When photographer Mary Berridge’s son was diagnosed with Asperger’s, she began to see his world in a new light. She set out to capture a series of everyday – and exceptional – stories, one image at a timeI have been immersed in the world of autism since my son was diagnosed with Asperger syndrome. Graham had many of the traits of autism from when he was a baby: speech and motor skill delays, sensory sensitivities, anxiety in big social gatherings and more. He had seen professionals for evaluations, but did not get a diagnosis until he was seven.This was a kid who had meltdowns over the sound of a blowdryer one floor up, the feel of a new shirt and the sight of a slice of cherry pie. Our lowest point was when he started refusing to enter homes he hadn’t been in before, or getting so upset at entering a restaurant that he would throw up. At least now I can sort of laugh when I think of the strangers in the grocery store who would approach him, then a cherubic toddler, and ask what his name was. “Mr Stupid Nobody,” was his reply. Continue reading...

Some species in Brazil have shrunk by nearly 10% over 40 years of measurements, say researchersBirds in the Amazon are becoming smaller but growing longer wings, a study has found, with scientists saying global heating is the most likely explanation.Several recent papers have reported birds getting smaller, but as their subjects were migratory birds there were many confounding factors that could have explained the results, such as hunting, pesticide use or habitat loss. Continue reading...

Panel of 200 scientists tells Cop26 Indigenous people, business, governments and scientists must collaborate

Chris Talbot is in favour of compulsory vaccinations for frontline NHS staff, but Karen Jacob fears it could exacerbate a recruitment crisis. Plus letters from Brian Lawrence, Ben Ashford and Dr Simon RobertsFrances Ryan is correct in focusing on the potential risks to vulnerable patients from unvaccinated NHS staff (Mandatory Covid jabs shouldn’t be controversial – NHS staff have a duty to do no harm, 10 November), but there is another, equally compelling argument why unvaccinated staff should not be employed by the NHS.Vaccinations are a vital part of the NHS strategy to contain the spread of a debilitating, and sometimes deadly, virus. To refuse to be vaccinated (hiding behind the more reasonable sounding “exercising my freedom of choice”) is effectively joining the anti-vaxxers, who use the same arguments as those by the NHS vaccine refusers (along the lines of “it’s untested”, “my own immune system works perfectly well”, or “this is the state telling me what to do”). Continue reading...

Billionaires may spend fortunes on trying to cheat death, but there’s a much easier way, writes Paul Martinez. Plus letters from Luce Gilmore, George Baugh and Geoff ReidJohn Harris is surely right to scorn the grotesque sums being spent on “transhumanism” (If the super-rich want to live for ever our planet is truly doomed, 7 November), but not all of us can afford, or want to move into, co-housing or a retirement village. Fortunately, a more practical solution is at hand. Research demonstrates consistently that the three most reliable strategies to live longer and well are learning new things, social interaction and physical exercise. All three are readily available from the u3a, a self-help learning organisation for people who have left full-time work.

Exclusive: Up to six private clinics are offering drug, with health experts fearing a two-tier system of treatmentA growing number of private clinics are offering ketamine for depression, according to experts who warn of a potential “wild west” of providers with no national register of patients’ treatment being integrated into overall NHS care.At least six private providers in the UK offer the drug for depression. In March the first service that also includes psychotherapy opened in Bristol, charging £6,000 for a course of low-dose treatments and talking therapy. Continue reading...

Ferrell is a neurotic patient and Rudd a dangerously narcissistic therapist, in this plodding drama about a real-life scam which is saved by the sheer unbelievability of its source material‘I’m not going to let anyone use you … I’m going to help you and everything’s going to be all right.” There are three types of people in this world. Those who, upon hearing such a pronouncement, cling to it and its utterer like a drowning man to driftwood. Then there are those who would run – fast and far and never looking back. And then, of course, there are those who would say such a thing.In Apple TV+’s The Shrink Next Door, Marty (Will Ferrell) is the first kind – a 40-year-old bundle of borderless neuroses, a manchild in over his head at work and everywhere else. His sister Phyllis (Kathryn Hahn, continuing to prove the notion that everything should have more Kathryn Hahn in it) is the second kind. Tough and sceptical, the only fool she suffers in her life is Marty, and none too gladly. It is she who puts Marty the way of Dr Ike (Paul Rudd), a therapist and the utterer in question. Over the next 30 years, he inveigles his way into Marty’s life, his finances and his home (or at least his summer home in the Hamptons), to the painful incredulity of Phyllis who – as anyone who has witnessed a friend or family member being colonised by a narcissist will know – is powerless to do anything about it, even before she is ostracised from their cult of two. Continue reading...

