Artemis project aims to create a ‘sustained’ human presence on the moon by 2028There can be no doubt that Nasa is serious about trying to land astronauts on the moon by 2024.Even though the Artemis programme has yet to be fully funded, Nasa has issued a call to US companies for a lunar landing spacecraft that will place the first woman and the next man on the moon’s surface. The call has been sent out in draft form twice already this year, allowing private companies to comment and help Nasa shape the request. Now those companies have until 1 November to submit their finished proposals. From these, two companies will be contracted to provide the landers. Continue reading...

Quarter of mammals and nearly half of birds assessed are at risk of extinction, says State of Nature reportPopulations of the UK’s most important wildlife have plummeted by an average of 60% since 1970, according to the most comprehensive analysis to date.The State of Nature report also found that the area inhabited by officially designated “priority species” has shrunk by 27%. The species are those deemed most important and threatened, and include hedgehogs, hares and bats, many birds such as the willow tit and the turtle dove, and insects such as the high brown fritillary butterfly. Continue reading...

Observations reveal cluster of galaxies about 12bn light years away linked by gas filamentsThe cosmic web, a vast, mysterious structure that links up far-flung galaxies, has been observed directly for the first time.The observations reveal that an ancient cluster of galaxies about 12bn light years away in the constellation of Aquarius are linked together by a network of faint gas filaments. The existence of the cosmic web is central to current theories of how galaxies first formed following the big bang, but until now evidence for it had remained largely circumstantial. Continue reading...

We can’t solve all life’s problems with a motivational mantra. Sometimes it seems like a misguided use of energyAt the theatre on Saturday night, I watched Diana Nyad, the long-distance swimmer, ignite an audience for over an hour. She recounted her record-breaking 111-mile swim from Cuba to Florida at the age of 64 after several failed attempts, and in the face of killer sharks, deadly jellyfish and huge waves. It was like listening to a one-woman version of the Iliad, an almost too perfect literalisation of inspirational metaphor. The subtitle of the show was “never, ever give up”, a well-worn sentiment that in Nyad’s hands was made thrillingly new.Related: What did Hillary Clinton mean it was 'gutsy' to stay with Bill? It's complicated | Jean Hannah Edelstein Continue reading...

Pterosaur had four-metre wingspan, lived about 90m years ago and was capable of crossing continentsIn the heart of Queensland, palaeontologists have found the fossilised partial skeleton of a new pterosaur species capable of flying across continents.The pterosaur, with a four-metre wingspan, may have lived about 90m years ago. Continue reading...

My dominatrix life coach isn’t afraid to hurt my feelings – she’s brutally honest and has no time for my excusesI love therapy, but I didn’t love my therapist. She was young, like me, and new – the best I could find with my cheap insurance. I was her first real client, she was thrilled, I was broke and depressed.Over the course of our six months together, we often sat through extended periods of silence, each of us desperately searching for something to say. Other times, I rambled about how pointless my life felt, the crushing guilt and fear of abandonment that follows me everywhere, and ill-timed thirst traps, just to fill the space. I did my best to entertain her with overshares and regrettable sex stories from my life as a sad yet charming bisexual, and for a while, that was fine, until I ran out of stories and we fell back into silence. I left our sessions feeling worse than I did when I arrived. Continue reading...

Nonpartisan taskforce of ex-government officials reports ‘almost weekly violations’ of norms meant to safeguard objective researchThe treatment of science by the Trump administration has hit a “crisis point” where research findings are manipulated for political gain, special interests are given improper influence and scientists are targeted for ideological reasons, a nonpartisan taskforce of former government officials has warned.Safeguards meant to ensure that government research is objective and fully available to the public have been “steadily weakening” under recent administrations and are now at a nadir under Trump, according to a report released on Thursday by the National Task Force on Rule of Law and Democracy. Continue reading...

Floating boom finally retains debris from the Great Pacific Garbage Patch, creator saysA huge floating device designed by Dutch scientists to clean up an island of rubbish in the Pacific Ocean that is three times the size of France has successfully picked up plastic from the high seas for the first time.Boyan Slat, the creator of the Ocean Cleanup project, tweeted that the 600 metre-long (2,000ft) free-floating boom had captured and retained debris from what is known as the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. Continue reading...

