You can’t just ‘solve’ big complex problems like coronavirus, they need steady and unshowy work. This narrative is just a distractionThere are some words that, when used with respect to technology, bring about a collective groan, slump of the shoulders and eye-roll from the broader tech community. It’s normally on stage at a big conference, or in a newspaper headline, or in an elevator pitch at the latest demo day. Such words and phrases include: “We are the Uber of [insert industry here]”, “growth-hacking”, “[coding / design / business] ninja”, and, of course, “moonshot”.They are shortcuts, they are hyperbolic, they are used to try to impress. But they also signify something unspoken to those in the know looking on. Something unintended by those making big claims. They signify laziness of thought and a lack of originality. Most of all, they suggest a complete lack of engagement with the current state of the science and technology industries. 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...

Mobile testing unit fails to show up in Bolton, despite highest infection rate in UK

Pandemic could result in a ‘lost decade’ for developing countries says co-chair of Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in stark report

Would you be willing to have a dose of Sars-CoV-2 sprayed up your nose for medical research? For thousands around the world, the answer is yes. Eager volunteers have already signed up to take part in human challenge trials, where participants would be deliberately infected with the virus in order to better understand the disease, and rapidly develop a treatment or vaccine. But should such studies go ahead with a dangerous and relatively new virus?In the first of two episodes, alongside a panel of experts Ian Sample delves into some of the ethical questions of human challenge trials and asks where the balance of risks and benefits currently lies Continue reading...

Jordan to shut schools and places of worship; Panama allows men and women out on same day; 14 refugees test positive after Lesbos fire. This blog is now closed

Trials on mice show how sterile animals can produce sperm deriving from elite breedersScientists have used gene-editing to create pigs, goats and cattle that can serve as so-called “surrogate sires” – male animals providing sperm that carry the genetic traits of elite donor animals – in a bid to tackle global food insecurity.For thousands of years, farmers have selectively bred livestock to champion superior traits such as disease resistance and heat tolerance, but techniques such as artificial insemination are often limited by technical and logistical challenges. Continue reading...

Unlike endemic species, An. stephensi is adapted to urban areas, putting another 126 million people in dangerAlready grappling with the highest incidence of malaria with more than 90% of global cases, Africa should be wary of an Asian mosquito species that has the potential to spread the disease into the continent’s urban areas – subjecting an additional 126 million people to risk – a new analysis suggests.Unlike endemic mosquito species in Africa, which have made themselves at home in warm and wet climes in largely rural areas, this particular mosquito – An. stephensi – has made an appearance in African cities in recent years. Continue reading...

Phosphine, released by microbes in oxygen-starved environments, was present in quantities larger than expectedTraces of a pungent gas that waft through the clouds of Venus may be emanations from aerial organisms – microbial life, but not as we know it.Astronomers detected phosphine 30 miles up in the planet’s atmosphere and have failed to identify a process other than life that could account for its presence. Continue reading...

The doors of our surgeries may be locked but many have better access than ever. Let’s ensure this includes vulnerable people

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...

India reports more than 94,000 new cases; Israel the first to reimpose national lockdown; encouraging signs in Australian state of Victoria

Cost would be billions, but represents a huge saving on $11tn response to Covid-19, estimates show

More than 307,000 cases in 24 hours to Sunday; Israel imposes second national lockdown; Cases hit daily record in Czech Republic. This blog is closed

How to find the pole star, not the brightest star in the sky, but the closest to the pole – for now

Leaked documents reveal backlog of 185,000 swabs and tests sent abroad for processing

Managers say there have been delays in receiving test results for staff

Seeing meaning in the unexpected can help turn mistakes into opportunities, says researcher Dr Christian BuschDr Christian Busch has had a lucky life. He narrowly escaped a catastrophic car accident at the age of 18. The car was wrecked but he walked away without a scratch. It was just the wake-up call he needed. “I turned my life around. Before that I’d been a reckless teenager who lived in the moment, having fun. The accident instilled a sense of urgency to try to find meaning.”Luck continued to play a positive role in his life. An accidental coffee spillage in Starbucks led to romance and though the person in question is no longer his girlfriend they are still close. In his work as an entrepreneur, researcher and community-builder, he co-founded several social enterprises and teaches at both New York University and the London School of Economics – enjoying plenty of lucky breaks along the way. But Busch noticed that he wasn’t the only “lucky” one among his friends and colleagues. In fact, many of the most successful and happiest people he encountered also seemed to be on a permanent lucky streak. 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...

