US president’s move challenged by Congress; Silvio Berlusconi has Covid-19; Brazil’s death toll appears to be easing. This blog is now closed

Critics fear its development has become politicized by Trump who may push for the release of a vaccine that is not fully testedHealth officials across the US have reportedly been notified that they should expect a coronavirus vaccine available to health workers and high-risk groups by November, amid concerns the accelerated vaccine development process has become politicized.The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) informed health officials that “limited Covid-19 vaccine doses may be available by early November 2020”, the New York Times reported. Continue reading...

Researchers believe noise was two black holes colliding around 7 billion years ago, creating a previously unseen class of stellar objectScientists have announced the detection of a signal from a long-ago collision between two black holes that created a new one of a size never seen before.“It’s the biggest bang since the big bang observed by humanity,” said Caltech professor of physics Alan Weinstein, who was part of the discovery team. Continue reading...

Use of dual testing could help as swabs miss around 30%-50% of infections, say UK researchers

Downing Street’s pandemic response is a toxic combination of control-freakery and incompetenceNot much about the government’s response to the coronavirus pandemic looks effective with hindsight, but once the decision to go into a full national lockdown was taken, the instruction was at least delivered efficiently. “Stay at home” was a message clearly understood.Some Conservatives even complained that it had been too effective, making it harder to coax people back into economic activity when that became the Downing Street imperative. Since then, the message has become garbled, and not just because regional lockdowns have been used. That concept is simple enough. The problem is rules that look contradictory, or that come and go capriciously. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Data analysis of 3m patients also shows near eradication of flu and gastroThere has been a significant increase in anxiety, depression and eating disorders in young people aged up to 14 years old since Victoria’s second coronavirus wave began, data analysis of 3 million patients across general practices in Victoria and New South Wales has found.The study was led by Monash University, with researchers analysing data from more than 1,000 GP practices in NSW and Victoria. Continue reading...

Researchers use vibrations to make toy vessels bob about under floating layer of liquidScientists have turned the world upside down with a curious quirk of physics that allowed them to float toy boats the wrong way up beneath a levitating body of liquid.In a striking demonstration of the mind-bending effect, the boats seem to defy the laws of gravity as they bob about on the water above them with their sails pointing down. Continue reading...

Scientists have been able to float a toy boat upside down on a levitating body of water using a quirky rule of physics.Researchers believe the finding could have practical implications to separate waste from water and process minerals

Restrictions return in Bolton and Trafford just 12 hours after they were lifted

Analysis of seven trials finds dexamethasone and hydrocortisone should be given in severe cases

Pointing the finger in the wrong direction excuses those in power for failing to support people to stay at homeThe “covidiots” are back in the news – no longer crowded in parks, no longer crammed on to beaches, this time cavorting on flights back from their Greek holidays. The main culprit was a flight from Zante to Cardiff, where passengers were taking their masks off and wandering up and down the aisles to talk to others. Seven passengers were infectious or potentially infectious, 16 have since tested positive for coronavirus, and all 193 of those on board have since had to self-isolate.It is easy to understand why the story hit the headlines. We could all imagine ourselves in the place of those on board who behaved responsibly and now have to pay the cost for those who didn’t. We could all empathise with their anger. Indeed, what chance do any of us have when such covidiocy runs rampant? But, in focusing infection spread on antisocial individuals, such stories are in danger of misrepresenting the problem and ultimately impeding efforts to find a solution. Continue reading...

The Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti chooses her favourite extraterrestrial reading, taking in fiction by Italo Calvino and Stanisław Lem alongside reportage and historyOne of the funny little things I noticed after having lived in space for a while is that, contrary to everyday experience on Earth, it took some effort to keep my arms pressed against my body. Had I remembered better my childhood reading, I wouldn’t have been surprised. Jules Verne imagined this back in 1865. At one point, the protagonists of his From the Earth to the Moon realise that “their bodies were absolutely without weight. Their arms, full extended, no longer sought their sides.”That wasn’t the first time literature imagined a trip to the moon: in Ludovico Ariosto’s Orlando Furioso (1516), the knight Astolfo flies to the moon in search of Orlando’s lost wits. Cyrano de Bergerac’s satirical novel The Other World: Comical History of the States and Empires of the Moon dates back to the 17th century, and in 1857 Italian astronomer Ernest Capocci wrote a novel about the first journey to the moon, which he imagined undertaken in 2057 by a woman named Urania. Yet Verne was the first to narrate the endeavour with some measure of engineering credibility, eventually coming to be recognised as one of the fathers of science fiction. 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...