Mangrove monitoring trip to remote coast finds shocking impact of two cyclones across hundreds of kilometresA cascade of impacts including rising sea levels, heatwaves and back-to-back tropical cyclones has created 400km of dead and badly damaged mangroves in the Gulf of Carpentaria, a scientific monitoring trip has discovered.Prof Norman Duke, of James Cook University, spent 10 days monitoring 2,000km of coastline from a helicopter, as well as conducting land-based checks at 32 estuaries along the coastline between Weipa, Queensland, and Cape Barrow in the Northern Territory. Continue reading...

Francis Galton is rightly criticised for advancing this immoral, racist non-science. But remember, his ideas were mainstreamHow should we remember historical figures who we know have done terrible things? It’s a dilemma we face more often, as universities and public institutions critically examine their histories, reassessing the past with 21st-century eyes. And over the last year, University College London has been in the midst of a historical inquiry into its role as the institutional birthplace of eugenics – the debunked “science” that claimed that by selectively breeding humans we could improve racial quality.We tend to associate eugenics with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust, but it was in fact developed in London. Its founder was Francis Galton, who established a laboratory at UCL in 1904. Already, some students and staff have called on the university to rename its Galton lecture theatre. Continue reading...

The language of violence and outrage is dominating our discourse. To defeat it, we must learn not to respond in kindIs this democracy’s death spiral? Are we, in this country and others, falling into a lethal cycle of fury and reaction, that blocks the reasoned conversation on which civic life depends?Related: The Guardian view on language in politics: playing with fire | Editorial Continue reading...

US scientists say it may be possible to decipher words using new x-ray technique

Body of 150 non-experts to explore ways of cutting carbon emissions by 40% before 2030A sample group of 150 French citizens — from unemployed people to pensioners and factory workers — will this week begin advising the French president Emmanuel Macron on how France can cut carbon emissions to tackle the climate emergency.

Trial using rats showed the drug metformin repaired nerve damage caused by the diseaseScientists have raised hopes of a new treatment for multiple sclerosis after animal studies showed a common diabetes drug can repair nerve damage caused by the disease.The effect of the drug was so striking that doctors in Cambridge are now planning a clinical trial of MS patients next year. Continue reading...

Initiative aims to improve the animals’ feeding efficiency and reduce methane emissionsScientists are working to breed sheep that produce less greenhouse gases in order to reduce their impact on the environment.The Grass to Gas initiative will combine international scientific and industry expertise to measure two major factors affecting the environmental consequences of the livestock – feed efficiency and methane emissions. Continue reading...

Poison fire coral, the only known fungus whose toxins are absorbed through the skin, found on the outskirts of CairnsOne of the world’s deadliest species of fungus, previously thought native to Japan and Korea, has been found by a photographer on the outskirts of Cairns in northern Australia.Scientists say the discovery of poison fire coral in a pocket of rainforest in Redlynch, a Cairns suburb, indicates the fungus likely occurs naturally in other parts of Australia and south-east Asia. Continue reading...

All different types of brains are normal, but greater understanding has not led to more money for autism, says world-leading expertAs a graduate in the 1980s, Simon Baron‑Cohen taught autistic children at a special school in London. Little was known about autism then, and people often misheard him, assuming he taught “artistic children”.“People would be ashamed if they had an autistic child, or ashamed of saying, ‘I am autistic’, whereas now it’s treated as more ordinary and there’s less judgment,” he says. “In the 1980s, autism was seen as categorical, so ‘you either have it or you don’t’ … nowadays, we talk about a spectrum.” Continue reading...

I’ve been shocked and disgusted by what some men have done. I’ve also seen how complicated atonement and forgiveness are

Global test finds those using two-thumb technique can hit a blistering 38 words per minuteThink of it as an upside to spending hours on a smartphone. Thanks to all that dextrous thumb work, people can now type nearly as fast on a screen as they can on a keyboard.Researchers made the discovery during a study of typing skills in which more than 37,000 volunteers from 160 countries took a speed and accuracy test on their mobile phones. Continue reading...

A recent Chinese mission has revealed more about the South Pole Aitken basinMost space rocks that hurtle towards Earth burn up in the atmosphere. The moon’s lack of atmosphere means it does not have the same protection, and consequently its surface is peppered with craters. The oldest and largest crater – a massive 2,000km across and 13km deep – sits at the far side of the moon. Known as the South Pole Aitken basin, this crater fascinates scientists because it may help reveal what’s inside the moon.Data from Nasa’s Grail mission in 2011 mapped the moon’s gravitational field and showed that the South Pole Aitken basin exerted a strong pull. Scientists speculate that this might be due to a large chunk of nickel and iron embedded beneath the crater – perhaps the remnants of the asteroid that created it. Or it could be an anomalously dense region in the moon’s interior. Continue reading...

