to lead to significant weight loss in people with obesity, in a development experts have hailed as gamechanging.Obesity causes 1.2 million deaths in Europe each year, according to the World Health Organization, and the UK has one of the worst obesity rates. Continue reading...

Evidence uncovered in Preseli Hills in Pembrokeshire extends known reach further west across BritainThe awe-inspiring beauty of the Preseli Hills and the surrounding wild moorlands have long drawn visitors to north Pembrokeshire in Wales. Now an archaeologist has found evidence that even the Romans were drawn to the area, with the discovery of an ancient road showing they travelled farther west across Britain than previously thought.Dr Mark Merrony, a Roman specialist, tutor at Oxford University and “a native of Pembrokeshire”, said the road had been completely missed. “This thing is just extraordinary. I’m astonished,” he said. Continue reading...

Most of us shy away from life’s hardest decisions. But there are ways to help usPsychology professor Laurence Alison is an expert in how to make decisions, but in the early days of his career, it was all theoretical. Then one day he took a call from “someone very senior”, who described a worrying trend: police chiefs were showing themselves unable, in critical situations, to make crucial choices. “He asked, ‘Is there anything you can do to help?’”There was. Alison – a straight-talking, no-nonsense person – started to translate what he knew from textbooks and turn it into practical advice. “Academic work on decision-making had concentrated on studying how they’re made in theoretical settings,” he says. “But I realised we needed to move it to real-time, lives-on-the-line situations: tsunamis, earthquakes, floods, where chances were, someone was being presented with a situation where almost every choice looked dire. I knew I had something to offer that would make a difference.” Continue reading...

Just as in the flu pandemic of the 19th century, waves of infections in the US and Portugal should remind us that Covid shows no signs of going awayShortly before the first British lockdown, the Italian novelist Francesca Melandri wrote an open letter to the UK describing our soon-to-be coronavirus future. At the time, Melandri had been under lockdown in Rome for three weeks and cemeteries in Lombardy, in northern Italy, had run out of plots to bury the dead. “We are but a few steps ahead of you in the path of time, just like Wuhan was a few weeks ahead of us,” Melandri warned. “You [will] hold the same arguments we did until a short time ago, between those who still say ‘it’s only a flu, why all the fuss?’ and those who have already understood.”Melandri’s predictions proved spot on. As British ICU wards filled with coronavirus patients, some commentators dismissed the measures as a media scare, arguing that Covid-19 was no worse than the 2009 swine flu. Others, grasping the urgency of the situation, offered to get the shopping in for elderly neighbours while cursing panic-buyers and joggers who refused to keep their distance. Continue reading...

Air pollutant nitrogen dioxide may contribute to intensive care admissions, German study findsPeople who contract Covid-19 are more likely to suffer severe symptoms if they have been exposed to air pollution for long periods.A study found that people who live in places where there are high levels of the atmospheric pollutant nitrogen dioxide had higher chances of ending up in intensive care units (ICUs) or of needing mechanical ventilation after they had caught Covid. Continue reading...

The psychologist is known for her work on the criminal mind, but wrote her new book to answer her own questions about her sexualityJulia Shaw is a psychologist at University College London and part of Queer Politics at Princeton University, a thinktank engaged in the research of LGBTQ+ equality and rights. Her new book, Bi: The Hidden Culture, History and Science of Bisexuality, draws on her experiences of being bisexual and her background in the psychological sciences to explore and celebrate a sexual identity she says remains marginalised and forgotten.What led you to begin researching bisexuality and write this book?

Chris Barrie says he hopes common sense will prevail and the TGA will allow drug to be more readily used to treat patients

The positive test was revealed the same day the CDC reported that there have been 21 confirmed cases across the USA fifth person has tested positive for monkeypox in New York City, local health authorities announced on Thursday, saying “we are monitoring the situation and will investigate any other suspected cases”.This positive test was revealed the same day the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that there have been a total of 21 confirmed monkeypox cases across the US in 2022. Continue reading...

