Scientists think a planet larger than Earth lurks in the far reaches of the solar system. Now a new telescope could confirm their belief and change solar system scienceYou’d think that if you found the first evidence that a planet larger than the Earth was lurking unseen in the furthest reaches of our solar system, it would be a big moment. It would make you one of only a small handful of people in all of history to have discovered such a thing.But for astronomer Scott Sheppard of the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington DC, it was a much quieter affair. “It wasn’t like there was a eureka moment,” he says. “The evidence just built up slowly.” Continue reading...

The writer Simon Stephenson looks forward to the days when he can eat popcorn in the dark againAs a writer who works from home, my lockdown life has not been so different from my previous existence. Perhaps the biggest change is that I have not gone three months without visiting a cinema since I was a child. It seems a shameful thing to admit when others have been suffering so profoundly, but I have missed those movies on the big screen. They have been my lifelong companions, and I have lamented them like vanished friends.The relationship began for me in the long-ago Easter of 1981 with the release of Superman II. My yearning to see it was elemental: my dad was taking my older brother and I wanted everything he got. When it was broken to me that at three years old I was too young to go to the cinema, I screamed for days, thus confirming that I indeed could not yet be trusted anywhere near one. Continue reading...

New South Wales makes Covid-19 tests mandatory for returned travellers and reports six new cases

A new report by Research Australia details more than 200 ongoing Covid-19 studies that extend far beyond the search for a vaccine

Scientists are currently pushing on an ethical boundary. Will out of body gestation ever replace the experience of human birth?The lamb is sleeping. It lies on its side, eyes shut, ears folded back and twitching. It swallows, wriggles and shuffles its gangly legs. Its crooked half-smile makes it look content, as if dreaming about gambolling in a grassy field. But this lamb is too tiny to venture out. Its eyes cannot open. It is hairless; its skin gathers in pink rolls at its neck. It hasn’t been born yet, but here it is, at 111 days’ gestation, totally separate from its mother, alive and kicking in a research lab in Philadelphia. It is submerged in fluid, floating inside a transparent plastic bag, its umbilical cord connected to a nexus of bright blood-filled tubes. This is a foetus growing inside an artificial womb. In another four weeks, the bag will be unzipped and the lamb will be born.When I first see images of the Philadelphia lambs on my laptop, I think of the foetus fields in The Matrix, where motherless babies are farmed in pods on an industrial scale. But this is not a substitute for full gestation. The lambs didn’t grow in the bags from conception; they were taken from their mothers’ wombs by caesarean section, then submerged in the Biobag, at a gestational age equivalent to 23-24 weeks in humans. This isn’t a replacement for pregnancy yet, but it is certainly the beginning. Continue reading...

Brazil records nearly 47,000 new cases: while the UK announces easing of quarantining for holidaymakers. This blog has now closed. Follow our live news coverage below

Royal College of Nursing welcomed the clarity following a period of ‘confusion and distress’

Kelly Fairhurst found out about uterus condition when she went for 12-week scanThe case of a woman who discovered she had two wombs and was pregnant with a twin in each has been described as “one in 50m” by doctors.Kelly Fairhurst, 28, only learned she had uterus didelphys, a condition where a woman has two wombs, when she went for her 12-week scan. She was also told she was carrying twins, one in each womb. Continue reading...

I miss the joy of random events, of not knowing what will happen between the hours of 2pm and 4pm. Right now our lives are Groundhog Day, retold as tragedy

Rapid transformation needed, Kevin Anderson says, particularly in lifestyles of richKevin Anderson, one of the world’s leading climate scientists, had a familiar reaction to the latest report from the government’s climate advisers, which was published this week.The 196-page document by the Committee on Climate Change (CCC) delivered a stinging rebuke of the government’s record and said ministers must urgently up their game if the UK is to avoid a significant rebound in carbon emissions after the coronavirus crisis and meet its 2050 net zero carbon target. Continue reading...

