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Police called to break up illegal gatherings across England and Wales over Bank Holiday weekend

The close encounter will be seen all around the world, and in much of South America the moon will actually pass in front of MarsThis week, the moon and Mars come together for a close encounter. So close, in fact, that from certain parts of the world, the moon will actually obscure the planet. The pairing takes place in the zodiacal constellation of Pisces, the fish. Continue reading...

We are tantalisingly close to eradicating the disease. Things may slip backwards because of science, thugs and exponents of ignorancePolio arrives, if it announces itself at all, as a high temperature. Or a sore throat. Maybe a headache, or an upset stomach. It can go within a week or so, and be mistaken for flu. It is transmitted by poor hygiene, largely affects children under five, and many don’t realise they’ve had it. In 5-10% of cases, however, the virus affects the nerves, paralysing the legs in particular; sometimes it reaches the lungs. For most, this is temporary. For others – 30 years ago, this was 350,000 children a year – paralysis is permanent, and if it is of the lungs, they die. No one who has seen the effects of polio forgets.In the early 20th century epidemics were frequent; in the United States transmission was blamed on everything from cats to blueberries to Italian immigrants. By the early 1950s, the US public ranked it second as its worst fear after nuclear war. When, in 1955, a vaccine was developed, the British held street parties. The numbers of cases dropped immediately. In 1960, Czechoslovakia was first to declare eradication. The last recorded case of naturally occurring polio in the UK was in 1984. Polio was declared gone in the Americas in 1994; in the western Pacific region (including China) in 2000; in Europe in 2002; India and south-east Asia in 2014. Last week, Africa joined their number. Only Pakistan and Afghanistan remain. Continue reading...

Experts say strong evidence of efficacy needed to avoid approval of inferior vaccines

Steve Barclay issues plea to employers amid words of caution from unions and industry body

I grew up thinking I just didn’t fit it. Now, I immediately tell people I can’t recognise faces – and their response is a good measure of kindness versus egoSunday morning. I walk down to the beach with the dog straining at her lead. I’m already on high alert. It’s the moment in the week when people are most likely to be wandering along the seafront, feeling chatty. I’m mentally priming myself, sorting through the categories I might encounter: parents from the schoolyard (hopefully with their children), people I’ve worked with (increasingly hopeless), neighbours from the surrounding streets (no chance). I should have gone to the woods today. It’s too risky.I cross the road and hear, “Katherine! Hello!” I wonder if I can get away with pretending I didn’t notice. I’m wearing earbuds, which is usually a good precaution, but this woman is determined. She crosses the road diagonally, waving. “How the hell are you?” she says. Straight hair, mousy blonde. No glasses, no tattoos. Jeans, a grey sweatshirt. For God’s sake, why are these people so studiedly ordinary? I fidget with my phone, trying to buy time. Her face is plain. I don’t mean plain as in “ugly”. I mean plain as in vanilla: bland, unremarkable. There’s nothing here that I might have stored in words. Her nose is straight. Her eyes are blue. Her teeth are orderly. And she knows me. Continue reading...

Minister rules out resignation as he issues plea for pupils in England to return despite coronavirus fears

Scientists worldwide are working against the clock to find a viable coronavirus vaccine – but are corners being cut for the sake of political gain and profit?

This blog has ended – our latest live coronavirus coverage is here12.00am BSTThis blog has ended – our latest live coronavirus coverage can be found here. Here is a closing summary:11.58pm BST Continue reading...

A previous generation understood the destructive power of humanity. We would do well to heed their insightsMonths after the end of the second world war, Albert Einstein gave an interview to urge Americans to imagine the third one. It was vital, he said, “to recognise that unless another war is prevented it is likely to bring destruction on a scale … even now hardly conceived, and that little civilisation would survive it.”Related: Jeremy Farrar: ‘Viruses know no borders. Until every country is protected, we are all at risk’ Continue reading...

