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Bold climate targets are meaningless without policies to meet them. The PM should grab the chance to make Cop26 a successTargets are all very well. But not if there is no way of reaching them. In which case, they are a sham. This is the problem now confronting the government. The UK’s stated goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 78% by 2035 compared with 1990 levels is very ambitious. “Remarkable” was the word used last week by Lord Deben (the former Conservative environment secretary John Gummer). He chairs the climate change committee (CCC) that advises the government. Its latest reports make an unflattering contrast between impressive aims and the absence of plans to meet them.A strategy setting out how the UK intends to meet its net zero pledge is promised before the Cop26 climate talks in Glasgow in November. But there is little sign so far that ministers grasp the scale of the challenge. Not a single government department, the CCC finds, is moving at the necessary pace. Transport, agriculture, buildings, industry: in all the key emissions-producing sectors bar power generation, there has been an alarming lack of progress. Cuts to the aid budget now overseen by the Foreign Office mean that it too is implicated. Support for poor countries as they make the transition away from fossil fuels has long been recognised as a crucial element of the global climate process. Continue reading...

China's National Space Administration has released footage captured by the country's Mars probe. The videos and photos taken by the camera installed on the Zhurong rover of the Tianwen-1 spacecraft show the lander deploying a parachute before touching down on the surface of Mars and the rover driving away from its landing platform. State broadcaster CCTV said Zhurong had been working on the red planet for 42 days and had moved 236 metres so far

Families come in all different sizes – the secret is realising that yours may be even better than the one you longed forIt is a strange irony that the thing we want most in life is often that which eludes us. The writer and feminist Rebecca Solnit says, “Often it is the desire between us and the object of desire that fills the space in between with the blue of longing.”The protagonist in my debut novel, The Imposter, wrestles with the sensation that Solnit describes – that blue of longing. She travels on the top deck of the bus in the city where she lives, glancing into the cosy living room windows she passes, filled with seemingly happy families, and longs to be a part of one of them. Continue reading...

Ripples in spacetime caused by the collision of black holes were first detected in 2015. Now astrophysicists are looking for the waves created by the big bang itselfAbout 10 billion-trillion-trillionths of a second into the start of creation in the big bang, the universe is believed to have had a brief but absurdly fast growth spurt. This episode, called inflation, was so cataclysmic that the very fabric of space and time was set juddering with gravitational waves (GWs). By comparison, the GWs that were first detected six years ago to much fanfare were small-scale affairs caused by black holes colliding. But now scientists at the European Space Agency (Esa) are setting their sights on grander targets – and are hoping they might soon be able to detect the faint echoes of the universe’s inflationary birth throes, almost 14bn years after the event, using the largest instrument ever built. Hundreds of times bigger than the Earth, Esa’s planned gravitational wave detector will float in space and look for wobbles in spacetime caused by all manner of immense astrophysical convulsions.The first GW was identified in 2015 by the Laser Interferometer Gravitational-Wave Observatory (Ligo), an international project whose success won the 2017 Nobel prize in physics for three of its key proponents. Ligo consists of two massive detectors in the American states of Washington and Louisiana. Each deploys two tunnels 2.5 miles (4km) long, intersecting at a right angle, along which a laser beam travels to a mirror at the far end and bounces back. The returning light waves interfere with one another where the arms cross. As a GW passes, it very slightly contracts or stretches spacetime. Because that effect will be different in each arm, it changes the synchrony of the light waves, and so alters the interference of the two beams. Continue reading...

Don’t think of this as a bad sign, it’s exactly what’s expected from an effective but imperfect jabA MailOnline headline on 13June read: “Study shows 29% of the 42 people who have died after catching the new strain had BOTH vaccinations.” In Public Health England’s technical briefing on 25 June, that figure had risen to 43% (50 of 117), with the majority (60%) having received at least one dose.It could sound worrying that the majority of people dying in England with the now-dominant Delta (B.1.617.2) variant have been vaccinated. Does this mean the vaccines are ineffective? Far from it, it’s what we would expect from an effective but imperfect vaccine, a risk profile that varies hugely by age and the way the vaccines have been rolled out. Continue reading...