Some British people reluctant to hand over details of others, says Dr David Nabarro

It has taken a shocking Covid-19 death toll to dent the national self-image of moral superiority. But dented it has been“Haverist” is a Swedish word meaning “shipwrecked person”. During the course of Sweden’s shambolic response to Covid-19, dissent – whether from epidemiologists or journalists – has often been met with this insult, which implies the critics are fighting a losing battle. It’s telling of the way Sweden has handled its failure.Through a uniquely slack approach (seen by many as the largely debunked “herd immunity” approach, even if the government denies this), Sweden reached the highest Covid-19 deaths per capita in the world in May. It still circles around the top, with more than 5,200 deaths – five times as many as in Norway, Finland and Denmark combined. After months of a mainly one-sided debate, critical voices are mounting. Even Sweden’s state epidemiologist, Anders Tegnell, admits to fault. But this has not been enough to change his agency’s strategy, which a majority of Swedes still have confidence in – although that support has waned. Continue reading...

PM and chancellor back purchase of 20% stake in troubled US operator OneWebThe UK has begun the process of purchasing its own satellite navigation system for defence and critical national infrastructure purposes, according to reports.The Times says Boris Johnson and the chancellor, Rishi Sunak, signed off on the purchase of a 20% stake in satellite operator OneWeb on Thursday night, after the UK was unable to access the EU’s Galileo satellite navigation system because of Brexit. Continue reading...

Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of getting Covid-19

Stroke and psychosis found in small study of patients highlight need for research

Teachers say Covid-19 closures have put vulnerable pupils at greater risk of exploitation

Meeting up with friends, going to restaurants and shops – it’s the thrill of a lifetime. For a bitThe first day we went to the playground it was empty. It was a sweltering Sunday afternoon in the city, and although it was the day before playgrounds in New York officially reopened, someone kind had unbolted the gate. After almost four months of being locked out, my children stood still, staring at the swings as if they’d never seen them before, and eventually ran off to play. This particular playground, surrounded by 30-storey apartment blocks and abutting a school, was latterly one of the busiest in my neighbourhood and if there was something chilling about being the only ones there, it also permitted a delusion: that we, and the city, had changed.The phrase I keep hearing and using myself this week, is, “We can’t go on like this for ever.” It’s one of those statements, like “it is what it is”, and “what are you going to do?” that seeks, in the absence of external causes for cheer, nonetheless to make us feel better. In this case, it is also exculpatory. Continue reading...

This nuanced study argues that far from being an unwelcome threat to global stability, migration and mixing are essential to human survival“A wild exodus has begun,” writes Sonia Shah early on in The Next Great Migration. “It is happening on every continent and in every ocean.” In response to the climate crisis, plants and animals that until recently scientists thought were fixed to a particular habitat have been seeking out different surroundings. Butterflies and birds have been edging their way towards the Earth’s poles; frogs and fungi are slowly climbing mountain ranges – while in the oceans, even some coral reefs are moving at the rate of a few kilometres per year. And where wild species go, humans may follow, Shah suggests, noting that more people already live outside their countries of birth than ever before, some of them pushed by war, floods, rising seas and creeping deserts.It sounds apocalyptic. But are we wrong to think so? Shah, a US science journalist, argues in a deeply researched and counterintuitive history that much received wisdom about migration – human or otherwise – rests on a series of misconceptions. We tend to see migration as unwelcome and rare, a flight from hardship or a burden for the place of arrival. But techniques including genetic history, navigational mapping and climatology have revealed that migration and mixing are far more central to life on Earth than previously thought. They may, in fact, “be our best shot at preserving biodiversity and resilient human societies”. Continue reading...

National cabinet decides to ease distancing requirements for small venues and continue 14-day hotel quarantine for returned travellers

Northern Territory to block Victorians who live in or who have passed through hotspots from entry

World should build ‘new normal’ post-pandemic – WHO chief; World Cup worker dies from Covid-19; Europe sees increase in weekly cases for first time in months. This blog is now closed

Third iteration hoisted into space offers alternative to US, EU and Russian navigation systemsChina launched the final satellite of its BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province at 9.43am local time (0243 BST) on 23 June 2020.Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the satellite is the 30th in the constellation, and was carried into space by a Long March 3B rocket. Continue reading...