Premier Daniel Andrews says it is ‘too early’ to allow people who live alone to visit other households

Steven Miles says border closures do not apply to those seeking emergency healthcare after Scott Morrison calls for explanation

It is unlikely Sunny will ever work again. How could he explain to any potential employer that his only crime was the ‘crime’ of schizophrenia?As a child, his grandmother nicknamed him Sunny because he was always so bright and happy. On leaving primary school, he achieved a “band 6” in both maths and English. His mother was optimistic; perhaps he would be a scholar like his grandfather. It wasn’t until his mid-teens that the signs appeared. At 15, Sunny dropped out of school. At 16, the local mental health crisis team described him as “prodromal”. His mother had to Google the meaning: “relating to or denoting the period between the appearance of initial symptoms of an illness and the full development”.At 17, Sunny decided he was lame in one leg and took to walking with a cane. The doctor could find no physical cause for his sudden disability. He was sent to Westmead for psychiatric testing and found to be sane and sent home again. Continue reading...

Without global collaboration, the nation would be ‘in really serious trouble’, Universities Australia head saysAustralian scientists have been vilified for working with Chinese researchers even though the nation would be “in really serious trouble” without international partnerships, top representatives of the sector have warned.In an emphatic defence of global research efforts, the Australian Academy of Science said it would be “such a great shame if that was jeopardised because of vilification that has no grounds”. Continue reading...

Boris Johnson says in video Q&A that English schools will close as a last resort this winter

Restrictions in Bolton, Stockport, Trafford, Burnley and Hyndburn to be eased; UK cases fall back to 1,276; Shapps insists return to office is safe. This live blog is now closed - please follow the global live blog for latest updates

A discovery in the Isle of Wight should remind us that we are living in a golden age of palaeontology

Legal change will enable population to be immunised as quickly as possible

UK transport minister attempts to reassure public amid warnings for future of high street

Finance minister says ‘we are nearly there’ but urges residents to get tested if they display symptoms

UK’s daily cases tally up from 1,048 on Wednesday; transport secretary confirms three countries added to quarantine list; government falls short of contact-tracing target for ninth week in row. This live blog is now closed - please follow the global live blog for latest updates

The coronavirus watchlist system is a new version of an old rule: people given the least protection are the ones who need it the most

Leading scientist calls for findings of rapid finger pricktest research to be made public

Despite optimistic coverage, the results from a new test seem too good to be true

As the Science Weekly team continue their summer break, we’re digging through the archives. Today’s episode takes us back to 2016, when Ian Sample explored the crisis of melting Arctic sea ice. Recently, this worrying phenomenon hit the headlines once again when a new model found that the Arctic could experience summers completely free of sea-ice as early as 2035. In our episode from the archive, Ian asks a host of experts what some of the potential ramifications might be of the total disappearance of Arctic sea ice Continue reading...

Naturally, people are worried about what the first confirmed case of reinfection means for the pandemicScientists in Hong Kong have reported the first confirmed case of reinfection with the coronavirus that causes Covid-19, reportedly backed up by genetic sequences of the two episodes of the 33-year-old man’s infections in March and in August 2020. Naturally, people are worried what this could mean for our chances of resolving the pandemic. Here’s why they shouldn’t worry.Nearly nine months after the first infection with the novel coronavirus, we have very poor evidence for reinfection. However, virologists understand that reinfection with coronaviruses is common, and immunologists are working hard to determine how long the hallmarks of protective immunity will last in recovered patients. Continue reading...

Infections in Indonesian city plummet after release of mosquitoes injected with Wolbachia bacteriaInfecting mosquitoes with a naturally occurring bacteria dramatically reduces their ability to transmit dengue, according to a breakthrough study that could pave the way to eliminating the disease.Research conducted in Indonesia, where dengue is endemic, found that releasing mosquitoes infected with the bacteria Wolbachia into parts of Yogyakarta city reduced the number of dengue infections by 77% compared with untreated areas. Continue reading...

Three African elephants to get liquid doses of the cannabinoid CBD through their trunks. Early trials suggest they like itThe Warsaw zoo has said it will start giving its elephants medical marijuana as part of a ground-breaking pilot project to test how it reduces their stress levels.Medical cannabis has been used worldwide to treat dogs and horses but “this is probably the first initiative of its kind for elephants,” Agnieszka Czujkowska, the veterinarian in charge of the project, said. Continue reading...