Dart mission is designed to spot an asteroid on collision course with Earth and deflect its pathNasa is in final preparations to launch the world’s first planetary defence mission. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) is scheduled to launch on 23 November and is a joint mission with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.Dart is designed to collide with the asteroid Dimorphos and change its orbit as a test for spotting an asteroid on collision course with Earth and deflecting its path. Continue reading...

The Science Weekly podcast is in Glasgow, where we are bringing listeners daily episodes from Cop26. Each morning you will hear from one of the Guardian’s award-winning environment team. Today, Science Weekly host Madeleine Finlay talks to the Guardian’s environment correspondent, Fiona Harvey, and environment editor, Damian Carrington, on how the final hours of Cop26 negotiations are goingOn Wednesday, a draft text of the key decisions to come out of Cop26 was published. The text is the most important document that will emerge from the climate summit in Glasgow. Unlike the last major climate conference, in Paris in 2015, what emerges here will not be a new treaty, but a series of decisions and resolutions that build on the Paris accord. Today that text may be finalised.The Science Weekly host Madeleine Finlay talks to the Guardian’s environment correspondent, Fiona Harvey, and environment editor, Damian Carrington, on how the final hours of Cop26 negotiations are going and whether we are on course to keep 1.5C alive. Continue reading...

Lowering high blood pressure may slash the risk of the disease in millions of people in futureBlood pressure drugs could prevent millions of people worldwide from developing type 2 diabetes, a large study suggests.Lowering high blood pressure is an effective way to slash the risk of the disease in the future, according to the research published in the Lancet. Continue reading...

Bob Caldwell wonders what has happened to our trust in government since the second world war, while Dave Hunter is concerned that current generations are not making sacrifices for future onesMuch has been made of the resemblance between wartime Britain and the current pandemic. Having experienced both, I find the contrast in social reactions to the two situations very striking and puzzling. During the war, nobody denied its existence, nor disputed whether it represented an existential threat; no one refused to enter air raid shelters, nor declined to don a government supplied gas mask. We trusted every restriction, including severe rationing, as having been imposed for our ultimate benefit. What has happened to cause so many to refuse life-saving procedures and flout sensible precautions during this current emergency when the threat has been, and continues to be, equally obvious?

Mice with hind legs paralysed learned to walk again after a single injection of synthetic nanofibresMice with spinal cord injuries that left their hind legs completely paralysed learned to walk again after a single injection of synthetic nanofibres that scientists say could revolutionise treatments for the condition.The therapy is based on designer molecules that mimic the natural environment of the spinal cord and send signals to trigger cells to repair and regenerate. The team behind the work hope to begin patient trials within two years. Continue reading...

Spectrum of reflected light from Kamo`oalewa closely matches lunar rocks from Nasa’s Apollo missionScientists have identified what appears to be a small chunk of the moon that is tracking the Earth’s orbit around the Sun.The asteroid, named Kamo`oalewa, was discovered in 2016 but until now relatively little has been known about it. New observations suggest it could be a fragment from the moon that was thrown into space by an ancient lunar collision. Continue reading...

Climate experts say their message is getting through but more urgent work is needed

Without fungi we don’t have bread, chocolate, cheese, soy sauce, beer or wine. They are also crucial to protecting our climateLet’s picture a dinner with family or friends that began by enjoying beer, wine, fruit juice or maybe a fizzy kombucha beverage. You’re contemplating a glorious basket of bread, wrapped in awe of its perfect crumb and fantasizing about the moment you slather it in butter or olive oil. Then come the fresh vegetables sauteed with soy sauce, maybe tofu or free-range beef with potatoes or rice, followed by cheese, or a chocolate dessert – and to top it off, a lovely cup of coffee or tea with some chocolates or maybe some sake? We need to stop for a moment and thank fungi for all of this. Honestly, none of it would be possible without them, and your dinner would certainly not be so tasty!Fungi are responsible for almost all our food production, and most of our processed materials. They are also to be thanked for many of the important medical breakthroughs in human history that treat both physical and mental ailments, for naturally sequestering and slowly releasing carbon, for optimizing industrial processes, and so much more. Continue reading...

