Death toll climbs to 1,115 but lowest number of new cases in Hubei since January prompts hope that containment strategy is workingChina’s Hubei province has reported its lowest number of new coronavirus cases since January, giving officials hope that measures to contain the outbreak may be working.Health authorities in Hubei, the province at the epicentre of the outbreak, reported 1,638 new coronavirus cases on Tuesday, down from a peak of more than 3,000 new cases on 4 February and the lowest number of new infections since 31 January. National infection rates were also down. Continue reading...
Passengers concerned the ship could run out of food after it was turned away by Japan, Taiwan, the US territory of Guam, the Philippines and ThailandMore than 2,000 passengers and crew have been left stranded aboard a cruise ship and low on supplies after Thailand became the fifth country to deny it permission to dock over fears about the coronavirus.The MS Westerdam, carrying 2,257 passengers and crew, is moored in the Gulf of Thailand with nowhere to dock after being refused entry by Japan, Taiwan, the Philippines, the US Pacific territory of Guam and now by Thailand on Wednesday, even though no cases of the virus have been found onboard. Continue reading...
Sam Rowley’s Station Squabble, featuring a pair of mice fighting over a scrap of food at a London tube station, has been crowned winner of the wildlife photographer of the year: Lumix people’s choice award. The image, among 25 shortlisted for the competition, will be displayed in an exhibition at the Natural History Museum until 31 May Continue reading...
Scientists say animals can become more or less bold and adventurous as they grow upHumans are not alone in enduring the rollercoaster ride of puberty as powerful hormones flood the body and cause mood swings from one day to the next. Scientists have found that dairy cows pass through a similar phase of emotional confusion that disturbs their otherwise rather stable personalities.The findings emerged from extensive observations of Holstein dairy cattle as they matured from calves to adulthood. “Our study identified a period of inconsistency in personality traits over puberty,†said Nina Von Keyserlingk, a professor of animal welfare at the University of British Columbia in Canada. Continue reading...
by Haroon Siddique, Kevin Rawlinson and agency on (#4Z6PJ)
A&E staffer is among eight UK cases, along with doctor and Brighton businessmanA healthcare worker at Worthing hospital is among the eight confirmed cases of coronavirus in the UK.Staff at the West Sussex hospital received a memo on Tuesday telling them a member of staff working in the A&E department had been diagnosed with the disease. Continue reading...
It is hoped delicate procedure to divert 0.3mm vessels could benefit more patientsDoctors have used a robot to perform extremely delicate surgical operations on breast cancer patients in the first human trial of the technology.Eight women had the robot-assisted procedure at Maastricht University Medical Center, in the Netherlands, to alleviate a common complication of breast cancer surgery. Continue reading...
Public consultation follows concerns 10-year limit affects women disproportionatelyThe limit on how long frozen eggs, sperm and embryos can be stored may be extended amid concerns that women are being disproportionately affected, the government has announced.The maximum storage period is 10 years, after which families must decide whether to undergo fertility treatment or have their eggs, sperm and embryos destroyed. The Department of Health and Social Care is launching a public consultation into whether this should be changed. Continue reading...
by Amy Walker, Aamna Mohdin , Frances Perraudin, Alis on (#4Z4JT)
Death toll inside China’s Hubei province jumps to 974, after UK government declared virus an ‘imminent threat to public health’. This blog is closed.
Species is thought to be the oldest member of the T rex family yet discovered in northern North AmericaScientists in Canada have announced the discovery of a new species of dinosaur closely related to Tyrannosaurus rex that strode the plain of North America about 80m years ago.Related: Dinosaurs had feathers ruffled by parasites, study finds Continue reading...
When psychologists warn that global heating could cause trauma to become normalised, world leaders should take notice“It makes sense†is the first thing to say about the phenomenon being described by psychologists as climate anxiety. Wherever in the world you live, there are very good reasons to feel anxious about the rate of global heating and the lack of adequate action to tackle it by governments, businesses and organisations of all sorts.The predicted consequences are frightening: hotter weather in already inhospitable places, sea-level rises caused by melting ice sheets, and increased disruption of weather systems leading to floods, fires, hurricanes, food and water shortages – with the linked biodiversity crisis another cause for grave concern. Depending on the steps that are taken (or not) over the next decade, a period during which the UN estimates that carbon emissions need to be cut by 7.6% annually if we are to avoid temperature rises above 1.5C, the disruption caused to human societies could be immense. For countries such as Bangladesh, the effects are likely to be devastating. Continue reading...
