Company says it will cut about 200 employees as value plummets in aftermath of huge data breachThe genetic testing firm 23andMe said on Monday it would cut about 40%, or 200 employees, from its workforce and discontinue further development of all its therapies as part of a restructuring program.We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships," said the company's CEO, Anne Wojcicki. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with sound design by Joel on (#6S523)
At a moment when the world feels like a particularly unsettling place, Science Weekly is asking what it is that makes humans happy - and how can we bring more happiness into our lives?In episode one, Ian Sample asks what makes a country happy? Johannes Eichstaedt, assistant professor of psychology and human-centred AI at Stanford University, explains why the Nordic countries often rank highly in the annual World Happiness Report, and what we can learn if we look beyond themClips: Good Morning America, France 24Listen to part 2: the happiness hacks backed up by science Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6S51R)
Experts say once-a-day varenicline tablet reduces nicotine cravings and side-effects from cutting out tobaccoHundreds of thousands of smokers will be given a pill that increases people's chances of quitting, in a move that NHS bosses believe will save thousands of lives.About 85,000 people a year in England will be offered the chance to use varenicline, a once-a-day tablet that experts say is as effective as vapes at helping people to kick the habit. Continue reading...
Working long hours can lead to people having issues moderating behaviour due to ego depletion', research showsIf a hard day in the office leaves you crabby and uncooperative, you may have an excuse: scientists say exercising self-restraint can exhaust parts of the brain related to decision-making and impulse control, leaving you less able to manage your behaviour towards others.The researchers say their results tie into the theory of ego depletion" - a controversial idea in psychology that willpower is a limited resource that gets used up by effort. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6S4R6)
Condition appears to affect episodic memory but researchers did not assess how it caused deficitsChildren who have asthma can experience memory problems, according to research in the USthat is the first to link the two conditions.The research also found that the earlier a child developed asthma, the greater the damage to their memory. The findings highlight the need to view asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulty in children, the study's lead author said. Continue reading...
The answer to today's Inca-nundrumEarlier today I set you a puzzle about a khipu', the Incan method of recording numbers with knots on string that features in Paddington in Peru. Here it is again with the answer.Incans used khipus to record dates, taxes and measurements, among other things. Knowledge of how khipus represented numbers was lost after the Spanish conquest, until a high school maths teacher in Brooklyn worked it out in 1912. Today's puzzle asked you you to repeat his decipherment. Continue reading...
Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys finds lighting disrupts ability of predators to see silhouettes against sunlight aboveUsing LED lighting on the underside of surfboards or kayaks could deter great white shark attacks, new research suggests.In an Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys, underside lighting disrupted the ability of great whites to see silhouettes against the sunlight above, reducing the rates at which the sharks followed and attacked the artificial prey. The brighter the lights, the more effective the deterrent was. Continue reading...
Patrick Ruane had targeted individuals online including chief medical officerA Covid denier who suggested whacking" Prof Sir Chris Whitty with a rounders bat has been jailed for five years after being convicted of encouraging terrorism.Messages posted by Patrick Ruane on social media were described by a judge who sentenced him at the Old Bailey as extremely dangerous" during a volatile time. Continue reading...
Deciphering an ancient number systemUPDATE: Read the solution hereIn the film Paddington in Peru, which opened this weekend, the plot revolves around a string bracelet that is said to contain mystical secrets.The bracelet is supposed to be a khipu', which was the Incan way of recording numbers. Knots were made on string, and these pieces of string were attached together in a big bundle. The Incans used khipus to record dates, taxes and measurements, among other things. Continue reading...
A fresh and feminist study of the pioneering Nobel laureate reveals her impact on the women she mentored and set on the path to prominenceMarie Curie carried out some of her most pathbreaking work under an actual glass ceiling and the toxic particles that swirled beneath it eventually killed her. What Dava Sobel wants to convey to us in this unabashedly feminist account of the great woman's life is that the metaphorical glass ceiling was just as toxic to the society over which it was clamped.Each occasion the two-time Nobel laureate had a new advance to announce to the world, she had to beg a male colleague to present it to France's scientific academy, which barred women from its ranks. This iron-clad rule outlived Curie, hobbling her daughter Irene - another Nobel laureate - in her turn, and by the time a woman was finally granted full membership, in 1979, not only were both Marie and Irene more famous than most of the men who had blocked them, but that first female member gave her affiliation as the Pierre and Marie Curie University", Paris. Continue reading...
