PM repeatedly cites the institute’s modelling of 70-80% Covid vaccination rates as Australia’s path to freedom. But what do those numbers really mean?

Five existentialists walk into a bar.Update: solutions can be found hereToday’s three puzzles are mini-dramas featuring well-known philosophers.1. Late Wittgenstein Continue reading...

This blog is now closed. You can find all of our coverage of the pandemic here.12.09am BSTThis blog is closing now but thanks very much for reading. We’ll be back in a few hours with more rolling coverage of the pandemic from all around the world.In the meantime you can catch up with all our coverage of the pandemic here.10.51pm BSTIt started out well enough, writes Rob LeDonne.In the heart of New York City, on Central Park’s Great Lawn, the weather was overcast leading up to We Love NYC: The Homecoming Concert, a genre-spanning spectacle produced by the city itself.Related: The show did not go on: storm thwarts Central Park concert celebrating city’s Covid comeback Continue reading...

UK scheme could also illuminate reinfection rates and immunity across different variants, say experts

A simple breakfast with a friend presented a serious dilemma and pointed to both the need and precedent for actionOn Saturday morning I met a friend for breakfast at a local diner. We weren’t sure whether to sit outside because of the surging Delta variant of Covid, or inside because stinging smoke from wildfires consuming northern and western California had spread into the Bay Area.Related: Our Own Worst Enemy review: a caustic diagnosis of America after Trump Continue reading...

JCVI considers lower third jab dosage to release stocks for poorer nations

Whatever this week’s Biden review finds, the cause of the pandemic lies in the destruction of animal habitats

The professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience discusses his work to develop a scientific explanation for how the brain conjures consciousnessFor centuries, philosophers have theorised about the mind-body question, debating the relationship between the physical matter of the brain and the conscious mental activity it somehow creates. Even with advances in neuroscience and brain imaging techniques, large parts of that fundamental relationship remain stubbornly mysterious. It was with good reason that, in 1995, the cognitive scientist David Chalmers coined the term “the hard problem” to describe the question of exactly how our brains conjure subjective conscious experience. Some philosophers continue to insist that mind is inherently distinct from matter. Advances in understanding how the brain functions undermine those ideas of dualism, however.Anil Seth, professor of cognitive and computational neuroscience at the University of Sussex, is at the leading edge of that latter research. His Ted talk on consciousness has been viewed more than 11m times. His new book, Being You, proposes an idea of the human mind as a “highly evolved prediction machine”, rooted in the functions of the body and “constantly hallucinating the world and the self” to create reality. Continue reading...

Writing a diary is a great way to offload – and, if memory fails, it’s a wonderful window on the pastI still get funny looks from people when I mention that I keep a diary. Maybe the practice strikes them as shifty or weirdly old-fashioned. It’s true that I never feel more furtive than when my wife finds me writing it at our kitchen table – it’s like being spotted entering a confessional box in church. What exactly have I got to tell this black book about a life that we share all day, every day? What secrets can I possibly be keeping?The answer: nothing of any great note, and yet so much of my life is in it. I started writing a journal (as I used to call it) when I went on holiday. Twenty years ago I decided to go full-time and since then I’ve kept it more or less every day. Why? I suppose it began as an experiment – and became an obligation. You can’t hold back time, but you can try to save the past from being completely erased. It often feels trivial to record things as they happen (a stray remark, hearing a song, fleeting moments of doom or delight), but later they may prove useful, or instructive, or amusing. It also maintains the illusion of diligence – that you’re not just pissing away the days. A diary is good exercise for the writing muscle, the way a pianist practises scales or a footballer does keepy-uppies. During lockdown, like everyone else, I got into routines that felt numbing in their repetition and diary-wise left me short of material. I took recourse to discussing the books and box sets I was involved with – not exactly Pepysian, but it got me through. Continue reading...

The lessons top athletes are learning about stress and mental health can help us handle pressure in our own livesIt was going to be the Pandemic Olympics; the cheerless games that would inspire ambivalence at best. And then sport did its thing. Despite the lack of crowds and the looming threat of Covid, Tokyo was amazing. It also became something else: the mental health Olympics.When Simone Biles pulled out of the gymnastics events, she brought an unprecedented focus on the psychological challenges of elite sport. One of the greatest athletes of all time had decided to prioritise her mind over the will – and enormous pressure – to win. “There is more to life than just gymnastics,” she said. After taking stock in a Tokyo gym, she returned to the beam event, taking a bronze medal in what might have felt like one of her biggest victories. Continue reading...