Arguing by text often raised as a problem during sessions with counsellors and psychologistsIf you’re the first lady, then having an argument with the US president via text message (or “fexting”, as Jill Biden called it) might keep marital disputes private from the Secret Service, but relationship experts have warned it could make things worse.Biden revealed earlier this week how she and her husband, Joe, discreetly carry on arguments via text message in the White House, but according to relationship experts, arguing by text has become a problem commonly raised in couple’s counselling in recent years. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Focus on human needs must not result in impact on animals being overlooked, say researchersTaking a pet everywhere for emotional support, from aeroplanes to the daily shop, may be all the rage, but experts have warned animal welfare is at risk of being overlooked.The use of emotional support animals has boomed in recent years, with myriad cases hitting the headlines, from the peacock denied a seat on a United Airlines plane, to the cat banned from Sainsbury’s. Continue reading...

Just because you’re getting on a bit, doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be getting some. You just might have to work on a few things. Couples and experts reveal the secret to later-life sexMidlife and beyond is a good time for re-evaluation, and it’s especially true for your sex life. Do you wish you had one? Do you still like it when your partner does that? Do you still like … your partner?“In therapy it’s not unusual to come across couples where the sexual relationship has gone off the boil completely for years, for various reasons,” says Ammanda Major, head of service quality and clinical practice at Relate. “That might be physical, emotional, it might be to do with the relationship. People might be thinking, ‘I’ve got another 20, 30 years perhaps, and I don’t want it to be like this.’” It is, she adds, “never too late” to have a fulfilling sex life. Here, then, is how to keep going for longer. Continue reading...

Study at NHS trust finds no patients were informed of risk of unplanned pregnancy from sugammadexWomen undergoing NHS operations are not being routinely informed that a drug commonly used in anaesthesia may make their contraception less effective, putting them at risk of an unplanned pregnancy, doctors have warned.Administered at the end of surgery before patients wake up, sugammadex reverses the action of drugs that are given earlier in the procedure to relax the patient’s muscles. The drug is known to interact with the hormone progesterone and may reduce the effectiveness of hormonal contraceptives, including the progesterone-only pill, combined pill, vaginal rings, implants and intra-uterine devices. Continue reading...

Study of 250,000 people sought to remove confounding factors such as socioeconomic statusTaller people have an increased risk of peripheral neuropathy, as well as skin and bone infections, but a lower risk of heart disease, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, according to the world’s largest study of height and disease.A person’s height raises and reduces their risk of a variety of diseases, according to the research led by Sridharan Raghavan of the Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center in the US. The findings are published in the journal PLOS Genetics. Continue reading...

Vegetated areas above treeline have increased by 77% since 1984, satellite data showsThe impact of global heating on the Alps is visible from space, with the snow-white mountains increasingly colonised by green plants, according to a study of high-resolution satellite data.Vegetated areas above the treeline in the Alps have increased by 77% since 1984, the study says. While retreating glaciers have symbolised the speed of global heating in the Alpine region, researchers described the increases in plant biomass as an “absolutely massive” change. Continue reading...

Procedure carried out in US on woman with microtia born with small and misshapen right earA woman has had her external ear reconstructed using a 3D-printed living tissue implant in what appears to be the first trial of its kind, according to reports.The technology has been developed for people with microtia, a rare congenital condition in which one or both outer ears are absent or incompletely formed. Continue reading...

Four women describe how UK waiting lists and attitudes to gynaecological symptoms have left them in agonyGynaecology waiting lists have grown by 60% since before the pandemic – a bigger proportion than any other area of medicine, according to the Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.It means that many women with conditions such as endometriosis, prolapse and heavy bleeding can wait more than a year for NHS care in England. Continue reading...

Few of the 23 million Americans with lingering symptoms are getting answers – in this dangerous void, alternative providers and wellness companies have created a cottage industryRobert McCann, a 44-year-old political strategist from Lansing, Michigan, sleeps for 15 hours – and when he wakes up, he still finds it impossible to get out of bed. Sometimes he wakes up so confused that he’s unsure what day it is.McCann tested positive for Covid in July 2020. He had mild symptoms that resolved within about a week. But a few months later, pain, general confusion and debilitating exhaustion returned and never fully left. McCann’s symptoms fluctuated between grin-and-bear-it tolerability and debilitation. After a barrage of doctor’s appointments, MRIs, X-rays, blood work, breathing tests and Cat scans, he had spent more than $8,000 out of pocket – all with no answers. Nearly a year and a half since his symptoms returned, on some days it can take him upwards of three hours to get out of bed. Continue reading...

