Full moon to be around 40,000km closer to Earth than usual, but it won’t actually be pinkOn Wednesday night Australians will be able to see the biggest and brightest moon of the year.It has been called the “pink supermoon”, but Monash University astronomer Michael Brown says it won’t be pink, and in fact, it might not be that super but, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t look. Continue reading...

It’s likely Covid-19 originated in bats, scientists say. But did it then jump to pangolins?In the public mind, the origin story of coronavirus seems well fixed: in late 2019 someone at the now world-famous Huanan seafood market in Wuhan was infected with a virus from an animal.The rest is part of an awful history still in the making, with Covid-19 spreading from that first cluster in the capital of China’s Hubei province to a pandemic that has killed about 80,000 people so far. Continue reading...

Acting compassionately isn’t just about kindness, but about wanting to halt suffering. Right now, we must be wise – and set a template for the future

Sarah Boseley speaks to Prof Trudie Lang about the outbreak on the continent and explores how a history of responding to Ebola and other public health emergencies could help Continue reading...

President Joko Widodo had resisted lockdown measures, but an increase in burials has sparked concerns about undetected cases

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Analysis depends on data – so predictions for Italy and Spain, where peak has passed, are more reliable than for UK

Research indicates virus has disproportionate impact on non-white critically ill patients

Cancer Research UK and Macmillan to lose hundreds of millions in funding amid crisis

From muscle wastage to PTSD, patients discharged from critical care face tough convalescence

US scientists say findings add to case for wearing masks in public to control outbreak

Data likely to raise concerns as figure approaches deadliest days so far in Italy and Spain

The early evidence leaves little doubt that Covid-19 poses a greater risk to men – but are the reasons biological or cultural?

Beyond this private and very understandable distress lies a grave new political reality

Organisation says no evidence that wearing a mask outdoors prevents Covid-19 infection

I have studied the psychological effects of pandemics – and even a few weeks of isolation can cause lasting anxiety

Blood transfusion studies by teams in China report striking improvements

New legislation now limits the basic freedoms once enshrined in English law – but police cannot interpret it as they wish

It is ‘the best investment your business can make’, says medical research charity

US president called Modi and threatened ‘retaliation’ if country kept full export ban

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

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

UCL say small benefits should be weighed against profound economic and social costs

Respiratory physician John Wilson explains the range of Covid-19 impacts, from no symptoms to severe illness featuring pneumonia

Milestone comes as nation struggles with ongoing outbreaks, including in Wuhan where dozens of residences have been locked down again

Treatment and transplants for some postponed as hospitals are turned over to treat virus

David Clark called himself an ‘idiot’ for driving his family 20km to the beach on the first weekend of the national stay-at-home measures

US president doesn’t name companies or treatments, but says they have arrived in London already

New toll comes as UK prime minister, who has coronavirus, has been moved into hospital intensive care

Boris Johnson likely to receive mechanical ventilation as he’s admitted to intensive care

We would be better placed to respond to the coronavirus outbreak had the Public Health Laboratory Service been maintained, writes Valerie Bevan, while Dr Colin Coles highlights the differences between the NHS and German healthcare

The solutions to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you three Double Choco puzzles. You can see a printable page of them here, or read my tutorial of how to solve them here.The solutions to these puzzles are here. Continue reading...

Despots like Hungary’s Viktor Orbán are banning speech to ‘fight’ Covid-19. But more democratic countries are too

System of sensors and cameras would turn loo into ‘daily clinic’ and detect problems earlyA smart toilet boasting pressure sensors, artificial intelligence and a camera has been unveiled by researchers who say it could provide a valuable way to keep tabs on our health.The model is the latest version of an idea that has been around for several years: a system that examines our daily movements in an effort to spot the emergence of diseases. Such an approach, experts say, has an advantage over wearable devices, since individuals do not need to remember to use the system. Continue reading...

Germany believes public life can gradually resume, while Spain and Italy see glimmers of hope

No 10 no longer describes coronavirus symptoms as mild and does not deny he had oxygen

From how to tell if you have Covid-19 to how to protect others - our experts answer the questions that really matter

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Annie Dillard’s 1975 book taught me, a non-believer, that religion can access deeper truths

I saw the damage Aids did to the gay community, and I live with it myself. Now, at 80, I worry I won’t survive coronavirus• Coronavirus latest updates

Human trials will begin imminently – but even if they go well and a cure is found, there are many barriers before global immunisation is feasible

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

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

A delicious new puzzle from JapanDouble Choco is a new grid logic puzzle from Japan. Below are three examples, including a toughie which appeared in the 2020 UK puzzle championship last month. Pencil-and-paper puzzles like Double Choco are very absorbing; hopefully they provide a stimulating and escapist activity during these days of quarantine. Continue reading...

With so much misinformation about Covid-19 circulating online, we’ve factchecked some of the more common fallacies

Scientists in more than 40 labs around the world are working round the clock to develop a Covid-19 vaccine. Despite early success in sequencing the virus’s genome, however, Samanth Subramanian tells Rachel Humphreys we are still some months away from knowing if one can be put into mass production

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Fine Gael leader was a junior doctor in Dublin and qualified as a GP in 2010Leo Varadkar is to work one day a week as a doctor to help combat the coronavirus pandemic after reactivating his medical credentials.Ireland’s taoiseach has offered his services to the Health Service Executive (HSE) in areas that are within his competence, a spokesperson for his office said on Sunday. Continue reading...

On Wednesday we can see the brightest of this spring’s three full moon supermoons.This Wednesday’s full moon is the second of six supermoons that take place this year. A supermoon is defined as a full moon or a new moon that occurs when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. This makes a full moon appear about 7% larger and 15% brighter than average. As it moves around its orbit, the moon’s distance varies from around 356,400 to 406,700km.This spring there will be three full moon supermoons, and they will be bookended this autumn by three new moon supermoons. The first full moon supermoon took place on 9 March. This week’s will begin around sunset on 8 April, when the full moon will rise in the east. At this time, the moon will be approximately 357,000km away from Earth and will present the largest full moon supermoon of the year. The third and last full moon supermoon will take place on 7 May. The three new moon supermoons this autumn will take place on 17 September, 16 October, and 15 November. Continue reading...

Concern continues over whether government’s virus pledges stand up to scrutiny