New study shows that deer can catch the virus from people and give it to other deer in overwhelming numbersAs America’s pandemic – for now – seems to be moving into a new phase with national rates in decline from the September peak and vaccines rolling out to children, a new worry has appeared on the horizon: wildlife passing on the virus.A new study shows that deer can catch the coronavirus from people and give it to other deer in overwhelming numbers, the first evidence of animals transmitting the virus in the wild. Similar spillover and transmission could be occurring in certain animal populations around the world, with troubling implications for eradicating the virus and potentially even for the emergence of new variants. Continue reading...

Nasal bone distinguishes herbivore Brighstoneus simmondsi, whose skull was found on the Isle of WightA new species of dinosaur with an extremely large nose has been identified by a retired GP who spent lockdown rummaging through boxes of ancient bones.Jeremy Lockwood, who is studying for a PhD at the University of Portsmouth, set himself the task of cataloguing every iguanodon bone discovered on the Isle of Wight. As he sorted the bones from the collections of the Natural History Museum in London and the Dinosaur Isle museum on the Isle of Wight, he discovered a specimen with a unique “bulbous” nasal bone. Continue reading...

Its gurus increasingly promote vaccine scepticism, conspiracy theories and the myth that ill people have themselves to blame. How did self-care turn so nasty?Ozlem Demirboga Carr is not really into all that woo‑woo stuff. “I’m definitely a full-science kind of person,” says the 41-year-old telecoms worker from Reading. She doesn’t believe in crystals, affirmations or salt lamps. But she did find herself unusually anxious during the UK’s Covid lockdown in March 2020 and, like many people, decided to practise yoga as a way to de-stress.“I tried to be open-minded and I was open to advice on trying to improve my wellbeing and mental health,” she says. So she followed a range of social media accounts, including the “somatic therapist and biz coach” Phoebe Greenacre, known for her yoga videos, and the “women’s empowerment and spiritual mentor” Kelly Vittengl. The Instagram algorithm did its work. “I suddenly found myself following so many wellness accounts,” she says. Continue reading...

Malls, restaurants and arcades in the Philippines capital are packed with children as Covid curbs ease

The Science Weekly podcast is in Glasgow, where we are bringing listeners daily episodes from Cop26. Each morning you will hear from one of the Guardian’s award-winning environment team. Today, host Madeleine Finlay speaks to environment reporter Oliver Milman about electric cars, ‘environmentally-friendly’ planes and the need to rethink transportYesterday evening, in a surprise press conference, China and the US announced a plan to work together on cutting greenhouse gas emissions in the next decade. The China-US Joint Glasgow Declaration on Enhancing Climate Action detailed some key areas for action, which included cutting methane and reducing emissions from industry and transport.Globally, that last sector accounts for around a quarter of CO2 emissions. And to find out how they – and other countries – might reduce transport’s carbon footprint, Science Weekly’s Madeleine Finlay spoke with environment reporter Oliver Milman. Continue reading...

The flight to the International Space Station had been repeatedly delayed by medical issues and bad weatherA SpaceX rocket carried four astronauts toward orbit Wednesday night, including the 600th person to reach space in 60 years.The repeatedly delayed flight occurred just two days after SpaceX brought four other astronauts home from the International Space Station. Continue reading...

It is hoped vaccine based on similar technology to Oxford Covid jab can protect against both Zaire and Sudan species of virusThe first jab of a new Ebola vaccine that may protect against multiple species of the virus is to be given on Thursday, researchers have said, with the vaccine based on similar technology to the Oxford Covid jab.Ebola haemorrhagic fever is caused by the Ebola virus and has caused devastation in some parts of the world. It is thought the outbreak in west Africa in 2014-16 may have led to more than 11,000 deaths, while the outbreak in the DRC between August 2018 and June 2020 claimed more than 2,200 lives. Continue reading...