Project aims to locate Nuestra Señora del Juncal and train underwater archaeologistsAlmost 400 years after storms sent one of Spain’s greatest treasure galleons to the bottom of the sea off Mexico, archaeologists from the two countries are to renew their search for the ship and its precious cargo of gold, silver and jewels.Even before the tempests hit, the omens for the Nuestra Señora del Juncal’s return voyage in October 1631 were decidedly ill. A day before the fleet of which it was a part set sail from Mexico, its commander died. The ships pressed on even though the Juncal was in a poor state of repair and taking on water. Continue reading...
The answers to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you the four puzzles below, taken from the MIT Technology Review’s Puzzle Corner.1. What is the numerically largest Roman numeral that is a normal English word? Continue reading...
Onset of glandular breast tissue development has shifted by three months per decadeGirls are beginning puberty almost a year earlier than women 40 years ago, according to research.Scientists have found the onset of development of glandular breast tissue has crept forwards by about three months per decade since the late 1970s. Continue reading...
Bronze age specialists split on why so many objects would have been broken and buriedOne of the largest and most mysterious bronze age hoards ever found in the UK contains objects that have astonished archaeologists, including items more commonly found in France and the Alps.The Museum of London on Monday revealed new finds among the Havering hoard, a remarkable collection of 453 swords, axes, knives, chisels, sickles, razors, ingots and bracelets excavated from a quarry in east London over a period of three months and revealed last year. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#4Z4Y2)
As scientists race to trace out paths the virus might take we ask the crucial questionsIn just a month, the coronavirus outbreak has snowballed from a handful of cases to more than 40,000, reaching four continents and prompting an all-out battle to stop the spread across China and beyond. As those in Wuhan face shortages of hospital beds and supplies that have been likened to “wartime conditionsâ€, experts and scientists are attempting to trace out the possible paths that the virus might take. Continue reading...
Teasers from MIT’s puzzle guyToday’s problems come from what might be the longest-running puzzle column in the history of the printed word.In 1966, MIT student Allan Gottlieb published his first Puzzle Corner in the MIT Technology Review. Continue reading...
Without urgent action, rising sea levels by end of century could leave cities under waterA series of detailed maps have laid bare the scale of possible forest fires, floods, droughts and deluges that Europe could face by the end of the century without urgent action to adapt to and confront global heating.An average one-metre rise in sea levels by the end of the century – without any flood prevention action – would mean 90% of the surface of Hull would be under water, according to the European Environment Agency. Continue reading...
Chen Quishi’s disappearance comes amid widespread anger in China over the death of whistleblower doctor Li WenliangA citizen journalist who had been reporting from the centre of the coronavirus outbreak has gone missing, prompting claims that the Chinese authorities are silencing another whistleblower.Chen Qiushi, a human rights advocate, has been missing since Thursday – the same day Li Wenliang, a 34-year-old ophthalmologist who was punished by authorities for trying to warn colleagues and friends about a new Sars-like virus, was first reported to have died from the coronavirus. Continue reading...
To find these distant objects you need to get well away from the city lights and give your eyes time to adjustThis week’s challenge is for northern hemisphere observers to see a pair of faint star clusters. The Double Cluster is a pair of side-by-side star clusters, both of which are about 13 million years old and located at a distance of 7,650 light years. Although they will appear together as little more than an elongated smudge, there is a unique satisfaction in seeing these “deep sky objectsâ€. It’s like you’ve uncovered a secret in the sky. Continue reading...
by Michael Safi, Sam Jones in Madrid and Kim Willsher on (#4Z3PP)
End of extended lunar new year break seen as crucial test of containment strategyChina has recorded its deadliest day so far in the coronavirus outbreak, as authorities braced for millions of people to return to work on Monday after the lunar new year break in a new test of the nation’s containment strategy.At least 813 people are reported to have died from the disease, most of them in mainland China, according to official data released on Sunday which showed that the previous day’s toll was the highest yet at nearly 90. Continue reading...
