Parliament formally endorses Boris Johnson’s plans to limit spread of Omicron variant

The Omicron variant of Covid has prompted governments around the world to reintroduce border restrictions, with Australia shutting the border to southern Africa and delaying the reopening date for international students and visa holders. The federal government has called for calm, describing the variant as ‘manageable’, but what do we actually know about it?

In London and Manchester more people have face coverings but some complain of being ‘controlled’

Postponement comes a day after Nasa official warned of elevated debris risk due to Russian missile testNasa has postponed a planned spacewalk outside the International Space Station due to flying “debris”, two weeks after Russia blew up one of its own satellites in a missile test that created clouds of zooming shrapnel in orbit.Washington’s space agency did not mention the Russian test in its announcement, but a Nasa official had warned a day earlier of a slightly elevated risk to astronauts due to the 14 November incident. Continue reading...

Mycorrhizal fungal networks are a major global carbon sink. When we destroy them, we sabotage our efforts to limit global heatingIf we want to tackle the climate crisis, we need to address a global blindspot: the vast underground fungal networks that sequester carbon and sustain much of life on Earth.Fungi are largely invisible ecosystem engineers. Most live as branching, fusing networks of tubular cells known as mycelium. Globally, the total length of fungal mycelium in the top 10cm of soil is more than 450 quadrillion km: about half the width of our galaxy. These symbiotic networks comprise an ancient life-support system that easily qualifies as one of the wonders of the living world.Toby Kiers is professor of evolutionary biology at Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam and co-founder of the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks (Spun)Merlin Sheldrake is a biologist and the author of Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds, and Shape Our Futures Continue reading...

Hong Kong and Ecuador join ranks of countries imposing new restrictions, cases rise in Australia and Canada, but stock markets bounce back

Last week, a new variant of Covid-19 was detected by scientists in South Africa. Since then, additional cases have been reported beyond southern Africa, including Belgium, Canada, Israel, Australia and the UK. And with the WHO warning that the Omicron variant poses a very high global risk, scientists around the world are scrambling to uncover clues about its transmissibility and how effective the current coronavirus vaccines will be against it.To find out what we do know about Omicron and what it could mean for the coming weeks and months, Madeleine Finlay spoke to the Guardian’s science editor, Ian Sample.

Project aims to help protect some of trillions of miles of the ‘circulatory system of the planet’Vast networks of underground fungi – the “circulatory system of the planet” – are to be mapped for the first time, in an attempt to protect them from damage and improve their ability to absorb and store carbon dioxide.Fungi use carbon to build networks in the soil, which connect to plant roots and act as nutrient “highways”, exchanging carbon from plant roots for nutrients. For instance, some fungi are known to supply 80% of phosphorus to their host plants. Continue reading...

Xenobots are synthetic lifeforms made by cells from frog embryos and assembling them into clustersSome species do it in pairs, some without knowing the other parties involved, and some even do it on their own: when it comes to replication, nature is nothing if not versatile.Now researchers say they have found that clusters of frog cells can undergo a form of replication never before seen in plants or animals. The spherical clumps, known as xenobots, can give rise to “offspring” by sweeping up loose cells and swashing them into yet more clusters. Continue reading...

The best weapon against the new Covid variant is boosters. But ministers should take aim at misinformation tooIt is by now fairly well known that the most serious cases of Covid-19 in the UK, and other rich countries, are increasingly concentrated among unvaccinated people. Between January and September, there were 34,474 deaths from Covid in England of unvaccinated people aged 10 or over, compared with 4,308 deaths of those who had received two vaccine doses (an alternative set of figures, also published by the Office for National Statistics and based on a different dataset, gives the totals of 40,966 unvaccinated deaths, compared with 5,104 double-vaccinated).The UK Health Security Agency has been careful to stress that the data “do not show causal links between vaccines and risks of mortality”. Other differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups could contribute to their differing death rates. But the contrast is dramatic, as are data relating to hospitalisation, with one recent analysis showing that of 40,000 Covid patients hospitalised, 84% were unvaccinated and just 3% double-vaccinated. Continue reading...

The solutions to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you the following three problems, taken from this year’s Mathigon puzzle advent calendar.1. The seven digits Continue reading...

We know the latest ‘variant of concern’ has arrived in the country, but we shouldn’t assume the worst

Advent(ures) in numberlandUPDATE: The answers can be read hereEvery year the remarkable maths website Mathigon runs a puzzle advent calendar, publishing a problem a day from December 1 to 24. I’ve had a peek at this year’s puzzles and selected three of the ones I liked the most.1. The seven digits Continue reading...

