Subjects who kept virus at bay showed rapid response in nasal immune cells and more activity in early-alert geneScientists have discovered differences in the immune response that could explain why some people seem to reliably escape Covid infection.The study, in which healthy adults were intentionally given a small nasal dose of Covid virus, suggested that specialised immune cells in the nose could see off the virus at the earliest stage before full infection takes hold. Those who did not succumb to infection also had high levels of activity in a gene that is thought to help flag the presence of viruses to the immune system. Continue reading...

Natacha Gray had an active life, diving, climbing and playing music, before illness left her so tired she would collapse on the way to the couch. She discusses two and a half devastating years - and how she stays optimisticNatacha Gray is singing the song she has written about living with long Covid. It's a lovely, haunting song and she sings it beautifully. It begins:There's a piano in my home

Year of heavy weights resistance training around retirement age has long-lasting benefits, research suggestsLifting heavy weights three times a week around the age of retirement could dramatically preserve your leg strength long into the later stages of life, research suggests.People naturally lose muscle function as they get older, and experts say faltering leg strength is a strong predictor of death in elderly people. Continue reading...

Readers respond to an article describing one child's experience with the virus and how it has affected him and his familyWe were interested to read about life with long Covid and our hearts go out to the children described, and all the sufferers of this condition (Childhood, interrupted: 12-year-old Toby's life with long Covid, 12 June). However, doctors are still debating the causes of long Covid. We are concerned about the science behind the microclots" hypothesis as a cause of long Covid and have examined it academically.The evidence base for microclots" causing long Covid is tenuous to say the least: the research shows these particles are found in normal individuals and other conditions. This makes it unlikely that they are the cause of long Covid. Indeed, the particles are not actually clots; they are small particles of a protein called amyloid, which are not involved in blood clotting. Continue reading...

Huge audiences and even larger livestreams are putting a whole new type of pressure on dancers. Yasmine Naghdi, principal of the Royal Ballet, tells us how Britt Tajet-Foxell fixed more than just her fouettesEarlier this year, Yasmine Naghdi was struggling in the rehearsal studio. Naghdi is one of the Royal Ballet's leading dancers and her performance of Swan Lake would be livestreamed into cinemas around the world. But although known for her crystalline technique, she became almost too anxious to nail her solo.Naghdi seems enviably poised today: back straight, eyes shining beneath strongly etched brows. But the impending show literally threw her off balance, she explains. Performing Swan Lake to 3,000 people [in the Royal Opera House] is stressful in itself but this would be filmed and streamed live to cinemas globally, with the prospect of being on stream thereafter - that's the version of me that remains out there. So everything has to be perfect. That's a huge amount of pressure." Continue reading...

Scientists say new early diagnosis method could improve research into treatments that slow or prevent the diseaseA blood test that draws on artificial intelligence can predict who will develop Parkinson's disease up to seven years before symptoms arise, researchers say.The test is designed to work on equipment already found in many NHS laboratories and, if validated in a broad population of people, could be made available to the health service within two years. Continue reading...

Lessons from Ebola and Covid were not learned, say Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as they launch report calling for urgent actionWorld leaders are gambling with their children's and grandchildren's health and wellbeing" by failing to prepare for a future pandemic, a new report warns.Amid surging cases of H5N1 bird flu in mammals, and an mpox outbreak in central Africa, two senior stateswomen have said the lack of preparation had left the world vulnerable to devastation". Continue reading...

Reddish-brown liquid found in untouched 2,000-year-old Roman tomb is a local, sherry-like wineThe oldest wine ever to have been discovered in its original liquid form is reddish-brown and, quite conceivably, full-bodied. Reddish-brown because of the chemical reactions that have taken place in the 2,000 years since the white wine was poured into a funeral urn in southern Spain - and potentially full-bodied because the urn also contained, among other things, the cremated bones of a Roman man.Analysis by experts at the University of Cordoba has established that the ancient tawny liquid inside the urn - which was found in a rare, untouched Roman tomb that was accidentally discovered in the Andalucian town of Carmona five years ago - is a local, sherry-like wine. Continue reading...