Producing something living, fresh and green' for astronauts to eat on the moon and Mars among ultimate aims but first test is whether plants can survive
If it is clear, head outside and your patience will be rewarded - with the peak expected on 17 NovemberThe Leonids have a reputation for being a reliable meteor shower with fast, bright meteors that can number up to 15 an hour. The dust grains that we see burning up to form the Leonids have come from the tail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which can strike our planet's atmosphere with speeds of up to 70km per second (43.5 miles per second), and leave bright, lingering trails.Roughly every 33 years, the Leonids produce exceptional outbursts called meteor storms, giving observers the chance to witness thousands or more meteors an hour. Such storms were reported in 1833, 1866, 1966, and 1999. Unfortunately, the next storm is not expected until 2032. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6S48F)
Resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries and peanuts, has been found to slow tumour growth in miceRed wine was once heralded as a boon for health that could protect the heart and even extend life expectancy. But while scientists have debunked this claim, they believe that at least one red wine ingredient - a compound called resveratrol - may hold genuine health benefits.A trial launched this week will assess whether a low dose of the chemical, also found in red grapes, blueberries and peanuts, could help keep bowel cancer at bay. The study, one of the largest to date testing drugs for cancer prevention, will recruit patients who are at risk of the disease. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science Correspondent on (#6S3ZJ)
Research into psychology of people in US and UK suggests it is better to submit work on time rather than perfecting it through procrastinationIs there a job you're putting off finishing so you can read this story? Well, if new research into procrastination is anything to go by, you'd better get back to it.Scientists studying the psychology of people who leave things to the last minute have found that work that is submitted late tends to be judged more harshly than when a deadline is met. Continue reading...
Long favoured by bodybuilders and other athletes, this supplement is breaking out into the mainstream, as study after study suggests a host of benefits for our minds as well as our bodies. Are there any caveats?Until relatively recently, if you were mixing a scoop of powdered creatine into a glass of water each day, it probably meant you were a bodybuilder or training for an athletic event. Although creatine is a compound that occurs naturally in the body, its role in producing quick bursts of energy meant that, if you took extra, it was assumed to be in order to (legally) enhance your performance - to help you squat a fractionally heavier weight or run a bit faster.But evidence has been mounting that creatine may play an important role in cognitive function and improving brain health - and could be more beneficial to women than it is to gym bros. So, should we all take it - or at least try to get more of it from food? Continue reading...
I have particularly unpleasant memories of my teens and 20s. And I'm not the only one ...If you're 34, watch out: Tom Hanks says 35 is the worst age. Why ask Hanks - delightful as he seems - as opposed to, say, the highly qualified global community of happiness psychologists and social scientists? Because he's got a film out, duh - Here, which required him to be rejuvenated to various ages, including his dread mid-30s. Your metabolism stops, gravity starts tearing you down, your bones start wearing off [and] you stand differently," Hanks told Entertainment Tonight. You no longer are able to spring up off a couch."This is such a movie star answer. Hanks' gripe is physical decline and yes, when your face, body and spring-off-a-couch-ability are how your worth is gauged, feeling that you're physically degenerating must open up an existential abyss. For civilians, he's wrong though: it's 47.2. That's when the US National Bureau of Economic Research concluded human unhappiness peaks. That finding in 2020 reinforced previous research on the U-shaped happiness curve": we start happy, wellbeing bottoms out at about 50, then we perk up again. The U-curve has been challenged, but seems robust; a 2021 review found remarkably strong and consistent evidence across countries" of U-shaped happiness trajectories.Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Questions raised about potential for undue influence after appointment of Ruth Dempsey, formerly of Philip MorrisA former director at the tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) was handed a role on an influential expert committee advising the UK government on cancer risks, the Observer can reveal.Ruth Dempsey, the ex-director of scientific and regulatory affairs, spent 28 years at PMI before being appointed to the UK Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (CoC). Continue reading...
Bestselling author Paula Hawkins set her new book on a fictional tidal island. Here she examines the power and appeal of islandsThere is something about an island that stirs the imagination. Or, in any case, it seems to stir mine.A few years ago, on a trip to the Cote de Granit Rose in Brittany, I walked along seaweed-strewn sands towards one of the many tidal islands dotted along that coastline. As I approached I noticed that on the nearest island, there was a tiny house - a single cottage, all alone - and I felt a familiar prickle running up my spine, the shrinking of the scalp that tells me to pay attention, that there's something here: the beginning of a story. Continue reading...
