Findings published in the journal Current Biology contribute to ongoing debate about empathy among animalsFor humans, the first instinct would be to disinfect it and then cover it with a bandage.But chimpanzees have invented a more creative method: catching insects and applying them directly to the open wound. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample and produced by Madeleine on (#5VX6P)
Late in November, the World Health Organization designated the Covid variant B.1.1.529, with its many mutations, as a variant of concern. Dubbed Omicron, within weeks it had rapidly spread across the globe and become the dominant variant. But not far behind has been its even more transmissible cousin, BA.2. Initially taking off in Denmark and India, BA.2 is now making headway in several countries around the world, including the US and UK.Ian Sample speaks to Prof Nick Loman about how worried we should be about BA.2, and what we still need to learn about this new subvariantArchive: DW News, WION Continue reading...
Rhesus macaques in Puerto Rico appear to have aged by about two years more than expectedMonkeys that survived a devastating hurricane in Puerto Rico were prematurely aged by the experience, a study has found.Scientists say the findings suggest that an increase in extreme weather around the world may have negative biological consequences for the humans and animals affected. Continue reading...
Level of maths anxiety within same school or classroom found to predict individuals’ maths achievementIf the thought of fractions or differential equations makes you break you out in a cold sweat, you are not alone. Maths anxiety – a negative emotional reaction to mathematics – is a global phenomenon, hampering maths achievement regardless of where people live, research has found.It’s not only a child’s own maths anxiety that affects their performance but that of their peers: the largest and most culturally diverse study to date shows that in about half of countries, including England, the average level of maths anxiety within the same school or classroom predicts individual students’ maths achievement, independently of their own anxiety levels. Continue reading...
Research by Venice student uncovers evidence explorer may have been father of woman called AgneseA researcher in Venice has found evidence revealing that Marco Polo had a daughter out of wedlock.Agnese is believed to have been born between 1295, the year the merchant and explorer returned to Venice after more than two decades travelling through Asia, and 1298, the year he was imprisoned in Genoa for his involvement in a naval conflict between the two cities. Continue reading...
The answers to today’s puzzlesInspired by the success of Wordle, earlier today I set you these three word puzzles that also test lexical ingenuity and pattern-spotting skills.I also said I’d tell you what my Wordle starting word is. See below. Continue reading...
After a crash, Michel Roccati lost all movement in his legs – but his new implants mean he can now ride a bikeA man who was paralysed in a motorcycle accident in 2017 has regained the ability to walk after doctors implanted electrodes in his spine to reactivate his muscles.Michel Roccati lost all feeling and movement in his legs after the crash that severed his spinal cord, but can stand and walk with electrical stimulation that is controlled wirelessly from a tablet. Continue reading...
Play these ones by the letterUPDATE: you can read the solutions here.Unless you have been hiding under a rock this year, you’ve heard of Wordle. It has been thrilling to see a puzzle’s popularity explode and dominate the national conversation. This doesn’t happen often!Today’s challenges are for those of you caught up in the craze. If you enjoy Wordle’s playful mixture of pattern spotting, logical reasoning and vocab-hunting, these puzzles will be right up your street. Continue reading...
Uranus, the seventh planet of the solar system, hovers at the limit of visibilityOn Monday night, the moon serves as a signpost for one of the ultimate naked-eye astronomy challenges. Uranus, the seventh planet of the solar system, hovers at the very limit of naked-eye visibility.To stand any chance of seeing the planet, which orbits 19 times further from the sun than the Earth, you will need to be under the darkest sky you can possibly find. For most of us, a pair of binoculars will be needed. Continue reading...
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsHow do you conquer your Fomo (fear of missing out)? Richard Orlando, QuebecPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published on Sunday. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science Correspondent on (#5VV9V)
Research suggests playing imaginary games can aid development of social skills and empathyPlaying with dolls encourages children to talk more about others’ thoughts and emotions, a study has found.The research suggests that playing imaginary games with dolls could help children develop social skills, theory of mind and empathy. The neuroscientist who led the work said that the educational value of playing with Lego and construction toys was widely accepted, but the benefits of playing with dolls sometimes appeared to have been overlooked. Continue reading...
