Science | The Guardian

Ministers also investigating sexual harassment claim at country's isolated Sanae IV research stationPsychologists are in constant" contact with a South African science team isolated for months at a base in Antarctica after physical assault and sexual harassment allegations were made, a government minister has said.The environment minister, Dion George, whose department manages the country's Antarctic programme, confirmed to the Guardian that psychologists and other experts were in direct and constant" communication with the nine-member research team. Continue reading...

Scientists hope project will shed light on how cats' health and behaviour are influenced by their geneticsCat owners are being asked share their pet's quirky traits and even post researchers their fur in an effort to shed light on how cats' health and behaviour are influenced by their genetics.The scientists behind the project, Darwin's Cats, are hoping to enrol 100,000 felines, from pedigrees to moggies, with the DNA of 5,000 cats expected to be sequenced in the next year. Continue reading...

Data from European Space Agency's mission has allowed researchers to create detailed catalogue of 380,000 galaxiesAstronomers are predicting an avalanche of discoveries" after the first major release of observations from a European space telescope built to study the mysterious dark matter and dark energy that comprise the bulk of the universe.The European Space Agency's Euclid mission has captured images of 26m galaxies, covering 10bn years of cosmic history. They give researchers unprecedented insight into the forces that shape the cosmos and the galaxies it holds. Continue reading...

Thousands sign petition to save vital' Dartington Estate project that teaches agroforestry methodsEven at this time of year when most of the trees are still bare, there is a feeling of abundance in Martin Crawford's forest garden, close to the banks of the River Dart in Devon.Crawford, who has nurtured this landmark garden for three decades, is clearly in his element, pointing out the edible plants that flourish in the tangly two-acre patch, stooping from time to time to pick a leaf or green shoot and take a nibble. Continue reading...

Translucent greenhouses and petals that close in poor light encourage flying pollinators to stop by for longerIt is tough being a flower in the chill air of springtime when pollinating insects are reluctant to fly, but some flowers turn into solar heaters to warm up visiting insects and increase the chances of pollination.The cup-shaped white flowers of mountain avens raise their temperature by 3C to attract insects and keep them cosy, and that warmth also makes the flower produce sweeter nectar for the insects, encouraging them to visit and stick around basking and feeding in the flower to increase the chances of cross-pollination. The warmth helps accelerate the flower's pollination process, resulting in heaver seeds and improved germination. So it's a win-win situation for plants and insects. Continue reading...

After an unplanned nine-month stay on board the International Space Station, Nasa astronauts return to Earth Continue reading...

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A pod of dolphins were seen swimming near a SpaceX capsule after it splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico carrying US astronauts Butch Wilmore, Suni Williams and Nicholas Hague and Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov. Wilmore and Williams had been stuck aboard the International Space Station for nine months due to an issue with a new Boeing capsule Continue reading...

Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore back safely with American Nicholas Hague and Russian Aleksandr GorbunovTwo Nasa astronauts stuck onboard the International Space Station (ISS) since June 2024 finally arrived back on Earth on Tuesday evening, more than nine months after the failure of Boeing's pioneering Starliner capsule scuppered their originally scheduled week-long mission.A SpaceX Dragon capsule containing four astronauts, including Starliner's test pilots Sunita Williams and Barry Butch" Wilmore, splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of Tallahassee, at 5.57pm ET (9.57pm GMT) after a 17-hour descent. Continue reading...

Scientists eager to examine images to research phenomenon known as lunar horizon glow, first documented in 1972Nasa has released the first high-definition images of a sunset on the moon, two striking photographs taken by the private lander Blue Ghost that could offer scientists further clues to the mysterious phenomenon known as lunar horizon glow.The agency presented the images to a press conference on Tuesday at Houston's Johnson Space Center, marking the conclusion of a 14-day mission conducted in partnership with Texas company Firefly Aerospace. Continue reading...

Proposed talks would again put Musk, a senior adviser to Trump, in outsized and largely unaccountable role in international politicsRussian officials expect to hold talks with Elon Musk soon about space travel to Mars, Vladimir Putin's international cooperation envoy said on Tuesday. The envoy's comments, which Musk has not confirmed, also stated that Russia wanted to expand its cooperation with the US on space projects.I think that there will undoubtedly be a discussion with Musk [about Mars flights] in the near future," Kirill Dmitriev said at a business forum in Moscow, going on to praise Musk's efforts to push the boundaries of human achievement. Continue reading...

