Science | The Guardian

Skygazers – with appropriate eye protection – could see part of sun obscured on Thursday morning

Smaller firms are developing most antibiotics targeting superbugs but often at risk of bankruptcySmall drugmakers and biotech firms that are developing the bulk of new antibiotics need far more financial support, according to a new report, which warned that without these life-saving medicines there could be a pandemic of drug-resistant infections, worse than Covid-19.The Access to Medicine Foundation, an Amsterdam-based non-profit group, said small and medium-sized firms, which account for three-quarters of all late-stage antibiotics in development, struggle to secure enough funding and are often at risk of bankruptcy, potentially leaving new medicines stranded on the lab bench. Continue reading...

Third of people say they use strong language more than they did five years ago, according to BBFC survey

There are more than 7,000 languages spoken on Earth, but by the end of the century, 30% of these could be lost. This week, research warns that knowledge of medicinal plants is at risk of disappearing as human languages become extinct. Phoebe Weston speaks to Rodrigo Cámara Leret about the study, and the links between biological and cultural diversity Continue reading...

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Group of scientists contest privacy concerns that they say are hampering research into illnesses such as long CovidResearchers have said they could struggle to find new treatments for conditions dealt with by GPs, from long Covid to depression, if they cannot get access to the patient data held by GPs because of concerns over privacy.Related: Why has the NHS patient data-sharing scheme been pushed back? Continue reading...

DNA tests on ancient bones show men were related and died following violent incidentsThe skeletons of two Viking age men who were related but died on opposite sides of the North Sea are to be reunited in an exhibition in Copenhagen this month.DNA tests on the ancient bones suggest the men were either half-brothers or a nephew and an uncle, according to Prof Eske Willerslev, a Danish evolutionary geneticist based at the University of Cambridge. Both of the Norsemen died following violent incidents. Continue reading...

When America’s richest are paying proportionately less in tax than those struggling from paycheck to paycheck, the tax system demands a radical overhaulThis week, Jeff Bezos announced his plan to become the first billionaire in space. Next month, on the 52nd anniversary of the launch of Apollo 11, he will fly about 100 km above the rest of us, see the curve of the Earth and experience a few minutes of weightlessness, before a final descent. As a metaphor for the relationship between the super-rich and everyone else, it does not come much better. What also takes some beating is the justification from the world’s richest person for living out the sci-fi dreams he had as a boy: he has so much money he doesn’t know how to spend it.“The only way that I can see to deploy this much financial resource is by converting my Amazon winnings into space travel,” he said in 2018. “That is basically it.” To which the possible counter-suggestions might include: pay your workers more. Or perhaps: pay higher taxes. Because the other big bit of Bezos news this week is that in 2007 and 2011 the multi-billionaire did not pay a cent in US federal income tax. He was in good company: in 2018 Elon Musk of Tesla also paid no federal income taxes. Michael Bloomberg, Carl Icahn and George Soros are also all recent members of the zero club. Continue reading...

Australian scientists develop a microscope that works with 35% more clarity, raising hope for improvements in medical imagingAustralian researchers have developed a microscope that can image tiny biological structures that were previously not visible in what has been described as a significant step for quantum technology.It is believed to be the first time that quantum technology has improved on existing light microscopes, which in future may lead to improvements in medical imaging and navigation systems. Continue reading...

Researchers say species exposed for long periods to light pollution near the shore were less likely to survive than those living farther awayYoung clownfish on coastal reefs are dying faster as a result of exposure to artificial light at night, according to new research.An international team of scientists studying reefs on Moorea, a tiny island of French Polynesia, have found that orange-fin anemonefish – a species of clownfish – exposed for long periods to human-generated artificial light were 36% less likely to survive than clownfish living in reefs farther from the coast. Continue reading...

Analysis in Scotland finds small increase in risk of treatable condition called idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura

End of social distancing and mask-wearing could leave children vulnerable to common bugs

Nobel laureate David Baltimore says he overstated case, and the origins of the virus are still unknown

Misleading rhetoric has fuelled the belief that our genetic code is an ‘instruction book’ – but it’s far more interesting than that

Juno passed within 645 miles of Ganymede, the closest any spacecraft has come to the moon since 2000Nasa’s Juno spacecraft has provided the first closeups of Jupiter’s largest moon in two decades.Juno zoomed past icy Ganymede on Monday, passing within 645 miles (1,038km). The last time a spacecraft came that close was in 2000 when Nasa’s Galileo spacecraft swept past our solar system’s biggest moon. Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsHow do we know we’re not living in a simulation like The Matrix? Jack Freedom, BristolPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published on Sunday. Continue reading...