UK trials begin for test that detects risk of oesophageal diseaseTrials of a new weapon in the battle against cancer are to be launched across Britain next month. The cytosponge – a sponge on a string – is to be used to pinpoint individuals at risk of developing oesophageal cancer.The aim is to tackle one of Britain’s most pernicious illnesses. Oesophageal cancer is often diagnosed late in its development when it is difficult to treat. It is the sixth most common cause of cancer deaths in the UK with only 15% of patients surviving five years after diagnosis and is more common in older people. Continue reading...

UK government and major brands back bid to help consumers assess environmental impact of productsA new traffic light system on food and drinks packaging is being launched to allow consumers to make more environmentally friendly choices.The scheme has been put together by Foundation Earth, a new non-profit organisation backed by the government, global food giant Nestlé and British brands including Marks & Spencer, Sainsbury’s, the Co-op and Costa Coffee. Continue reading...

The scientist, 65, talks about quantum gravity, LSD, free love, escaping a bear and his lifetime in radical politicsVerona was a beautiful place to grow up, but the town was close-minded and provincial. Dad, a gentle and hard-working man, ran a business. Mum was intelligent and bored – a lethal combination. They encouraged my independence from a young age, which I took too far. At 14, I ran away from home and headed to France, to find like-minded, free-thinking young people.I took my first acid in Paris aged 16, then hitchhiked across Europe. One night I slept in a small boat I found moored by a pier on the Danube. Lying down to rest underneath the immense, starry sky was the first time I felt true happiness. Continue reading...

A brilliant scientific storyteller reads stone, pottery and bones to bring us the latest moving updates about our prehistoric ancestorsIn 2002, not far from Amesbury in southern Wiltshire and a mile or so from Stonehenge, archaeologists were investigating the site of a new school when they discovered something remarkable. It was the grave of a man, aged between 35 and 45, who died more than 4,000 years ago. Wessex Archaeology conducted the excavation and they labelled his remains as “skeleton 1291”. But to the public he soon became known as the Amesbury Archer.Among his bones were no fewer than 18 beautifully crafted flint arrowheads. The shafts had long since rotted away, along with the bow. But their positioning suggested they had been cast into the grave after the body had been laid in the wood-lined chamber. Together with two stone wrist guards, or bracers, they formed the largest collection of bronze age archery equipment ever found. Continue reading...

Amid bemusement from scientists at the deluge of often undeserved criticism, the Guardian pieces together the story behind the vaccine’s successes and failures

New South Wales premier says lockdown will last two weeks and new restrictions will be in place for rest of state

Billionaire space race gathers pace as Sir Richard Branson’s company gets FAA blessing for full commercial launchSir Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic has made another small leap in the billionaire space race after US authorities gave it permission to take paying customers to space.Its licence was enhanced on Friday by the US Federal Aviation Administration to allow a full commercial launch, after a successful test flight last month. Continue reading...

Health secretary admitted he broke social distancing guidelines after picture was published showing him in a ‘clinch’ with an adviser

Study found ‘no substantial outbreaks’ but scientists warn lateral flow tests are not as effective as PCR

‘Dragon man’ skull reveals new branch of family tree more closely related to modern humans than NeanderthalsThe discovery of a huge fossilised skull that was wrapped up and hidden in a Chinese well nearly 90 years ago has forced scientists to rewrite the story of human evolution.Analysis of the remains has revealed a new branch of the human family tree that points to a previously unknown sister group more closely related to modern humans than the Neanderthals. Continue reading...

Experts say next few weeks will be crucial in monitoring impact of Delta variant across Britain

As some travel restrictions are eased, Grant Shapps refuses to say he would book foreign holiday now

International Lunar Research Station is intended to be ready for crewed visits by 2036Russia and China have presented a plan to build the joint International Lunar Research Station (ILRS). The proposed lunar base is intended to be ready for crewed visits by 2036 and is unrelated to the American-led Artemis programme, which has pledged to land “the first woman and person of color” on the moon by 2024, although that date seems increasingly unlikely.Like Artemis, the ILRS is open to collaborating with other countries, and on 16 June the China National Space Administration and Russia’s state space corporation, Roscosmos, published a partnership guide. Continue reading...