Two Nasa astronauts 'stranded' onboard the International Space Station since June 2024 are on their way back to Earth more than nine months after the failure of Boeing's Starliner capsule scuppered their original week-long mission.Sunita Williams and Barry 'Butch' Wilmore are among four astronauts making their return to Earth after four new astronauts arrived at the space station as part of a crew swap. Also onboard the returning capsule are the US astronaut Nick Hague and the Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov

The abrupt halt to US funding threatens to undo decades of advances, dramatically increasing infections and deaths, but some see an opportunity for Africa to lead the responseThis year the world should have been talking about the virtual elimination of HIV" in the near future. Within five years," says Prof Sharon Lewin, a leading researcher in the field. Now that's all very uncertain."Scientific advances had allowed doctors and campaigners to feel optimistic that the end of HIV as a public health threat was just around the corner. Continue reading...

Fired workers warn cuts including closing of two offices will undermine agency work and increase costsThe Trump administration's decision to shutter two offices at Nasa risks dramatically" increasing the costs of space exploration, while handing Elon Musk more influence over the agency, fired workers have warned.Nasa's office of technology, policy and strategy and office of the chief scientist provide independent analysis on key investments and strategies. Both are set to close, amid widespread cuts at the agency. Continue reading...

Before billionaires dreamed of setting up communities on Mars, the ocean was seen as the next frontier in human habitation. Reviving this dream is Deep, a project backed by an anonymous millionaire to the tune of more than 100m that aims to establish a permanent human presence' under the sea from 2027. Guardian Seascape editor Lisa Bachelor visited the project just outside Chepstow on the Welsh border, and tells Madeleine Finlay what scientists hope to learn about the ocean by spending extended periods living underwaterSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

The fossils of several small, slender freshwater fish, embedded in an iron-rich mineral called goethite have been discovered at the McGraths Flat fossil site in central New South Wales. The unusual level of detail, including the shape of the fish and position of its bones and fins, revealed a lot about the species, called Ferruaspis brocksi, described in the Journal of Vertebrate Palaeontology.

Fossils retain microscopic structural features including stomach contents and provide first detailed evidence in Australia for fish called Osmeriformes

Prof Roger Bayston responds to a long read on the difficulties facing drug and device developmentI was interested to read about the lifechanging treatments being discarded because scientists run out of cash (The long read, 11 March). As Alexander Masters says, failure to move new medicines to commercial, and therefore clinical, use results in vast wastage of research resources and loss of valuable treatments because most never leave the lab. This also applies to implantable medical devices, which are in common use today.New devices, particularly those that can significantly reduce complications such as infection, are potentially available, but, as with new drugs, often stay in the lab for want of commercial support to the next stages. Randomised clinical trials (RCTs) are often thought of as the gold standard" next step, but many new drugs and devices fail at this stage. Those that pass the RCT, which as Masters says are not representative because of numerous restrictions on those taking part, can also fail when released into real life" assessment on the general population. But these stages are essential to show safety and effectiveness. Continue reading...

The answers to today's triangular teasersEarlier today I set you these mind-mangling puzzles about non-Euclidean geometry, in which the internal angles of triangles do not add up to 180 degrees.1. Right, Right, Right. Continue reading...

Getting back on the horse' after a traumatic experience requires risk assessment - but there are tools we can use to reframe our thinking and move forwardIt was a beautiful Friday afternoon in April 2010 when Will Salter stood on the shore and appraised a reef break on Victoria's Mornington peninsula. He can tell you the exact time, too: 5pm.As he paddled for 10 minutes towards three other surfers, he could smell remnants from a whale carcass that had washed up months earlier. Seagulls circled.Sign up for a weekly email featuring our best reads Continue reading...

The physical impact alone has been seismic, but has the pandemic also altered how we see ourselves and the world?In the strange, scary days of early 2020, with the world suddenly upended by the outbreak of a terrifying new virus, there were times when it seemed certain every aspect of society would be hugely altered by the experience.Five years on, the physical impact of Covid has been profound. More than 220,000 people have died in the UK, out of 7 million worldwide. Many more have been left with a devastating post-viral illness. Continue reading...

