People in their 60s are living longer today than in previous generations. We asked experts how they can best prepareThe percentage of people 65 or older has rapidly increased over the last 100 years. This group grew about five times faster than the total population between 1920 and 2020.Baby boomers, who started turning 65 in 2011, are primarily behind this growth spurt. The sixtysomethings of today are also living longer than previous generations. Continue reading...
Scottish researchers find childhood pollution a likely factor, but association with mid-life air quality less clearResearchers in Scotland have found patterns in health data that suggest that air pollution breathed by children may affect their chances of getting dementia in later life.The first clue that air pollution may affect brain health was discovered about 20 years ago, when researchers found brain changes in pet dogs in chronically polluted Mexico City. Continue reading...
Data based on recorded deaths raises concerns around under-diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorderMen with a diagnosis of ADHD die seven years sooner, on average, than similar people without, while for women the life expectancy gap is almost nine years, the first study of its kind has revealed.Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder can cause difficulties in concentration and problems with impulsiveness, although people with ADHD do not necessarily experience both. While estimates vary, studies suggest 3-4% of adults worldwide have ADHD. Continue reading...
A decade ago, up to 1,000 of the apex predators lived in one South African bay. Now they have gone, fleeing from killer whales. But the gap they have left creates problems for other speciesThe first carcass of a great white, a small female, washed up in South Africa on 9 February 2017. The 2.6-metre-long body had no hook or net marks, ruling out human involvement. Whatever had killed her had vanished. So too had all the other great white sharks in Gansbaai on the Western Cape, Dr Alison Towner noticed.We had several sharks acoustically tagged, and later realised three had moved as far as Plettenberg Bay and Algoa Bay, more than 500km [300 miles] east," says the Rhodes University marine biologist. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6TRRM)
Ian Sample speaks to Keon West, a professor of social psychology at the University of London, whose new book, The Science of Racism, explores what science can reveal about racism, the inventive methods scientists have used to study it and the scientifically proven ways of tackling racism and discriminationOrder The Science of Racism by Keon West from the Guardian bookshopSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
Significant obstacles lie ahead in the quest for commercially viable nuclear fusion, writes Luca GarzottiI can't help thinking Ed Miliband has not been accurately briefed when he says a government funding pledge means Britain is within grasping distance" of secure, clean, unlimited energy" from nuclear fusion (Ministers pledge record 410m to support UK nuclear fusion energy, 16 January).Before we start talking about nuclear fusion via magnetic confinement as a commercially viable source of energy, five main challenges have to be met by the scientific community, each one of them a potential showstopper. Wehave to demonstrate: Continue reading...
by Kat Lay, Global health correspondent on (#6TQZY)
Potential changes to US policy under Trump could also hamper aid efforts to most vulnerable, says former UK foreign secretaryThe rise of alternative facts" and the end of automatic deference to doctors is creating dangers for global efforts to vaccinate vulnerable children, David Miliband has warned.The former UK foreign secretary, who now runs the International Rescue Committee (IRC), was speaking hours before Donald Trump's inauguration as the 47th president of the US. Continue reading...
Huge areas of rock appear to be remains of submerged plates, despite being far from plate boundariesWhat is going on underneath the Pacific Ocean? Scientists have discovered huge chunks of rock that look like the remains of submerged plates in the deep mantle underneath the western Pacific Ocean. Is there a lost world down there?Researchers used all the different types of earthquake waves to build a high-resolution model of the Earth's interior. The model, published in Nature Scientific Reports, has revealed a number of anomalous regions in the deep mantle, including a huge area under the western Pacific Ocean where seismic waves travel slower than average. Traditionally slow seismic waves have been interpreted as areas of cold tectonic plate material, recycled into the mantle over the past 200m years. However, this location is far from plate boundaries, with no geological evidence of subduction. Continue reading...
by Written by Laura Parker and read by Adetomiwa Edun on (#6TQW8)
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2016: Jeffrey Karp is at the forefront of a new generation of scientists using nature's blueprints to create breakthrough medical technologies. Can bioinspiration help to solve some of humanity's most urgent problems? By Laura Parker. Read by Adetomiwa Edun Continue reading...
