With dozens dying each day and staff shortages, doctors and nurses banded together, treated and even carried out researchThere is only one Covid-19 patient left in Melbourne’s St Vincent’s hospital, where intensive care physician Dr Barry Dixon works. He still finds it hard not to focus on the bad days he experienced during the peak of Victoria’s second wave when upwards of 60 patients were in the facility.At one point, a person he knew well was admitted to the intensive care ward, their lungs struggling, and Dixon worried about their prognosis. They pulled through, but he says it was a traumatising time. Continue reading...

Neither remdesivir nor REGN-COV2 have completed large-scale randomised trials, say UK scientists

Scientists concerned that soaring infection rates in capital’s care homes and hospitals may be occurring in other UK regions

Oxford University professor says experimental treatment is promising and ‘very potent’

The British astronaut describes a close call on arriving at the International Space Station• ‘Coming home was a harsh transition. Gravity sucks!’: read an interview with Tim PeakeYuri Malenchenko is one of the most accomplished Russian cosmonauts in history. By December 2015 he is already the veteran of five separate missions and has logged just over 641 days in orbit, which means he has spent more time off the planet than almost anybody.He is also the calmest man I have ever met. A quietly spoken, undemonstrative 53-year-old, Yuri is one of those naturally composed people who can reassure you with the smallest gesture. All in all, I could not have hoped for a steadier commander to be strapped in beside on my first voyage into space. Continue reading...

Four years after leaving orbit, and with a second mission on the horizon, how is life on Earth for the first Briton to walk in space?• Read an exclusive extract from Limitless, Tim Peake’s autobiography

This blog has closed – coverage of the coronavirus pandemic continues here12.25am BSTThis blog has closed – our live coverage of the coronavirus pandemic continues here.12.15am BST Continue reading...

President’s doctor reveals treatment with experimental antibody cocktail REGN-COV2

Donald Trump’s positive test after hectic week puts White House into crisis mode

Infections among year 7 to 11 pupils show steady increase since end of August

Almost all planned work against the disease has gone ahead this year, delivering nets, drugs and the world’s first malaria vaccineMore than 90% of anti-malaria campaigns planned this year across four continents are on track, despite disruptions caused by the coronavirus pandemic, according to new research.The delivery of insecticide-treated nets and provision of antimalarial medicines in the majority of malaria-affected countries across Africa, Asia and the Americas were still going ahead, a high-level meeting organised by the RBM Partnership to End Malaria heard on Thursday. Continue reading...

Exclusive: concerns raised that switch to prioritising NHS could delay identification of outbreaks

More than 170 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Here is their progressResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 170 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading...

The president has been cavalier throughout the coronavirus pandemic. Now, a month before the election, this changes everything

To survive the challenges we must reinforce respect for science and nature, sensible public policy and the interconnected world

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The new $23m loo better accommodates women with a tilted seat, new shape and redesigned funnels for urinationNasa’s first new space potty in decades – a $23m titanium toilet better suited for women – is getting a not-so-dry run at the International Space Station before eventually flying to the moon.It’s packed inside a cargo ship set to blast off late Thursday from Wallops Island, Virginia. Continue reading...

Covid pandemic sets back exploration that aims to shed light on origin of life on Earth

Researches find that athletes with larger gluteus maximus are more likely to be faster sprintersA large gluteus maximus - the muscle that forms the bottom - is key to athletes achieving top speeds on the track, according to a study.After examining the anatomy of elite athletes, researchers discovered that a large bottom is key for sprint performance. Continue reading...

Issues over production, efficacy and public trust mean restrictions may be needed for some time

Analysis of thousands of swabs show high level of infections but rate of increase has begun to come down

Measures restricting travel out of Spanish capital disputed; Germany declares 11 European risk zones; Northern Ireland records worst daily case toll

According to a UN study published last year, smart assistants with female voices are often programmed with contrite and demure responses to verbal abuse or harassment, entrenching harmful gender biases. In the second of two episodes, Alex Hern takes a look at the sexualisation of female AI and robots, what this means for how we treat them, and asks how we can give them a feminist reboot Continue reading...

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Effect seen across much of world will have profound consequences, warn scientistsThe climate crisis is heating up nights faster than days in many parts of the world, according to the first worldwide assessment of how global heating is differently affecting days and nights.The findings have “profound consequences” for wildlife and their ability to adapt to the climate emergency, the researchers said, and for the ability of people to cool off at night during dangerous heatwaves. Continue reading...

Strand of DNA inherited by modern humans is linked to likelihood of falling severely ill

Angela Merkel says ventilation may be one of cheapest and most effective ways of containing virus

Campaign scoring countries for global access efforts calls for more British transparency

Nick Forbes says even council enforcement officers do not know how to interpret rules

Local leaders say financial support needed when new restrictions are imposedThe Merseyside economy may collapse and leave a legacy of poverty “for generations to come” without urgent financial support tied to new coronavirus restrictions, according to the region’s political leaders.

Policy could be fine-tuned to help different groups, such as young people, whose lives are currently on holdCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDuring a pandemic, the virus and the economy feed back in a continuous circular loop of causality. You don’t need to be a trained economist or epidemiologist to see that.As the virus progresses, consumers respond to the risk to their health by cutting back spending on risky activities in leisure and hospitality, such as visits to pubs, cinemas, gyms, nightclubs and restaurants. How much they alter their behaviour depends on how much the virus is a threat to them and those they care for, or how much they know about it. And of course it also affects companies (whose profitability and outlook for the future worsens) and workers who, ultimately, may fall sick and not be able to work, or may fear turning up to risky workplaces. So the virus affects the economy. Continue reading...

