Neil Armstrong | KLM | Boris Johnson | Jeffrey Epstein and Donald Trump | Phoebe Waller-Bridge | Ed SheeranPerhaps some of the poignancy identified in Suzanne Moore’s piece (G2, 16 July) can be attributed to the fact that those of us who added Neil Armstrong to our book of explorers as children didn’t expect him to be on the last page, but the first page of a new and much bigger book.
After 50 years of exploration, the lunar junkyard holds nearly 200 tonnes of objectsMore than half a century of lunar exploration has left its mark on the moon. What Edwin “Buzz†Aldrin described as the “magnificent desolation†of the relentlessly grey surface is littered with clapped-out robots, spacecraft parts, moon buggies (including one with a bible on the dashboard) and technical equipment.Scattered around the Apollo landing sites are other items that were never meant to come home: a falcon’s feather, a javelin, bags of human waste, a family photo and an aluminium figure, the Fallen Astronaut, which lies on its side near a plaque bearing the names of 14 men who died in the pursuit of space exploration. Continue reading...
After my tick bite I realised that the climate crisis was a more likely culprit than any conspiracy theory about weaponisationThe first indication I’d picked up a tick-borne disease three years ago was the excruciating arthritic pain in my feet as I hobbled to a dinner party at a neighbour’s house in Jerusalem.Later that night I experienced flu-like symptoms, including a raging fever that, even with antibiotics, would last for more than a week. Continue reading...
Prof Jan Wörner says coming flurry of activity may make lunar protection more urgentTranquility base, the spot where humans first set foot on the moon, should be granted special heritage status and protected against damage from future visitors and missions, according to the head of the European Space Agency.The site where Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin touched down 50 years ago on Saturday warrants protection as it marks the historic moment when humans reached beyond Earth to another celestial body, said Prof Jan Wörner, the director general of ESA. Continue reading...
by Presented by Nicola Davis, and produced by Graihag on (#4KFPA)
As the space race heated up in the 1960s, 13 aviators passed the same tests as Nasa’s first astronauts, later going on to be called the Mercury 13. But because they were women, Nasa wouldn’t even consider them. One of those women was Wally Funk, who joins Nicola Davis and author Sue Nelson this week as they discuss what could and should have been
Numerous unsung women, from computer engineers and mathematicians to secretaries and seamstresses, helped put a man on the moon. Here are the stories of some of those womenAll 12 people who walked on the moon were men. But among the 400,000 people who made it possible, there were numerous unsung women, from computer engineers and mathematicians to secretaries and seamstresses. Today, as America contemplates a return to the moon, there is resolve to ensure women aren’t in the background, but are instead the astronauts leading the way. Fifty years after Apollo, David Smith tells the stories of some of the women who helped put a man on the moon. Continue reading...
Scientists call for reform, sugar regulation and transparency around dental researchScientists are calling for radical reform of dental care, tighter regulation of the sugar industry and greater transparency around conflict of interests in dental research to tackle the high and rising toll of oral disease such as mouth cancers.In a challenge to the global health community, a series in the Lancet medical journal argues that 3.5 billion people suffering from oral disease have been let down. Continue reading...
When Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon in 1969, more than 600 million people around the world tuned in to watch it live. Australia played a key role in getting those images from the moon to Earth. Glen Nagle, from the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, explains how tracking stations at Tidbinbilla, Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes brought the first pictures to the world
When Neil Armstrong took his first step on the moon in 1969, more than 600 million people around the world tuned in to watch it live. Australia played a key role in getting those images from the moon to Earth. Glen Nagle, from the Canberra Deep Space Communications Complex, explains how tracking stations at Tidbinbilla, Honeysuckle Creek and Parkes brought the first pictures to the world Continue reading...
Live TV images of Neil Armstrong’s first step came via Honeysuckle Creek, near Canberra, originally meant only as a backupAround the world more than 600 million people were glued to TV screens. Coordinated by Tom Reid, tracking stations at Australia’s Honeysuckle Creek, Tidbinbilla and Parkes, and their combined staff of almost 200, would be responsible for maintaining all communications with Apollo 11 during the crucial moon walk phase. These communications included the televising of Neil Armstrong’s first step and the monitoring of his heartbeat and respiration rate as he did so, while at the same time enabling him to give Mission Control a second-by-second description of his progress.How was Tom Reid’s team, with not an American accent to be heard, outperforming Nasa’s prime station in California? Continue reading...
Marking the 50th anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s ‘small step’ and published to coincide with Royal Museums Greenwich’s exhibition at the National Maritime Museum, a new book, The Moon: a Celebration of Our Celestial Neighbour explores people’s fascination with Earth’s only natural satellite Continue reading...