DSTL reports ‘some loss of virus’ using bug repellent, but unclear how much difference it makes

Collapse of shelves would accelerate loss of Antarctic ice sheet and increase sea-level riseApproximately 60% of Antarctica’s ice shelves could be vulnerable to fracture, accelerating the loss of the Antarctic ice sheet and increasing sea-level rise, according to a paper.Antarctica’s ice shelves, floating extensions of the ice sheet, help slow the flow of ice into the ocean. But if these shelves fracture and then collapse, the flow of melting glaciers into the oceans accelerates. Continue reading...

Government criticised as schools to get only 10 Covid testing kits for start of term next week

The dawn chorus is created by birds chasing their next hit of opioid, according to a US biologist. Which explains why it’s so much like free-form jazzName: Jazz.Age: Much older than you think. Continue reading...

Comprehensive study suggests vaccine may not work as well for overweight people

Disposable medical face masks beat those made of cotton or polyester in simulation

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...

Wang Xining tells National Press Club that Australia was ‘supposed to be a good friend of China’

The legacy of a successful battle is now helping combat Covid, but we must stay vigilant, says WHO’s Africa regional directorAfrica has declared victory over a virus that once paralysed 75,000 children on the continent every year.Four years have now passed since wild polio was last detected in Africa. After a year of rigorously evaluating polio data from all 47 countries in the WHO’s African region, an independent body of experts announced during a virtual ceremony on Tuesdaythat the continent was free of wild polio. Continue reading...

Police minister Lisa Neville says officers gave 5,761 fines for ‘non-compliance of directions’ alone

Early enrolments rise 37% in New South Wales and ACT for 2021, compared with the same time last year

Turkey records highest number of new cases since mid-June; India worse than US and Brazil in number of daily new cases; European re-infections add to immunity concerns prompted by Hong Kong case

Scientific analysis suggests coronavirus was spreading in UK weeks earlier than thought

Case for and against pupils wearing a face covering as England prepares to reopen schools

Headteachers call for urgent rethink on facial coverings as part of coronavirus strategy

Director of group says Chris Whitty right to be cautious but hopes vaccine will be ready before winter 2021

Her 200 days in orbit turned the first female Italian astronaut into a celebrity – and the model for a Barbie doll. Back on Earth, she says, it was hard to find authentic relationshipsThere’s something surreal about talking to someone who’s been to space. Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti might be at home in Cologne while I’m Zooming her from London – but there’s still an awareness: those eyes have seen what only a handful of people will ever see. Those hands have been without gravity travelling at 28,000 kilometres an hour.Loved ones gave Cristoforetti trinkets to take to the space station, where she spent 200 days between November 2014 and June 2015. The way she sees it, the rationale is that not many things have ever been to space and “you’re going to see a picture of it floating in front of Earth – it’s a symbolic meaning, added value”. Continue reading...

While some scientists believe the virus has become less deadly, others look at the factors that suggest otherwiseAre Covid-19 death rates decreasing?

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...

Alok Sharma says there are no plans to look again at guidance despite Scottish pupils being asked to wear coverings

Experts raise concern over compound that has not been proven safe but could reach public as dietary supplementAllies of Donald Trump have promoted a plant extract called oleandrin to people seeking to ward off Covid-19. The plant the extract is derived from, oleander, is poisonous and there is no proof the compound is either safe or effective to treat or prevent Covid-19, experts say.But unlike other unproven and potentially dangerous Covid-19 “cures” pitched by Trump and his supporters, including the prescription antimalarial hydroxychloroquine, experts fear this compound could easily reach the public as a dietary supplement. Continue reading...

There’s still a long way to go to prepare for a winter surge. But the country is no longer as vulnerable as it was in MarchNo one knows what the next months hold, but suggestions that Britain will be back to normal by Christmas seem unlikely. Already, Leicester, Greater Manchester and Preston have enforced local lockdowns after registering rises in Covid-19 cases, while increases in Spain and Germany are an alarming reminder of the difficulty of controlling this virus. Cold weather could potentially boost the spread of coronavirus and make social distancing outdoors more difficult. The dangers are clear – so is England ready?“We’ve got to up our game for the autumn,” says Ewan Birney, deputy director of the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. “We’ll be inside more. Universities and schools will be running. There will be a whole bunch of contacts we don’t have now.” England has made significant progress over the summer on some of the problems that made the first wave of coronavirus so disastrous. But this still may not be enough, and outcomes depend on factors that are hard to predict. Continue reading...