Mysterious brightening of distant galaxy believed to be caused by material falling into huge black holeThe mysterious brightening of a galaxy far, far away has been traced to the heart of the star system and the sudden awakening of a giant black hole 1m times more massive than the sun.Decades of observations found nothing remarkable about the distant galaxy in the constellation of Virgo, but that changed at the end of 2019 when astronomers noticed a dramatic surge in its luminosity that persists to this day. Continue reading...

The story behind the explosion of the Nasa space shuttle in 1986 is a gripping, damning catalogue of underfunding, labyrinthine bureaucracy and fatal corner-cuttingIn 1986, two catastrophic events occurred on either side of the cold war divide that shocked the world. On 28 January, 73 seconds after takeoff, the US space shuttle Challenger broke apart in mid-air, killing all seven astronauts on board and traumatising millions of viewers watching live on TV. Three months later, on 26 April, a meltdown at Chornobyl sent a radioactive cloud across the USSR and Europe. Two workers died immediately and the estimated death toll over time ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands. It's widely believed to have contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.In his 2019 book Midnight in Chernobyl, the British writer Adam Higginbotham reconstructed the latter event in forensic detail, building up to the meltdown and tracking its aftermath with the skill of a great thriller writer. It's one of the most queasily compelling books I've ever read, and the scenes in which ill-equipped workers venture into the stricken reactor in the hope of containing the fallout are permanently seared into my memory. Continue reading...

Last week more than 400 scientists signed an open letter to political parties urging ambitious action on the environment to prevent making Britain and the world more dangerous and insecure'.Now that the main parties' manifestos have all been released, Ian Sample is joined by the global environment editor, Jon Watts, and the biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, to find out what the manifestos have to say about nature and climate, and whether anyone is promising the level of action scientists are asking forFind more analysis of how the UK parties rate on their environmental manifesto pledges Continue reading...

The science of epigenetics suggests we can pass on trauma - but trust and compassion tooSince the sequencing of the human genome in 2003, genetics has become one of the key frameworks for how we all think about ourselves. From fretting about our health to debating how schools can accommodate non-neurotypical pupils, we reach for the idea that genes deliver answers to intimate questions about people's outcomes and identities.Recent research backs this up, showing that complex traits such as temperament, longevity, resilience to mental ill-health and even ideological leanings are all, to some extent, hardwired". Environment matters too for these qualities, of course. Our education and life experiences interact with genetic factors to create a fantastically complex matrix of influence. Continue reading...

Longer days make it easier to see these natural phenomena, which can appear about 30 minutes after sunset in the westIt is the week of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The longest day of the northern year falls on 20 June and by astronomical traditions, this marks the beginning of summer.In the southern hemisphere, this is the winter solstice, marked by the longest night. Continue reading...

Significant rise in number of people taking lessons amid surge in interest in language declared extinct a decade agoThe ancient Cornish language has been declared dehwelans dhyworth an marow - back from the dead - amid a surge in popularity thanks to Covid-19 and a critically acclaimed psych-pop star.There has been a significant rise in the number of people learning Cornish since the pandemic lockdown forced classes online, according to the volunteer network An Rosweyth. Continue reading...

Breakthrough could pave way for formula milk that more closely replicates health benefits of breastfeedingScientists have genetically engineered a close relative of the tobacco plant to pump out nutrients found in human breast milk.The technology could pave the way for infant formula milk that more closely replicates health benefits of breastfeeding, according to the team behind the work. The study demonstrated that the genetically modified Nicotiana benthamiana could produce complex sugars called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that boost healthy gut bacteria and have benefits for the infant immune system. 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 conceptsWhy is it easier for me to remember that I've forgotten something than to remember the thing I've forgotten? John Gray, YorkPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...

Researchers say transcranial direct-current stimulation can reduce love trauma syndrome'Breaking up, as the Neil Sedaka hit goes, is hard to do. The emotional pain of a romantic split can be so severe it has its own clinical name - love trauma syndrome, or LTS.But help could be at hand for those seeking to mend a broken heart. Research shows wearing a 400 headset for just a few minutes a day may ease the misery, negativity and depression that can accompany a failed relationship. Continue reading...