Astronaut’s newly released video interview describes final moments before ‘the Eagle’ landed on the moonTime was running out. The Apollo 11 lunar module was on its historic descent to the moon’s crater-pocked surface on 20 July 1969 when a fuel light blinked on. Still 100ft (30 metres) above the ground, it was not what the astronauts needed. The Eagle’s tank was nearly dry.In a new video interview about the momentous first landing on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, the mission’s lunar module pilot, describes how he held his tongue when the warning light appeared and Charlie Duke, Nasa’s capsule communicator, came on the line from Houston to inform Aldrin and Neil Armstrong they had only 60 seconds left to make it down. Continue reading...
All psychiatric conditions are caused by an interaction between a person’s mind and body, writes Peter White. Anorexia is a quite recent phenomenon, writes Declan FlynnWhile it’s welcome news that researchers have found that certain metabolic genes are linked to anorexia nervosa (Anorexia ‘not solely a psychiatric problem’, 16 July), I suggest that Gerome Breen and colleagues have made a conceptual error in suggesting that this means the condition is not psychiatric. Psychiatric conditions are illnesses primarily concerning mental processes and symptoms, but this definition does not imply a psychological cause, and physical symptoms are common in mental illnesses – just think of the palpitations and over-breathing of a panic attack.All psychiatric conditions are caused by an interaction between a person’s mind and body; specifically their biology (particularly their DNA), psychological makeup and social context. And gene activity itself can be determined by our environment through epigenetics. Biological processes are increasingly apparent in all mental illnesses through technical advances such as functional brain scans and genomic studies. Advances in prevention and treatment will come through greater understanding of how both mind and body interact to cause a mental illness, not by redefining such illnesses as solely physical.
Archaeological discovery could have come from possible shipwreck near RamsgateObjects from a possible Roman shipwreck have been found off the coast of Kent in one of the most unusual archaeological finds in living memory.The chance discoveries were made by a kayaker in the sea off Ramsgate. The tide was low enough and the water clear enough for him to reach down and pull out beautiful cobalt blue glassware and high-status Roman pottery, called Samian ware. Continue reading...
New research shows chimpanzees bond quicker after watching films together. Time for Hollywood moguls to fetch the popcorn and head for the zoo – for everyone’s sakeFour years ago, while excavating the rainforest floor of Ivory Coast, archaeologists from Leipzig’s Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology made a startling discovery. From a metre deep in the earth, the archaeologists began to uncover a series crude tools that chimpanzees had passed down from generation to generation in order to enhance their food-gathering abilities. In short, they discovered that we are living through the chimpanzee stone age.Related: Chimps more sociable after watching movies together – study Continue reading...
Waterloo Uncovered’s project shines fresh light on battle that led to Napoleon’s defeatThe first ever excavation of the main allied field hospital at the Battle of Waterloo has uncovered sawn-off limbs and musket balls fired during a previously unrecorded fight on the steps of the farm where the Duke of Wellington’s medics worked.The surprise find by British and Dutch archeologists, digging alongside 25 military veterans, opens up a new understanding of how the Mont-St-Jean field hospital was engulfed by war on 18 June 1815. Continue reading...
The birds, whose population plummeted last century, have two new chicks: Nos 1,000 and 1,001Nestled among the red-rock cliffs of Zion national park and the Grand Canyon, California condor chicks No 1,000 and 1,001 blinked into this world. Their birth signalled success for a decades-long program to bring North America’s largest bird back from the brink of extinction.As a result of hunting, diminishing food and dwindling territory, the number of birds in the wild numbered just 22 in the early 1980s. Lead poisoning was also a major killer, caused by inadvertently ingesting bullets that hunters left inside dead animals that the enormous birds, which have a wingspan of 9.5ft and weigh up to 25lb, scavenged for food. Continue reading...
Stargazers have been treated to a cosmic spectacle as a partial lunar eclipse was visible across parts of the UK. The event on Tuesday evening coincided with the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 launching its moon mission.Clear skies across much of the country gave people a stunning view of the phenomenon, including in London, Yorkshire and at Jodrell Bank observatory in Cheshire. The partial eclipse was also visible in Australia, Africa and much of Asia
A Montana rancher found two skeletons in combat – the Dueling Dinosaurs. But who do they belong to, and will the public ever see them?The early June morning in Montana was already very hot and dry by 7.30, when Clayton Phipps and his friend, Mark Eatman, set out to search for fossils. Phipps, a rancher who calls himself the Dino Cowboy, was wearing his trademark black felt Stetson cattleman hat.The two had gone bone collecting before, but they were joined on this day for the first time by Phipps’s cousin, Chad O’Connor. The trio fanned out to hike through the badlands of what they thought was the Judith River Formation; later, they would learn they had actually been in an area called Hell Creek, a division of gray and ochre sandstone, shale and clay deposited about 66m years ago during the Late Cretaceous, when the area was a swampy floodplain. Continue reading...