After a world-leading response in 2020 it did not have to be this wayEighteen months into the Covid pandemic, Australians by now should have been looking forward to prudently and cautiously opening to the world.But rather than opening up, our largest city is shutting down. Continue reading...

I learned first-hand about longing through decades of celibacy – but why do we do it, and how can we stop?I was a 35-year-old virgin when I realized I was addicted to longing. I got off on the high of anticipating sex I knew I wasn’t going to have, and then masochistically wallowed when letdown inevitably followed.My crushes were the popular guys in high school, the elusive seat-mate on an airplane ride, and the soldiers shipped overseas. I binge-watched When Harry Met Sally and planned weekend trips to far-flung destinations hoping to rekindle an old flame or attract the eye of a romantic interest I’d spent hours stalking on Facebook. Continue reading...

It's true that sound wavescan't travel in space. However electromagnetic and gravitational waves can. Now, a new album, Celestial Incantations, hasturned these signals such as the oscillations of a comet, radiation from a galactic pulsar and the merger of two black holes intomusical tracks. The album is a collaboration between Kim Cunio, an associate professor and convenor of musicology at the Australian National University, UK artist Diana Scarborough and Dr Nigel Meredith from the British Antarctic Survey. For those looking for a sonic journeythrough the cosmos, the albumis free to stream and download

Latest updates: territories are added to UK’s green list or green watchlist, while more countries added to red list

Remains with combination of Neanderthal and early human features date back 100,000 yearsFossilised bones recovered from an ancient sinkhole in Israel may belong to a previously unknown group of extinct humans that lived in the Levant more than 100,000 years ago.Researchers unearthed the bones alongside stone tools and the remains of horses, fallow deer and wild ox during excavations at the Nesher Ramla prehistoric site near the city of Ramla in central Israel. Continue reading...

Scientists have turned electromagnetic and gravitational waves – which, unlike sound waves, can travel in a vacuum – into musical tracksIf two black holes collide in the vacuum of space, do they make a sound?Sound waves can’t travel in the almost perfect vacuum of space – no one can hear you scream, as the tagline from Alien goes. But electromagnetic and gravitational waves can, and a new album has turned these signals from space into musical tracks. Continue reading...

Discovery of tiny fossils indicates dinosaurs raised young in freezing region – and may have been warm-bloodedIt had long stretches of winter darkness, freezing temperatures and often scarce resources, but an array of tiny fossils suggests dinosaurs not only roamed the Arctic, but hatched and raised their young there too.While dinosaur fossils have previously been found in the Arctic, it was unclear whether they lived there year-round or were seasonal visitors. Continue reading...

Telescope may be able to observe event now calculated to have taken place 250-350m years after big bangIt is often said that looking through a telescope is like peering back in time, because of the millions of years it takes light from distant cosmic objects to reach Earth. Now scientists have calculated that they may be able to see far enough back to observe the birth of the very first stars – with the first images possibly available as early as next year. They have also pinpointed when this momentous event occurred.Observing the moment when the universe was first bathed in light, the cosmic dawn, is a major quest in astronomy. Continue reading...

Questions raised over failure of Covax scheme to provide promised doses to the continentAfrican Union special envoy Strive Masiyiwa has accused the world’s richest nations of deliberately failing to provide enough Covid-19 vaccines to the continent.Masiyiwa, the union’s special envoy to the African vaccine acquisition task team, said the Covax scheme had failed to keep its promise to secure production of 700 million doses of vaccines in time for delivery by December 2021. Continue reading...

