Government declined ‘game-changing’ US-approved coronavirus saliva tests

Investors shrug off US growth gloom after promising data from remdesivir drug trial

Boris Johnson believed to be looking at plan to let people add close family to their households

Research may lead to simple tool to make prognoses for people with brain injuriesWafting the scent of rotten fish or shampoo under the nose of a patient with severe brain injury could help doctors determine their level of consciousness – and their chances of long-term survival.Scientists say patients are more likely to take a sniff of the odours if they are in a minimally conscious, rather than an unresponsive, state, but if the latter do respond to smell, it bodes well. Continue reading...

Outrage at president’s response to news that more than 5,000 people have lost their lives

Notice sent to universities amid concern over lack of expertise in parts of Covid-19 advisory group

Influential chief scientific adviser to the government who made politicians and scientists think about the public they servedIf you asked Bob May, Lord May of Oxford, to explain the bewildering eclecticism of his scientific interests, he would say that he liked playing games and solving puzzles. His idea of play was anything but frivolous: to him mathematics was “no more – and no less – than thinking very clearly about something”. The things he chose to think about were complex systems: from modelling the survival of species in diverse ecosystems to the spread of Aids, and, later, the stability of global finance.An uncompromising and bluntly spoken Australian, May, who has died aged 84, reached the highest levels of the British scientific and political establishment. As chief scientific adviser to the government from 1995 to 2000, he shook up the cosy relationship between politicians and the scientific community, and made both think about the public they served. A scientific career conducted across three continents ensured that his ecological models, forensically developed and delivered with exemplary clarity, have been influential internationally. Continue reading...

Rock known as (52768) 1998 OR2 will pass by on Wednesday but ‘poses no danger to planet’An asteroid more than a mile wide will pass by Earth on Wednesday while travelling at a speed of about 19,000 miles (30,578km) an hour.The space rock, known as (52768) 1998 OR2, is expected to make its closest approach at 10.56am BST, when it will be just 3.9m miles (6.3m km) away – about 16 times the distance between the Earth and the Moon. Continue reading...

George Eustice denies care homes were overlooked but says there was ‘a real focus’ on NHS

In the absence of life’s daily landmarks, we can stop our brains creating false memories by staging memorable events at home

• Coronavirus: world map of deaths and cases

The government will unveil some of its strategy for ending lockdown this week. It must consult academics across disciplinesPoliticians make mistakes all the time. There is no getting away from it, as being wrongfooted by public opinion can spell the end of a political career. In that sense, they’re a bit like academics: we are also bound to get things wrong. But unlike politicians, we see the advantages in uncovering and learning from our errors and biases, in discovering new things and constantly thinking beyond the immediate problem. –That’s why the national academies – the British Academy, representing the humanities and social sciences, among them – are drawing together the country’s most distinguished researchers to support the government’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic by sharing different perspectives, knowledge and insight. Continue reading...

Beijing warns relationship could be damaged ‘beyond repair’ after Australian prime minister Scott Morrison cites ‘extraordinary’ impact of Covid-19

A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak

Hannah Devlin speaks to Prof Sabra Klein about why women are much less likely to become seriously ill or die from Covid-19, and what the implications of this knowledge for future treatments might be Continue reading...

Infections in Saudi Arabia pass 20,000; Germany’s infection rate back at 1.0; Turkey delivers medical kit to the US. This blog is now closed.

Helping children express, understand and grow from their emotions during Covid-19 is a skill that will last into their adult livesSee all our coronavirus coverageRead more in the Good Place seriesSign up for Coronavirus: Australia at a glance, our daily email newsletterMost families are going through the full gamut of emotions right now. Gratitude, worry, fear, love, compassion, frustration, restlessness and so on – a fragile kaleidoscope of emotions. A fluctuating pattern of colours that changes radically with the slightest nudge.How do we help children deal with the emotions of something that we can’t wrap our heads around ourselves? Continue reading...

Spain also plans ‘transition to normality’ despite rise in German Covid-19 infection rate after relaxation of restrictions

First minister issues new virus guidance but insists there is no ‘divide or split’ with UK advice

Oximeters measure the oxygen in blood. As a GP I think they are useful, but there’s more to assessing how sick you are

As we’re seeing in this pandemic, politicians tend to favour the evidence that supports their argument

Whether it’s helping research a vaccine or supporting those worst hit by the pandemic, private giving is needed as never beforeIn Bill Gates’ eerily prescient 2015 Ted Talk he states that “the greatest risk of global catastrophe … is not missiles but microbes”, which, he predicted, could claim over 10 million lives and wipe $3tn (£2.4tn) off the global economy.Related: Twitter chief to donate quarter of his fortune to coronavirus fight Continue reading...