A trio of triangle teasersThe ancient Greek geometer Euclid presented a list of five axioms he held to be self-evidently true. They are (or are equivalent to):You can draw a line between any two points.You can extend lines indefinitely.You can draw a circle at any point with any radius.All right angles are equal.All triangles have internal angles that add up to 180 degrees. Continue reading...

Five years after the first lockdown, millions of lives are still being ruined by this debilitating disease. You wouldn't know itImagine a disease that can render its sufferers bedbound for years. One that could take a marathon runner and leave them unable to walk to the toilet. Imagine that at least 2 million people in England and Scotland alone were affected to some degree, each with a mix of debilitating symptoms, from breathlessness to brain fog to multi-organ damage.Then imagine that there were no proven treatments for this life-changing illness, let alone a cure. In fact, patients are often told it's all in their heads. Now imagine that more people are falling ill every day with the virus that causes this devastating disability - and that successive governments have abandoned almost every strategy to try to get to grips with it.Frances Ryan is a Guardian columnistIn the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org Continue reading...

Once you spot Sirius, the rest of Canis Major can be traced using fainter stars in the constellationThis week we will use the brightest star in the night sky to find a less than obvious constellation.Canis Major, the Great Dog, was included in Ptolemy's 2nd-century list of 48 constellations in his great work Almagest. This became the standard reference work for astronomy for a millennium, providing the basis on which the northern and equatorial skies are still divided into constellations. Continue reading...

Journey of Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams on a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft will be broadcast liveA pair of US astronauts stuck for more than nine months on the International Space Station will be returned to Earth on Tuesday evening, Nasa has said.Barry Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams are to be transported home with another American astronaut and a Russian cosmonaut aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon craft, which arrived at the ISS early on Sunday. Continue reading...

A SpaceX capsule delivered four astronauts to the International Space Station (ISS) early on Sunday in a Nasa crew-swap mission that will allow a pair of stuck astronauts, Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, to return home after nine months on the orbiting lab. An otherwise routine crew rotation flight, the Crew-10 mission is a long-awaited first step to bring Wilmore and Williams back to Earth. The pair are scheduled to depart the ISS on Wednesday as early as 8am, along with the American Nick Hague and the Russian cosmonaut Aleksandr Gorbunov

The relationship between employees and organisations isn't just about pay and benefits - it's about being valued and respected for our contributions

The arrival of four astronauts will allow Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams to return to Earth after nine months on the International Space StationThere were emotional scenes of smiling astronauts hugging and embracing in zero gravity on the International Space Station on Sunday after a replacement crew docked with the orbital outpost - a step towards the return home of two astronauts who have been stranded for more than nine months.A SpaceX capsule delivered four astronauts to the ISS in a Nasa crew-swap mission that will allow the pair of stuck astronauts, Barry Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams, to return home after nine months on the orbiting lab. Continue reading...

Some cells are still alive within the dung, and could be used to boost genetic diversity in certain speciesTurning animal poo into offspring sounds like a zoo keeper's conjuring trick, but it might become a reality if researchers succeed in a new project to help save endangered animals from extinction.From snow leopards to sea turtles, animals the world over are under threat, with some scientists calling the massive loss of wildlife in recent decades a biological annihilation". Continue reading...

Launched by Nasa and SpaceX, the Falcon 9 is picking up Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore, whose eight days on board the International Space Station became nine monthsA long-awaited mission to return stranded US astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station has been launched by Nasa and SpaceX.The pair were due to spend eight days on the ISS in June, but technical problems with the experimental spacecraft that took them there have left them stuck on the orbital laboratory for nine months. Continue reading...

Michael Faraday's illustrated notes that show how radical scientist began his theories at London's Royal Institution to go onlineHe was a self-educated genius whose groundbreaking discoveries in the fields of physics and chemistry electrified the world of science and laid the foundations for Albert Einstein's theory of relativity nearly a century later.Now, the little-known notebooks of the Victorian scientist Michael Faraday have been unearthed from the archive of the Royal Institution and are to be digitised and made permanently accessible online for the first time. Continue reading...