An exhibition of vivid photographs and a restored documentary give fresh insight into the Antarctic explorer, who died a century agoOne hundred years ago, the leader of the last great expedition of the heroic age of polar exploration died from a heart attack as his ship, Quest, headed for Antarctica. The announcement of the death of Ernest Shackleton on 30 January 1922 was greeted with an outpouring of national grief.This was the man, after all, who had saved the entire crew of his ship Endurance – which had been crushed and sunk by ice in 1915 – by making a daring trip in a tiny open boat over 750 miles of polar sea to raise the alarm at a whaling station in South Georgia. Continue reading...
Changing minds is more complicated than simply exposing poor argumentsHow do you react when someone politely but firmly tells you that you’re talking nonsense about something that’s important to you? Do you gracefully and immediately give way to their greater expertise? Or do you double down?Most of us are in the latter camp. Voicing our beliefs tends to solidify them. We may like to think of ourselves as rational creatures, constantly assessing the world for new information that might change our minds, but this is not how our brains work. Explaining to someone that their belief is flat-out wrong is not a good way of getting them to drop it. And research shows that the process of “myth-busting” – setting out a common false statement, then explaining why it is wrong – backfires because it counterintuitively reinforces and helps spread the myths. Continue reading...
A successful pregnancy for Elizabeth Ann may help ensure her species avoids extinctionElizabeth Ann is poised to make history. The world’s first cloned black-footed ferret has just celebrated her first birthday and has reached an age when she can start to breed. And, if she is successful and produces healthy kits, the little predator will give a precious boost to attempts to save her seriously endangered species.However, scientists acknowledge that they will have to be extremely careful in screening possible mates for Elizabeth Ann, who is being kept at a conservation centre near Fort Collins, Colorado. In particular, the male they eventually select will have to display one key quality, they say: he will have to be gentle. Continue reading...
The consultant neurologist and BBC radio presenter has a new book exploring the relationship between sensory perception and the reality it createsGuy Leschziner is a consultant neurologist at Guy’s and St Thomas’ hospitals. His areas of expertise are epilepsy and sleep disorders. He has presented two BBC radio series, one on sleep and another on the neurology of our sensory world. His latest book is The Man Who Tasted Words, which explores the relationship between our sensory perception and the reality it constructs.A common phrase in cognitive neuroscience is “perception is nothing more than controlled hallucination”. What exactly does that mean?
Nudged along by scientists and evolution, micro-organisms that digest plastics have the potential to create an efficient method of recyclingBeaches littered with plastic bottles and wrappers. Marine turtles, their stomachs filled with fragments of plastic. Plastic fishing nets dumped at sea where they can throttle unsuspecting animals. And far out in the Pacific Ocean, an expanse of water more than twice the size of France littered with plastic waste weighing at least 79,000 tonnes.The plastic pollution problem is distressingly familiar, but many organisations are working to reduce it. Alongside familiar solutions such as recycling, a surprising ally has emerged: micro-organisms. A handful of microbes have evolved the ability to “eat” certain plastics, breaking them down into their component molecules. These tiny organisms could soon play a key role in reducing plastic waste and building a greener economy. Continue reading...
Megan Nolan always dreamed of having her own lovely home. But now terrifying thoughts keep her awake at night. Here, the author wonders whyI live by myself in a good place, the best sort of place a woman like me could imagine. In fact, it’s all I did imagine for years on end. I rent rather than own it, but that’s no hardship. I’ve never felt any particular angst to own property, which is just as well since I live in London, a place where I could no sooner get a mortgage than a giraffe. Owning a home has always felt more like a burden, like an end to things, to me, than it has felt like comfort. I did always dream, though, of renting somewhere beautiful and living alone there – and now I do.On the days I spend here without anyone else, I wake up at 8.30 and feed my cat. I watch her eat her disgusting, stinky food with satisfaction, glad I’m able to keep another creature beyond myself alive. I make coffee and wander about the flat a bit, wiping surfaces, washing tomato-laden pots. I go for a walk or to the gym, and then I work. I write. I send emails. I complain or speculate about everything I’m doing constantly to my friends. For lunch I blitz the vegetables in the fridge into a soup, or else walk down the road to the pub for a sandwich, and come back and work some more. I gaze adoringly at the cat. It becomes evening and I might drink a glass of wine, sometimes a bottle. I cook dinner and eat it in 13 minutes while watching MasterChef. I read for an hour. I work a bit more. Sometimes I watch a film. This is the life I have designed for myself, the life I never thought I would be so lucky as to have. Then it is time to sleep. Continue reading...