Shadow education secretary told to step down from shadow cabinet after sharing article on Twitter that included antisemitic conspiracy theory

Agency hopes to attract novel solutions for its Artemis mission to the moon in 2024“It certainly isn’t the prime focus of the mission,” said Nasa’s Mike Interbartolo. “We’re not going back to the moon so we can say we pooped on the moon, but we don’t want an Apollo situation either.”Interbartolo, is project manager for the Lunar Loo Challenge, a Nasa competition launched on Thursday that hopes to attract new and innovative solutions to the problem of capturing and containing human waste in space. Continue reading...

It’s 38C in Siberia. The science may be complicated – but the need for action now couldn’t be clearer

Mukupirna, discovered in the Lake Eyre basin in 1973, was probably five times the size of living wombatsFossils of a huge, hairy creature with shovel-shaped hands and unusual teeth could hold clues to the evolution of today’s wombats, researchers say.They say the fossils belong to a new member of a group of marsupials called vombatiforms, and one of the earliest such creatures yet discovered. Continue reading...

First optical observation made of phenomenon previously thought to occur in darknessWhen black holes collide, the ensuing cosmic drama was assumed to play out under the cloak of darkness, given that both objects are invisible. But now astronomers believe they have made the first optical observations of such a merger, marked by a blaze of light a trillion times brighter than the sun.The flare was linked to a known black hole merger detected last year by the gravitational wave observatory, Ligo, which picked up ripples sent out through the fabric of space. The latest observations suggest that when these cataclysmic events occur within the accretion disk of an even more gigantic black hole, they are brilliantly illuminated by the surrounding dust and gas, making them also visible to optical telescopes. Continue reading...

Analysis of Tönnies meat plant system in Gütersloh shows it contributed to spread of aerosol droplets laden with coronavirus

Donald Trump told thousands of supporters at a rally in Oklahoma he wanted to slow down testing for Covid-19 – despite experts saying the opposite.From masks to 'miracle' treatments, the Guardian's Maanvi Singh looks back at how the US president has long been contradicting and defying science during the coronavirus outbreak and the impact that has had on the country's handling of the pandemic

From serology to T-cells, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how immunity to coronavirus works

I’ve never seen anything like coronavirus before. Recovering will be a Herculean task for patients, but we are here to helpAfter nearly a quarter of a century as a physiotherapist, I’ve found 2020 the most professionally thought-provoking year so far. Throughout my career, I have treated patients with everything from rare and fatal brain conditions to severe bends brought about by diving, but what I have seen with the coronavirus pandemic will haunt me for the rest of my life. While every case of Covid-19 is different, after a while you’ve seen most of the pieces of the jigsaw somewhere before. Instead, it is the level and scale of complex rehabilitation some survivors need to return them to their lives that truly scares me.In the past, I have worked in the community helping patients achieve their goals at home. I have worked in neonatal, neurosurgical, cardiac and general intensive care units (ICUs). I have treated patients with conditions I can’t always spell, worked for the Ministry of Defence, and done a very brief stint lecturing in Ethiopia. I am now part of a triumvirate leading 2,000 staff and 22 different professions in Portsmouth. Continue reading...

Archaeologists surveying the land around Stonehenge have made a discovery that could change the way we think about our neolithic ancestors: a circle of deep shafts spanning 1.2 miles in diameter around Durrington Walls. Hannah Devlin speaks to Prof Vincent Gaffney about how he and his team made this incredible discovery and why the latest find is so remarkable Continue reading...