Lawsuit follows similar ones challenging new Biden administration rules for federal contractors and large businessesA coalition of 10 states sued the federal government on Wednesday to try to block a Covid-19 vaccine requirement for healthcare workers, marking a new front in the resistance by Republican-led states to the pandemic policies of President Joe Biden’s administration.The lawsuit filed in a federal court in Missouri contends that the vaccine requirement threatens the jobs of millions of healthcare workers and could “exacerbate an alarming shortage” in healthcare fields, particularly in rural areas where some health workers have been hesitant to get the shots. Continue reading...

Genomics England and NHS England findings highlight benefits of using WGS to help detect rare diseasesThe use of whole genome sequencing could save the NHS millions of pounds, a study suggests, after it found a quarter of people with rare illnesses received a diagnosis for their condition through the technology.In some cases, the findings have provided reassurance for families that they have not passed their condition on to their children, while in others they have inspired life-changing treatments. Continue reading...

Research finds language family that includes modern Japanese, Korean and Turkish spread largely due to agricultureA study combining linguistic, genetic and archaeological evidence has traced the origins of a family of languages including modern Japanese, Korean, Turkish and Mongolian and the people who speak them to millet farmers who inhabited a region in north-eastern China about 9,000 years ago.The findings outlined on Wednesday document a shared genetic ancestry for the hundreds of millions of people who speak what the researchers call Transeurasian languages across an area stretching more than 5,000 miles (8,000km). Continue reading...

War games exercise will help prepare for the possible emergence of a lethal ‘Omega’ variant

Findings of Japanese study back idea that cats retain a mental representation of their ownersIf you’ve ever pondered whether your pet cat gives a whiskers about your whereabouts, research may have an answer: cats appear to track their owners as they move about the house and are surprised if they turn up somewhere they’re not expecting them.The finding supports the idea that cats retain a mental representation of their owners, even when they can’t see them; a crucial bridge to higher cognitive processes such as forward planning and imagination. Continue reading...

Readers express frustration at the prime minister’s recent visit to Hexham hospital, where he failed to wear a face coveringWith regards to Boris Johnson’s trip to Hexham hospital, the website of the Northumbria NHS foundation trust has advice for those wishing to visit (Boris Johnson seen maskless in hospital as cases among MPs rise, 8 November). To paraphrase, visiting should be kept to a minimum, and masks must be worn when entering the hospital.What was so necessary that Johnson, and presumably a large retinue of advisers and security personnel, had to travel from London to the hospital? Was anything concrete achieved or learned from the visit? What was so vital that required a large number of people to walk around the hospital? Continue reading...

Study on mice found palmitic acid promoted metastasis in mouth and skin cancersScientists have shown how a fatty acid found in palm oil can encourage the spread of cancer, in work that could pave the way for new treatments.The study, on mice, found that palmitic acid promoted metastasis in mouth and skin cancers. In future, this process could be targeted with drugs or carefully designed eating plans, but the team behind the work cautioned against patients putting themselves on diets in the absence of clinical trials. Continue reading...

Study says some individuals clear virus rapidly due to a strong immune response from existing T-cells, meaning tests record negative result

Animal thought to have caught coronavirus from owners, but experts say there is no evidence pets can pass it to humans

Only half of children aged 12 and above have been vaccinated, despite vaccine being available for monthsWhen Nia Heard-Garris’s son found out the Covid vaccines were authorized for adults in the US late last year, he was thrilled, then asked, “But what about us? What about kids?”The eight-year-old is finally signed up for his first shot later this week. Even though he’s afraid of needles, he can’t wait to get vaccinated so he can return to a greater semblance of normal kid life – hanging out with his friends, going to school, playing sports – without worrying about getting sick or bringing the virus home. Continue reading...

