Most experts agree containment of Covid-19 has failed so far, but what is the threshold for reaching herd immunity?Pandemics typically end in one of two ways: cases are tracked and isolated or a population achieves herd immunity, often with the help of a vaccine. Most experts agree containment of the coronavirus has failed so far. What about herd immunity?What is herd immunity? Continue reading...
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, ‘test, test, test’ has been the key message from epidemiologists, infectious disease specialists and healthcare professionals alike. But how does a country know if it’s doing sufficient testing? Or that it’s catching enough of the asymptomatic cases? Nicola Davis speaks to Prof Rowland Kao about the positivity rate, a value that can help to answer some of these difficult questions Continue reading...
Rare find includes skin, tendon and excrement of what is thought to be an adult maleRussian scientists are poring over the uniquely well-preserved bones of a 10,000-year-old woolly mammoth after completing the operation to pull them from the bottom of a Siberian lake.Experts spent five days scouring the silt of Lake Pechenelava-To in the remote Yamal peninsula for the remains, which include tendons, skin and even excrement, after they were spotted by local residents. About 90% of the animal has been retrieved during two expeditions. Continue reading...
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Covid-19 survivors have higher rates of mental ill-health, study says; Belgium sees ICU admissions double; Singapore to use electronic tags to monitor some travellers. This live blog is closed. Follow our new one below
Researchers discover links with earlier puberty and signs of more rapid cellular ageingChildren who experience violence or trauma seem to age faster, going through puberty earlier and showing greater signs of ageing in their cells, researchers have found.They say the findings add to a growing body of work that suggests early adversity can become “biologically embedded” with the potential for adverse health effects later in life. Continue reading...
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New evidence on how our bodies combat the virus has huge implications for the development of a coronavirus vaccineThis episode first aired on Today in Focus, the Guardian’s global daily news podcast.It’s a familiar refrain of the past six months: “When will we get back to normal?” The premise is that once a vaccine arrives or enough people have had Covid-19 we will be immune from its terrible effects. But new evidence on how our bodies combat the virus is casting doubt on the prospects for long-term immunity. Continue reading...
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More than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccineResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 140 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading...
US astronauts Bob Behnken and Doug Hurley, who flew to the International Space Station in SpaceX's new Crew Dragon, splashed down in the capsule in the Gulf of Mexico after a two-month voyage. The successful splashdown, the first of its kind by Nasa in 45 years, was a final key test of whether Elon Musk's spacecraft can transport astronauts to and from orbit - a feat no private company has accomplished before
Patients to be given treatments less likely to damage immune system and in some cases able to be taken at homeNHS England is spending £160m on new “Covid-friendly” cancer drugs that will be less likely to damage the immune system and, in some cases, can be taken at home so that patients do not have to visit hospital.NHS England said 2,000 patients had already benefitted from a range of treatments approved for use as “swaps” for existing drugs. More will be available from this week, after a series of deals struck between the NHS and pharma companies, it said in a statement.
Deneb in Cygnus, Vera in Lyra and Altair in Aquila feature in Chinese folk story The Cowherd and the Weaver GirlThe summer triangle is a prominent pattern of stars that soars high in the northern summer sky. Marked out by Deneb in Cygnus, the swan; Vega in Lyra, the lyre; and Altair in Aquila, the eagle, these three stars feature in the Chinese folk story The Cowherd and the Weaver Girl. The girl is Vega, the cowherd is Altair. They are separated by the great celestial river, the Milky Way. Continue reading...
University College London has removed the names of eugenicists from three of its buildings. How far this goes to address an abhorrent past is much contestedThe provost of University College London announced in June this year that its Galton Lecture Theatre, Pearson Lecture Theatre and Pearson Building had all been renamed. They are now known by the perfectly unmemorable names of, respectively, Lecture Theatre 115, Lecture Theatre G22 and the North-West Wing.What sounds like a dull piece of administrative news is in fact a complex tale of a racist legacy, student politics, academic disputes and an impassioned debate about the history of science and how it is taught. It also goes to the heart of an issue that looks set to become one of great contention in the months and years ahead: by what criteria do we judge who should no longer be commemorated – at universities and in society at large? Continue reading...
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More than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccineResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 140 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading...
What have resurgences around the world taught us about how local clusters emerge?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt is not always possible to pinpoint the origin of a local spike in cases, particularly in countries like the UK, where the disease is still circulating at relatively significant levels.But in countries where overall caseloads are lower, and with rigorous test-and-trace schemes, it has been possible to pinpoint the factors that have sparked or fuelled local outbreaks. Continue reading...
The 5,000-year-old bristlecone pine in California is a vivid example of how resourceful and resilient life can beAs old-timers go, the Methuselah tree in California’s White Mountains takes some beating. According to research released last week, this ancient bristlecone pine will be 4,851 years old this year. Not a bad performance when it comes to avoiding the Grim Reaper.Nor is the Methuselah on its own in making recent headlines about longevity. Researchers announced last week they had found beds of kelp off Shetland, and in Irish and French Atlantic waters, that had survived for 16,000 years. A day later, an international group of scientists announced that they had revived microbes which had lain dormant in seabed mud for 100 million years. Continue reading...
Amy Lamé rejects criticism that she hasn’t done enough to save the capital’s night-time culture hit hard by the lockdownIf Amy Lamé feels bruised by calls for her to quit her job, she is determined not to show it. The UK’s first “night tsar” has faced brutal criticism ever since she was hired in 2016 to champion London’s night-time culture. Nightclubs and music venue owners have claimed they do not know what she does, while at least one music magazine has asked what is the point of Lamé.Now, with the capital’s cultural life facing catastrophe, the industry is taking out its frustrations on Lamé. Last week, a petition with several hundred signatories from the nightlife sector was submitted to the mayor of London, demanding she be removed from her role, and that the position be re-evaluated. Continue reading...