A range of scientific studies point to clear physical and mental benefits of supporting friends and family. And the deeper the engagement, the greater the feelgood factorLike many people, I find that stress transforms me into a nasty combination of Oscar the Grouch and Scrooge McDuck. The more pressure I am under, the more irritable I feel - and the less generous I become. I partly blame our culture. I've read enough wellness advice to know that I need to prioritise my own needs over other people's. And so, when I feel under pressure, I have often made it a habit to practise small indulgences aimed at restoring my mental equilibrium, while insulating myself from all but the most essential social commitments.Having read the latest psychological research, I can't help but wonder if this attitude only exacerbates my bad mood. A wealth of new studies has shown that being kind to others is often the most effective means of suppressing the physiological and psychological stress response. Whether we are giving our time to a charity, paying it forward" in a coffee shop, or providing emotional succour to a friend in need, altruism can boost our wellbeing in ways that we simply do not experience from treating ourselves. Other-care, it seems, is often one of the best forms of self-care. Continue reading...

Could a fungus trigger a Last of Us-style apocalypse? The author of What If Fungi Win? says despite dangers, the organisms are of great use to scienceArturo Casadevall is a professor of molecular microbiology and immunology at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. He has spent four decades investigating how fungi can both improve and devastate life as we know it. His new book, What If Fungi Win?, charts how we might overcome the rising threat.What first fascinated you about fungi?

Wild Cat Island had always held a special place in the imagination of our son, so after his funeral we chose to try and send him on one last journeyFamously, Windermere is the setting of the children's adventure story Swallows and Amazons by Arthur Ransome, and it's also one of our son Torin's favourite books. It appealed to his own love of adventure, mischief and all things piratical. Along with his little sister, Lowri, we embarked upon many canoe adventures together on the River Dart in the summer months, spotting wildlife and playing pirates with other boats. Torin - which means chief - was always ship's captain, of course, because the children from the story often tussled for the position. Torin also loved practical jokes. His favourite was the whoopee cushion, normally hidden very indiscreetly on a seat where you would be ordered to sit down with great anticipation and stifled giggling.Torin was born with a rare form of life-limiting, mitochondrial disease. After many lengthy admissions to Bristol Children's hospital over several years, he developed some close relationships with its staff. One of the closest was with Katie, a brilliant play therapist who, when Torin was 11, asked me if she could apply to a charity that could send a family like ours on an all-expenses-paid trip of a lifetime together. She said: Ask him where he would go if he could go anywhere in the world." Continue reading...

Subatomic instrument will be able to accurately pinpoint locations under ground and under water, where satellite signals are often blockedDr Joseph Cotter takes some unusual pieces of luggage on his trips on the London underground. They include a stainless steel vacuum chamber, a few billion atoms of rubidium and an array of lasers that are used to cool his equipment to a temperature just above absolute zero.While not the average kit you would expect to find being dragged into carriages on the District Line, this is the gear that Cotter - who works at Imperial College London's Centre for Cold Matter - uses on his underground travels. Continue reading...

The discovery of water on Enceladus excited the scientific world - now, by 2040 a robot probe will investigate if we are alone in the universeIt is a tiny world, a mere 310 miles in diameter, and was considered until recently to be one of the least interesting moons in the solar system. But Enceladus, one of 146 moons that orbit Saturn, has become a hot astronomical attraction - scientists have discovered that it offers one of the best prospects of finding life on another world in our solar system.The European Space Agency (Esa) has announced it has begun planning a mission to take a robot probe across a billion miles of space to investigate. Continue reading...

Herbal extract artemisinin, used in Chinese medicine, appears to stop excess testosterone productionAn antimalarial drug used in ancient Chinese medicine could be an effective treatment for polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), a groundbreaking study suggests.The herbal extract artemisinin appeared to stop the ovaries producing too much testosterone, and women who took the drug for 12 weeks had more regular periods. The findings from the small trial by a Chinese team have been hailed as a potential breakthrough that could lead to an entirely new approach to treating the condition that affects around one in 10 women. Continue reading...