The Science Weekly podcast is in Glasgow, where we are bringing listeners daily episodes from Cop26. Each morning you will hear from one of the Guardian’s award-winning environment team. Today, Guardian global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, talks to Katharine Hayhoe and Peter Stott about their work as climate scientists and how they feel Cop26 is progressingThe Guardian’s global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, talks to eminent scientists Katharine Hayhoe and Peter Stott whose work over the past decades has helped prove that the planet is warming and that humans are responsible. Jonathan asks them about their struggle to convince governments and policymakers of the urgency of the situation and whether they feel optimistic about the progress being made at Cop26.On Tuesday, Carbon Action Tracker projected that the world is on track for disastrous levels of global heating far in excess of the limits in the Paris climate agreement, despite a flurry of carbon-cutting pledges from governments at the UN Cop26 summit. Temperature rises will top 2.4C by the end of this century, based on the short-term goals countries have set out. Continue reading...

Agency says funding issues, along with delays tied to Bezos legal challenge, will push back first landing in a half centuryNasa has delayed putting astronauts back on the moon until 2025 at the earliest, missing the deadline set by the Trump administration.The space agency had been aiming for 2024 for the first moon landing by astronauts in a half century. Continue reading...

Research finds few image databases available to develop technology contain details on ethnicity or skin typeAI systems being developed to diagnose skin cancer run the risk of being less accurate for people with dark skin, research suggests.The potential of AI has led to developments in healthcare, with some studies suggesting image recognition technology based on machine learning algorithms can classify skin cancers as successfully as human experts. Continue reading...

Healthcare firm named in Owen Paterson lobbying scandal has won £500m in UK government contracts

According to psychologists, ‘ambivalent’ relationships can cause us more stress than being with people we actively dislike. Is it time to let go – or can these friendships be salvaged?Roger and Jim have been friends for more than 30 years. When they were younger they were in a band together, and their friendship was forged over a shared love of music and beer. Even now, despite family commitments on both sides, they manage to catch up every couple of months. “Even though he drives me mad,” says Roger.It is Jim who leaps to Roger’s mind at the mention of toxic friendships. Every time they meet, Roger says, they “tend to have the same conversation”, because Jim never listens to what he says. Continue reading...

Four astronauts strapped inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule have splashed down safely in the Gulf of Mexico off the Florida coast, ending a six-month Nasa mission onboard the International Space Station and a day-long flight home.The Dragon vehicle, called Endeavour, parachuted into the sea as planned just after 10.30pm EST on Monday, after a fiery re-entry descent through Earth’s atmosphere broadcast live by a Nasa webcast

Study finds patients from other ethnic backgrounds in England 30% more likely to survive for 12 monthsWhite British people diagnosed with brain tumours are more likely to die within 12 months than patients from other ethnic groups, a study suggests.The research is the first of its kind to examine the impact of ethnicity on brain tumour survival. The results are being presented today at the National Cancer Research Institute (NCRI) festival. Continue reading...

Authorities announced the 100,000 yuan ($15,640) rewards for residents in Heihe, saying illegal hunting or crossing the border should be reported

The Science Weekly podcast is in Glasgow, where we are bringing listeners daily episodes from Cop26. Each morning you will hear from one of the Guardian’s award-winning environment team. Today, Science Weekly host Madeleine Finlay and Guardian reporter Nina Lakhani attend the People’s Summit, which brings together movements from across the world to build solutions for climate changeIn the run-up to Cop26, the UK government had boasted that Glasgow would be the most inclusive summit on record. In reality, about two-thirds of civil society organisations that usually send delegates to Cop have not travelled to Glasgow due to “vaccine apartheid”, changing travel rules, extortionate travel costs and Britain’s hostile immigration system. Global Witness revealed that there are more delegates at Cop26 associated with the fossil fuel industry – 503 – than from any single country.Today, Guardian reporter Nina Lakhani and Science Weekly host Madeleine Finlay attend the People’s Summit, which over four days is bringing together movements from across the world to fight for climate justice. Continue reading...