Ancient Mesopotamian stone tablets show extraordinary detail and reach of government in cradle of world civilisationsThe red tape of government bureaucracy spans more than 4,000 years, according to new finds from the cradle of the world's civilisations, Mesopotamia.Hundreds of administrative tablets - the earliest physical evidence of the first empire in recorded history - have been discovered by archaeologists from the British Museum and Iraq. These texts detail the minutiae of government and reveal a complex bureaucracy - the red tape of an ancient civilisation. Continue reading...

Cambridge scientist behind VR platform says it could help those put off by high cost of speech anxiety treatmentA free online platform that allows speakers to practise in front of thousands of virtual spectators has been released to help with the anxiety many feel when presenting to an audience.Dr Chris Macdonald, the founder of the Immersive Technology Lab at Cambridge University and who created the online platform, said the approach was an attempt to reduce the lengthy waits or high costs people often face when seeking help. Continue reading...

Falcon 9 rocket takes off on journey to replace duo who have been at International Space Station since JuneThe replacements for two Nasa astronauts who have been stuck at the International Space Station for nine months launched on Friday evening, paving the way for the pair's long-awaited return.SpaceX's Falcon 9 rocket lifted off at 7.03pm ET (11.03pm GMT) in Florida carrying the four astronauts who will take over from Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams, who have been stuck on the orbital lab since June. Continue reading...

Though many would rather forget the pandemic, we are living with its consequences. Are we any better prepared for the next one?When asked what was the biggest disaster of the twentieth century, almost nobody answers the Spanish flu," notes Laura Spinney in her book Pale Rider, of an event that killed as many as one in 20 of the global population. There is no cenotaph, no monument in London, Moscow or Washington DC."Most of us will better understand that absence after Covid-19, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization five years ago this week. Some cannot put those events behind them: most obviously, many of those bereaved by the 7 million deaths worldwide (not including those indirectly caused by the pandemic), and the significant numbers still living with long Covid. Others want to forget the loss of loved ones, the months of isolation and the costs to businesses, families and mental health.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading...

Tiny lightning streaks in fine spray can power chemical reactions that generate molecules for life, scientists sayCharles Darwin thought it started in a warm pond. Others point to comets that ploughed into Earth. And some suspect a bolt from the blue, a lightning strike into the ocean.How life started on Earth may forever be a mystery, but new research proposes a radical idea: that crashing waves and waterfalls may have kicked off the process by throwing up mists of water. Continue reading...

The promise of adventure, attention, muscle and safety is driving consumers towards large vehicles - even as they fuel congestion and outstrip the size of car parks

Exclusive: It is imperative humans expand their understanding of space, argues Dame Maggie Aderin-PocockLife must exist beyond Earth, a leading space scientist says, adding it is yet another example of human pride to suppose otherwise.The British space scientist Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, who will be giving the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures this year, said that while science had made giant leaps in the understanding of space, including the sheer size of the universe, there was still much to learn - not least whether humans were alone.The Christmas Lectures from the Royal Institution supported by CGI will be broadcast on the BBC and iPlayer in late December Continue reading...

As Barry Wilmore and Suni Williams prepare to come home after their unexpected nine-month ISS stay, here is what they may experienceGravity may seem like a drag, but spending long periods of time without its grounding force can wreak havoc on your body. On Friday, Nasa and SpaceX will launch the space agency's Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station to retrieve astronauts Barry Butch" Wilmore and Suni Williams, after what was meant to be an eight-day stay turned into nine months.While it is not the most time a human has spent as an extraterrestrial - Oleg Kononenko and Nikolai Chub hold the record, with 374 days - most long space missions are a maximum of six months. Continue reading...

The Loess plateau was the most eroded place on Earth until China took action and reversed decades of damage from grazing and farmingIt was one of China's most ambitious environmental endeavours ever.The Loess plateau, an area spanning more than 245,000 sq miles (640,000 sq km) across three provinces and parts of four others, supports about 100 million people. By the end of the 20th century, however, this land, once fertile and productive, was considered the most eroded place on Earth, according to a documentary by the ecologist John D Liu. Continue reading...

Pair could be back on Earth next week after SpaceX Dragon capsule scheduled for launch this FridayAfter an unplanned nine-month stay at the International Space Station, the US astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams's space odyssey looks finally to be coming to an end.Though a Nasa-SpaceX mission was postponed on Wednesday, the American space agency now hopes the launch will take place on Friday, meaning the pair could be back on Earth next week. Continue reading...