DNA testing on 64 skeletons shows related boys were probably chosen as offerings in ancient city of Chichen ItzaGenetic analysis of the skeletons of 64 infant boys who are thought to have been sacrificed in the ancient Maya city of Chichen Itza more than a thousand years ago may shed light on the symbolic role twins played in the myths and rituals of their civilisation.In 1967, the remains of more than 100 children were found in a repurposed chultun, or underground cistern, near the sacred sinkhole at the ceremonial centre of the pre-Columbian city, which was one of the largest and most influential Maya settlements between AD600 and 1000. Continue reading...

Spikes in seismic activity detected six kilometres away from Murrayfield stadium, generated by 73,000 energised fansSeismologists in Edinburgh have found that Taylor Swift fans at her recent Murrayfield stadium concerts triggered spikes in their earthquake-reading equipment - but not as much as Harry Styles fans managed to generate last year.Monitoring stations run by the British Geological Survey (BGS) recorded movement during the three-night run of Swift's Eras tour, with one station detecting the activity six kilometres away. Continue reading...

Hopkins' Sigmund Freud locks horns with Matthew Goode's CS Lewis in an imaginary encounter that is watchable but not terribly profoundHere is a determinedly old-fashioned drama, verbose and elaborate but also forthright and watchable in its way. It is a Stoppardian what-if meeting, imagining a bruising encounter between two celebrated historical figures who could, theoretically, have run into each other; it is adapted by director Matt Brown from a stage-play by American dramatist Mark St Germain, in turn inspired by a 2002 book by Harvard psychiatrist Armand Nicholi who had seized upon a report that Sigmund Freud met with an unnamed Oxford don just before his death. What if that don was CS Lewis, the Christian apologist who in his 1933 book The Pilgrim's Regress had mocked atheist Freudianism and every other sort of godless trendiness?Anthony Hopkins plays Freud at the very end of his life in exile in London in 1939 as war breaks out, in agony from mouth cancer. Matthew Goode is Lewis (also once famously played by Hopkins himself, of course, in the film Shadowlands), for whom fame through the wartime broadcasts and Narnia bestsellers was still in the future. Hopkins' Freud is querulous, cantankerous and bad-tempered; Goode's Lewis is diffident and supercilious. Lewis says Freud's worldview is morally evasive; Freud smirkingly suggests that Lewis's emotional relationship with the mother of his fallen first world war comrade is classic neurosis. Continue reading...

Here in the UK talking about the weather is already a national pastime, but this month the water-cooler weather chat has ramped up a notch as rain, grey skies and biting temperatures have put summer firmly on hold. Ian Sample talks to Matt Patterson, a postdoctoral research scientist in the Department of Meteorology at the University of Reading, to find out what's causing the chilly weather, whether it's really as unusual as it seems, and whether any sun is on the horizon for the UKFind out more about what's going on with the weather in First Edition Continue reading...

Japanese scientists find blocking production in killifish of germ cells closes lifespan gap between males and femalesThe enduring mystery of why women outlive men may come down to the smallest and the largest cells in the body: the sperm and eggs that are central to human reproduction.Scientists in Japan have shown for the first time in vertebrates that cells that develop into eggs in females and sperm in males drive sex differences in lifespan, and that removing the cells leads to animals with the same life expectancy. Continue reading...

Nasa livestream from space station inadvertently airs ongoing simulation, briefly sparking concern for crewNasa has been forced to deny that there was an emergency situation on board the International Space Station (ISS), after an official livestream accidentally aired a medical drill which simulated a crew member in extreme medical distress, prompting alarm on social media.There is no emergency situation going on aboard the International Space Station," Nasa's ISS account posted on X. Audio was inadvertently misrouted from an ongoing simulation where crew members and ground teams train for various scenarios in space." Continue reading...

The 8m award goes to system that could herald sea change' in antibiotic use by identifying correct treatment for urinary tract infections within 45 minutesAn 8m prize for a breakthrough in the fight against superbugs has been awarded, after a decade-long search for a winner, to a test that can identify how to treat a urinary tract infection in 45 minutes.The test could herald a sea change" in antibiotic use, the judges said as they announced the winner of the Longitude prize on antimicrobial resistance (AMR). Continue reading...

Musk ordered firings after engineers raised concerns about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination, lawsuit saysSpaceX and its chief executive, Elon Musk, were sued on Wednesday by eight engineers who say they were illegally fired for raising concerns about alleged sexual harassment and discrimination against women, their lawyers have said.The eight engineers include four women and four men and claim that Musk, who owns the rocket-maker, the electric carmaker Tesla and the social media platform Twitter/X, ordered their firing in 2022. Continue reading...