The GSK executive has found her niche at ViiV Healthcare developing HIV drugs, and is optimistic a cure will be foundA lot has changed since the devastating 1980s Aids crisis depicted in the Channel 4 TV show It’s a Sin – but the stigma attached to the illness remains, says Deborah Waterhouse. As chief executive of ViiV Healthcare, a GlaxoSmithKline-controlled joint venture that develops HIV drugs, she leads one of the largest commercial developers of Aids treatments in the world.“I remember in 1987 GSK brought the first medicine out for HIV and at that point the life expectancy for someone living with HIV was 18 months,” she tells the Observer, speaking via video link from her study lined with novels, travel and music books in her home in Richmond, west London. Continue reading...
by Hosted by Savannah Ayoade-Greaves. Narrated by Jan on (#5VTA7)
Ease into the weekend with our brand new podcast, showcasing some of the best Guardian and Observer writing from the week, read by talented narrators.In our first episode, Marina Hyde reflects on another less than stellar week for Boris Johnson (1m38s), Edward Helmore charts the rise of Joe Rogan (9m46s), Laura Snapes goes deep with singer George Ezra (18m30s), and Alex Moshakis asks, “Are you a jerk at work?” (34m40s).If you like what you hear, subscribe to Weekend on Apple, Spotify or wherever you get your podcasts Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#5VSZ6)
Protecting wildlife to stop viruses jumping to humans would save far more than it costs, analysis showsPreventing future pandemics at source would cost a small fraction of the damage already caused by viruses that jump from wildlife to people, according to scientists.Each year on average more than 3 million people die from zoonotic diseases, those that spill over from wildlife into humans, new analysis has calculated. Stopping the destruction of nature, which brings humans and wildlife into greater contact and results in spillover, would cost about $20bn a year, just 10% of the annual economic damage caused by zoonoses and 5% of the value of the lives lost. Continue reading...
Landsat programme began in 1970s and will pass 50th anniversary of unbroken images of Earth this yearLandsat 9 has completed its post-launch assessment and begun its operational phase. Launched from the Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on 27 September 2021, Landsat 9 is a joint venture between Nasa and the US Geological Survey (USGS).The Landsat programme has been running since the 1970s and will pass its 50th anniversary of unbroken images of Earth from orbit later this year. Landsat 1 was launched on 23 July 1972 and was initially called the Earth Resources Technology Satellite. Continue reading...
Surprisingly little is known about the role played by our 400 or so receptors in identifying specific smellsWhen you are packed on a commuter train, the body odour of fellow passengers can at times be hard to ignore. Now scientists have shed light on how our noses pick up on the stench.While different scents can be highly evocative, only a fraction of our 400 or so odour receptors have been shown to be involved in the perception of specific smells. Continue reading...
Study of twins suggests desire to be in natural spaces is influenced by genetic factorsA person’s love of nature is partially inherited, a large-scale study of twins has found.Scientists from the National University of Singapore studied how much time twins spent in natural spaces compared with each other and found that they shared a similar level of desire to be in nature. Continue reading...
When the wave hit suddenly half the people I knew were sick with Covid – or were they?I was on a walk with my friend Ivan, talking about the time I had Covid, and how it was bad but not too bad, and on the bright side at least now I had some antibodies, before he interrupted me and said: “You didn’t have it.”“What? I didn’t have Covid? Yes I did!” Continue reading...