Despite a big rise in infections, particularly among younger people, there is no sense of panic on the streets around Madrid

Human milk grown from mammary cells could liberate breastfeeding women – but it’s a controversial sellOne of the saddest things about being diagnosed with breast cancer a few years ago (it was fortunately treatable) was having to stop breastfeeding my 10-month-old baby. Unceremoniously she was shunted on to an early diet of pure solid food, which I reasoned was probably just as nutritious as infant formula and the best solution in the absence of donor milk from a breast-milk bank, which is reserved for premature and ill babies, and dispensed by prescription.Baby Agnes thrived, but what if there were another option? What if we could make human breast milk in the lab? Enter startups Biomilq and TurtleTree Labs, founded in 2019 and based in the US (North Carolina) and Singapore respectively. The companies believe they can provide a more nutritious alternative to infant formula by inducing human mammary cells in a bioreactor to lactate, then harvesting the product. “The end goal is a product that is as close to breast milk as we can produce,” says Michelle Egger, Biomilq’s co-founder and CEO. Continue reading...

Charlie Russell, 27, is one of an estimated 600,000 people with post-Covid illness, a condition that may give an insight into ME

Number of new cases in California falls; Cuba restricts internal travel; English hospitals stress test for a second wave. Follow all the developments

Miniature satellites open up a world of technological possibility. But experts say they degrade the astronomical landscapeThe natural serenity of the night sky is a touchstone for all of us. Everyone alive today looks at the same stars no matter where they are located on the planet. But the connection is more profound because, next to our brief lives, the stars are immortal. Shakespeare saw the same stars in the same patterns that we do. So did Galileo, Columbus, Joan of Arc, Cleopatra and the first human ancestor to look up in curiosity. The night sky is nothing short of our common human heritage.Last year, however, something happened that might change that view for ever. On 23 May 2019, Elon Musk’s company SpaceX launched 60 small satellites from a single rocket. The satellites were the first in what is planned to be a “megaconstellation” of thousands of satellites that will bring internet coverage to the entire planet. Continue reading...

Complaints only available tests are hundreds of miles away despite Matt Hancock’s pledge

Trials of vaccine being developed with AstraZeneca had been paused after participant fell ill

Federation chairman says people may take advantage of situation ahead of restrictions

The climate crisis is a factor, but so are efforts to fight fires - which have had the opposite effect

About 100 people attended the protests, with 51 fines issued for breaching stay-at-home ordersVictoria police have arrested 14 people at illegal anti-lockdown protests in Melbourne, with 51 fines issued for breaching stay-at-home orders.About 100 people attended the protests at various locations in the city, with a large police presence outnumbering those taking part in the so-called “freedom walk” at the popular running track the Tan and Fitzroy Gardens. Continue reading...

Premier Daniel Andrews announces 37 new Covid-19 cases and six more deaths

Doherty Institute says the eight devices for rapid testing shouldn’t be used in acute stages of the illnessRapid Covid-19 testing devices rushed onto the Australian market are far less accurate than their manufacturers have claimed, and the expert leading a government-initiated review says they should not be used to detect acute cases.In the early stages of the pandemic, the federal government allowed a large number of rapid Covid-19 testing devices onto the market with relatively little scrutiny. Continue reading...

This live blog is now closed. For more updates on coronavirus developments worldwide, click here for our global blog

Exclusive: Public health experts say it is ‘incomprehensible’ NSC not consulted on £100bn rapid mass testing project

A huge amount of work will be required to convince a sceptical public fatigued by talk of ‘world-beating’ new systemsAs summer turns to autumn, Covid-19 cases have been increasing in the UK, and England has registered an increase in hospitalisations. The virus has already shown it can cause havoc for the NHS while infecting a relatively small proportion of the population.Related: Mass weekly Covid-19 testing of population to be trialled in England Continue reading...

Research finds evidence of accelerating spread at end of August and start of September

Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sébastien Jacques bows to investor pressure over Juukan Gorge debacle and steps down, along with two other senior executives. This blog has now closed

The agency announced it is buying lunar soil from a commercial provider as part of a technology development programNasa has announced it is looking for private companies to go to the moon and collect dust and rocks from the surface and bring them back to Earth.The American space agency would then buy the moon samples in amounts between 50 to 500 grams for between $15,000 to $25,000. Continue reading...