Data from dozens of countries reveals height and weight differences between sexes have increased since 1900Amid the profound changes humanity has witnessed, one might be forgiven for failing to notice a rise in sexy and formidable men: those tall, broad-shouldered types that are strangers to self-doubt.But according to a new study, men around the world have gained height and weight twice as fast as women over the past century, driving greater differences between the sexes. Continue reading...
Analysis shows patients need to exercise and keep their weight down to reap maximum benefitMuscular strength and good physical fitness could almost halve the risk of cancer patients dying from their disease, according to a study that suggests tailored exercise plans may increase survival.The likelihood of people dying from their cancer has decreased significantly in recent decades owing to greater awareness of symptoms, and better access to treatment and care. Continue reading...
Using drugs approved for other conditions could dramatically speed up hunt for cure, experts sayAntibiotics, antivirals and vaccines could be used to tackle dementia, according to experts, who say repurposing drugs approved for other conditions could dramatically speed up the hunt for a cure.The number of people living with the disease globally is forecast to almost triple to 153 million by 2050, presenting a major threat to health and social care systems. Continue reading...
Presence, the story of a family haunting where the camera's eye is the spectre's point of view, draws on what are for many people all too palpable phenomenaSteven Soderbergh's new film Presence this week heralds the return of a cinematic technique familiar to many fans of scary movies: the point-of-view shot. Viewing a scene through the eyes of an antagonist - such as the extended opening of John Carpenter's Halloween - can be a chilling way of drawing viewers into the action, making us feel like we are both the watcher and being watched. When combined with sustained shots without an edit, we become eavesdroppers and voyeurs, lingering long past when the scene should have moved on. From Hitchcock's Rear Window to Haneke's Hidden, a camera that holds it gaze can fill us with a creeping sense of dread.Presence uses both tricks, telling us a familiar story (a family with baggage move into a haunted house) in an unfamiliar way. Told from the perspective of a ghostly presence, we witness every scene via the point-of-view shot, sweeping between rooms to hear intimate conversations and hovering over characters as they sleep. As the ghost we watch through upstairs windows, peer round closet doors, and recede into corners while scenes unfold. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6TQ2Z)
A podcast promoting claims that non-verbal autistic children can read minds briefly knocked Joe Rogan off the top of the charts this month, which made the Science Weekly team wonder, how has science attempted to prove or disprove the existence of mind reading? To find out, Ian Sample speaks to Chris French, emeritus professor of psychology at Goldsmiths University. They discuss how scientists have tested this phenomenon, what else could be behind the apparent ability of some people to read minds, and why the idea is still so popularClip: The Telepathy TapesSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
Mayor says he will invite incoming US ambassador to visit the memorial to Sir Ernest Rutherford, the New Zealander who split the atom in a British laboratoryNew Zealanders are not typically ones for splitting hairs, but when it comes to who split the atom, you had better have your facts straight - particularly if you have just been sworn in as the 47th US president.During his inaugural address on Monday, Donald Trump reeled off a list of US achievements, including a claim that its experts split the atom. Continue reading...
Animal welfare | Nuclear fusion | Atomic waste | Managing investments | What's in a name?While I am, of course, concerned about the risks posed to the UK's delicate biosystem by the inadvertent importing of harmful fauna and flora from foreign countries, your article (Colombian tree frog found by Sheffield florist highlights invasive species threat, 17 January) left a vital question unanswered. What happened to the little tree frog?