Gladys Berejiklian reports record high case numbers and Victoria extends lockdown statewide. This blog is now closed

Thousands march through streets of Melbourne and Brisbane, as police try to prevent Sydney rally

This profound meditation on the science of life explores where it has come from and how it evolvesAt a medical research laboratory in California, Alysson Muotri has used chemistry to change skin cells into neurons, which have multiplied to form “organoids” – globes of interconnected brain cells. The organoids can expand to hundreds of thousands of cells, live for years, and even produce detectable patterns of brain waves, like those of premature babies. “The most incredible thing is that they build themselves,” says Muotri. He even wonders whether they could one day become conscious.Such unsettling scientific creations, unknown even 10 years ago, challenge our ideas about life, raising questions for bioethicists and philosophers. As the American science writer Carl Zimmer writes: “Brain organoids are troubling because we feel in our bones that making sense of life should be easy. These clusters of neurons prove that it’s not.” Continue reading...

ACT reports eight new coronavirus cases and cancels Floriade while Queensland records zero

Victorian premier Daniel Andrews announces regional lockdown amid 77 new coronavirus cases

This Science Week, Dr Karl encourages parents and children to see ‘the beauty of doing physical experiments right at home’Children and adults alike may be stuck at home during Science Week this year, but that doesn’t mean the pursuit of knowledge has to be put on hold too.Dr Karl Kruszelnicki told Guardian Australia that kids today might have access to a wealth of information with the internet, but getting hands-on takes the next step. Continue reading...

The UK’s most popular expletive has changed after a 27% drop in cursing over 20 yearsSo it’s farewell to bloody Nora. The f-word has become Britain’s most popular swearword, overtaking “bloody”, as the nation’s use of expletives has dropped over the past two decades, a linguistics study has found.Data on the use of 16 swearwords in the 1990s and the 2010s shows the f-word was the most frequently used, taking the title from “bloody” which was beaten into third place by “shit”. Continue reading...

We are in an emergency. Wildfires are raging across the world as scorching temperatures and dry conditions fuel the blazes that have cost lives and destroyed livelihoods.The combination of extreme heat, changes in our ecosystem and prolonged drought have in many regions led to the worst fires in almost a decade, and come after the IPCC handed down a damning landmark report on the climate crisis.But technically, there are fewer wildfires than in the past – the problem now is that they are worse than ever and we are running out of time to act, as the Guardian's global environment editor, Jonathan Watts, explains

This week ticketless Bravehearts ‘seize’ Edinburgh Castle and scientists grow a Raab replacement in the labToday I disappeared into a lightless, windowless, soundproofed room, four or five feet square, with nothing but myself and a book for company for three days. This would be a lifetime’s ambition fulfilled were it not for the fact the book is one I wrote and I am in this foam-lined oubliette in order to read it aloud while a man in the next room along records it for publishing-in-audiobook-form purposes. Continue reading...

To get the shot, many must overcome their historical memory of unethical medical experimentsBy late June, Yolanda Corbett, who lives in Washington DC with her three children, was certain she would not get the Covid-19 vaccine.She wanted to protect her family more than anything, but while the vaccine is a clear sign of hope for most, Corbett wasn’t convinced. Continue reading...

Sajid Javid says green light for Ronapreve – which was used to treat Donald Trump – is ‘fantastic news’

It has become a term for a general gaffe, but the true joy is in its original formSigmund Freud has his fans and his detractors. My take? A lot of his work was pioneering and has relevance to this day; a lot of it was nonsense.One of Freud’s greatest legacies (no, not the scatology obsession) is the one that bears his name: the Freudian slip. (Or parapraxis, to give it its other name.) When Freud started word association with his patients, he realised that often their immediate answers would reveal things about themselves that they had repressed or were on their mind, lingering beneath the surface. Continue reading...

Researchers say a ban on preprint material citations in funding applications is a ‘remarkably stupid own-goal for Australian science’

Long March 7 rocket will carry Tianzhou 3 into orbit in mid to late SeptemberChina is preparing to launch an uncrewed cargo ship to its Tiangong “Heavenly palace” space station in preparation for the arrival of its second human crew this autumn.The Long March 7 rocket was delivered to the Wenchang space launch site in Hainan on 16 August, where it will undergo final assembly and testing. It will carry the Tianzhou 3 cargo ship into orbit sometime in mid to late September. Simultaneously, at the Jiuquan satellite launch centre in the Gobi desert, the Shenzhou 13 mission is being readied to transport the crew of three astronauts. Continue reading...