Process for interpreting hair-strand tests can be misleading and carries a risk of racial bias, according to campaigners in England and WalesChildren are at risk of being wrongly removed from their parents' care by the family courts because drug tests are being misinterpreted, experts have warned.Life-changing decisions about whether a child should be placed in the care of a local authority can sometimes hinge on the outcome of hair-strand tests, designed to show whether a parent has consumed drugs or excessive alcohol. Continue reading...
Nasa still piecing things together' two weeks after return from ISS but crew members cite medical privacyThree Nasa astronauts who were taken to a Florida hospital after returning to Earth from the International Space Station two weeks ago told reporters on Friday that they were all in good health following the medical ordeal - and that the agency was still piecing things together" about what happened.Michael Barrett, pilot of the crew that splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on 25 October after seven months in orbit, gave few further details at a press conference in Houston, citing medical privacy laws that he said prevented him from discussing the episode in detail. Continue reading...
Watching a pumpkin, crayons or a Furby get squashed isn't just fun - it can also serve as an emotional releaseThere are lots of ways to unwind. You can go on a walk, call a friend or read a book. But sometimes it rains, friends are busy or your book is boring. What then?I have a suggestion: watch random, unrelated objects get mercilessly crushed in the mechanical jaws of a hydraulic press. Continue reading...
An elephant at Berlin zoo used its trunk to interrupt flow of water from hose used by another elephantIf you get frustrated by the shower hog in your house you're not alone: research suggests such behaviour might even irritate elephants.Scientists say they have not only discovered an elephant with an astonishing ability to shower with a hose, but spotted another cutting off the flow of water - possibly in a deliberate act of sabotage. Continue reading...
CAR T-cell genetic therapy, typically used in cancer patients, could lead to cure for the disease, says expertDoctors are hailing a groundbreaking" new treatment for lupus that genetically modifies a patient's cells to fight the autoimmune disease and could end the need for lifelong medication.Lupus can range from mild to severe, with symptoms including joint pain, skin problems, fatigue and inflammation of major organs. Patients often have to take drugs their whole lives, ranging from ibuprofen to steroid tablets and injections, or other immunosuppressant or biological medicines. Continue reading...
Portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing was created by Ai-Da, one of the most advanced robots in the worldA portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing has become the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching US$1.08m (566,000, A$1.63m) in New York on Thursday.The 2.2 metre (7.5 feet) portrait, titled A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing, was created by Ai-Da, the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist. It smashed pre-sale expectations between $120,000 and $180,000 when it went under the hammer at Sotheby's, which confirmed that 27 bids were placed on the work. Continue reading...
Moderate exercise such as brisk walking may almost halve new mothers' risk of major depression, analysis suggestsDoing more than an hour of moderate intensity exercise each week may reduce the severity of baby blues" and almost halve the risk of new mothers developing major clinical depression, the largest analysis of evidence suggests.However, researchers behind the study acknowledged that finding the time amid so many new responsibilities and challenges would not be easy, and recovery from childbirth should be prioritised. Continue reading...
Scientists studying DNA find one person in scene of cowering family was a man and not a mother'It is a tragic moment, frozen in time: a family of four shelters beneath a staircase as ash and pumice rains down on Pompeii. But scientists studying DNA of the victims say this famous scene is not what it seems: the mother" of the group is actually a man.When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, the Roman town of Pompeii was destroyed, and its remaining inhabitants were buried beneath a thick blanket of ash and pumice. These victims were later immortalised by archaeologists who used plaster to fill the voids left by their bodies. Continue reading...
Pollution is affecting the climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, ocean acidification and human health, according to analysisPlastic pollution is changing the processes of the entire Earth system, exacerbating climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and the use of freshwater and land, according to scientific analysis.Plastic must not be treated as a waste problem alone, the authors said, but as a product that poses harm to ecosystems and human health. Continue reading...
Original purpose of King Arthur's Hall is a mystery and archaeologists say it is unique in EuropeAn enigmatic stone and turf structure on Bodmin Moor that was previously thought to be a medieval animal pen has been found to be 4,000 years older - and unique in Europe.The rectangular monument was built not in the early medieval period to corral livestock, as recorded by Historic England, but rather in the middle Neolithic, between 5,000 and 5,500 years ago, archaeologists have discovered. Continue reading...