Vaccine developed at Oxford University; deaths in Latin America pass 100,000; Brazil records 39,436 new cases. This blog is now closed

Boris Johnson sometimes uses experts to bolster his authority but his real guide is fear of being held responsible for bad governmentIt is clear from the volume and complexity of new hygiene guidelines that the grand reopening of England’s consumer economy, scheduled for 4 July, marks no return to normality. The long-deferred pleasure of the pub will be diluted by measures to enforce physical distance between punters. Fear will still keep many away.Britain’s struggle with coronavirus has certainly moved into a new phase, but the transition is more political than clinical. The shift is symbolised by the abandonment of routine Downing Street press conferences. It is hard to mourn the passing of an institution that was often characterised by obfuscation, but the decision to dispense with the exercise is revealing. The government no longer wants the burden of sharing information with citizens. Continue reading...

Compound issue | Quantum states | Brasserie | Latin etymology | Fascinating puzzleTo answer Karin Koller (Letters, 23 June), the French for bra, soutien-gorge, is masculine because compound words, consisting of a noun preceded by a verbal prefix, are nearly always masculine. The exceptions are when denoting women: for example, garde-malade, a home nurse. Nowadays, décolleté would be a more correct translation of cleavage.

Rich countries’ governments are putting all their trust in a marriage of markets and philanthropy called GaviVaccines for Covid-19 are coming. Billions of dollars are flowing in, over 100 efforts are under way, and at least 13 leading candidates are already being tested on humans. But how will these vaccines reach the poorest people on the planet? This question haunts the fate of more than half the world’s population. It is the central question of our time. The failure to address this question in the past has resulted in millions of unnecessary deaths – and yet, some believe there is a simple answer. Ask pharmaceutical corporations about how they will ensure access to Covid-19 vaccines, and they say “Gavi”. Ask the wealthiest governments in the world what they are doing to ensure global equity, and they too say “Gavi”.Gavi, the Vaccines Alliance, is a 20-year old public-private partnership that believes the marriage of markets and philanthropy will bring vaccines to everyone in the world. The numbers are impressive: every year, Gavi sends out 500 million vaccine doses against 17 different diseases. The sums of money pumped into Gavi are equally impressive. At the Global Vaccine Summit held earlier this month, Gavi raised a record-breaking $8.8bn. With £330m committed annually for the next five years, the British government is their single largest donor, alongside other wealthy countries and the Gates Foundation. At the summit, Gavi launched its newest initiative, a fund for future Covid-19 vaccines – the Covax Facility – which invites countries to invest in a wide portfolio of potential vaccines, pool their risk, and gain dedicated access to eventual products. Continue reading...

Researchers found that air pollution, smoking and a person’s built environment may play role in obesity in childrenAir pollutants and population density are increasing the chances of childhood obesity, and scientists are just starting to understand which chemicals and urban factors are the riskiest, according to a new US study.Researchers reviewed 77 factors during pregnancy and 96 during childhood and found that air pollution, smoking and a person’s built environment may play a role in obesity in children from birth to age 11. Continue reading...

The reduction of the 2-metre rule in England tells people we’re out of the woods, and they’ll behave accordingly

The words of warning from England’s chief medical officer during the coronavirus crisis

Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of getting Covid-19

Sage advisers warn of risks of halving 2-metre rule while reopening venues in England

Defence force to assist as spike in Covid-19 cases puts pressure on testing facilities and sparks a rush on supermarkets

England relaxes social distancing rules; Dr Anthony Fauci testifies to US Congress; German district put in local lockdown. This blog is now closed

Covid-19 has slashed donations to medical research funding, charities warn Boris Johnson

Study is latest to find high degree of correlation between gut health and mental healthPeople living with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have more than twice the risk of developing dementia, researchers have revealed in the latest study to link gut health to neurological diseases.A growing body of research suggests changes in the gastrointestinal tract may affect the brain through two-way communication known as the gut-brain axis. Continue reading...

Lockdown in England to be mostly lifted on 4 July but ‘rules must be rigorously kept to’

Boris Johnson’s determination to kickstart economic recovery is a gamble, when test-and-trace systems are a work in progress and the coronavirus threat is still substantial

Audit finds that of the 71 under-18s who have needed intensive care, most have survived

Those in England most at risk from Covid-19 prepare for 6 July when life will tiptoe back to normal

How PM’s latest announcement affects pubs and restaurants, hairdressers and galleries