Throughout the pandemic, but increasingly in recent weeks, some senior scientists and politicians have been saying that, at some point, we’re going to have to learn to live with coronavirus. On the other hand, just last week, there was a vote in the Commons to delay the easing of restrictions - a date dubbed by some as ‘freedom day’. Speaking to Prof Siân Griffiths and Prof David Salisbury, Ian Sample asks if now is the time to go back to normality or whether a more cautious approach is needed

There is huge potential in an approach that tackles crises not by dominating or manipulating people, but by working with themFor many years, psychology has largely been relegated to the “and finally …” section of the news, down there with dogs on surfboards and siblings reuniting after a lifetime apart. I recall, for instance, during the Scottish independence referendum, being asked to comment on how political differences within families might lead to marital discord. Significant to those involved, no doubt, but hardly central to the story. Although issues that were central to the story – national identity, trust in government, decision-making under conditions of uncertainty – did involve a core psychological dimension, psychologists and behavioural scientists more generally were never invited to comment on these.The problem is that, although our society and popular culture are endlessly obsessed with the psychological, this is generally limited to how we act alone or in personal relationships. It rarely extends to how we act together, how we combine collectively and hence how we constitute a force that can alter the whole of society. So, when it comes to public policy, the discipline is irrelevant. Fine for the Big Brother House, less so for No. 10. Continue reading...

Dave Smith, 72, from Bristol, tells of an experience including 42 positive tests and seven hospital admissions

Research says people tend to fall into two categories: those with respiratory illness and those with fatigue-related symptoms

How did specific become pacific and neckties become assessories? If you’re regularly annoyed by the misuse of language, a new survey shows you are certainly not aloneName: Annoying mispronunciations.Age: No pacific age. Continue reading...

Astronomers estimate 29 habitable planets are positioned to see Earth transit and intercept human broadcastsFor centuries, Earthlings have gazed at the heavens and wondered about life among the stars. But as humans hunted for little green men, the extraterrestrials might have been watching us back.In new research, astronomers have drawn up a shortlist of nearby star systems where any inquisitive inhabitants on orbiting planets would be well placed to spot life on Earth. Continue reading...

He claims he wanted to be a scientist. One shudders to think what his fraudulent character might have unleashed in a labThis time last year there was no Covid vaccine and none was imminent. Today, about 43 million Britons – 80% of the UK adult population – have had a dose. The ordeal is far from over, but this will be the crux of the story when future generations narrate Britain’s pandemic: the virus brought fear and death; science replied with vaccines and hope.The associated political debates will go on in the margins. The jabs may have transformed Boris Johnson’s poll ratings, but that reflects a feelgood factor, which is not bankable. It cannot be deployed later in the year if voters feel bad about something else. The significance of the smooth vaccine rollout to the prime minister’s longer-term reputation depends on whether it is a late bloom of sustained administrative competence or, as seems likelier, a fluke, to be followed by a resumption of 2020-style disarray and prevarication. Continue reading...

Same mutation of Delta Plus is found in Beta variant, which is partially resistant to vaccines

Guardian Australia picture editor Carly Earl explains the dos and don’ts of shooting June’s super moonWhen a full moon rises, many people will pull out their mobile phones to try and get an Instagram-worthy photograph, but unfortunately the moon is really challenging to get a great photo of.Two reasons: it is very far away and unless you have a telephoto lens (which makes the moon appear closer than it is) it will always appear as a very small glowing dot in the frame. Continue reading...

Scientists were surprised by results of painting eyeliner on shells of jumping spiders to change their appearanceResearchers have come up with an ingenious way to test the theory that male jumping spiders have evolved colourful stripes to ward off predators – they have put makeup on them.Unlike the females of the species, the male Habronattus pyrrithrix come in vivid hues to attract mates. But scientists writing in the journal Royal Society Open Science wanted to establish whether their bright, striped backs help protect them from predators. Continue reading...

Space race pioneer as the commander of Soviet-era rocketsIn 1941, the 13-year-old Vladimir Shatalov was working on the defences around Leningrad as the Soviet city faced annihilation at the hands of the Nazis. By 1969, from the Soviet base at Baikonur in Kazakhstan, he was soaring into orbit aboard the Soyuz 4 spacecraft. The world had turned.The aim that day – 14 January 1969 – was to dock with Soyuz 5, and to transfer the flight engineer Aleksei Yeliseyev and research engineer Yevgeny Khrunovkrunov from Soyuz 5 into pilot cosmonaut Shatalov’s ship. A connecting tunnel for the Soviet craft had not yet been developed, so the transfer of the two cosmonauts had to take place via a space walk. Even in the era of space pioneers this was a major first, which helped pave the way for the permanent space stations that were to follow. Continue reading...