Obscure constellation’s name features in Perseus myth as beast denied chance to devour AndromedaThis week presents a good chance to see one of the more obscure autumn constellations: Cetus, the sea monster. Sometimes referred to as a whale, Cetus is part of the myth of Perseus, which includes the other constellations Pegasus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda, and Cepheus.In the story, Perseus rescues Andromeda from Cetus, after she is chained to the rocks for the monster to devour in the gods’ punishment for Andromeda’s boasts of her beauty. Continue reading...

We find out how much protection Covid vaccines may offer amid speculation new variant could be more resistant

Both cases are recent arrivals from Nigeria; UN agency’s comments follow South Africa’s call to reverse flight bans; G7 health ministers to hold urgent meeting on Omicron variant

Des Senior calls for the government to immediately introduce basic measures to contain the new Covid variant, while Duncan McCallum would like to see a more coordinated global responseWith regard to tackling the Omicron variant (Omicron variant spreads to Europe as UK announces countermeasures, 26 November), closing our borders buys us a little time, nothing more. So what are we going to do with it? Dithering with the current laissez-faire, herd immunity, business-as-usual policies will swiftly turn into a disaster. The government needs to introduce stringent infection-suppression measures now, not wait until it is too late as usual.As a bare minimum we need green passes for all potential mass spreader events, mandatory mask wearing in all enclosed public spaces, and mandatory vaccination for all health, care, education and public-facing workers. Continue reading...

A new variant identified in southern Africa is causing global panic – but its real impact will be shown by the data that scientists are racing to establish

Swiss skiing holidays in doubt as country joins Spain in tightening travel rules to contain Omicron variant

Putting many low-quality studies together cannot provide reliable answers about masks and ivermectinIn The Adventure of the Copper Beeches, Sherlock Holmes says: “Data! Data! Data! I can’t make bricks without clay.” Recent claims of massive benefits from wearing masks and using ivermectin against Covid-19 depended on mainly low-quality clay.Meta-analysis is a technique for pooling the results from many studies, but it cannot make silk purses out of sows’ ears. A recent British Medical Journal review looked at six, fairly porcine, studies concerning mask-wearing and estimated an impressive 53% reduction in risk. But the single randomised controlled trial estimated the smallest effect: a reduction of about 18% (-23% to 46%) in Sars-CoV-2 infections. The “heaviest” studies, an analysis of US states and a survey of about 8,000 Chinese adults in early 2020, observed rather than experimented and its editorial highlights the risks of confounding variables influencing both wearing masks and infections and the impossibility of disentangling the effects of measures fluctuating simultaneously. Indeed, this review found an identical 53% reduction from handwashing. Continue reading...

The teams in Africa who detected the new Covid genome moved quickly. Their actions should not result in economic loss

Hector, dog of dogs, is the most glorious companion. Simon Tiffin reveals how he came to commission a piece of music that would evoke his spirit when he finally departs this worldOne of the earliest signs of spring in my garden is a ring of snowdrops and winter acconites that encircles the trunk of a medlar tree outside the greenhouse. This yellow-and-white display was planted to complement a collection of elegantly engraved, moss-covered mini-headstones that mark the resting places of the previous owner’s dogs. Each of these markers has a simple but evocative dedication: “Medlar, beloved Border Terrier”; “Otter, a little treasure. Sister of Medlar”; “Skip, grandson of Genghis. Sweet eccentric.” Every time I see this pet cemetery I am reminded that, despite a complex denial structure that involves a sneaking suspicion that he is immortal, there will come a time when I have to face the death of Hector, dog of dogs.Hector is a cockapoo and not ashamed to admit it. He sneers at terms such as “designer dog” and “hybrid” and is rightly proud of his spaniel/poodle heritage. Although many people have an origin myth of how their pet chose them, in Hector’s case it is true. When I went with my wife Alexa to see a friend whose working cocker had recently given birth, a blind, chocolate-brown caterpillar of a pup freed himself from the wriggling furry mass of his siblings and crawled his way towards us. Bonding was instant and, on our side, unconditional. Continue reading...