Fever, runny nose, headache? Lost your sense of taste or smell? Your guide to differentiating between the three illnesses

Just like every emergency, Covid-19 is racist, ageist, classist and sexist. The world response to the pandemic must reflect thisIn the early days of coronavirus, there was a view that a global pandemic would act as a great equaliser. “A virus doesn’t discriminate,” they said. “We’re all in this together.” It didn’t take long for such a credulous perspective to vanish.Just like every emergency, every disaster, Covid-19 absolutely does discriminate. It’s ageist, it’s racist, it’s classist and it’s worst of all for those with pre-existing health conditions or disabilities. Continue reading...

Nasa officials stress that the leak on ISS remains small and poses no danger but will send extra air supply on the next deliveryA small air leak at the International Space Station finally has been traced to the Russian side, following a middle-of-the-night search by astronauts.Nasa said on Tuesday that the two Russians and one American on board were awakened late Monday to hurriedly seal hatches between compartments and search for the ongoing leak, which appeared to be getting worse. It was the third time in just over a month that the crew had to isolate themselves on the Russian side, in an attempt to find the growing leak. Continue reading...

LSE finds country’s sex-segregated distancing rules may have reproduced inequalities and injustices for trans peopleEach day when Pau González wakes and looks at his phone, he feels as if he is running a call centre. As the founder of the activist group Hombres Trans Panama, he has been inundated by members of the transgender community seeking advice on how to navigate Panama’s sex-segregated social distancing laws. Some callers have been cautioned or abused by police. Others report feeling suicidal and scared to go out.In April, Panama announced one of the most aggressive Covid-19 policies in Latin America – dictated which days its citizens could go out according to their sex as stated on their national identification cards. Continue reading...

Adalimumab could counter hyper-inflammation seen in severe coronavirus cases

Bill passes to Lords after MPs vote 340-256 in favour; UK hits record daily number of new Covid cases

Initiative aims to ensure low-income countries are not frozen out by rich nations

Only one in five Americans with right-wing outlook said they had a lot of trust in scientistsPeople in the US are more sharply divided along political lines when it comes to science and environmental issues than in other parts of the world, new research shows.Globally, people who see themselves on the left side of politics are more likely to be concerned about the environment than those who see themselves as being on the right or in the centre ground. Continue reading...

My friend Paul McDonald, who has died aged 74, was a physicist and expert in cryogenics whose work advanced a variety of technologies, including satellite tracking, superconducting magnets and cryostat thermometers. He was also a keen supporter of Cruisewatch, the protest group that tracked cruise missile convoys at Greenham Common, Berkshire, in the 1980s.Born in Salford, Paul was the eldest son of Frank McDonald, a PoW survivor of the Burma Railway, and Elsie (nee Rosser), who had nursed Frank back to life in the Tropical Medicine hospital, Liverpool. Continue reading...

Many nations lack access to affordable testing. Now 120m antigen tests will help tackle this dangerous inequality

PM says young people need new skills to compete as Covid-19 has accelerated changes in economy

Stricter measures will come into force in areas of the region from midnight on Wednesday

From Rosie the Robot in the 1960s animated sitcom The Jetsons to Siri and Alexa today, technologies that perform the roles of housekeeper and secretary are often presented as female. What does the gendering of these machines say about our expectations of who should be doing this kind of work? In the first of two episodes exploring the world of fembots and female AI assistants, the Guardian’s UK technology editor, Alex Hern, examines whether smart assistants are reinforcing harmful gender stereotypes Continue reading...

Wages should rise to make jobs more attractive to UK staff, say government advisersThe end of freedom of movement after Brexit will increase pressure on the social care sector in the midst of a pandemic unless ministers make jobs more attractive to UK workers by increasing salaries, government advisers have said.The migration advisory committee (Mac) warned of the “stark consequences” of low wages in social care with most frontline roles ineligible for the post-Brexit skilled worker immigration route or on the official list for job shortages in the UK. Continue reading...

More than 170 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Here is their progressResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 170 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading...

Rival scientists divided over lockdowns may make a good story – but is it accurate?

We don’t know yet how many of the ongoing symptoms could translate to chronic ill health in the future, and that’s worryingAs Covid-19 infection numbers show a welcome downward trend in Melbourne and the city’s residents look forward to some easing of restrictions, it’s time to consider the longer-term health consequences of the pandemic.More than 27,000 Australians – including some 20,000 Victorians – have been infected with the virus, with almost 900 deaths to date. Many countries are now in the grip of a second wave as the pandemic continues to take a toll on millions of lives around the globe – not only in terms of death, but also in the lingering, debilitating symptoms arising from severe, damaging inflammation. Continue reading...

Italian scientists provide further evidence of underground lake and smaller bodies of water in studyA network of salty ponds may be gurgling beneath Mars’ south pole alongside a large underground lake, raising the prospect of tiny, swimming Martian life.Italian scientists reported their findings Monday, two years after identifying what they believed to be a large buried lake. They widened their coverage area by a couple hundred miles, using even more data from a radar sounder on the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter. Continue reading...

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