We were left unprotected and felt like we were going into a battlefield. I don’t think our profession will ever be the same

Hu Xijin, editor of Global Times, responds to calls for inquiry into source of Covid-19

Data from the UN population fund, outlining increases in abuse, FGM and child marriage, predicts a grim decade for many women

Covid-19 is likely to impact aid for people forced from their homes by conflict and disaster around the world, experts warn

After a string of studies that highlight the possible link between air pollution and Covid-19 deaths, Ian Sample hears from Prof Anna Hansell about the complicated relationship between pollution, health and infection with Sars-CoV-2 Continue reading...

It’s likely Covid-19 originated in bats, scientists say. But did it then spread to pangolins and humans?

Iran reports 96 more deaths; Spain’s death toll shows slight rise; Germany calls for ‘very careful’ easing of lockdown; New Zealand says ‘worst is over’. This blog has closed – follow our new blog below

Gowns and visors among items not deemed necessary by expert committee in 2009, BBC finds

Damaging ideas within the Conservative party have weakened our ability to defeat the virusThe coronavirus pandemic struck the United Kingdom when its National Health Service was on its knees suffering from staff shortages and the longest waiting times ever recorded. A decade of austerity had taken a terrible toll. Yet public satisfaction in the NHS went up. This surprising gap between the NHS failures and the public’s belief in the health system seems to have been driven by the support from across the political spectrum for more funding. This probably, say researchers, started to impact on public perceptions, most notably on their optimism for the future.It would be a mistake to think the spread of Covid-19 can be checked by hope alone. The last 10 years have undermined the ability of the government to respond effectively and efficiently. As the UN rapporteur on extreme poverty told the Guardian, the “most damaging aspects of ‘austerity’ cannot and will not be undone” and represent “the fatal weakening of the community’s capacity to cope”. Continue reading...

Clinical findings of the antimalarial drug have been inconsistent, with one study showing a higher mortality rate when it was administered alone

Readers respond to psychotherapist Gary Greenberg’s article in which he questions whether there is a place for therapy in a pandemicAs a therapist, I was drawn to the Guardian long read (Therapy Under Lockdown: ‘I’m just as terrified as my patients are’, 23 April) but it didn’t resonate with me.What’s interesting to me is that we are not all necessarily “hapless victims” with “nothing to do but cower in our homes”. Many of us value slowing down, blue skies, clean air, and newly discovered neighbours. Continue reading...

Makeup of group to be made public after political advisers revealed to be in attendance

New technique could help shed light on plants’ workings – and lead to unusual home decorEmitting an eerie green glow, they look like foliage from a retro computer game, but in fact they are light-emitting plants produced in a laboratory.Researchers say the glowing greenery could not only add an unusual dimension to home decor but also open up a fresh way for scientists to explore the inner workings of plants. Continue reading...

The reaction to the 1976 swine flu outbreak in the US is a prime example of the dangers of scientific groupthink

Scientists find genetic factors explain 50% of differences between people’s symptoms

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported near you

Exclusive: only one species is responsible for coronavirus – humans – say world’s leading wildlife experts

Research on writers appearing at the Edinburgh international book festival reveals 63% listen to their creations, and 61% feel they have their own agency

No new patients in city at centre of pandemic but fears over new infections persist

Royal College of Physicians says NHS staff’s lives are still at risk despite ministers’ pledges

Ahead of move to level-3 lockdown, PM says country must remain vigilant

A summary of the biggest developments in the global coronavirus outbreak

Exclusive: Therapeutic Goods Administration investigates Neran de Silva firm Promedical over claims it has approval for rapid test kit

WHO clarifies ‘immunity passport’ advice; global deaths pass 200,000; Russia case tally passes 80,000; Sweden’s deputy prime-minster admits problems with strategy. This blog is now closed.

So far this year there has been a close encounter between Venus and the moon every month, but Venus will now dim as it moves towards the sunThe waxing crescent moon passes Venus again this week. It’s been a regular monthly occurrence this year, but it’s so pleasing to the eye that it wins hands down for the one thing to make sure you look out for this week. This month, the conjunction takes place near the time of Venus’s great illumination. From here on in, Venus will become dimmer as it moves inexorably towards the sun to pass between it and our planet on 3 June. The new moon will be closest to Venus on the evenings of 25 and 26 April. It will be a thin crescent on both nights. The chart shows the view looking west from London at 21:00 BST on 27 April. On this night, around 20% of the moon’s surface will be illuminated. This is the evening that Venus will be close to its maximum brightness for this current apparition. Viewers in the southern hemisphere should look for the conjunction in the north-western sky after sunset. Continue reading...

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Ministers considering ordering millions of tests although concerns remain over accuracy

Experiment aims to understand how iron-age brochs developed and what they signifiedStone upon stone, the towering embodiment of their builders’ wealth, status or hunger for defence, Scotland’s iron-age brochs have fascinated and confounded archaeologists for centuries.The precise constitution of these architecturally complex roundhouses, and why they remain unique to Scotland, is the subject of ongoing research, but there is broad agreement that a broch is a drystone tower built between around 2,500 and 1,800 years ago, in the mid-iron age, often with cells and stairs built within the walls. Continue reading...