Physicist whose silicon devices helped to unlock the secrets of the earliest fractions of a second of our universeThe physicist Ian Shipsey, who has died suddenly aged 65, developed silicon devices of exquisite precision to study the debris from subatomic particle collisions and light from the edge of the universe. Using these devices, he played a major role in unlocking the secrets of the earliest fractions of a second of our universe.Silicon devices also played a vital part in his everyday life. Rendered profoundly deaf after treatment for leukaemia in 1989, he received a cochlear implant 12 years later that allowed him to develop strategies to overcome this disability, to the extent that it often went unnoticed to interlocutors. Continue reading...
Researchers say choosing to climb stairs or cycle to the shops is enough to have a positive effectDoing just five extra minutes of exercise a day could help lower blood pressure, a study suggests.High blood pressure affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is one of the biggest causes of premature death. It can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems, and is often described as a silent killer due to its lack of symptoms. Continue reading...
My husband, Niall Logan, who has died aged 70 of pulmonary fibrosis, was an expert on bacillus, a genus of rod-shaped bacteria with more than 250 named species that has many uses, including as an industrial enzyme, in food production, the making of detergents and in DNA research.One of his main contributions to the field was to help with the scientific classification (taxonomy) of bacillus, work that helped with the development of testing systems that can identify the various species. Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Ian Sample, pro on (#6S17V)
Madeleine Finlay talks to science editor and podcast co-host Ian Sample about how Donald Trump approached science when in office last time, and what his second term is likely to mean for the environment, health and scientific researchClips: Fox News, CSPAN, MSNBCTrump's queasy prescription to make America healthy again' takes shape Continue reading...
Tumours could be reduced by targeting genetic material driving their growth with a new drug in early-stage trialsScientists have raised hopes of treating some of the most aggressive cases of cancer by targeting small fragments of rogue DNA that help tumours thrive and become resistant to chemotherapy.The breakthrough emerged from a US-UK study that found many hard-to-treat cancers contained loops of malignant genetic material that were crucial for the tumours to survive and withstand treatment. Continue reading...
Overblown concerns about potential dangers of a common chemical threaten to undermine scientific evidence to the contraryBecause of his job as a dermatologist, Dr Deshan Sebaratnam frequently gets asked questions by friends, family and strangers about skin treatments. But lately, he says, he has been confronted by a lot of myths around sunscreens", especially on his social media feed.Among the most frequent is that sunscreen can actually cause skin cancer", says Sebaratnam, a conjoint associate professor at the University of New South Wales. Continue reading...
Scientists think there may be benefits for older people who step back. I prefer to have thank you and goodbye' parties with my dearest friendsSome researchers at a Royal Society symposium, with nothing better to do, have come up with a theory that animals become less sociable as they age. They found that creatures from house sparrows to rhesus macaques have smaller social circles as they get older and that an antisocial old age might just be an advantage - in humans as well as animals. Not in my biased opinion. It sounds very dull. Anyway I question their findings: I actually think a decline in sociability is a general societal trend, rather than having anything to do with ageing.In my 10th decade I lead a ridiculously busy social life. In my younger days, I would sit on a film set, alone and bored, for up to 10 hours a day, waiting to say a few lines. At other times I had to refrain from speaking to anyone by day because I was saving my voice for the musical I was performing six nights a week. Nowadays, I am instead, as my father would have said, rushing around like a blue-arsed fly". Like many of my generation, my life is crammed full of campaigns and causes. I am obsessed with prison reform. Last week, I was talking to several hundred people in Lavenham, Suffolk, trying to persuade them that as well as enjoying their old age, they should be engaged in saving the planet. Next week, I will be at Dulwich College in London, talking about the importance of funding for palliative care at St Christopher's Hospice, of which I am an active vice-president. I cannot deny that when I see a clear day in my diary, I heave a sigh of relief. Until about midday. Then I get irritated at having to listen to, and not argue with, the protagonists on Radio 4, so I phone a friend to rant about the frustrating BBC impartiality rules. We oldies like to talk to one another, and we want to quickly change the world before we leave it.Sheila Hancock is an actor and a writerComments on this piece are premoderated to ensure discussion remains on topics raised by the writer. Please be aware there may be a short delay in comments appearing on the site. Continue reading...
Research suggests time when physical activity taken is crucial, opening way to targeted prevention strategiesBeing more active in the morning and evening may reduce the risk of bowel cancer by 11%, according to a study that suggests the timing of peak activity could play a crucial role" in warding off the disease.Researchers said that highlighting specific times when physical activity was most beneficial" could pave the way for targeted cancer prevention strategies. The findings were published in the journal BMC Medicine. Continue reading...