Nasa confirmed the ISS will plunge into the Pacific ocean to join other decommissioned space stations, satellites and space debrisThe International Space Station (ISS) will continue its operations until 2030 before heading for a watery grave at the most remote point in the Pacific, Nasa confirmed in a new transition plan this week.More than 30 years after its 1998 launch, the ISS will be “de-orbited” in January 2031, according to the space agency’s budget estimates. Once out of orbit the space station will make a dramatic descent before splash-landing in Point Nemo, which is about 2,700km from any land and has become known as the space cemetery, a final resting place for decommissioned space stations, old satellites and other human space debris. Continue reading...
Plan based on simpler version of US-engineered animal used last month in world’s first pig-to-human transplantGerman scientists plan to clone and then breed this year genetically modified pigs to serve as heart donors for humans, based on a simpler version of a US-engineered animal used last month in the world’s first pig-to-human transplant.Eckhard Wolf, a scientist at Ludwig-Maximilians University (LMU) in Munich, said his team aimed to have the new species, modified from the Auckland Island breed, ready for transplant trials by 2025. Continue reading...
Therapists, psychologists and nurses who are autistic say it has made them better at their jobs, but that misconceptions about the condition are forcing them to keep their diagnosis a secretSteph Jones jokes that she used to think she was psychic. The psychotherapist says she can often tell instinctively what a client’s issue is before they’ve even sat down. “I can say to them: ‘All of a sudden my throat is tightening,’ or: ‘I feel dizzy,’ or: ‘I can see a particular image – does this mean anything to you?” she says. This is because Jones has the ability, she explains, to experience not just other people’s emotions but their physical sensations in her own body. And it is a skill that has been invaluable for her work.It was only after she was diagnosed with autism that she realised this was simply part of her neurodiverse profile. “It’s called mirror-emotion or mirror-touch synaesthesia and is part of what being autistic means for me, as well as having hyperawareness, hyperperception, hyperempathy and hypermemory – all of which come in very handy as a therapist,” she says. Continue reading...
People with long Covid face an uphill battle convincing skeptics their malady is real – but discrediting uncommon conditions is hardly a new phenomenonBefore the coronavirus pandemic swept through New York City like a foaming white storm surge in the spring of 2020 and irrevocably displaced the trajectory of her life, Hannah Davis was an expert in artificial intelligence and machine learning. She gave talks on her projects, which included working with a computer program that generated music from literature, at Ted conferences, technology expos, even the Library of Congress.Toward the end of March 2020, as the first wave was gathering speed and the number of new cases in the US was inching upward toward 20,000 a day, Davis was living in the Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhood of Brooklyn – an area that would become one of the hardest-hit communities in the borough. She was stocking up on supplies one final time at a local grocery store before sheltering in place when she believes she got infected with Covid-19. Continue reading...
Few corals are safe from warming oceans, a new study warns, but studies are finding surprisingly hardy corals, natural sunscreens and how coral ‘IVF’ can regrow reefs
by Presented by Ian Sample and produced by Madeleine on (#5VQPZ)
Extreme fatigue, brain fog, sleep disturbances, chest pain and skin rashes. These are just a few of the on-going symptoms of long Covid, a disorder that can persist for many months after an initial Covid infection. With such a vast range of symptoms, and health organisations stretched to capacity by the acute stage of the disease, long Covid has continued to remain something of a mystery.But with numerous studies trying to understand what exactly people are suffering from, progress is being made. Ian Sample speaks to Prof Akiko Iwasaki about what we do and don’t know about long Covid, and how the vaccine could reveal clues about what’s behind the disorderArchive: Channel 4 News, Sky News Continue reading...
Risk 2.5 times greater for those with multimorbidity at age 55, long-term study of 10,000 Britons revealsHaving two or more chronic health problems in middle age more than doubles the risk of dementia, according to a study that researchers say underscores the importance of good health earlier in life.More than 900,000 people are living with dementia in the UK, and about 57 million people are affected globally. The worldwide toll is predicted to nearly triple to 153 million by 2050. Continue reading...