The US government has become dangerously complacent about public health

One expert says findings by international experts represent ‘egregious abuse of evidence’New research that claims red and processed meat is probably not harmful to our health has caused controversy among experts who maintain people should cut down.The World Health Organization has classified red and processed meats as cancer-causing. Public health bodies worldwide urge people to limit their intake of red and processed meat to reduce their cancer risk. The NHS advises that people who eat 90g of meat a day – equivalent to three thin slices of roast meat – should cut down to 70g. Continue reading...

Study suggests climax may be an evolutionary hangover – but crucial questions remainA possible explanation for one of biology’s greatest mysteries, the female orgasm, has been bolstered by research showing that rabbits given antidepressants release fewer eggs during sex.The human female orgasm has long proved curious, having no obvious purpose besides being pleasurable. Continue reading...

Liberal leaders line up to praise her, yet their inaction on the climate crisis shows they are not really listening to her messageGreta Thunberg has made a lot of enemies. They are easy to recognise because their rage is so great they cannot help making themselves look ridiculous. Thunberg’s arrival in the US earlier this month set off rightwing pundits and then the president himself. The conservative provocateur Dinesh D’Souza compared her look to a Nazi propaganda poster; a Fox News guest called her a “mentally ill Swedish child” being exploited by her parents; and Trump mocked her on Twitter as a “happy young girl looking forward to a bright and wonderful future”, after a speech in which she urgently laid out the dismal prospects for her generation’s future.Related: THE GRETA THUNBERG PROBLEM, so many men freaking out about the tiny Swedish climate demon | First Dog on the Moon Continue reading...

Look high in the sky to see the Greek hero who slew the sea serpent on his winged horseNow is a good time to find the constellations based on the Greek myth of Perseus. The chart shows the core of these constellations: Perseus, Cassiopeia, Andromeda and Pegasus. They can be found high in the sky looking south this week. Continue reading...

SpaceX spacecraft would carry passengers anywhere in solar system and land back on Earth perpendicularlyElon Musk has unveiled a SpaceX spacecraft designed to carry crew and cargo to the moon, Mars or anywhere else in the solar system and land back on Earth perpendicularly.In a live-streamed speech from SpaceX’s launch facility near the southern tip of Texas, Musk said on Saturday that the space venture’s Starship is expected to take off for the first time in about one or two months and reach 19,800 meters (65,000ft) before returning to Earth and landing. Continue reading...

A family festival, where children learn courageous feats, helped me break my over-protective habitsOne Saturday this summer I stood in a field and held my breath as I waited for my nine-year-old daughter Sofya to jump through a ring of fire. Despite her enthusiasm, the hours of practice she’d had with expert adults and the many fire marshals on duty, I could see she was in conflict: afraid of the flames and equally scared of not pushing herself through that fear into the unknown.As she watched her friends take their turns – tensing her body as they ran; wincing as they jumped; grinning and clapping when they were safely on the other side – I faced my own internal struggle. I was torn between scooping her up to a safe place away from all this heat and pressure, and standing back, trusting her and letting her take the risk. It felt like a rite of passage for us both. Continue reading...

Google has built a super-fast computer, but whether it can break the encryption we take for granted is mootSomething intriguing happened last week. A paper about quantum computing by a Google researcher making a startling claim appeared on a Nasa website – and then disappeared shortly afterwards. Conspiracy theorists immediately suspected that something sinister involving the National Security Agency was afoot. Spiritualists thought that it confirmed what they’ve always suspected about quantum phenomena. (It was, as one wag put it to me, a clear case of “Schrödinger’s Paper”.) Adherents of the cock-up theory of history (this columnist included) concluded that someone had just pushed the “publish” button prematurely, a suspicion apparently confirmed later by stories that the paper was intended for a major scientific journal before being published on the web.Why was the elusive paper’s claim startling? It was because – according to the Financial Times – it asserted that a quantum computer built by Google could perform a calculation “in three minutes and 20 seconds that would take today’s most advanced classical computer … approximately 10,000 years”. As someone once said of the book of Genesis, this would be “important if true”. A more mischievous thought was: how would the researchers check that the quantum machine’s calculation was correct? Continue reading...