LignoSat, developed in Japan and launched from Florida, expected to reduce space junk as it burns up on re-entryThe world's first wooden satellite has been launched into space as part of study on using timber to help reduce the creation of space junk.Scientists at Kyoto University expect the wooden material to burn up when the device re-enters the atmosphere - potentially providing a way to avoid generating metal particles when a retired satellite returns to Earth. Continue reading...
Scientists use new technology to sequence the DNA of microscopic ocean creatures for the first timeOff the west coast of Greenland, a 17-metre (56ft) aluminium sailing boat creeps through a narrow, rocky fjord in the Arctic twilight. The research team onboard, still bleary-eyed from the rough nine-day passage across the Labrador Sea, lower nets to collect plankton. This is the first time anyone has sequenced the DNA of the tiny marine creatures that live here.Watching the nets with palpable excitement is Prof Leonid Moroz, a neuroscientist at the University of Florida's Whitney marine lab. This is what the world looked like when life began," he tells his friend, Peter Molnar, the expedition leader with whom he co-founded the Ocean Genome Atlas Project (Ogap). Continue reading...
Burnlaw, Northumberland: Sleepless at 4am and studying our sole satellite, I'm struck by the remarkable journey light takes to make it into our viewI have a habit, if I wake some nights,to get up and go downstairs to read. Last night was noteworthy because I could see the moon as a mere horn repeatedly swallowed then reborn from the passing clouds. Through binoculars, however, I could make out the other portion of the whole lunar sphere as a sort of ill-lit inference.It was Leonardo da Vinci who first suggested that this shadow part of the crescent moon is visible because of sunlight rebounding off the Earth and then re-transmitted on our one satellite. It was wonderful to imagine that the energy received here, even as I stood gazing, was re-presented out there a little over a second later. That is because light travels at a speed per second roughly similar to our distance from the moon (therespective figures are about 300,000 km/sec and an average 384,400 km). Continue reading...
by Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay, additi on (#6RZTC)
Space-settling enthusiasts have long had an eye on Mars, and now they have the backing of the world's richest man. Elon Musk recently claimed that humans could be on the planet by 2030 and be living there in a self-sustaining city within 20 years. But is it really that simple? Madeleine Finlay heads to Imperial College London where Prof Sanjeev Gupta gives her a tour of the red planet, and meets Kelly Weinersmith who, along with her husband, Zach, recently won the Royal Society Trivedi science book prize for their book A City on Mars. She explains why life on Mars may not be the idyll some would have us believeClip: 60 Minutes AustraliaMars wind recordings: NASA/JPLCaltech/LANL/CNES/CNRS/ISAE-Supaero Continue reading...
It is gen Z's recreational drug of choice in the UK and US - and with rising use come big problems, including incontinence, bladder damage, renal failure, depression and extreme painThe first time Nick (not his real name) tried ketamine, he felt as if he'd entered another dimension. Though he smoked marijuana regularly and had experimented with other drugs, Nick had never even heard of ketamine. But when his friend pulled out a bag of white powder, I did what anybody else would do at 20 years old. I tried it," he says. And I found it really fun, to be honest." The floaty feeling, like he'd been lifted out of his own body, was euphoric", he says. Like you're in a fairy world."Sixteen years later, reality is biting hard. Nick, now 36, has spent the past three months in recovery for ketamine addiction after more than a decade of heavy use. His bladder is a fifth of the size it should be, he says. It's more than likely" that it will have to be removed and replaced with a urostomy bag. Continue reading...
Just how excited should we be about LaKe, the substance discovered by researchers at Denmark's Aarhus University?Can a pill really mimic all the beneficial effects of exercise? You'd think so from some of the stories about substances that could make going to the gym unnecessary". There was another rash of these a few weeks ago, when researchers from Aarhus University in Denmark announced that a drug called LaKe brings the body into a metabolic state corresponding to running 10km at high speed on an empty stomach". But what's going on here? Even if a pill can replicate parts of what exercise does for us, how useful is that, really?First things first: the most commonly accepted term for drugs like LaKe is mimetics", because what they do, as a rule, is mimic the biological effects of working out without the need to actually break a sweat. The idea has been around for a while: in 2008, San Diego's Salk Institute introduced the world to a drug called GW501516 (516 for short), which signals key genes to burn fat instead of sugar, helping rodent test subjects run for longer without hitting the proverbial wall. Continue reading...