It took a team of four a week to reassemble the skeleton, which is one of the most complete Tyrannosaurus rex fossils on EarthWhen the crates containing the fossilised bones of Victoria the T rex arrived at Melbourne Museum, one of Australia's leading palaeontologists was giddy with excitement - and trepidation.It's the closest I've ever got to the skull of a T rex," Dr Erich Fitzgerald says. Continue reading...

In today's newsletter: Is it really that cold for this time of year or have we just got used to recent warmer summers? Meteorologists say it's a bit of both Sign up here for our daily newsletter, First EditionGood morning. First of all an apology, yesterday's newsletter was sent out in error - we apologise for the mistake, and below is today's First Edition.Isn't it an unseasonably chilly one? Yesterday I found myself fishing out a winter wooly hat for the morning dog walk here in London. But is it really that cold for mid-June or do we all just think it's cold because we've got used to recent warmer summers caused by the climate crisis and global heating?General election | The Green Party launches its manifesto today with proposals to spend 49bn insulating homes and public buildings and to let councils requisition empty properties.Child exploitation | Hundreds of unaccompanied child migrants across Europe are being forced to work as soldiers for increasingly powerful drug cartels to meet the continent's soaring appetite for cocaine, a Guardian investigation has found, with police warning of industrial-scale exploitation of African children in western European cities including Paris and Brussels.Israel-Gaza | The US secretary of state, Antony Blinken, said endorsement of the UN security council's ceasefire resolution by Hamas officials was a hopeful sign", but the group's leadership in Gaza needed to sign off on the deal.Heath | Tobacco, alcohol, processed foods and fossil fuels kill 2.7 million people a year in Europe, according to the World Health Organization, which has called on governments to impose tougher regulation of health-harming products.France | Eric Ciotti, the leader of France's mainstream rightwing Les Republicains party, has said he would back an alliance with Marine Le Pen's far right National Rally in the snap legislative elections later this month, shocking opponents and party members and throwing French politics into further disarray. Continue reading...

More than 110,000 children in England and Scotland are still suffering. For Toby, it has meant pain, crushing fatigue and sadness - as well as months off schoolIt is a few days after Arsenal have beaten Spurs and I'm discussing the game with 12-year-old Toby. A huge Tottenham Hotspur supporter, Toby is also magnanimous in defeat. He admits that, despite a major second-half wobble, Arsenal (my team) are playing better football at the moment. Davies couldn't handle Saka, Son has gone off the boil, only Romero came out with any credit.I'm enjoying talking football with Toby. He is clearly incredibly knowledgable as well as passionate about it. It's zero surprise to learn he has three fantasy football teams on the go. Continue reading...

Biochemist found cholesterol-lowering compound in 1973 and the drugs have prolonged millions of livesThe scientist whose work led to the creation of statins, a chemical that prevents heart attacks and strokes, has died aged 90.Akira Endo found the first cholesterol-lowering compound in 1973 in a lab in Tokyo. The Japanese biochemist was said to have been inspired by Alexander Fleming's discovery of penicillin in 1928, which lead him to study mould or fungi in order to develop medicines. Continue reading...

Scientists say atmospheric levels of damaging gases peaked five years ahead of projections, as substances phased outInternational efforts to protect the ozone layer have been a huge global success", scientists have said, after revealing that damaging gases in the atmosphere were declining faster than expected.The Montreal protocol, signed in 1987, aimed to phase out ozone-depleting substances found primarily in refrigeration, air conditioning and aerosol sprays. Continue reading...

US study suggests gene activity is more disrupted in men, and takes longer to return to normal once back on EarthWhen faced with acid-dripping aliens, an untested machine that travels through wormholes, or a space station shattered by hurtling debris, it is the tough female astronaut who steps up to save the day.And perhaps Hollywood is on to something. A major study into the impact of spaceflight suggests women may be more resilient than men to the stresses of space, and recover more quickly when they return to Earth. Continue reading...