Images of the Milky Way, California nebula and Andromeda galaxy are among the winners of the Insight Investment astronomy photographer of the year award. An exhibition of the winning pictures can be viewed at National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, south-east London, from 23 October Continue reading...

French cases near 10,000 in a day; single biggest rise in Greece; Portugal limits gatherings to 10 people. This blog has now closed. Stay up to date on our new blog belowCoronavirus – latest updates12.24am BSTWe are closing this blog now, but you can stay up to date on all the latest news on our new blog below.Related: Coronavirus live news: Fauci says US needs to ‘hunker down’ this winter; global cases near 28m12.21am BSTThe United Nations on Thursday called for an immediate “quantum leap” in funding for global programmes to combat the coronavirus and restore prosperity.

Expert behind vaccine confidence report points to halting of Oxford Covid trial as example

European commission says passing the bill would constitute ‘extremely serious violation of withdrawal agreement and international law’. This live blog is now closed: for coronavirus updates, please follow the global live blog

DWP data shows decade-long growth in over-50s employment stalled this year

Martin Hairer takes $3m Breakthrough prize for work a colleague said must have been done by aliensA mathematician who tamed a nightmarish family of equations that behave so badly they make no sense has won the most lucrative prize in academia.Martin Hairer, an Austrian-British researcher at Imperial College London, is the winner of the 2021 Breakthrough prize for mathematics, an annual $3m (£2.3m) award that has come to rival the Nobels in terms of kudos and prestige. Continue reading...

Soviet archive film is juxtaposed with inane modern footage of Moscow strays, marring what might have been an insightful documentary about animal cruelty in the name of explorationOstensibly an alternative biography of Laika, the stray mongrel who became the first cosmonaut, this film faithfully tracks her from her time on the streets of Moscow to her lonely demise in low Earth orbit. Incredible archive footage shows us Laika and a number of other dogs being subjected to a relentless barrage of exercises designed to mimic the incredible stress of space travel; it’s hard not to be affected by the footage knowing, as we do, that Laika is being led to an excruciating end.Space Dogs documents a cruel period in human history but the bleak tone the film-makers pursue throughout may not be the best way of dealing with it. It is designed, perhaps, to numb you to the horror of what you are witnessing but the unspeakable acts are presented without comment or context. Continue reading...

This review process is evidence of rigorous safety measures. As the fight against coronavirus continues, speculation is the last thing anyone needsThe Oxford trial, one of the most advanced of the major global programmes to find a vaccine for Sars-CoV-2, has been paused, resulting in much speculation about why, and what this might mean for our efforts to control the pandemic. Is this a cause for concern? Unsettling as some of the headlines may seem, in my opinion we should not be unduly worried.Vaccines are some of the most rigorously scrutinised of all healthcare products. In the UK, clinical trials of vaccines (and medicines) are overseen by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA). The MHRA has strict processes governing the conduct of clinical trials, which are designed to ensure that the vaccines we develop are effective and safe. Continue reading...

Pharmaceutical firm’s boss says 2020 deadline possible if regulators move fast

Comments follow news of delay to Oxford trial after one of UK volunteers fell ill

US president proud of effort despite grim figures; deaths forecast to hit a million in weeks

The pandemic has shown how a lack of solid statistics can be dangerous. But even with the firmest of evidence, we often end up ignoring the facts we don’t like. By Tim HarfordBy the spring of 2020, the high stakes involved in rigorous, timely and honest statistics had suddenly become all too clear. A new coronavirus was sweeping the world. Politicians had to make their most consequential decisions in decades, and fast. Many of those decisions depended on data detective work that epidemiologists, medical statisticians and economists were scrambling to conduct. Tens of millions of lives were potentially at risk. So were billions of people’s livelihoods.In early April, countries around the world were a couple of weeks into lockdown, global deaths passed 60,000, and it was far from clear how the story would unfold. Perhaps the deepest economic depression since the 1930s was on its way, on the back of a mushrooming death toll. Perhaps, thanks to human ingenuity or good fortune, such apocalyptic fears would fade from memory. Many scenarios seemed plausible. And that’s the problem. Continue reading...