British zoologists part of global project to release 15,000 endangered creatures vital to French PolynesiaThey are some of the smallest animals on our planet, measuring from 1cm to 2cm in length. But the recent return of thousands of tiny tropical tree snails to French Polynesia represents one of the biggest reintroduction programmes ever attempted by conservationists.More than 15,000 partula snails – bred by a total of 16 key international conservation organisations, including the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), and Edinburgh, Chester and Amsterdam zoos – have been shipped out to Polynesia over the past five years. A few weeks ago, the most recent arrivals – more than 4,000 Partula rosea and Partula varia snails – were released on the islands of Huahine and Moorea in the Society Islands. (The archipelago, which includes Tahiti and Bora Bora and covers an area of 1,600 sq km in the South Pacific, is noted for its coral-fringed lagoons and rugged mountains.) Continue reading...

Half of people live five years or more with combination immunotherapy treatment, study finds

The health secretary wants to introduce genetic screening to the NHS – but many firms are already selling cheap testing kitsThe buzz phrase among a small army of biotech companies looking to get a foothold in the ever-expanding health market is “personalised medicine” or, as it’s also known, “precision medicine”. At the core of this concept is the understanding that we are all different, with different biological make-ups and different environments. Therefore a one-size-fits-all approach to diagnostics and treatment is long out of date.One of our most important areas of difference, and certainly the one that is increasingly subject to scientific scientific analysis, is our personal genome. The 21st-century revolution in genetics has been as dramatic as that seen in computer technology. The first human genome to be sequenced took 13 years. It can now be done in a day. The genetic information that cost about £2bn to extract in 1990 can now be got for a couple of hundred pounds. Continue reading...

Despite being something that will affect half the world’s population, the menopause, and how it can lead to things such as hot flushes, has historically been a bit of a ‘black box’ for scientists. But thanks to new insights from animal research, a much-needed alternative to hormone replacement therapy could be just around the corner. Hannah Devlin investigates Continue reading...

Review of 15 studies finds link between positive outlook and cardiovascular healthPeople who have an upbeat outlook on life have a lower risk of cardiovascular events and premature death, a review of studies has found.The review comes after research published last month suggested optimists had a greater chance of living to a ripe old age than those with a less sunny disposition. Continue reading...

Amount is significantly higher than the estimated amount of microplastics particles consumed by a person in an entire yearTea drinkers could be getting more than they bargained for in their brew, as a new study has found that a single plastic tea bag can shed billions of particles of microplastics.The researchers from McGill University in Canada have found that when plastic tea bags are steeped in a cup of almost boiling water (95C), the bag releases around 11.6bn microplastics and 3.1bn smaller nanoplastic particles into the cup. Continue reading...

Infant mortality rate higher in babies exposed to pollutants such as sulphur dioxideBabies living in areas with high levels of air pollution have a greater risk of death than those surrounded by cleaner air, a study has found.It is not the first study to investigate the link between air pollution and infant mortality , but thestudydrew particular focus on different pollutants and its analysis at different points in babies’ lives. Continue reading...

Remains of previously unknown military site include coins and French tablewareThe remains of a Roman fort have been discovered under a bus station in Exeter.Archaeologists have described the find, which occurred during redevelopment of the site in the Devon city, as important and unexpected. Continue reading...

‘It’s a race against time and one we are losing,’ says Harry as he visits reforestation project in BotswanaPrince Harry has said the science on the climate crisis is undeniable as, led by Greta Thunberg, the “world’s children are striking” to force action.The Duke of Sussex is in Botswana helping to create a new forest habitat after decades of deforestation because of locals gathering firewood and through elephant activity. Continue reading...

Panel of researchers plans to continue reviewing studies, as at least 21 million Americans said to live with unacceptable air pollutionAn advisory panel of air pollution scientists disbanded by the Trump administration plans to continue their work with or without the US government.The researchers – from a group that reviewed the latest studies about how tiny particles of air pollution from fossil fuels make people sick – will assemble next month, a year from the day they were fired. Continue reading...

School climate strike activists call on theatre group to sever ties with oil firmSchool climate protesters who took to the streets in huge numbers across the UK last week are threatening to boycott the Royal Shakespeare Company over its sponsorship deal with BP.In a letter being sent to the RSC on Thursday, a group representing young people in towns and cities across the UK, says it will launch a boycott campaign unless the theatre company severs its ties with big oil. Continue reading...