Achieving herd immunity is possible – and necessary – but requires quick action, say experts

Loss of linguistic diversity may lead to disappearance of age-old remedies unknown to science, study warnsKnowledge of medicinal plants is at risk of disappearing as human languages become extinct, a new study has warned.Indigenous languages contain vast amounts of knowledge about ecosystem services provided by the natural world around them. However, more than 30% of the 7,400 languages on the planet are expected to disappear by the end of the century, according to the UN. Continue reading...

Material science allows us to understand the objects around us mathematically, but there is no formula to describe the sophistication of a handcrafted teacup. Dr Anna Ploszajski is a materials scientist who has travelled all over the UK, meeting makers to better understand her craft and theirs. She spoke to Shivani Dave about what she discovered and documented in her new book, Handmade. Continue reading...

Event may have gone unnoticed had it not slowed data traffic between Nigeria and South AfricaA vast underwater avalanche sent mud and sand more than 1,000km out into the ocean over the course of two days, rupturing submarine cables and disrupting internet traffic on Africa’s western coast, scientists have revealed.The avalanche, the longest sediment flow ever recorded, travelled more than 1,100km from its source at the mouth of the Congo river along a deep ocean canyon, according to a new study. Continue reading...

Guardian Australia picture editor Carly Earl explains the dos and don’ts of photographing the 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...

As Amazon founder prepares to jet off in his Blue Origin vessel, can he compete with Elon Musk’s SpaceX?

Research grant applicants ‘entitled to know’ if there is a secret blacklist operating: former research minister Kim CarrAn Australian government agency has been accused of running a secret “blacklist” on researchers by scanning for information about individuals who apply to it for grants.The Australian Research Council has confirmed it collates information about potential “sensitivities” when it prepares funding decisions, including media reports and links to Chinese institutions listed on a database compiled by the Australian Strategic Policy Institute (Aspi). Continue reading...

Cumbria is latest county to raise SOS as plant causes erosion and smothers other flowersHimalayan balsam’s attractive exterior masks a deadly intent. Don’t be fooled by its soothing name, pink flowers and pleasant perfume – according to ecologists, this invasive species chokes our waterways, causes riverbank erosion and is smothering our wild flowers at a terrifying rate.Determined to stop this nefarious weed from colonising even more of Britain’s lowlands, crack squads of “balsam bashers” have been out regularly since spring, hoping to pull up the evil herb before it has chance to flower. Continue reading...

Usefulness of aducanumab is disputed but US approval will trigger push to make it available globally

The Delta variant is surging, and the government’s failure to act quickly will likely cost lives

Move comes after concerns from diplomats Britain was being treated as if it posed a similar risk to China

Analysis: Concern over Delta variant means decision on ending restrictions on 21 June hangs in balance

I am not one of nature’s sunbeams, but we all need optimism in our lives right now. Can looking for little moments of joy help?Apparently the fear of happiness has a name: cherophobia. You can check if you have it by answering a questionnaire that is halfway between teen mag summer quiz and the Edinburgh postnatal depression scale. “Having lots of joy and fun causes bad things to happen” – strongly agree, somewhat disagree, neither agree nor disagree?I am a “strongly agree”. Not one of nature’s sunbeams, I am superstitiously inclined to regard happiness with suspicion; absurdly, I seem to believe that expecting the worst can ward it off. Continue reading...

Apocalyptic predictions about male infertility seem to be everywhere, but the science doesn’t support themWhat’s too small to see with the naked eye, made by half the population in batches of millions, and in alarmingly short supply? The answer, according to some scientists, is sperm. Specifically, researchers are concerned that men in the west have been producing fewer and fewer sperm since the 1970s, a decline that they say shows no sign of stopping. At the current rate, they say, these men could be infertile by 2045. But these figures should give us pause. The idea that the sperm of men in western countries is about to flatline is, in a word, extraordinary. The data doesn’t support it.The fear of a decline in sperm counts is potent and far-reaching. It has been voiced by everyone from environmentalists such as Erin Brockovich to white supremacists and their mainstream media mouthpieces such as Tucker Carlson. The broad appeal of this notion is possible because the alleged causes of a decline run the material and ideological gamut. They include chemicals found in common household products as well as modern urban lifestyles in which white men are physically sedentary and compelled to share power with people of ever-diversifying genders and ethnicities. Continue reading...