Active ageing | Hiccups | Food exports | Going cashless | KublasAt 90, I walk my lurcher twice a day (1.5 miles minimum), do the cryptic crossword (93% success this year), take more than two services a month at Methodist churches, preach once a month in my parish church, and am looking forward to the annual Wainwright challenge (climbing 2,176ft Tarn Crag) and the reopening of our village youth club (Letters, 21 June). My God is being good to me!

Findings on side-effects and vaccine efficacy expected by August or September as NHS prepares for potential flu surge

It’s not only the UK’s public sector that is mulling compulsory jabs. Often the carrot can be more powerful than the stickLast week we learned of a government consultation expected to announce mandatory Covid-19 vaccinations for care home staff, and possibly NHS staff too. This sparked debate as to the ethics and legality of such a move, not to mention the strain it could put on an already beleaguered workforce. A number of stakeholders opposed the move, from NHS providers to the British Medical Association. But it is not just the healthcare sector that is weighing up such considerations: a recent survey in the US and UK found that 9 in 10 employers will encourage or require vaccination and 60% plan to make them mandatory.Related: Is there an ‘acceptable’ risk of death? | David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters Continue reading...

Mark Grenon says in interview from prison he gave Trump the product and was the source of Trump’s fixation with disinfectantThe leader of a spurious church which peddled industrial bleach as a “miracle cure” for Covid-19 is claiming that he provided Donald Trump with the product in the White House shortly before the former president made his notorious remarks about using “disinfectant” to treat the disease.Related: Republicans set to sink Democrats’ effort to advance key voting rights bill – live Continue reading...

They may be vine-smothered ruins today, but the lost cities of the ancient tropics still have a lot to teach us about how to live alongside natureVisions of “lost cities” in the jungle have consumed western imaginations since Europeans first visited the tropics of Asia, Africa and the Americas. From the Lost City of Z to El Dorado, a thirst for finding ancient civilisations and their treasures in perilous tropical forest settings has driven innumerable ill-fated expeditions. This obsession has seeped into western societies’ popular ideas of tropical forest cities, with overgrown ruins acting as the backdrop for fear, discovery and life-threatening challenges in countless films, novels and video games.Throughout these depictions runs the idea that all ancient cities and states in tropical forests were doomed to fail. That the most resilient occupants of tropical forests are small villages of poison dart-blowing hunter-gatherers. And that vicious vines and towering trees – or, in the case of The Jungle Book, a boisterous army of monkeys – will inevitably claw any significant human achievement back into the suffocating green whence it came. This idea has been boosted by books and films that focus on the collapse of particularly enigmatic societies such as the Classic Maya. The decaying stone walls, the empty grand structures and the deserted streets of these tropical urban leftovers act as a tragic warning that our own way of life is not as secure as we would like to assume. Continue reading...

Dilemma of finding it hard to part with ‘problematic stuff’ we no longer need could date back more than 2,000 yearsFrom outgrown baby clothes to hideous mugs once used by a parent, there are certain items it is curiously hard to part with. Now research suggests difficulty of what to do with such objects could date back at least 2,000 years.Writing in the journal Antiquity, Dr Lindsey Büster, an archaeologist at the University of York, argues that bone spoons and gaming pieces found between the walls of an iron age roundhouse at the Scottish hillfort settlement of Broxmouth, as well as worn-out grinding stones in its floors, could be a centuries-old example of the same conundrum. Continue reading...

A new scientific study has revealed what we all knew, deep down – you can’t stop the ageing process. But it does come with some serious benefits

Since the dawn of time, clocks have shaped our behaviour and values. They are embedded in almost every aspect of modern life, from the time on your smartphone to the atomic clocks that underpin GPS. Anand Jagatia talks to horologist David Rooney about his new book, which tells the history of civilisation in twelve clocks Continue reading...