Ancient rock forms suggest world’s first stable cratons rose above sea level more than 3bn years ago

My father, Peter Pharoah, who has died aged 87 from dementia, was a professor of public health whose work eradicated iodine deficiency in Papua New Guinea and furthered understanding of the causes of cerebral palsy and perinatal death.Peter was son of two teachers, Phyllis (nee Gahan) and Oswald Pharoah. Born in Ranchi, India, he attended schools in Lovedale and Sanawar. After the death of his father when Peter was seven, he came to Britain with his mother and brother in 1948. He attended Palmer’s school in Grays, Essex, and St Mary’s hospital medical school, London, where he met his future wife, Margaret McMinn, also training as a doctor, and ran in a team with Sir Roger Bannister. Continue reading...

As Australia braces for a wet and stormy week, the Bom has released its annual calendar featuring images capturing some of the country’s wildest and most magnificent weather events Continue reading...

For many people, social distancing and lockdowns left them bereft of physical contact. Here, touch experts explain why it is so essential and what we lost in its absenceIn a pandemic that has meant keeping 2 metres away from one another whenever possible, it appears that physical contact is beginning to return. Even handshakes are making a comeback: one poll found younger people were shaking hands again, although older generations are more uneasy about it. “We are wired to respond to emotional touch,” says Francis McGlone, a professor of neuroscience at Liverpool John Moores University. “My analogy is that [touch is] like a vitamin – if we are depleted, there are consequences in terms of our physical health. I make the same argument about the C-tactile afferents – the nerve fibre that evolved in all social mammals to provide the reward associated with close physical contact. When the fibre is stimulated, it does a number of measurable things – it lowers heart rate and it lowers cortisol, the stress hormone.” It’s one reason, he says with a laugh, he believes so many people got pets during lockdown: “That’s the brain recognising ‘I need to touch something’.”For the pet-less, touch-starved, skin-hungry among us, physical contact is a welcome thing. Even before the pandemic, we were living through a “crisis of touch”; perhaps the enforced distance of the past 18 months has made us realise how vital touch is after all. For the people whose jobs rely heavily on touch, it’s been a particularly difficult time. Here’s how they are navigating its return. Continue reading...

They take their name from the constellation Leo and can be spotted from 6 to 30 NovemberThis week, Starwatch is some advance warning for next week’s peak of the Leonid meteor shower. The shower is under way now as it lasts from 6 to 30 November. The peak activity this year is expected in the early morning of 17 November.The chart shows the view from London at midnight as 16 turns into 17 November. From Sydney, Australia, Leo will rise a few hours later. The Leonids take their name because they appear to radiate from a point in the constellation Leo, the lion. The radiant is situated just under the head of the lion, but do not look directly at it when searching for the shooting stars. The meteors, instead, appear in all directions around the radiant, so keep scanning the skies around this location. Continue reading...

‘Game-changing’ research finds unravelling genetic codes in children with cancer could lead to better diagnosis and treatmentReading the full genetic code of childhood cancers can help doctors improve diagnoses, understand how tumours will grow, and find the most effective therapies, according to a pilot study.Doctors in Cambridge used whole-genome sequencing on 36 children with cancer and found that the extra information the test provided changed four of the patients’ diagnoses and revealed new treatment options in seven cases. Continue reading...

The Science Weekly podcast is in Glasgow, where we are bringing listeners daily episodes from Cop26. Each morning you will hear from one of the Guardian’s award-winning environment team. Today, the Guardian’s biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, talks to one of the world’s leading marine ecologists, Dr Enric Sala, about the role our oceans can play in preventing climate catastropheLast week, Panama, Ecuador, Colombia and Costa Rica committed to aligning their marine-protected areas to form a fishing-free corridor covering more than 500,000 sq km (200,000 sq miles). They were the latest in a long list of countries who have realised that our oceans are crucial in the fight to keep global heating within 1.5 degrees.The UK government also announced on Friday, Ocean Action Day, that over 100 countries had signed up to a pledge to protect at least 30% of the global ocean by 2030. Why? Because oceans are estimated to absorb at least a quarter of the world’s CO2 emissions, something known as ‘blue carbon’. Continue reading...

Scientists say 35 novel discoveries included a pair of massive black holes 145 times as heavy as the sun orbiting each other

Sage advisor says ‘Plan B’ Covid measures still under consideration in England; Germany reports 23,543 new cases reported in past 24 hours