Didier Raoult, who promoted hydroxychloroquine treatment, may not be able to continue his researchThe French scientist who promoted the discredited hydroxychloroquine treatment for Covid-19 backed by Donald Trump faces being pushed out of the infectious diseases institute he founded, amid concerns from key members over its role in feeding conspiracy theories and an investigation by regulators into its clinical studies.Didier Raoult has built a worldwide following throughout the pandemic for his support of the malaria drug despite its failure in randomised control trials. Multiple studies, including by the Recovery trial and the World Health Organisation, have found hydroxychloroquine to be ineffective in treating Covid-19. Continue reading...

Evidence about efficacy of additional dose of vaccine is unclear as some raise moral argument

Australian psychologist Steven Taylor published what would turn out to be a prophetic book, and it has become like a Lonely Planet guide to the pandemicIn October 2019, a month or so before Covid-19 began to spread from the industrial Chinese city of Wuhan, Steven Taylor, an Australian psychologist at the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, published what would turn out to be a remarkably prophetic book, The Psychology of Pandemics.Even his publishers had doubts about its relevance and market potential. But in the 22 months since, the book has become like a Lonely Planet guide to the pandemic, passed around and marked up like waypoints along a new and dreadful global health journey. Continue reading...

New analysis finds chemicals tested on animals in moisturisers, lipsticks, hair conditioner and sunscreen, despite banHundreds of cosmetic products sold in the UK and Europe contain ingredients that have been tested on animals, despite bans that outlawed such testing years ago, a new analysis has shown.Banned tests were performed on ingredients used in products including moisturisers, lipsticks, sunscreen and hair conditioner, the analysis found, with more than 100 separate experiments performed on animals including mice and rabbits. Continue reading...

Narwhals may be shy and elusive, but they are certainly not quiet. Nicola Davis speaks to geophysicist Dr Evgeny Podolskiy about capturing the vocalisations of narwhals in an arctic fjord, and what this sonic world could tell us about the lives of these mysterious creatures Continue reading...

Hybrit sends steel made with hydrogen production process to Volvo, which plans to use it in prototype vehicles and componentsThe world’s first customer delivery of “green steel” produced without using coal is taking place in Sweden, according to its manufacturer.The Swedish venture Hybrit said it was delivering the steel to truck-maker Volvo AB as a trial run before full commercial production in 2026. Volvo has said it will start production in 2021 of prototype vehicles and components from the green steel. Continue reading...

Findings of large study support the idea mental stimulation could delay onset of symptoms, says lead authorPeople with mentally stimulating jobs have a lower risk of dementia in later years than those who have non-stimulating work, research has suggested.Scientists looked at more than 100,000 participants across studies from the UK, Europe and the US focused on links between work-related factors and chronic disease, disability and mortality. Continue reading...

Researchers say implications for transmission remain unclear but reaching herd immunity even more challenging

White House prepared to offer third dose beginning 20 September to those inoculated at least eight months agoJoe Biden said on Wednesday his administration planned to make Covid-19 vaccine booster shots available to all Americans starting on 20 September as infections rise from the Delta variant of the coronavirus.The White House is prepared to offer a third booster shot starting on that date to all Americans who completed their initial inoculation at least eight months ago, the US Department of Health and Human Services said in a statement. Continue reading...

Move likened to handing out lifejackets to those who already have them while letting others drown

‘Levelling up’ | Boris Johnson | Clothkits | FlatulenceOn the idea of “levelling up” (Letters, 16 August), I was reminded of Lord Grade when he was told about the high costs of making his film, Raise the Titanic. Apparently he mused that it could possibly be cheaper to lower the Atlantic.

Hopes raised that drug could work well with immunotherapy for triple-negative breast cancer patientsAspirin is being trialled as part of a potential treatment for an aggressive form of breast cancer.Researchers hope the cheap and widely available drug could work well when combined with immunotherapy for patients with triple-negative breast cancer. Continue reading...

Experts recommend Britain should plant 40% more of these valuable barriers by 2050Hedgerows are hugely important but often taken for granted. They are perhaps the largest semi-natural habitat in Britain, refuges for wild plants and corridors for wildlife to move through, often in barren farmland landscapes.Hedgerows help slow down the runoff of water, guarding against flooding and soil erosion, and act as barriers to help prevent pesticide and fertiliser pollution getting into water supplies. Studies show they can improve the quality of air by helping trap air pollution.

Health experts, medics and charities warn £1.1bn tobacco firm deal could cost inhaler maker access to government grantsShareholders in the asthma inhaler maker Vectura have been urged to reject a £1.1bn takeover by the tobacco company Philip Morris International (PMI), in an open letter signed by 35 health charities, public health experts and doctors from around the world.Investors in the Wiltshire-based respiratory medicine specialist have until 15 September to decide whether to sell their shares to PMI, which has touted its ambitions for a “smoke-free” future but still derives 75% of its revenue from cigarettes. Continue reading...