Radical one-stop shop aims to provide care and support to traumatised childrenTucked behind a busy north London road, the UK’s first “safe space†for child sexual abuse victims is an oasis of calm. Set over two floors, the building is airy and light.The toxic legacy of child abuse gets minimal attention, yet the problem amounts to a public health challenge, say experts. Although we don’t know exactly how many children in the UK experience sexual abuse as it’s hidden from view, research suggests one in 20 children have been sexually abused, yet many more incidents go undetected, unreported and untreated. Continue reading...
From a spacesuited everyman to a golden-legged invader, the lunar images were astonishingly poetic works of art that captured humanity evolving before our very eyes. Can they ever be surpassed?Fifty years ago this week, a former navy pilot created one of the most revolutionary artistic masterpieces of the 20th century, one we have yet to fully assimilate. His name was Neil Armstrong and his astonishing act of creativity is a photograph of his Apollo 11 crewmate Buzz Aldrin standing on the Sea of Tranquillity on the moon. Not that you can see Aldrin’s face. His features and flesh are hidden inside a thickly padded white spacesuit, its visor reflecting the tiny figure of Armstrong himself, beside the gold-coloured legs of the lunar lander.This effacement of Aldrin came about because Apollo astronauts wore visors lined with gold to protect their eyes from sunlight. Yet these reflective qualities are part of what makes this such a powerful, complex image, one in which we can see two lunar horizons. Behind Aldrin, the moon’s bright surface recedes to a blue horizon against the black void of space. Meanwhile, reflected and warped by the helmet, the other horizon stretches away behind Armstrong. The photographer has incorporated the making of the image into the image, to tell the story of something new in the universe: two human beings looking at each other across the dusty surface of an alien world. Continue reading...
Diets heavy on snack foods linked to undernutrition and stunting, say researchersChildren under the age of two in Nepal are getting a quarter of their calories from junk food, according to groundbreaking research that warns their diet is linked to stunting and undernutrition.Biscuits, crisps, instant noodles and sugary drinks appear to be displacing foods with the vitamins, minerals and other vital nutrients babies need to grow well, say the researchers. The work, published in the Journal of Nutrition, illustrates that the 21st-century junk food diet spreading around the globe is linked not just to obesity but also to poor growth in children. Continue reading...
by Presented by Anushka Asthana with Richard Godwin a on (#4KAF1)
On the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission that first put humans on the moon, Richard Godwin explores why conspiracy theories about the landings still endure. Plus Geoff Andrews on his part in the Guardian’s lunar front page from 1969 – and how he missed the famous quoteIt took 400,000 Nasa employees and contractors to put Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin on the moon in 1969 – but only one man to spread the idea that it was all a hoax. His name was Bill Kaysing.It began as “a hunch, an intuitionâ€, before turning into “a true conviction†– that the US lacked the technical prowess to make it to the moon (or, at least, to the moon and back). Richard Godwin tells Anushka Asthana how Kaysing’s self-published 1976 pamphlet We Never Went to the Moon: America’s Thirty Billion Dollar Swindle sought to provide evidence for his conviction by means of grainy photocopies and ludicrous theories. Yet somehow he established a few perennials that are kept alive to this day in Hollywood movies and Fox News documentaries, Reddit forums and YouTube channels. Continue reading...
Evolutionary roots of bonding through shared activity may be deeper than was thoughtChimpanzees enjoy watching movies together, scientists have discovered, in research that suggests social bonding through shared experience has deep evolutionary roots.It is widely known that humans can bond over group activities such as watching a movie or playing board games. But it has been unclear whether the underlying psychology behind this effect is present in other species. Continue reading...
Brigid Purcell recommends a book, Straight and Crooked Thinking, that should be put into the hands of every teenagerDavid Thouless’s obituary (13 July) mentions his father, Robert, but fails to mention the latter’s most notable publication, which contains one of the most important contributions of the 20th century to the public good: Straight and Crooked Thinking. Its contents are best summed up by the jacket blurb: “This practical book by an eminent psychologist tells you how to think clearly and avoid muddled reasoning. It exposes many dishonest tricks that are often used in argument, drawing the examples from controversial subjects which are frequently discussed today.â€It was first published in 1930 (revised and enlarged edition in 1953), and my father gave me my copy in the early 1960s. Happily, it’s still available and is as relevant today as it ever was; if only a copy could be put into the hands of every teenager in the land.