This time we’ve acted quickly. But there are still lessons to learn

Former head of vaccine taskforce says No 10 has not acted on his blueprint to prepare UK for new strains

Scientists have sprung into action to identify the new Covid variant. We don’t yet know if it is a major threat - but we should not take any chances

Billions of dollars over budget and years late, the most expensive, complex telescope to be sent into space will launch next month. What will it learn?In a few weeks, the most ambitious, costly robot probe ever built, the £6.8bn James Webb space telescope, will be blasted into space on top of a giant European Ariane 5 rocket. The launch of the observatory – which has been plagued by decades of delays and massive cost overruns – promises to be the most nervously watched liftoff in the history of unmanned space exploration.The observatory – built by Nasa with European and Canadian space agency collaboration – has been designed to revolutionise our study of the early universe and to pinpoint possible life-supporting planets inside our galaxy. However, its planning and construction have taken more than 30 years, with the project suffering cancellation threats, political controversies and further tribulations. In the process, several other scientific projects had to be cancelled to meet the massive, swelling price tag of the observatory. As the journal Nature put it, this is “the telescope that ate astronomy”. Continue reading...

Analysis: the new coronavirus variant seems highly transmissible, but the big question is whether it causes severe disease. Either way, poorer nations will be hit hardest

Australians attempting to return home from southern Africa will be allowed into the country, but ordered into mandatory hotel quarantine

Researchers from the Australian Institute of Marine Science are hoping to breed corals that are more resilient to extreme heat events. The researchers collected hundreds of coral samples from the northern part of the Great Barrier Reef that have survived three mass bleaching events since 2016. The samples have to be collected before they spawn which occurs only once a year, several days after a full moon in spring. They then hope to breed these samples with corals from the southern part of the reef which are less heat tolerant

Key questions answered about coronavirus variant first detected in southern Africa

We do not yet know how much of a threat it poses, but the pandemic has already shown it is better to act early

The only way to stop B.1.1.529 and other mutations is through testing, masks, and getting vaccines to everyone in the worldMany of the world’s leading Covid-19 experts are raising the alarm about a new variant which has been described as “horrific” and “the worst ever”. Authorities are understandably worried. But it’s important to place their concerns in context. We have detected variants before that looked worrying but never took off. It’s early days for a variant that wasn’t on anyone’s radar until only last week. Much about the new variant is still unknown. The very fact we have detected this new variant early is good news, and shows that the global surveillance system is working. But the high number of mutations detected in its genome are concerning. This is the primary reason scientists around the world are warning it must be taken seriously.Every time a virus replicates, it has the opportunity to mutate. The more opportunities the virus has to replicate, the larger the number of mutations, and the higher the chances of new variants emerging – that much is simple mathematics. Most mutations will go unnoticed and have a neutral or negative impact on the resulting virus. Occasionally we will see mutations that fundamentally change the nature of the virus and what it is able to do.Kit Yates is director of the Centre for Mathematical Biology at the University of Bath and author of The Maths of Life and Death Continue reading...

Ex-PM says world was ‘forewarned’ of dangers of failing to vaccinate poorer countries amid rise of new variant

Western countries are destroying surplus doses of vaccine while the poorest nations go without. This must changeDespite the repeated warnings of health leaders, our failure to put vaccines into the arms of people in the developing world is now coming back to haunt us. We were forewarned – and yet here we are.In the absence of mass vaccination, Covid is not only spreading uninhibited among unprotected people but is mutating, with new variants emerging out of the poorest countries and now threatening to unleash themselves on even fully vaccinated people in the richest countries of the world.

Prof Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, on the possibility of a cold vaccineFamously, there is no cure for the common cold. But with the success of the Covid vaccine, could it finally be in grabbing – or, rather, jabbing – distance? I asked Prof Sheena Cruickshank, an immunologist at the University of Manchester, about the possibility of a cold vaccine.I have just recovered from what everyone is calling the “super cold”. It was awful. Eyes streaming, head about to explode. I hadn’t felt like that since I found out Boris Johnson had won the election. Could a vaccine end this misery?

UK places South Africa on red travel list over B.1.1.529 variant picked up by scientists in country

A handful of countries have been added to the red list – but do the rules match case and vaccine data?

Studies of MDMA, ketamine, psilocybin mushrooms and other psychedelics have shown tremendous potential for therapeutic applicationsI study psychedelics. The organization I work for – the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies (MAPS) – has been researching MDMA since 1992, seven years after the substance was prohibited. Our organization was founded in 1985.One of a few treatments designated a breakthrough therapy by the FDA, MDMA-assisted therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder is an incredibly promising treatment for this devastating mental injury. Survivors of PTSD may struggle to stay connected in their work, families, and communities. They often live with symptoms like insomnia, hyper-vigilance and isolation; these commonly lead to substance use disorder, depression, chronic pain or heart problems. Yet most of the available treatments provide symptom relief for only about half of the people with the diagnosis, with even fewer people experiencing remission.Rick Doblin, PhD, is the founder and executive director of the Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies and a member of the Board of Directors of its wholly owned drug development subsidiary, MAPS Public Benefit Corporation Continue reading...