The large-brained cephalopods can remember details of what, where and when even in their old ageCuttlefish have one of the largest brains among invertebrates and can remember what, where, and when specific things happened right up to their final days of life, according to new research.The cephalopods – which have three hearts, eight arms, blue-green blood, regenerating limbs, and the ability to camouflage and exert self-control – only live for roughly two years. Continue reading...

Dr Michelle Fiscus says muzzle was sent anonymously, perhaps as a warning, before she was fired over efforts to vaccinate teenagersA former Tennessee government official who was fired amid controversy over vaccine access for teenagers has denied sending herself a dog muzzle she told authorities was delivered anonymously, possibly as a warning to be quiet, after investigators determined it was ordered using her own credit card.Related: Tennessee to halt vaccine outreach to teens amid conservative backlash – report Continue reading...

MHRA authorises use of vaccine on those aged 12 to 17, saying it is safe and effective for them

Extreme weather events widen existing inequalities and traumatise victims while climate anxiety affects mental healthMedical students are demanding their schools include the climate crisis as a core component of the curriculum, as the intensifying climate emergency highlights the corresponding health crisis.Hannah Chase, a final year medical student at Oxford said the sense of urgency hit home recently when a fellow student confessed they didn’t believe in climate change. “It just shows that we make such assumptions,” said Chase. “It’s needed, this education.” Continue reading...

Former slave who rose through the social ranks was interred at necropolis of Porta Sarno before AD79The partially mummified remains, including hair and bones, of a former slave who rose through the social ranks have been found in the ancient Roman city of Pompeii.The remains of Marcus Venerius Secundio were found in a tomb at the necropolis of Porta Sarno, which was one of the main entrance gates into the city. The tomb is believed to date back to the decades before Pompeii was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. Continue reading...

Poor policy outcomes are not the responsibility of ‘mutant maths’, but of choices made by people in powerA year ago, when the prime minister blamed a “mutant algorithm” for A-level students receiving lower than their predicted grades, a new phrase entered political discourse. Since then, the government’s proposed housing algorithm has been labelled “mutant” by the Conservative MP Philip Hollobone; recently even the pensions triple lock was referred to as a “mutant formula” by the GB News journalist Tom Harwood.It’s worth thinking about why this wording has spread. The implication of calling an algorithm “mutant” is that technology has got out of hand and that a useful mathematical system has produced perverse outcomes when applied in the real world. But this obscures the reality, which is that people in power choose when to use algorithms, set their parameters, and oversee their commissioning process. Those developing algorithms repeatedly check they are doing what ministers want them to do. When algorithms are spoken of as “mutant” it obscures this reality, framing algorithms as outside forces that act upon us, rather than tools that can help us understand the world and make decisions. Continue reading...

The famous number has many practical uses, mathematicians say, but is it really worth the time and effort to work out its trillions of digits?Swiss researchers have spent 108 days calculating pi to a new record accuracy of 62.8tn digits.Using a computer, their approximation beat the previous world record of 50tn decimal places, and was calculated 3.5 times as quickly. It’s an impressive and time-consuming feat that prompts the question: why? Continue reading...

Ken Wyatt blames low take-up rate partly on “choice”, while Labor blasts the rollout as a “complete failure”

Flooding, droughts and wildfires will worsen as global heating disrupts the planet’s water cycleWater problems – drought, with its accompanying wildfires, and flooding – are likely to become much worse around the world as climate breakdown takes hold, according to the biggest assessment of climate science to date.Global heating of at least 1.5C is likely to happen within the next two decades, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. Temperature rises will be accompanied by big changes in the planet’s water cycle, with areas that are already wet becoming much wetter, and already arid areas becoming prone to greater drought. Extreme rainfall intensifies by 7% for each additional 1C of global heating, the report found. Continue reading...

Officials have not yet established a link between the case, detected in Auckland, and the border or managed isolation facilities

The demands on parents at home in the Covid pandemic seem to only be increasing – and there’s no end in sightWeek eight of lockdown and week six of home schooling. I’m taking deep breaths before the start of this new week as last week saw me hit a new low.My five-year-old was writing the letter “h” under much duress. He is reticent at best to do his work. We would bribe him with jelly beans if he completed some of his tasks, but now even the jelly bean trick doesn’t work. Jelly beans? Pssht! He looks decidedly unimpressed. What else you got? Continue reading...