Everything is easier with modern technology - except fulfilling your true potentialThe convenience of modern life is nothing short of astounding. As I write this, my phone is wirelessly sending some of the greatest hits from the 1700s (Bach, if you must know) to my portable speaker. I could use that same device to,within moments, get a car to pick me up, have fooddelivered to my house, or start chatting with someone on a dating app. To human beings from even the recent past this technology would be, to quote Arthur C Clarke's third law, indistinguishable from magic.The fact that, as a culture, we seek out and celebrate such short cuts is understandable. They take much of the tedium out of life, make it easier to have fun, and save us time and energy. That said, most people are able to intuit that convenience has a darker side. Continue reading...
The easiest way to find the constellation is to look for the large square body, marked by four starsWe will start the month with a look at one of the night sky's mythical creatures: Pegasus, the winged horse. According to Greek myth, Pegasus was ridden by the hero Perseus in his quest to save the beautiful Andromeda from the dreaded sea monster Cetus.The constellation is one of 48 listed by Ptolemy in the second century. The easiest way to spot Pegasus is to look for the large square body, marked by the stars Scheat, Markab, Algenib and Alpheratz. From the northern hemisphere, the horse is depicted as being upside down, with the neck represented by the star Homam and the snout by Enif. Continue reading...
Race is a fluid social, historical and political construct with no biological or genetic basis, say Bill Newman and Demetra GeorgiouWe were alarmed to read the findings of your investigation into an international network of race science" activists seeking to influence public debate with discredited ideas on race and eugenics (Revealed: International race science' network secretly funded by US tech boss, 16 October).As organisations representing leading researchers and clinicians working in human genetics, we can state unequivocally that race is a fluid social, historical and political construct with no biological or genetic basis. There is convincing evidence that there is more genetic variation within self-identified racial groups than there is between them. It is also widely recognised that the eugenics movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries was not based on scientific evidence, as set out recently by the Royal College of Physicians in a statement on the history of the UK's eugenics movement. Continue reading...
It turns out long-held resentments exist even in the animal kingdom. Does that mean they hold an evolutionary advantage?The best thing that happened to me during the whole of the pandemic was a story on the internet. An Oregon resident, furloughed, saw on a daytime nature documentary that, if you fed crows, they would bring you small gifts. Curious, they tried it, and were delighted to find themselves in effective possession of a 15-strong crow family - but then things took a dark turn. The crows became an army, fiercely protective of their leader's property. If neighbours came near, the crows would dive-bomb them. To be clear," the person wrote on Reddit, they're not aggressive 100% of the time. If just the neighbours are out [on their own porch], they are friendly, normal crows. They only get aggressive when someone gets close to me or my property."It's such a lovely phrase, friendly, normal crows"; it's just a pity that it's an oxymoron. Crows are the most prodigious grudge-holders - something that John Marzluff, a professor of wildlife at the University of Washington, Seattle, discovered by capturing seven of the birds while wearing an ogre mask in 2006. A full 17 years later, crows were still regularly attacking him. Even if you were to query the ethics of his original experiment, you'd have to admit that he paid a high price. How such a thing is possible when the lifespan of a crow is only 12 years is this: not only can they hold a grudge, they can also pass it on to one another. Originally, even birds that witnessed the ogre-trap attacked Marzluff, then over time they transmitted the hostility to their offspring, creating a multigenerational grudge.Zoe Williams is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...
Since the age of six Greta Solomon knew she was a writer, but gained a richer sense of self when she discovered her ancestors were gifted storytellers tooThere's a photo somewhere - taken to preserve history - of me swabbing my inner cheek with a cotton stick, ready for DNA testing to find my roots. Two years earlier, in 2008, my mother had died by suicide, aged 60. The coroner had said she was extraordinarily healthy for a woman her age, which only exposed the gulf between her physical and mental states. It was this sudden, shocking loss that propelled me to find a deeper meaning in my life.My mother had left Jamaica aged 10 to join her father and stepmother in England. Similarly, my father left the tiny Caribbean island of Nevis as a teenager, to study maths and engineering. They met, married and settled in a suburb of London, where I was born and raised. Continue reading...
Company that helped build Nasa's Saturn V rockets said to be keen to focus on fixing problems in core aircraft businessFor six decades, Boeing has been among the marquee names in human spaceflight.The company helped build Nasa's mighty Saturn V rockets that put man on the moon; it was a key contractor during the space shuttle era and international space station operations; and its engines are powering the agency's next leap for the stars, the peerless Space Launch System. Continue reading...
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