Protein tau may spread more rapidly in female brains than males’, adding to range of factorsThe reason women appear to be at greater risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease than men might be due to a number of genetic, anatomical and even social influences, researchers have suggested.Recent figures show about 65% of those with living with dementia in the UK are women, with a similar statistic seen in the US for Alzheimer’s disease, while dementia is the leading cause of death for women in England. Alzheimer’s disease is only one of the types of dementia, but the most common form. Continue reading...
I sat on the committee that helped select the scientist. Honouring him sends a message that the UK respects all peopleOver Christmas, I had the unusual delight of reading short biographies of 989 dead scientists. As a member of the Bank of England’s banknote character advisory committee, I was sifting through potential nominees to be included on the new £50 note: the sheer volume of UK scientists, put forward by more than 225,000 members of the public, reflected the enormous contribution our small island has made to international scientific progress over the past few centuries.Related: Alan Turing to feature on new £50 banknote Continue reading...
by Paul Karp and Australian Associated Press on (#4K7P8)
Mining company said it wanted ‘peace of mind’ that groundwater review would not be ‘hijacked’ by anti-coal activistsThe deputy prime minister, Michael McCormack, has defended Adani after revelations it tried to get the names of scientists reviewing a crucial plan for its Queensland mine, fearing they might be anti-coal activists.The ABC has cited emails – obtained under freedom of information by the Lock The Gate environment group – showing Adani demanded the federal government reveal the names of the scientists. Continue reading...
Neural analysis finds the brains of both sexes respond the same way to pornographyThe belief that men are more likely to get turned on by sexual images than women may be something of a fantasy, according to a study suggesting brains respond to such images the same way regardless of biological sex.The idea that, when it comes to sex, men are more “visual creatures†than women has often been used to explain why men appear to be so much keener on pornography. Continue reading...
Eliminating hunger by 2030 is an immense challenge, say heads of UN agenciesMore than 820 million people worldwide are still going hungry, according to a UN report that says reaching the target of zero hunger by 2030 is “an immense challengeâ€.The number of people with not enough to eat has risen for the third year in a row as the population increases, after a decade when real progress was made. The underlying trend is stabilisation, when global agencies had hoped it would fall. Continue reading...
The solutions to today’s problems - with cheesy pics!Earlier today I set you the following four puzzles:1. You have a cube of cheese that measures 3 x 3 x 3 inches, and you want to slice it into 27 smaller 1 x 1 x 1 inch cubes, as shown below. If you have a straight knife, what’s the minimum number of slices you need to do it? You are allowed to rearrange the pieces after each slice. Continue reading...
Aerogel sheet mimics Earth’s greenhouse effect and could help to create fertile oasesFor future astronauts bound for Mars it will surely rank as a positive: when they sit down to dinner on the barren red planet, they should at least have plenty of greens.The harsh environment on Mars has always made growing food a daunting prospect, but scientists believe they have cracked the problem with sheets of material that can transform the cold, arid surface into land fit for farming. Continue reading...
Agency blames war, inequality and complacency for 20 million children missing immunisationA dangerous stagnation in vaccination rates is putting children at risk of preventable diseases around the world, the UN children’s agency has warned, blaming conflict, inequality and complacency.One in 10 children, totalling 20 million globally, missed out on basic immunisation against the life-threatening infections of measles, diphtheria and tetanus last year, says Unicef. Continue reading...
American psychologist who devised the therapy EMDR – eye movement desensitisation reprocessing – for use in the treatment of traumaThe American psychologist Francine Shapiro, who has died aged 71, devised the form of therapy known as eye movement desensitisation reprocessing (EMDR). Having started out as an English teacher, she summed up her life’s work with William Blake’s line: “For the eye altering alters all.â€EMDR, which involves making rapid eye movements to stimulate the brain, assists people in processing traumatic memories. It has helped millions worldwide, including many with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Shapiro overcame opposition to make it a mainstream therapy, after its efficacy had been demonstrated in more than 40 randomised controlled trials. It is now practised in around 30 countries and endorsed by the World Health Organization (WHO), the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice), the NHS and many other bodies. Continue reading...
High sugar content may be threat to first teeth and affect food preferences in adulthoodCommercial baby foods contain too much sugar – even when they are labelled as savoury meals, says the World Health Organization, which is seeking a ban on added sugars in foods for children under 36 months old.WHO Europe is calling for a crackdown on the high levels of sugar in the diet of babies fed on commercially available foods, warning that their first teeth may suffer and they are at risk of developing a preference for sweet foods, which may lead to overweight and obesity-related disease in adulthood. Continue reading...