Dr Susan Hopkins says R value of variant first found in Gauteng, South Africa, is now 2

A handful of countries have been added to England’s red list for international travel – but do the rules match case and vaccine data?

The discovery of a splendid mosaic in a villa buried under farmland is a thrilling find that sets the imagination racingWalking the local landscape was a feature of many lives during the lockdowns in Britain last year. Not everyone discovered a ravishing Roman mosaic while rambling across the family farm, but Jim Irvine did. He contacted archaeologists at Leicestershire county council. That led to an excavation with the University of Leicester and the discovery of a third- to fourth-century villa. At its heart is a great mosaic, 11m by 7m.What is so special about this mosaic is its subject. It is unique in Britain (though who knows what lies unseen beneath other fields?) in that it shows, in three cartoon-strip-like panels, scenes from the Trojan war. Specifically, it narrates episodes from the climax of Homer’s Iliad. Scene one, the topmost strip, has the Trojan prince Hector and the Greek champion Achilles in battle. Scene two, Achilles drags the naked corpse of Hector behind his chariot. Scene three, King Priam, Hector’s father – elaborately enrobed and wearing the jaunty red “Phrygian cap” with which Roman iconography often identifies Trojans – watches as an attendant prepares a ransom for Hector’s body, the corpse placed on one side of a scales while the other is heaped with golden objects.Charlotte Higgins is the Guardian’s chief culture writer and the author of Under Another Sky: Journeys in Roman Britain Continue reading...

Analysis: variant provides test of whether relaxation of rules and booster push is effective policy

Flights from six countries will be banned as officials review travel measures after scientists voice concern over variant

Leading figure in the field of electrical engineering whose work played a huge role in modern electronicsThe electrical engineer Eric Ash, who has died aged 93, made major contributions to controlling and manipulating electrical, optical and acoustic waves for signal processing and imaging applications. Already established as a leading figure in this field when he arrived at University College London in 1963, he undertook research that proved invaluable in televisions, mobile phones, satellite communications and imaging systems.His particular interest lay in surface acoustic waves (SAW) – sound waves that travel on the surface of crystals, discovered by Lord Rayleigh in the 19th century. Compared to microwaves, which have similar frequencies, surface acoustic waves have very small wavelengths, and so practical devices using them can be made very compact. Continue reading...

Increase in dog and cat ownership in lockdown and Brexit standards issues have led to vet shortagePeople who are considering buying dogs and cats for Christmas are being asked to check if they have access to a vet before they buy due to shortages caused by Brexit and Covid.The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is urging caution after a rise in demand for vets due to the increase in pet ownership in lockdown and the new legal requirement for Brexit health checks on food exports to the EU. Continue reading...

Technicians were preparing to attach spacecraft to launch vehicle when unplanned event took placeThe launch of the $10bn (£7.5bn) James Webb space telescope has been delayed again, after an incident during the final preparations to place the telescope on top of its launch vehicle.The spacecraft was scheduled to be sent into orbit on 18 December but now it will not launch before 22 December. Continue reading...

Last week the UK government confirmed it would be extending its animal welfare (sentience) bill to include decapods (such as crabs, lobsters and crayfish), and cephalopods (such as octopuses, squid and cuttlefish). The move followed a government-commissioned review of the scientific evidence, which found strong evidence that cephalopods and decapods do have feelings. Madeleine Finlay spoke to Dr Jonathan Birch, who led the review, to ask what it means for lobsters to have feelings, and what difference it should make to how we treat – and eat – them Continue reading...

New research shows the risk of infection increases significantly six months after a second dose of the Pfizer vaccineMinisters are urging millions of Britons to get their Covid booster jab by 11 December to ensure they have “very high protection against Covid by Christmas Day” as new evidence shows the risk of infection increases with the time since the second dose.The fresh warning comes after cases broke records in parts of Europe on Wednesday, with the continent once again the centre of a pandemic that has prompted new restrictions. Continue reading...

Study of former American footballers offers hope that damage could be diagnosed more easilyBrain scans of former American football players reveal signs of white matter injury, according to research into the lasting effects of repetitive head impacts in sport.The finding is viewed as significant because until now it has been difficult to identify such damage in the brain until after death. The latest work suggests that markers of injury could be detectable using specialised MRI scans, allowing doctors to study, and potentially diagnose, such damage more readily. Continue reading...