As the world marks the 75th anniversary of the dropping of the atom bomb on Japan, it must wake up to the new rearmamentRussia’s apparent test-firing of an anti-satellite weapon in outer space on 15 July, as alleged by the US and Britain, could be dismissed as another of Vladimir Putin’s annoying provocations. That would be a mistake. The alleged new space weapon should be seen in the broader context of a rapidly evolving, hi-tech, high-risk international arms race involving all the major nuclear powers that, largely undiscussed, is spinning out of control.This week sees the 75th anniversary of the atomic bomb attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki that killed over 200,000 people, but the absence of public debate or a sense of alarm about the grim advent of sophisticated new nuclear, hypersonic, cyber and space weapons is striking. In the decades after Hiroshima, noisy anti-nuclear “ban the bomb” protests by CND and others spanned the globe. Today, by comparison, an eerie silence reigns. Continue reading...
The crew from the SpaceX commercial flight will land off Florida on Sunday as Hurricane Isaias fears easeTwo Nasa astronauts are preparing to make the first splashdown return to Earth in 45 years as the threat posed by Hurricane Isaias off the coast of Florida eased.Robert Behnken and Douglas Hurley are set to come back to Earth from the International Space Station on Sunday after launching into space in May on a commercial spacecraft built by SpaceX. Continue reading...
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Crew onboard Norwegian cruise ship test positive for virus; Vietnamese tourist hotspot Da Nang to test entire city; Boris Johnson warns of second UK lockdown. Follow all the developments live
Emily and Laurence Alison specialise in communication and co-operation with criminal suspects. But their methods work in the home and at work, too“The more you push someone, the more they close up,” say Emily and Laurence Alison, a husband-and-wife psychology team. “The hungrier you are for information, the harder it will be to get that out of someone. But give the person a choice about what they say; give them some autonomy and you begin to build the rapport that may lead to a better conversation,” says Laurence.This sounds like parenting advice and yet the Alisons’ specialism is helping counter-terrorism officers and the police to improve communication and co-operation with criminal suspects. When the atmosphere turns adversarial and competitive, as it so often does, they turn to the Alisons to help them navigate and negotiate. Continue reading...
Scientists have discovered the tool our stone-age ancestors used to manufacture twine – a milestone in technological developmentForty thousand years ago, a stone-age toolmaker carved a curious instrument from mammoth tusk. Twenty centimetres long, the ivory strip has four holes drilled in it, each lined with precisely cut spiral incisions.The purpose of this strange device was unclear when it was discovered in Hohle Fels cave in south-western Germany several years ago. It could have been part of a musical instrument or a religious object, it was suggested. But now scientists have concluded that it is the earliest known instrument for making rope. And its impact would have been revolutionary. Continue reading...
Urgent annual cash injection of £650m needed for cardiovascular conditions to match threat to nation’s health of cancerA severe deficit has emerged in the funding of major health conditions such as cardiovascular disease and mental health, according to a new study calling for an urgent cash injection.While an estimated £29 per person is invested in cancer research each year, only half as much is spent on neurological and mental health, and just £9 per person goes to cardiovascular disease research and development, according to the Institute for Public Policy Research (IPPR) and health management consultancy CF. Continue reading...
For better protection, you may need to ... look a little weird and shield your peepersAt first, wearing a face mask felt a bit strange. Now, over five months into North America’s battle with Covid-19, I feel naked in public without one. Will goggles – previously the purview of steampunks and snowboarders – become the next article of protective equipment to go from weird to widespread? According to Dr Anthony Fauci, the answer is yes. In an ABC News Instagram Live Q&A this Wednesday, Fauci told viewers: “If you have goggles or an eye shield, you should use it.”Related: I'm a viral immunologist. Here's what antibody tests for Covid-19 tell us Continue reading...
The past few weeks in Victoria highlight how quickly things can turn. We have a long way to goEven though it’s been only six months since we first heard about a novel coronavirus circulating in China, so much has happened that it’s all a bit of a blur. What we do know is that we have a long way to go and there are many challenges that lie ahead of us. Although many countries have managed to gain control over virus transmission for now, these past few weeks in Victoria have highlighted how quickly things can turn and how little it takes for a resurgence in case numbers to occur.There is still much that we don’t understand completely, including key matters like how it affects the body and the way the immune system responds to infection. But every day we spend with this virus we are gaining a greater understanding of it, which means we are better placed to bring this pandemic under control and save lives. Here are five of the most important things we’ve learnt so far. Continue reading...
Even Donald Trump and Jair Bolsonaro have accepted that wearing a face covering in return for saving thousands of lives works. But who nailed the look – and who was left with egg on their face?
Nasa has successfully launched its next-generation Perseverance rover on a seven-month journey to Mars in search of evidence of ancient microbial life on the red planet.The car-sized robot will attempt to land on the Jezero crater – which may have been a lake more than 3.5bn years ago – where it will gather information about Mars’s geology, atmosphere and environmental conditions.Scientists hope the samples it collects could hold clues about whether there was ever life on the planet.
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More than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccineResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 140 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading...
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Spain reports 1,229 new infections; France rules out full lockdown despite rise in cases; Japan sees record high for new cases for second day in a row. This blog is now closed. Stay up to date on our new blog below