Joint analysis of measles cases reveals Covid pandemic resulted in misinformation and vaccination delaysCases of measles doubled last year in the European region, climbing to the highest level in nearly three decades, after the Covid-19 pandemic caused delays in routine vaccination and rampant misinformation, the World Health Organization and Unicef have said.A joint analysis published on Thursday said 127,350 cases of measles, resulting in at least 38 deaths, were reported last year across the region, which includes 53 countries in Europe and Central Asia. In the vast majority of cases, those infected were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status. Continue reading...

Maria Branyas Morera, US-born supercentenarian who died in Spain last August, found to have microbiota of an infantThe US-born woman who was the world's oldest living person before she died in Spain last August at age 117 once attributed her longevity to luck and good genetics". And, evidently, Maria Branyas Morera was right.A study of Branyas's microbiome and DNA that scientists began conducting before her death reportedly determined that the genes she inherited allowed her cells to essentially feel and behave as if they were 17 years younger than they actually were. And Branyas's microbiota - which primarily refers to the bacteria in people's guts that has a role in keeping them healthy - mirrored that of an infant, according to the research led by University of Barcelona genetics professor Manel Esteller, a leading expert on ageing. Continue reading...

Hera spacecraft takes photos of red planet's second moon, Deimos, while en route to asteroids 110m miles awayA European spacecraft has taken photos of Mars's smaller and more mysterious second moon during its flight past the planet en route to a pair of asteroids more than 110m miles (177m km) away.The Hera probe activated a suite of instruments to capture images of the red planet and Deimos, a small and lumpy 8-mile-wide moon, which orbits Mars along with the 14-mile-wide Phobos. Continue reading...

Put up pictures of lemurs, penguins and wolves, and introduce tomorrow's environmentalists to the amazing nature in our worldHas it ever struck you as interesting the amount of dinosaur products that are marketed to boys and unicorn products to girls?I recently visited the wonderful Horniman Museum in south London, only to discover that it had been taken over by something called Dinosaur rEvolution. Hertfordshire zoo offers a World of Dinosaurs, there is the roarsome" theatre show Dinosaur World: Live, a dinosaur-themed park in Norfolk called ROARR!, Dinosaur World in Torquay, Dinosaur Park near Swansea, Dino Park in Dumfries - the list is as long as the neck of a brontosaurus. Continue reading...

Many of us believe that cognitive decline is an inevitable part of ageing, but a new study looking at how our skills change with age challenges that idea. Ian Sample talks to Ludger Womann, a professor of economics at the University of Munich and one of the study's authors, to find out how the team delved into the data to come to their conclusions, and what they discovered about how we can all maintain our faculties for as long as possibleSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Polish research also finds increased risk of both sexes being overweight if marriedMarriage triples the risk of obesity for men, but does not affect women, according to research.Global obesity rates have more than doubled since 1990, with more than 2.5 billion adults and children classed as being overweight or obese. Worldwide, more than half of adults and a third of children are predicted to be overweight or obese by 2050. Continue reading...

I think of AI as alternative intelligence - and its capacity to be other' is just what the human race needs

Dr Aodhan Breathnach says the general overreach of the state during the pandemic led to mistrust, Desmond Hewitt considers evidence and irrationality, and Richard Bunning is concerned by the poison on social mediaThe very title of Laura Spinney's piece is a sad reflection of how pandemic control preferences quickly aligned along traditional political lines, to everybody's detriment (Five years on from the pandemic, the right's fake Covid narrative has been turbocharged into the mainstream, 9 March). If the right has been guilty of undermining science and scientists, I also observed through the pandemic how the left displayed a disturbing enthusiasm to restrict liberty, using fear and guilt to encourage compliance with control measures, and many arguing to prolong the restrictions beyond thepoint where they were doingany good.I have experience of how the Covid control measures in the NHS, while well-intentioned, were only dismantled at a snail's pace after the greatest danger had passed, prolonging the disruptive effect of the pandemic on the nation's health. Continue reading...

Remains are of an adult member of an extinct species who lived up to 1.4m years ago, researchers sayBone fragments unearthed at an ancient cave in Spain belong to the oldest known human face in western Europe, researchers say.The fossilised remains make up the left cheek and upper jaw of an adult member of an extinct human species who lived and died on the Iberian peninsula between 1.1m and 1.4m years ago. Continue reading...