Science | The Guardian

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

News comes after UK declared outbreak was ‘serious threat’ to health

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 conditions”, 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 objects”. It’s like you’ve uncovered a secret in the sky. Continue reading...

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...

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

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 grateful”. 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 order”.Grief quickly turned into angry demands for free speech. The trending topic “we want freedom of speech”, 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...

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

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...

Those waiting to board sent home from airport as China withholds ‘official clearance’ to land

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...

Total infections pass 30,000 as Wuhan whistleblower doctor dies and Singapore reports three new cases

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...

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...

World’s fourth most populous country says it has no confirmed cases despite close links to China

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...

Around 3.5bn years ago the first forms of life emerged: bacteria and archaea. These so-called prokaryotes had the Earth to themselves for a very, very long time. Then, for some mysterious reason, another new microbial kingdom formed. Eukaryotic cells came into being and complex life began. But how and why did this happen? Hannah Devlin dives into the 12-year scientific odyssey that gives us an important piece of the puzzle Continue reading...

Travellers returning to UK from countries including Japan, South Korea and Thailand are urged to ‘self-isolate’ if they feel ill. This blog is closed.

Spitzer became first telescope to directly capture light from planets in orbit around other starsNasa has ended science operations on its Spitzer infrared space telescope and placed the instrument into safe mode.The mission officially ended at 2230 GMT on 30 January 2020. Spitzer was one of Nasa’s four “great observatories”, alongside the Hubble space telescope, the Chandra X-ray observatory and the Compton gamma ray observatory. Continue reading...

Patient diagnosed in Brighton and taken to London is third confirmed case in the UK

Early reports of death of Li Wenliang were retracted, only for doctor to succumb to disease later in day

Koch lands in Kazakhstan after 328 days in space, the longest continuous spaceflight by a female astronautShe would miss the friendship of her crewmates, she said, and of course the spectacular views.But after 328 days on the International Space Station – the longest continuous spaceflight ever undertaken by a female astronaut – Christina Koch could not deny last week that she was looking forward to experiencing some very simple pleasures back on Earth, including “the feeling of wind on my face”. Continue reading...

More than 140 Russians evacuated from Wuhan over coronavirus outbreak are confined to sanatorium

Small glass ‘crown’ thought to be rare archaeological link to first Norse raidersIt is not large – the shape and size of a chocolate sweet – and might easily have been discarded as a pebble by a less careful hand.But a tiny piece of worked glass unearthed during an excavation on Lindisfarne has been revealed to be a rare archaeological treasure linking the Northumbrian island with the Vikings, from the very beginning of one of the most turbulent periods in English history. Continue reading...

Chancellor of Australian National University puts experts at government disposal to provide ‘evidence-based’ solutionsAustralia “needs action on several fronts” following a catastrophic bushfire season, including leading international efforts against climate change and cutting emissions beyond the electricity sector, Julie Bishop has said.Bishop, the incoming chancellor of the Australian National University, made the comments to Guardian Australia, offering to put the university’s disaster management experts and more than 300 climate scientists at the federal government’s disposal to provide “evidence-based” responses to the bushfires. Continue reading...

Esa is launching a solar mission that could help forecast potentially catastrophic eventsOn the morning of 1 September 1859, the English astronomer Richard Carrington noticed something strange on the surface of the sun: two patches of intensely white light erupting from a cluster of dark sunspots. Five minutes later, they vanished.Later that night, bright aurora lit the Earth’s sky as far south as Havana and Honolulu. Around the world, telegraph communications failed, some of them bursting into flames. Continue reading...

Failure to report mild symptoms combined with highly contagious nature of disease raises fears existing figures are ‘tip of the iceberg’

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?

A 30-hour-old baby is the youngest person to be diagnosed with the virus but experts warn against jumping to conclusionsNews that a 30-hour-old newborn baby had become the youngest person to have been diagnosed with coronavirus has prompted speculation that the potentially lethal illness could potentially be passed from a mother to a fetus.But medical experts have warned against drawing conclusions so early in investigation of the virus, which has infected 24,500 people mostly in China. Continue reading...

Seeds found in Judean desert are male and female, leading to hopes of producing datesA handful of date seeds from fruit that ripened around the time of Jesus have been successfully planted and grown in southern Israel, researchers have revealed.The seeds, dubbed Adam, Jonah, Uriel, Boaz, Judith and Hannah, were among many others discovered at archaeological sites in the Judean desert. Continue reading...

It’s wrong to say all regions of the Asian country are equally at risk, says body’s director general

Calls for social interventions to be used along with opioids, which often have little effectPeople with chronic pain should be prescribed social interventions, such as mental health support instead of just opioid painkillers, experts have said.About 28 million adults in the UK live with pain that has lasted three months or more, according to recent research. But tackling such pain is challenging, with few effective treatments on offer. Continue reading...

British residents in quarantine anxious over news that Belgian woman on same flight has tested positive

The FCO has updated advice on travel to China in light of the Coronavirus outbreak. Here’s what you need to know – about flights, insurance, cancelling or booking alternativesThe Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has advised against all-but-essential travel to China and is urging UK citizens to leave the country, while several airlines have suspended flights and tour operators are cancelling trips. Here’s what UK travellers on current trips, or booked on future trips, need to know. Continue reading...

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and when should you call the NHS?

The inauguration ceremony of the proton synchrotron at Cern showed how European cooperation could set the bar for scientific discoveryby our own correspondent

To transform the civil service, look to Canada or Portugal for ways to unlock the treasure trove of talentThe floodgates are open: Dominic Cummings is well on his way, apparently, to recruiting “true cognitive diversity” into government. Forget those fusty old civil service interviews, wooden as a GCSE French oral exam. His call – made via a personal blog – for “weirdos” and those with data and quantitative skills has reportedly garnered thousands of applications.This is just the start of his plan to “make rapid progress on long-term problems”. But a few new people in No 10, however maverick, will make little difference. The whole machine needs to change if Cummings is to achieve the vision of a responsive, citizen-centred, 21st-century government. Continue reading...