How do you flourish through the darkest months of the year? Take a lesson from a sleepy dormouse…I sometimes think that winter doesn’t truly start until February. Once the final sunny moments of autumn have gone, I’m bounced along by preparations for the festive season. Even after the final New Year corks have popped, my own reforming zeal gets me through. I may not be tempted by dry Januaries, diets and punishing exercise regimes, but I’m always a sucker for a fresh start, for plans drawn up on new stationery and commitments made to improve myself.But by early February, I’m sagging. Tired, hungry and sick of the dark, my motivation has run out, my bank account is empty and the world feels soggy underfoot. I start to skip my yoga class and social invitations feel like an imposition. The urge to pull the duvet over my head becomes very strong indeed. Continue reading...
Love drugs could soon be a reality and used alongside therapy to help heal broken relationships, claims a new bookFor some time, it has been widespread medical practice to treat a range of psychological conditions, including depression and anxiety, with what might be called mind-altering drugs, namely selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), which, as the name suggests, affect levels of serotonin in the brain. But there’s one mental category that isn’t considered appropriate for any kind of biomedical intervention. It’s arguably the most talked about of all human states, the cause of much of our finest art, literature and music, and it is celebrated or, depending on your view, commercially exploited once again on Friday: love.It may be a many splendoured thing, but love is a condition for which there is famously no cure. All you need is love, as the song said, but money can’t buy you it. It’s viewed as an emotional ideal and yet the source of untold pain and suffering. Ask any 10 people what love is and you’re sure to get 10 different answers. Unsurprisingly, given that it is the stuff of romance, we tend to romanticise it. Millions of words have been spilled in trying to describe the feeling, but not many have been devoted to the biochemical processes that lie behind it. Continue reading...
Group will be held in quarantine on an airbase in the mid-western state of GoiásBrazilian nationals evacuated from Wuhan, the city at the centre of the coronavirus crisis, will land shortly in national territory and will be taken to an airforce base where they will be quarantined for 18 days.The rescue comes after a video plea made to the far-right president Jair Bolsonaro last week. One of those in the video, Adrielly Eger, 18, a model, told the Band news network she was “very gratefulâ€. Continue reading...
The theoretical physicist on distinguishing between fact and opinion, why he’d travel forward in time instead of back, and the value of religionBrian Greene, 56, is director of Columbia University’s centre for theoretical physics. His work on string theory has focused on the forms that extra dimensions may take. His latest book is Until the End of Time: Mind, Matter and Our Search for Meaning in an Evolving Universe.What got you into physics?
The Palladium paid a ripe price for bringing down the curtain on her showMadonna’s Madame X era is the gift that keeps on giving. On Wednesday night, her residency at the London Palladium descended into the kind of chaos that turned it into one of those gigs you can only have dreamed of being at, like Bob Dylan at the Newport Folk Festival or the Sex Pistols at Manchester’s Lesser Free Trade Hall.Madonna ran over the theatre’s curfew by a few minutes, so the venue turned on the lights and closed the curtain. She then uploaded a video of it to Instagram, with a caption that began: “Artists are here to disturb the peace†and ended with: “Power to the people!†You can hear her protesting: “Fuck you motherfuckers! Censorship, censorship, motherfuckers censorship.†If that doesn’t open her next album, I’ll eat my eyepatch. Continue reading...
People who are being held in facilities in dozens of countries explain what daily life is like and their hopes for returning home soon. China's Hubei province, where the coronavirus originated from, is under lockdown to limit contagion. The death toll has risen to 724, with 86 more people dying in mainland China, according to officials. This is the highest one-day jump so far
Country could have contained spread of disease if only it had learned lessons from Sars outbreakThe death of the whistleblower Chinese doctor Li Wenliang has aroused strong emotions across China. Social media is awash with posts mourning the death of a martyr who tried to raise alarm over the coronavirus but was taken into a police station instead for “spreading false rumours†and “disrupting social orderâ€.Grief quickly turned into angry demands for free speech. The trending topic “we want freedom of speechâ€, which attracted millions of views, and links to Do You Hear the People Sing, a song popularised in recent Hong Kong protests, were quickly censored by police. Continue reading...