Two leading contenders for Oscars this year have revealed use of artificial intelligence in the editing suite - will it affect their chances?The use of artificial intelligence could become a ferocious battleground during movie awards season, as at least two major contenders were revealed to have used voice-cloning to enhance actors' performances.In an interview with moving-image tech publication Red Shark News, The Brutalist editor David Jancso said that, in an effort to create Hungarian dialogue so perfect that not even locals will spot any difference", Jancso fed lead actors Adrien Brody and Felicity Jones's voices into AI software, as well as his own. Continue reading...
Psychotic disorders also among conditions found less likely when people with diabetes took medications found in jabsPeople with diabetes taking medications found in weight-loss jabs have a reduced risk of 42 conditions, research has found, paving the way for such drugs being used to treat a host of health problems.The most comprehensive study of its kind showed that psychotic disorders, infections and dementia were among conditions found to be less likely to occur when using GLP-1RAs, which are found in the medications Saxenda, Wegovy and Mounjaro. Continue reading...
The answer to today's queueing condundrumEarlier today I set you the following logic problem, as a retrospective commemoration of World Logic Day. Here it is again with the solution - and a comment about how it relates to the real world.Queue eye Continue reading...
Smell has an outsize effect on our thoughts and moods, so it's worth paying more attention to itIf you have been on holiday recently, do you think you could recall and describe what the place smelled like? You probably don't get asked that question very often. And yet, the characteristic smell of a place seems to contain its special essence. Photos can't truly bring back the feeling of being there, but smell has that power.Our sense of smell develops before we're born, and it is strongly linked to brain centres associated with creating new memories and perceiving emotions andbodily sensations. As a result, smells can merge these together, forming vividly personal memories. Most of us have smells that act as a trigger, transporting us to another time and place; for some it is the ocean breeze in summer, for others it might be urban smells of coffee houses, exhaust fumes or a hot pavement on a sunny day. I remember moving to Chicago after completing my PhD in Sweden 15 years ago. In the taxi from the train station, amid the gloomy midwestern winter, I realised the entire city was doused in the mostincredible chocolate smell. I opened the window and took a deep sniff. That familiar scent, coming from a chocolate factory on the west side of town, immediately made me feel at ease. I believe Proust was right when he wrote that smells contain the vast structure of recollection". Continue reading...
Even average use of nitrogen fertilisers cut flower numbers fivefold and halved pollinating insectsUsing high levels of common fertilisers on grassland halves pollinator numbers and drastically reduces the number of flowers, research from the world's longest-running ecological experiment has found.Increasing the amount of nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus doused on agricultural grassland reduced flower numbers fivefold and halved the number of pollinating insects, according to the paper by the University of Sussex and Rothamsted Research. Continue reading...
A head-scratching hat puzzleUPDATE: Read the solutions hereToday's puzzle retrospectively commemorates UNESCO's World Logic Day, which took place last week. (The date, January 14, is both the day Kurt Godel died and the day Alfred Tarski was born, a calendrical coincidence that links the pre-eminent logicians of the twentieth century.)It is a logic puzzle and, as is typical for the genre, concerns a group of clever people wearing colourful headwear. Continue reading...
The bright beacon of Venus will be a brilliant white, with the distant and fainter Saturn a muted yellowVenus continues to shine like a brilliant beacon in the evening sky. This week it draws close to Saturn, offering an opportunity to see the nearest and further planets that are readily available to the naked eye.The chart shows the view looking south-west from London on 20 January at 18.30 GMT. On this evening, Venus will be approximately 90m km from us, whereas Saturn is out at 1,540m km. Continue reading...
New research into the single-celled organism is providing clues about what the early planet looked like - and raising the prospect that we may not be alone in the universeFor scientists, our earliest ancestor wasn't Adam or Eve but Luca. Luca didn't look anything like us - it was a single-celled bacterium-like organism. A recent study by a team of scientists based in the UK has delivered rather shocking news about this illustrious forebear. Despite having lived almost as far back as seems possible, Luca was surprisingly similar to modern bacteria - and what's more, it apparently lived in a thriving community of other organisms that have left no trace on Earth today.Luca - short for the last universal common ancestor, the progenitor of all known life on Earth - seems to have been born 4.2bn years ago. Back then our planet was no Eden but something of a hell on Earth: a seething mass of volcanoes pummelled by giant meteorites, and having recovered from a cosmic collision that blasted the world apart and created the moon from some of the fragments. There is good reason why the geological aeon before 4bn years ago is called the Hadean, after the Greek god of the underworld Hades. Continue reading...