Researchers in China saw big reductions in organisms that play a crucial role in recycling carbon and nitrogenMicroplastic pollution causes significant damage to populations of soil-dwelling mites, larvae and other tiny creatures that maintain the fertility of the land, research has found.The study notes that discarded bags, cups, threads and other forms of plastic waste are concentrated more in the earth than the oceans, with similarly dire consequences for the abundance of species that live below the surface. Continue reading...

Swedish researchers measure the scale of peatlands, and the amount of carbon stored in themHow much of the Earth’s landmass is made of peat? We know that peatlands store as much as a quarter of all soil carbon, and if this were to be released we would face climate havoc. Until now, however, no one had made a comprehensive map of where peatlands occurred and how deep they were.Related: Ultimate bogs: how saving peatlands could help save the planet Continue reading...

Parents and teachers fear face masks and other measures not enough to prevent second wave

Shift led to local extinctions and could have important implications for species todayGenetic diversity could shrink as animals venture into new territories because of global heating leaving them vulnerable to extinction, scientists have warned after tracking the impact of climate change on the American mastodon.Huge, hairy and with a pair of fearsome tusks, mastodons resembled stocky, hirsute elephants. The earliest fossils of American mastodons date to about 3.5-4m years ago with the creatures commonly found in wooded and swampy areas where they browsed on trees and shrubs. Continue reading...

Actor appeals for funds to save jobs in industry that is one of worst affected by pandemic

Italian scientists warn Marmolada has shrunk 80% in 70 years due to global heatingThe largest and most symbolic glacier in the Dolomites could vanish within 15 years because of global heating, Italian scientists have warned.The 3,343m Marmolada, located on the border of the Trentino and Veneto regions and known as the Queen of the Dolomites, has already lost more than 80% of its volume over the last 70 years. Continue reading...

According to a recent study, obesity increases the risk of dying of Covid-19 by nearly 50%. Governments around the world are now hoping to encourage their citizens to lose weight. But with so much complex and often contradictory dietary advice, as well as endless fads, it can be hard to know what healthy eating actually looks like. How many pieces of fruit and vegetables should you eat a day? Will cutting out carbs help you lose weight? Is breakfast really the most important meal of the day?Speaking to Tim Spector, a professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London about his new book, Spoon-Fed, Madeleine Finlay asks why we’re still getting food science wrong, and explores the current scientific evidence on snacking, calorie labels and ultra-processed foods Continue reading...

Jens Spahn subjected to shouts of ‘shame’ and ‘gay pig’ as he confronts crowd

Pieces of bone were turned into ornaments, and may have been placed on displayBronze age Britons remembered the dead by keeping and curating bits of their bodies, and even turning them into instruments and ornaments, according to new research on the remains.Archaeologists found that pieces of bone buried with the dead were often from people who had died decades earlier, suggesting their remains had been kept for future generations, as keepsakes or perhaps for home display. Continue reading...

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Researchers found ‘nice, generous’ people advanced at work just as much as bulliesThe question has puzzled humans from the earliest philosophers to the ranks of home workers who have swapped water cooler gossip for rants on Zoom: does being a jerk help people get to the top?Now, after a study lasting more than a decade, researchers believe they finally have the answer. Nasty colleagues are no more likely to reach positions of power than those who are nice, they conclude. Continue reading...

Tui launches investigation after almost 200 passengers told to isolate after outbreak

Statisticians would welcome an inquiry into their role in this crisis – they have done a good job

This common condition can lead to relationship breakdown and unnecessary surgery. So why is treatment still so poor and underfunded?I was just a few weeks into a new relationship when the pain started. Whenever my boyfriend and I started to have penetrative sex, it felt as if there were razor blades inside me. At first I laughed it off, but soon I became terrified of intercourse. My body would freeze with fear as my clothes came off. By the time we said: “I love you,” even kissing made me feel anxious. I would spend entire day trips and holidays with him worrying about the pain.When I first went to my GP, the advice I got was to “try and relax”. It was about as helpful as telling someone having a panic attack to “just chill out”. Without a real solution, I started to question whether I was imagining the pain. Or if maybe, somehow, I was to blame for it. My boyfriend was kind and supportive but I felt I was letting him down. Some days, I would feel so ashamed that it was hard to think about anything else. Other days, I’d feel an overwhelming sense of loss for the carefree woman I had been. 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...

India records world’s highest single day rise; Ghana reopens air borders; fears over reopening schools in France. This blog is now closed. Follow our new blog below

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