The shocking mistreatment of women by the medical establishment is laid bare in a compelling social historyDuring the recent anxieties about the AstraZeneca Covid vaccine and its possible link to blood clots, many women felt obliged to point out, on social media and in the press, that the risk of fatal thrombosis was significantly higher from using hormonal contraception, and yet this continues to be prescribed to millions of women without anything like the level of concern or scrutiny that the vaccine has received. The potential danger of a medication that only affects women is less of a headline-grabber, it seems. In fact, when the pill was first licensed in the US in 1960 it contained more than three times the levels of synthetic hormones than the modern version, and the side-effects – including fatal pulmonary embolisms and thrombosis – were deliberately downplayed. It took a sustained grassroots campaign by women’s groups to bring the issue to the attention of a congressional hearing in 1970. “From the beginning, the pill was couched as a way for women to take control of their bodies and fertility,” writes cultural historian Elinor Cleghorn in her debut book, Unwell Women. “But this also means that the costs – physical and mental – remain women’s burdens.”The history of the pill is just one fascinating episode in this richly detailed, wide-ranging and enraging history of how conventional medicine has pathologised, dismissed and abused women from antiquity to the present. A male-dominated medical establishment, influenced by religious, cultural and political ideas about women’s bodies – particularly with regard to sexuality and reproduction – has inflicted immeasurable suffering on women and girls, often with a sense of righteous zeal. Some of the cases Cleghorn unearths could come straight from The Handmaid’s Tale. There’s the 19th-century London surgeon Isaac Baker Brown, an avid proponent of clitoridectomy to cure the hysteric and nervous disorders thought to be brought about by excessive masturbation in young middle-class women. Or the American neurologists Walter Freeman and James Watts, who pioneered the craze for lobotomies in the 1930s and 40s – by 1942, 75% of their patients were women. “In an era when a mentally healthy woman was a serene wife and mother, almost any behaviour or emotion that disrupted domestic harmony could be interpreted as justification for a lobotomy.” Continue reading...

A Pentagon report on UFOs is almost here, but I’d rather not consider another looming disasterAs a child, I loved unsolved mysteries, and I’m not talking about detective novels. I’m talking about those big, fat, cheaply printed volumes you could buy from Woolworths which anthologised everything from the Mary Celeste and the Loch Ness monster, to Kaspar Hauser to the Enfield poltergeist, throwing in the Yeti and the Moberly–Jourdain incident for good measure. I gobbled them up, as well as being an avid reader of Fortean Times and an avid watcher of the paranormal series Strange but True? – 90s television introduced me to things that a small child really has no business knowing about, such as spontaneous human combustion. The black and white image of a burned-out armchair where a person used to be, with only their charred legs remaining, will probably never leave me.

The moon will partially cover the sun in the UK later this week, but some parts of the northern hemisphere will experience a total eclipseThis Thursday, Greenland, Iceland, the Arctic, most of Europe, much of North America and Asia will experience a solar eclipse.Most will see a partial eclipse, where the moon takes a bite out of the sun. From a few specific places in Russia, Greenland and Canada, the event will be visible as an annular eclipse, which occurs when the moon is located near the furthest part of its orbit around the Earth. Continue reading...

‘Internationally significant’ discovery of male with burial chains in Rutland is first of its kindHis ankles secured with heavy, locked iron fetters, the enslaved man appears to have been thrown in a ditch – a final act of indignity in death.Now the discovery of the shackled male skeleton by workers in Rutland – thought to have been aged in his late 20s or early 30s – has been identified as rare and important evidence of slavery in Roman Britain and “an internationally significant find”. Continue reading...