Drinking vessels unearthed in Bavaria appear designed to be held by babies or toddlersBabies from prehistoric cultures were fed animal milk in small ceramic pots, according to a study that suggests bottle-feeding is not a modern phenomenon.The drinking vessels, which were excavated from children’s graves in Bavaria, date to between 450 and 1,200BC. They have teat-shaped spouts, appear designed to be easily held by an older baby or toddler and one is shaped as an imaginary animal, suggesting it may have doubled as a toy. Continue reading...

Messages can only be seen under UV light and can be erased using a hairdryerForget lemon juice and hot irons, there is a new way to write and read invisible messages – and it can be used again and again.The approach, developed by researchers in China, involves using water to print messages on paper coated with manganese-containing chemicals. The message, invisible to the naked eye, can be read by shining UV light on the paper. Continue reading...

Data shows 13,170 centenarians in UK with five times more women of this age than menThey lived through the great depression, the second world war, the creation of the NHS and the social and civic transformation of the 1960s – and are still going strong, according to data showing that the number of people in the UK who are older than 105 has more than doubled since 2002, with five times more women of this age alive compared to men.The number of centenarians is now 13,170, according to the statistics from the Office for National Statistics (ONS): almost 73% more than in 2002, when it was 7,630. Continue reading...

Research suggests AI able to interpret medical images using deep learning algorithmArtificial intelligence is on a par with human experts when it comes to making medical diagnoses based on images, a review has found.The potential for artificial intelligence in healthcare has caused excitement, with advocates saying it will ease the strain on resources, free up time for doctor-patient interactions and even aid the development of tailored treatment. Last month the government announced £250m of funding for a new NHS artificial intelligence laboratory. Continue reading...

No one had any idea what to expect of a plan for people to meet in Rachel, Nevada, to see for themselves if the government was hiding aliensIn the middle of the Nevadan desert, outside a secretive US military airstrip, I found the world’s strangest social media convention.Dozens of young, good-looking, often costumed people were running around filming each other with semi-professional video rigs. They were YouTube and Instagram stars – or, more often, aspiring stars – here to “storm” Area 51 for the benefit of their followers and free the aliens held captive within. Or at least film themselves talking about it. Continue reading...

Only a fifth of the companies will remain on track, according to analysis of their disclosuresMore than four fifths of the world’s largest companies are unlikely to meet the targets set out in the Paris climate agreement by 2050, according to fresh analysis of their climate disclosures.A study of almost 3,000 publicly listed companies found that just 18% have disclosed plans that are aligned with goals to limit rising temperatures to 1.5C of pre-industrialised levels by the middle of the century. Continue reading...

Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez, which reveals bias towards men in measures of human life, hailed as vital work

It is very important to emphasise the importance of prevention, writes former mentor Constantine Louis. And get rid of freshers’ week, writes Jackie ShermanYou rightly bring to your readers’ attention the suffering of students with mental health problems (Report, 16 September). It is outrageous that students have to wait between two and three months for help – and tragically, in some cases, it is too late.I am 78, and up until recently I was a specialist mentor, working with university students. During that time, I came across an alarmingly high number of young people who were self-harming and often contemplated suicide. Initially, students were able to receive instantaneous help, as our counsellors had a walk-in policy and I was always available to see my mentees in a pod within the university library. Our main focus was to enable these young men and women, facing suicidal thoughts, to develop coping strategies and above all to learn to respect themselves. Continue reading...

The solutions to today’s puzzles and the results of the pint mnemonic challengeEarlier today I set you four puzzles, and a challenge to devise a rhyme about a pint being 568ml. The solutions first and the best pint-sized poems afterwards.1) A piece of paper is folded to make a shape that looks a bit like the back of an envelope, illustrated below. If the paper is unfolded again to make a flat sheet, what shape will it be? Prove it. Continue reading...

Scientists say felines display similar ‘attachment styles’ with caregivers as dogs and children – but not everyone is convincedCats may sometimes seem aloof, contrary and utterly nonplussed by humans, but it turns out that might not be the full story.Researchers say they have found that, like children and dogs, cats form emotional attachments to their caregivers including something known as “secure attachment” – a situation in which the presence of a caregiver helps them to feel secure, calm, safe and comfortable enough to explore their environment. Continue reading...

As the fall equinox strikes, marking the official end of summer, the Guardian’s Susie Cagle offers and illustrated guide to what the hot summer means for the future Continue reading...