Residents say they are trapped in their own homes as the country grapples with the expanding outbreakConstruction workers are putting together the final touches on the Changying coronavirus isolation ward in Beijing, drilling holes in a brick wall for a heavy gate and setting up CCTV cameras trained on each of the units – small rectangular rooms with a bathroom and a window. It took a week to build the facility for at least 40 people, workers said.It is a hive of activity compared with the neighbourhood that surrounds it, known for its Hui Muslim restaurants and halal butchers. Next to the ward the Changying mosque has been shut, as has a local community centre. A few shoppers are stocking up on meat but many shops are closed. Continue reading...
Australia’s economy is unusually dependent on China, and a coronavirus-driven slowdown could mean billions in lost revenueAustralia could be one of the countries worst affected by the economic impact of the coronavirus outbreak as factories in China remain shuttered and millions of people are confined to their homes and banned from travelling.The Reserve Bank of Australia on Friday stuck to its forecast of strong growth this year thanks to a rising housing market, and the stock market – along with others around the world – has largely shrugged off concerns about the global impact of the virus to remain close to all-time highs. Continue reading...
Fight against coronavirus being hampered by stockpiling of equipment, says body’s chiefThe fight against the coronavirus epidemic is being hampered by serious global shortages of face masks and protective suits, according to the World Health Organization’s director general, who said there was “widespread inappropriate use†by those not on the frontline caring for patients.Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus called on countries not to stockpile the protective suits that are badly needed in Chinese hospitals and praised companies who had taken the decision to supply surgical masks only to medical professionals. Continue reading...
Endangered species could be missing link between bats and humans, researchers believeChinese researchers investigating the animal origin of the coronavirus outbreak in China have said that the endangered pangolin may be the “missing link†between bats and humans.Bats are known carriers of the latest strain of the disease, which has infected at least 31,000 people and killed more than 630 worldwide, mostly in China where the outbreak started. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#4Z1GV)
Scientists hope the telescope will capture the imagination like ‘science fiction’The sun’s uncharted north and south poles are set to be revealed for the first time by an ambitious mission that will fly above our home star and beam back images.The Solar Orbiter spacecraft, a joint Nasa and European Space Agency (ESA) mission, is set to be launched from Cape Canaveral just after 4am UK time on Monday morning, and will reach its vantage point above the planetary plane by the end of 2021. Continue reading...
Cut off during winter, a former Soviet weapons research facility high up on Mount Aragats, Armenia is now part of a network of sites around the world studying the mysterious particlesThe cosmic ray research station on Mount Aragats sits at an altitude of 3,200 metres. The site in Armenia was constructed in 1943 to conduct top-secret research into atomic reactions for the development of nuclear weapons. Now the facility provides insight into thunderstorms and cosmic rays. The only way visitors can reach the base in winter is via a nine-mile (15km) climb through snow. Continue reading...
Investigation links boom in flat-faced canines to rise in clinics, some of which advertise banned proceduresThe boom in popularity of flat-faced dogs such as pugs and French bulldogs may be fuelling a rise in canine fertility clinics, some of which advertise banned procedures, an investigation has found.Dogs with squashed faces, known as brachycephalic dogs, are often unable to breed or give birth naturally due to their extreme anatomy: the animals’ small hips can make mating difficult, meaning breeders turn to artificial insemination, while they also mean caesarean sections are often necessary since the puppies have disproportionately large heads. Continue reading...
Group of Eight universities dismiss reports they will quarantine students from China on regional campusesAustralia’s eight most prominent universities have dismissed media reports that they are planing to quarantine international students on regional campuses as a result of the federal government’s travel ban.Since 1 February foreign nationals have been barred from entering Australia within 14 days of leaving China, as a result of the novel coronavirus outbreak. Continue reading...
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