Increased light exposure during daytime is shown to help improve blood sugar controlBoosting exposure to bright light during the daytime and dimming the lights in the evening could help to improve blood sugar control in people with pre-diabetes, data suggests.Light plays a key role in synchronising the body’s internal or circadian clock – which controls the timing of multiple biological processes – to the 24-hour day-night cycle. Continue reading...
Attempts to study the deteriorating Florida-sized glacier that could raise sea levels by 2ft if it breaks off are being frustratedAntarctica’s so-called Doomsday Glacier, nicknamed because it is huge and coming apart, is thwarting an international effort to figure out how dangerously vulnerable it is.A large iceberg has broken off the deteriorating Thwaites glacier and, along with sea ice, it is blocking two research ships with dozens of scientists from examining how fast its crucial ice shelf is falling apart. Continue reading...
Cancer-killing cells still present 10 years on, with results suggesting therapy is a cure for certain blood cancersTwo of the first human patients to be treated with a revolutionary therapy that engineers immune cells to target specific types of cancer still possess cancer-killing cells a decade later with no sign of their illness returning.The finding suggests CAR T-cell therapy constitutes a “cure” for certain blood cancers, although adapting it to treat solid tumours is proving more challenging. Continue reading...
With the rise in dog ownership has come a rise in doggy noise. Could interpreting their growls and yelps make life more harmonious? And how do you stop them barking at delivery drivers?The interview begins in uneasy silence, as we stare across at each other from our comfy armchairs. It is not exactly Frost/Nixon, because he is a dog. Being up on the furniture should be a treat for him, but we lost that battle long ago.I repeat my question again: “Why do you bark so much?” Continue reading...
Ten-year study of a town in Turkey showed poor construction caused more than 90% of landslipsBadly built roads can generate more hazard than a significant earthquake, research shows. Hakan Tanyaş, from the University of Twente in the Netherlands, and colleagues monitored the size and number of landslips in the Arhavi area of north-eastern Turkey between 2010 and 2020. During this period several roads were constructed through the region to access a new hydroelectric scheme.The scientists show that development had a shocking impact on the stability of the hillsides, with road construction responsible for more than 90% of the observed landslips in the region. Continue reading...
Chincha people put their dead back together after colonisers disturbed graves when looting silver and gold, research saysInvasion. Disease. Death. The 16th-century Europeans arriving in Peru brought with them all manner of havoc and destruction.But they did not only pillage the living. They also looted graves. Continue reading...
Experts may be able to predict risk of developing ovarian, breast, womb and cervical cancers using cells from routine smear testScientists are developing a “revolutionary” test to predict a woman’s risk of four cancers using a single sample collected during cervical screening.Using cervical cells from a routine smear test, experts may be able to spot ovarian and breast cancer or predict their likelihood of developing, according to two papers published in the journal Nature Communications. Further results are due on the ability of the WID-test – women’s cancer risk identification – to predict womb and cervical cancer, researchers said. Continue reading...
Our culture doesn’t understand burnout – including the fact that we can get burnt out on a perfectly ‘normal’ 40-hour work weekA few years ago, I found myself really burnt out. Well, at the time, I wasn’t actually sure that’s what it was. At first “burnout” seemed like a dramatic way to describe what I was experiencing. But I was really, really tired. I was struggling to motivate myself and looking at my calendar started filling me with a sort of low-grade dread.But the confusing part for me was that on the surface there wasn’t any obvious reason why I would be so tired. It didn’t seem warranted. I didn’t deserve to be so tired. Sure, I was busy, but no more busy than anyone else. So what was wrong with me?Caroline Dooner is the author of The F*ck It Diet and the forthcoming book Tired As F*ck: Burnout at the Hands of Diet, Self-Help, and Hustle Culture, and the host of The F*ck It Podcast Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Linda Geddes, p on (#5VMXB)
There have never been more products and services devoted to helping women through the menopause, from hormones and supplements to apps and even laser treatments. But is all this choice actually helpful? And what’s the evidence that any of them actually work?Madeleine Finlay speaks to the Guardian science correspondent Linda Geddes about the great menopause gold rush – and how women can get the help they need.Archive: British Menopause Society / ITN Productions, ITV, goop, NBC News Continue reading...