Allowing the fully vaccinated to enjoy more freedoms could stoke social division, say experts

Delta variant is threat to timetable for England, says Matt Hancock; children aged from 12 in Israel eligible for jab after 55% of adults have had two doses

A key maths tool during the pandemic came about because of an 18th-century debate about Christianity. The lesson we can draw today is that moral philosophy mattersDo the laws of science and mathematics explain everything, without any need to bring God into it? The pious once believed that wrathful deities could unleash plagues. As reason emerged in the temple of thinking, there was a move to claim God was behind the advance of reason. In this struggle between beliefs, new pathways of thought emerged, to the benefit of humanity.The fruits of this theological and scientific collision have been revealed during Covid. The work of Thomas Bayes, an 18th-century clergyman and mathematician, has become central to understanding the pandemic. Bayes’ theorem shows how to calculate the accuracy of lateral flow tests used to map the spread of coronavirus. The maths is used to work out the conditional probability that a person is not infected, given a positive test. This is just the tip of the Bayesian spear. David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters wrote in April that many complex pandemic analyses “have been ‘Bayesian’, including modelling lockdown effects, the ONS infection survey, and Pfizer-BioNTech’s vaccine trial”. Continue reading...

Researchers testing whether second dose of different vaccine could generate stronger immune response

How a close and enduring relationship forged in the school playground turned my life aroundMy school bully came in an unlikely package. She was a bushy-haired, bespectacled, briefcase-carrying pocket rocket who made my life miserable for a significant portion of Year 8 when I was 12 years old. I met her on the first day at our large and rowdy comprehensive school. With all my existing friends assigned to different forms, I was on high alert for someone to attach myself to as soon as possible. With her outwardly gawky appearance, she seemed like the ideal candidate and I approached her with the rather arrogant assumption that she would jump at the chance of my friendship.It didn’t take me long to realise I’d severely misjudged the situation. Her meek physical persona belied a serious rebellious streak and I struggled to keep up from the start. When she dared me to join her in “the jungle” – a wooded area of the school grounds off limits to students, I shakily agreed. We eluded capture from the lunchtime supervisors who patrolled its perimeters, but my time in the jungle brought me little exhilaration or pleasure. More tests and challenges soon followed, all proposed with a glint in her eye that I came to dread. Continue reading...

Under-30s to be offered jabs from next week but variant makes decision on easing rules in England ‘more difficult’

Sage group advises against easing social distancing on 21 June, but others say it is too early to assess risks

European Space Agency extends deadline for ‘once-in-a-lifetime opportunity’ to be an astronautBritish women are being encouraged to seize a “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity” to go to space, after the European Space Agency (Esa) extended its deadline to apply to be one of its new astronauts.The agency is seeking to recruit 26 astronauts – a process only undertaken once in about a decade – and is hoping to attract a more diverse cohort. People with some disabilities are being urged to put themselves forward for the first time. Continue reading...

US scientists develop system using a cake tin and marbles to forecast areas posing biggest health threatThe Roman writer Vitruvius wrote of an unhealthy wind blowing off the city’s marshlands, bringing sickness. While this ancient miasmal theory of infection was superseded by germ theory, researchers have found that dust storms really can spread pathogens.Scientists from George Mason University, Virginia, are studying dust storms in the south-western US and their connection with Valley fever, a fungal disease that kills hundreds of people every year. Continue reading...

Prof Neil Ferguson says India variant may be 30-100% more transmissible than the Alpha variant

Scientists responding to anecdotal accounts say there is no fertility risk and experiences are highly variable

Senior Tory returned from Porto after supporting Chelsea in Champions League final

ONS data for four weeks to 2 May shows marked increase in self-reported symptoms lasting a year

Less ice means more global heating, a vicious cycle that also leaves the region open to new oil extractionSea ice across much of the Arctic is thinning twice as fast as previously thought, researchers have found.Arctic ice is melting as the climate crisis drives up temperatures, resulting in a vicious circle in which more dark water is exposed to the sun’s heat, leading to even more heating of the planet. Continue reading...

Research maps the extent of the catastrophic Storegga tsunami 8,200 years ago for the first timeTowns and cities across Scotland would be devastated if the country’s coastline was hit by a tsunami of the kind that happened 8,200 years ago, according to an academics’ study.While about 370 miles of Scotland’s northern and eastern coastline were affected when the Storegga tsunami struck, the study suggests a modern-day disaster of the same magnitude would have worse consequences. Continue reading...

Rocket due to reach the International Space Station this weekend is loaded with 7,300lb of fresh food and supplies for an orbiting labSpaceX has launched a supply mission bound for the International Space Station on Thursday, carrying with it thousands of tiny sea creatures along with a plaque-fighting toothpaste experiment and powerful solar panels.The 7,300lb (3,300kg) shipment – which also includes fresh lemons, onions, avocados and cherry tomatoes for the station’s seven astronauts – should arrive Saturday. Continue reading...