In the hit TV reality show, as in life, we like to think we are autonomous. In fact, we follow the herdWhat explains the stupendous success of The Traitors? More than 9 million people tuned in to the first episode of this, its third season, and last week it overtook Strictly Come Dancing to become the BBC's most watched reality show. With this sort of trajectory, I'm afraid we must prepare for thousands of imitators to follow in its wake. So what should they be trying to do?Part of the attraction of the show is its host, Claudia Winkleman, who presides over the setting - a luscious castle in Scotland - in the manner of a campy gothic headmistress: talking softly to owls, ruthlessly ordering contestants into coffins and gunge, and all the while managing to navigate the set through the tiny sliver of daylight between low fringe and high roll-necked jumper. Continue reading...
People with post-infectious diseases sometimes struggle to communicate the debilitating impact of their conditions. But a new technique can help them explain visuallyPost-infectious diseases such as long Covid and ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) pose a puzzle to the medical establishment. Patients report debilitating symptoms such as extreme fatigue, shortness of breath or muscle pain, but often show normal results on routine medical checkups. And many sufferers do not look ill, leading some to question the severity of their disease. In the absence of diagnostic tools or an understanding of the pathophysiological processes, many sufferers find it difficult to share their experiences. They lack a verbal language that expresses the true impact of the illness.Now, researchers from Oxford University are using the technique of body mapping" to help patients better communicate the physical, cognitive and emotional dimensions of their illness to family, friends and health professionals. Continue reading...
WHO is critical in protecting US business interests', says CEO of firm that may see lean years if Trump carries out vowThe World Health Organization (WHO) could see lean years ahead if the US withdraws membership under the new Trump administration. Such a withdrawal, promised on the first day of Donald Trump's new administration, would in effect cut the multilateral agency's funding by one-fifth.The severe cut would be uncharted territory for the WHO, potentially curtailing public health works globally, pressuring the organization to attract private funding, and providing an opening for other countries to influence the organization. Other countries are not expected to make up the funding loss. Continue reading...
From a starter' of dishing out compliments to a dessert' of smashing laptops in rage rooms, scientists and authors share 15 portion-sized' ideas for a positivity boostDopamine has a reputation as the body's feelgood" hormone, but it's really more about motivation than about positive affect", says happiness researcher Sonja Lyubomirsky. This is the chemical that nudges you towards things you enjoy, helping you muster the effort required to attend a party you're on the fence about, then showering you with a sense of reward when you actually have a great time. Dopamine works with other neurotransmitters like serotonin to give you a sense of momentum: do one thing to give yourself a mood boost, and the cascading effects of that decision can help you break out of a rut and resuscitate your zest for life. January, with its clean slate, is the ideal time to rev this process up.Enter the concept of the dopamine menu: a fresh sheet of stimulating activities designed to lift your spirits: quick starters" that take relatively little time and effort to pull off; more substantial mains"; and subtle sides" or indulgent desserts". Continue reading...
Starship test sent orange-glowing shards streaking over northern Caribbean and forced airlines to divert flightsThe US Federal Aviation Administration and officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands have launched investigations into SpaceX's explosive Starship rocket test that sent debris streaking over the northern Caribbean and forced airlines to divert dozens of flights.There are no reports of public injury, and the FAA is working with SpaceX and appropriate authorities to confirm reports of public property damage on Turks and Caicos," said the FAA, which oversees private rocket launch activity. Continue reading...