National Archive documents reveal Buckingham Palace thought messages ‘a gimmick’While the world awaited the historic launch of Apollo 11 half a century ago this week, Nasa invited many heads of state and government, including the Queen, to send messages to the moon.Buckingham Palace may not have been immediately enthusiastic, however, apparently thinking that any such message could be “a gimmickâ€, records at the National Archives suggest. Continue reading...
The party snack is perfect brain foodToday’s puzzles all concern cubes of cheese. You’ll need to be as sharp as a cocktail stick to skewer them.1. You have a cube of cheese that measures 3 x 3 x 3 inches, and you want to slice it into 27 smaller 1 x 1 x 1 inch cubes, as shown below. If you have a straight knife, what’s the minimum number of slices you need to do it? You are allowed to rearrange the pieces after each slice. Continue reading...
Nation’s first attempt at a landing on the moon put on hold due to ‘technical snag’India’s moon mission, destined for the uncharted south pole, has been put on hold less than an hour before take off, following a technical glitch.The mission, which was scheduled to launch at 02:51 local time from Sriharikota space centre, north of Chennai, is India’s most ambitious to date. Continue reading...
Most of us will get a chance this week to see a partial lunar eclipse. Though not if you live in North America, Greenland or northern RussiaA partial lunar eclipse is visible from much of the world this week. Only North America, Greenland and northern Russia will miss out. From Asia and Australia, the eclipse will take place in the early hours of 17 July. From the rest of the world it will happen on the preceding evening. Lunar eclipses take place when Earth crosses between the sun and the moon, and casts its shadow across the lunar surface. The outer portion of Earth’s shadow, known as the penumbra, touches the moon at 19:45 BST on 16 July. At this time, the moon will still be below the horizon from the UK. When it rises at 21:06 BST, the darkest, most noticeable portion of Earth’s shadow will have just begun to pass across it. Mid-eclipse occurs at 22:32 BST, when a dark circular “bite†will have covered the moon’s northern hemisphere entirely. By midnight BST, the umbra will be about to leave the moon, and the penumbral phase finishes about an hour and a quarter later. Continue reading...
The internet is awash with ads for costly but bogus treatments – and claims that scientists are suppressing a cure for the diseaseFor Eileen O’Sullivan, being diagnosed with breast cancer in 2013 was the catalyst for a deluge of distinctly unscientific and frequently dangerous advice. An investment manager with a analytical mind, she began seeking information to better understand her potentially life-altering condition. But from the moment Eileen starting searching online, misinformation was unavoidable: “This is when all the suggestions start rolling in,†she says. “Before diagnosis, I had never heard of crank treatments for cancer: herbs, supplements, diets, juicing, clean eating, homeopathy, essential oils, nor adverts for overseas alternative cancer clinics. I certainly didn’t go looking for them, but I got endless prompts based on keywords such as breast cancer. I was also inundated with relatives and friends coming out with crackpot therapies – and even from other patients in chemo wards and waiting rooms.â€As a cancer researcher deeply involved in science outreach, I can attest that few subjects provoke quite the emotional response that cancer does. There is not a family in the world untouched by the disease, and the word itself is enough to induce a sense of fear in even the hardiest among us. Cancer is oppressive and all-pervasive: half of us alive today will experience a direct brush with it. But despite its ubiquity, it remains poorly understood and falsehoods around it can thrive. Continue reading...
The civil rights leader Ralph Abernathy called Nasa’s moonshot ‘an inhuman priority’ while poor children went hungryThe date was 15 July 1969. As the Saturn V rocket towered over the launchpad, about to send the first men to the moon, two dozen black families from poor parts of the south, accompanied by mules and wagons emblematic of the civil rights movement, marched to the fence of Cape Kennedy in Florida. From a bird’s eye view, they would have resembled dwarves in the wake of a colossus.
Homo sapiens might well have been living in Europe 210,000 years ago, but it’s not relevant to contemporary debates about raceIn 1978, two skulls were discovered in a cave called Apidima in southern Greece. Both, it was thought, were Neanderthal. Now, a new study using 3D computer reconstructions has suggested that one skull is from a modern human, Homo sapiens, and, at 210,000 years old, more ancient than the other, Neanderthal one.The findings are not universally accepted, but if true would rewrite the ancient history of Europe. The Apidima skull is 150,000 years older than any other H sapiens remains found in Europe, and older than any found outside Africa. Continue reading...