Ian Sample hears from Linda Geddes about her recent trip to the Netherlands to try cultivated meat sausages, courtesy of the company Meatable. Advocates say that cultivated meat could be the future of sustainable and ethical meat production. Linda explains how they're made, how their carbon footprint compares with traditional meat and most importantly ... what they taste like!Read more from Linda Geddes on her trip to the Netherlands Continue reading...

Seven Przewalski's horses, the only truly wild species of the animal in the world, flown to central Asian country from zoos in EuropeA group of the world's last wild horses have returned to their native Kazakhstan after an absence of about 200 years. The seven horses, four mares from Berlin and a stallion and two other mares from Prague, were flown to the central Asian country on a Czech air force transport plane.The wild horses, known as Przewalski's horses, once roamed the vast steppe grasslands of central Asia, where horses are believed to have been first domesticated about 5,500 years ago. Continue reading...

Researchers used artificial intelligence algorithm to analyse calls by two herds of African savanna elephants in KenyaElephants call out to each other using individual names that they invent for their fellow pachyderms, according to a new study.While dolphins and parrots have been observed addressing each other by mimicking the sound of others from their species, elephants are the first non-human animals known to use names that do not involve imitation, the researchers suggested. Continue reading...

The designs behind practical joke toysEarlier today I set you these two problems about curious objects. Here they are again with solutions. Continue reading...

Thin dusting of water ice appears to form overnight in summit craters and evaporate after sunrise, scientists sayEarly morning frost has been spotted on some of the largest mountains in the solar system - the colossal Martian volcanoes that rise up to three times the height of Mount Everest near the planet's equator.In colder months the fine dusting of ice, thinner than a human hair, appears to form overnight in the volcanoes' summit craters, or calderas, and on sections of their rims and then to evaporate a few hours after sunrise. Continue reading...

Chinese scientists say further research on potential harm to reproduction from contamination is imperative'Microplastic pollution has been found in all human semen samples tested in a study, and researchers say further research on the potential harm to reproduction is imperative".Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades and 40% of low counts remain unexplained, although chemical pollution has been implicated by many studies. Continue reading...

Even if you think that's how markets work, it's hard to stomach the illegal trade it fosters and the resulting loss to science

A curious cup and some wacky wheels

This weekend offers an opportunity to watch stars that make up Virgo, the second largest constellation in night skyThe moon moves into a nice conjunction with the star Spica this weekend. The chart shows the view looking south-south-west from London on 16 June at 22.00 BST.On this evening, the moon will be almost 10 days old with about 75% of its visible surface illuminated. Since the ratio is greater than 50%, this puts it in a waxing gibbous moon heading for full in the next few days. Continue reading...

Experts say fluorescent dye, which spotlights tiny cancerous tissue invisible to naked eye, could reduce risk of cancer returningScientists have developed a glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells and gives surgeons a second pair of eyes" to remove them in real time and permanently eradicate the disease. Experts say the breakthrough could reduce the risk of cancer coming back and prevent debilitating side-effects.The fluorescent dye spotlights tiny cancerous tissue that cannot be seen by the naked eye, enabling surgeons to remove every last cancer cell while preserving healthy tissue. That could mean fewer life-changing side effects after surgery. Continue reading...

Scheme will enable siblings and children of those with fatal condition to know if they are likely to develop it themselvesRelatives of people with motor neurone disease are being offered genetic tests that will tell them if they are also likely to get the fatal neurological condition.Siblings and children of the approximately 5,000 people in Britain with MND will be able to access a test that will identify if they have any of the more than 40 genes associated with the disease. Continue reading...

The brain protects itself from pain by shutting down emotional responses. This can help us cope in the short term, but is problematic when it persists

We're 50 years apart and have never met, but my connection with Pauline is deeper than I could have imaginedAll best friends were strangers once. Why, then, does reaching out to someone you don't know, making platonic connections in the modern world, feel like such a bold, even brave thing to do?Let me tell you about my friend, Pauline. Like all good friends, we make a point of catching up at least once a week, talking for hours about everything and nothing at all. But Pauline and I, while always there for each other, are unlike more conventional companions because, as well as being born 50-odd years apart, and living several hundred miles from each other, we've never actually met. We're telephone friends. Continue reading...