Sound was also recorded in footage of space rock hitting house entranceway, producing cloud of smoke and a crackleA doorbell camera on a Canadian home has captured rare video and sound of a meteorite striking Earth as it crashed into a couple's walkway.When Laura Kelly and her partner returned home after an evening walk, they were surprised to find their walkway littered with dust and strange debris, according to the Meteoritical Society, which posted the video with its report. Continue reading...
Donald Trump and SpaceX owner Elon Musk have ambitious plans in space. Are they shooting for the moon?As Donald Trump prepares to return to the White House next week with Elon Musk at his side, the pair are planning to write the next chapter in US spaceflight history with an ambitious agenda that includes the first human footprints on Mars.How many of their grandiose aspirations get cemented into official US space policy and what gets left on the launchpad remains to be seen. But analysts envision a lively few years from the partnership between Musk, the enthusiastic billionaire founder of SpaceX, and Trump, who exploited US achievements in space during his first term for some jingoistic flag-waving. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6TMRQ)
Exclusive: Scientists at UCL hope one-off dose of powerful hallucinogenic could help drinkers reduce intakeA powerful psychedelic that is used in healing ceremonies by Indigenous groups in the Amazon is being trialled as a pioneering approach to reduce problematic alcohol consumption.Dimethyltryptamine (DMT) is the active ingredient in ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic brew that has been used for thousands of years by shamans in South America. Scientists based at University College London are testing whether a one-off dose of the drug could help hazardous drinkers who want to reduce their alcohol intake.The study is currently recruiting volunteers, who need to be regular drinkers aged 21 to 65 who do not have a formal diagnosis of alcohol disorder. Continue reading...
Thermal bath complex is latest discovery among ruins of Italian city destroyed by Vesuvius eruption in AD79A large and sophisticated thermal bath complex that was believed to have been used by its owner to woo well-heeled guests has been discovered among the ruins of ancient Pompeii.The baths were found during excavations of a home on Via di Nola in Regio IX, a wealthy district of the city before it was destroyed by the AD79 eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Continue reading...
Negative stereotypes linked to some accents raise serious concerns of bias in justice system, warn researchersResearchers have said a study that found people who speak with accents perceived as working class are more likely to be suspected of committing a crime raises serious concerns" about bias in the UK criminal justice system.People with accents from Liverpool, Newcastle, Bradford and London risked being stereotyped, according to research led by the University of Cambridge in collaboration with Nottingham Trent University. Continue reading...
Scientists say frog's journey shows difficulty of spotting insects or fungi spread by global plant tradeA tiny tree frog hitchhiking in a bunch of roses to Sheffield from Colombia has inspired a study into invasive species reaching the UK's shores.Dr Silviu Petrovan, a researcher in the University of Cambridge's zoology department and a senior author of a paper published today in the journal BioScience, had his interest piqued when he was asked to identify a live frog found in roses in a florist's shop in Sheffield. Continue reading...
by Presented by Michael Safi with Andrew Gregory; pro on (#6TMGT)
The Guardian's health editor Andrew Gregory explores the promises and challenges of revolutionary technology in the fight against cancerDecades ago, the treatment options for cancer patients could be summed up in three words: cut, burn, poison.As the Guardian's health editor, Andrew Gregory, explains, it was a shorthand for the limited choices open to oncologists and their patients - surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy - at a time when a cancer diagnosis was often understood to be a death sentence. Continue reading...
SpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad. The spacecraft was supposed to soar across the Gulf of Mexico from Texas on a near loop around the world similar to previous test flights
Rocket's six engines appeared to shut down one after another after nearly nine minutes, while booster returnedSpaceX launched its Starship rocket on its latest test flight on Thursday, but the spacecraft was destroyed following a thrilling booster catch back at the pad.Elon Musk's company said the spacecraft's six engines appeared to shut down one by one, with contact lost just 8min 30sec into the flight. Continue reading...