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will be visible in order of their distance from the sun from FridayAmateur astronomers are preparing for a heavenly treat from Friday as the five planets visible to the naked eye line up in order of their distance from the sun across the pre-dawn sky.For those who can face the early start, and have an unobstructed view of the horizon to the east and south-east, Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, could all be visible before the faintest, Mercury, vanishes in the glare of sunrise. Continue reading...

Bisexuality is the largest sexual minority in the world – but according to psychologist Dr Julia Shaw, it’s the least well understood. She talks to Madeleine Finlay about her new book, Bi, which challenges us to think more deeply about who we are and how we love. She discusses the history of trying to define and measure bisexuality, sexual behaviour in the animal kingdom, and how we can improve health outcomes for bi people. Continue reading...

For Aboriginal people, wellbeing is seen as holistic, with mental health inseparable from connections to family, culture and CountryAboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have thrived in Australia for more than 60,000 years and are among the oldest continuing cultures worldwide. In this time, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander relational ways of being, knowing and doing kept families and communities well and ensured their continual survival for thousands of generations.Due to the devastating impacts of colonisation, and resultant social inequities, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people’s health and wellbeing are significantly lower than other Australians. Continue reading...

Research finds only difference between so-called action-oriented and state-oriented people is confidenceIt’s a trait best seen in the eager pub quizzer – a tendency to leap to an answer without a shadow of a doubt.Now researchers have suggested that while people who have little difficulty making decisions are more confident in their choices, they are no more accurate than those who feel more torn. Continue reading...

ONS figures show that one in five people with long Covid had the infection two years agoTwo million people in the UK are thought to be living with long Covid, data has revealed, the highest figure since official surveys began.While Covid can cause a period of acute illness, some people continue to experience symptoms, such as breathlessness, muscle aches and fatigue, for months or even years – a condition that has been labelled long Covid. Continue reading...

Scientists discover ‘catastrophic’ change in blood cell composition, raising prospect of new therapies to slow ageing processA groundbreaking theory of ageing that explains why people can suddenly become frail after reaching their 70s has raised the prospect of new therapies for the decline and diseases of old age.Researchers in Cambridge discovered a process that drives a “catastrophic” change in the composition of blood in older age, increasing the risk of blood cancers and anaemia, and impairing the effectiveness of white blood cells to fight infection. Continue reading...

The virus’s behaviour in highly vaccinated countries may offer clues to our future with the disease

The latest updates on coronavirus cases, deaths and hospitalisations, using the best available national dataCoronavirus has hit the UK hard for more than two years, with the country recording millions of cases and tens of thousands of deaths linked to the disease. Continue reading...

Scientists have found 3% of the population need less shut-eye than the rest of us. Could I train myself to be one of them?I don’t want to boast or anything, but I have always considered myself something of an elite sleeper. I love sleeping more than just about anything. Given the opportunity, I will sleep for marathon stretches and can snooze through even the most extreme situations. On one very choppy ferry crossing on the notoriously rough route to the Isles of Scilly, for example, my travelling companion spent the entire three-hour ride throwing up in the bathroom while I dozed happily on a plastic chair.Unfortunately, it has come to my attention that I am not an elite sleeper after all. It seems I am just lazy. Or, possibly, a high-functioning narcoleptic. Because, as it turns out, neurologists have been studying actual “elite sleepers” for years and they are defined as the approximately 3% of the population who are biologically programmed to need less sleep than the rest of us. According to a study that came out in March, elite sleepers have rare genetic mutations, which means they can sleep fewer hours than mere mortals without any risk of cognitive decline – excitingly, they could hold the key to a future cure for dementia.Arwa Mahdawi is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...