International research also reveals conscientious or agreeable children are likely to receive preferential treatmentAs Philip Larkin once noted, your mum and dad have a lasting effect on you. Now, researchers have revealed which siblings in a family are more likely to be favoured: it is bad news for sons.Researchers have found daughters, older children and those who are more conscientious or agreeable are likely to receive preferential treatment. Continue reading...
Suni Williams got a change of scenery after a one-week mission stretched to months following capsule problemsOne of Nasa's two stuck astronauts got a much-welcomed change of scenery on Thursday, stepping out on her first spacewalk since arriving at the International Space Station more than seven months ago.Suni Williams, the station's commander, had to tackle some overdue outdoor repair work alongside Nasa's Nick Hague. They emerged as the orbiting lab sailed 260 miles (420km) above Turkmenistan. Continue reading...
If successful, Rocket Factory Augsburg will become first company in Europe to carry out vertical launch into orbitThe UK has granted permission to send the first rocket into space from the Shetland Islands to a German startup that plans to launch a craft as early as this year.Britain's Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) said on Thursday it had awarded the vertical launch licence to Rocket Factory Augsburg (RFA) to take off from SaxaVord spaceport in the archipelago 50 miles (80km) north of Scotland's mainland. Continue reading...
by Lanre Bakare Arts and culture correspondent on (#6TKST)
Potential looting and commercial trips pose risk to artefacts left by lunar landings, says World Monuments FundThe moon has been placed on a list of threatened heritage sites, owing to fears of potential looting and destruction caused by planned commercial trips.The watchlist of the World Monuments Fund (WMF) usually includes vulnerable cultural sites on Earth. This year's selection - the first since 2022 - includes Qhapaq Nan, a pre-Hispanic Andean road system. Antakya in Turkey and the Noto peninsula in Japan, which were damaged by earthquakes, also made the list. Continue reading...
With vaccine sceptic as Trump pick to lead US health policy, parents and advocates anticipate devastating changesA political battle over school-based Covid protocols in early 2021 quickly turned personal for one Colorado family, whose son's cystic fibrosis - a life-threatening genetic disease affecting the lungs and other vital organs - made him susceptible to complications from the virus.Kate Gould said the classroom became a dangerous place for her son after hardline conservatives took over the Douglas county school board and the district removed masking requirements. Continue reading...
Launch of Amazon founder's New Glenn craft on second attempt ramps up rivalry between tech billionairesJeff Bezos's Blue Origin company hailed a new era" in commercial spaceflight on Thursday after its giant New Glenn rocket made a long-awaited successful maiden launch from Florida.The spectacular early morning liftoff from Cape Canaveral space force station was a milestone moment for Bezos's rivalry with fellow billionaire Elon Musk's SpaceX, which has stolen a march in Nasa's reliance on private industry for satellite and crewed launches in lower Earth orbit. Continue reading...
The mutatio, on Ermin Street linking Silchester and Gloucester, would have provided a place for travellers to rest or change horsesAt Gloucester services on the M5, travellers are resting and refuelling, taking a break from the demands of the road.Just a few miles east, scores of archaeologists are completing a two-year project that has unearthed a forerunner of the site, a 2,000-year-old Roman take on the service station. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample with Hannah Devlin, produc on (#6TKKS)
Last year was full of unexpected science news, from a new strain of Mpox emerging in the DRC, to artificial intelligence dominating the Nobel prizes and two astronauts getting stuck' in space. So what will this year bring? Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big stories likely to hit the headlines and share their predictions for 2025Clips: France 24, Super Data Science podcast, R. DigitalSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...
by Jillian Ambrose Energy correspondent on (#6TKH2)
Ed Miliband says funding pledge means Britain within grasping distance' of secure, clean, unlimited energy'The UK government has promised a record 410m investment in nuclear fusion which could help construct a world-leading fusion power project on the site of an old coal plant in Nottinghamshire.Ministers hope the funding, which will be made available for the coming financial year, will support the rapid development of the UK fusion energy sector and deliver a future powered by limitless clean energy". Continue reading...
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