Thousands of fossils date back to huge burst in diversity of life on Earth known as Cambrian explosionA “mindblowing” haul of fossils that captures the riot of evolution that kickstarted the diversity of life on Earth more than half a billion years ago has been discovered by researchers in China.Paleontologists found thousands of fossils in rocks on the bank of the Danshui river in Hubei province in southern China, where primitive forms of jellyfish, sponges, algae, anemones, worms and arthropods with thin whip-like feelers were entombed in an ancient underwater mudslide. Continue reading...

Lady Warnock laid foundations for special needs teaching and fertility treatment regulationsThe philosopher Mary Warnock, whose work laid the foundations for special needs education and for the regulation of fertility treatments, has died aged 94.After an early career researching ethics and philosophy and then as a headteacher, Lady Warnock was appointed in 1974 to chair a UK inquiry on special education. Her subsequent report brought about radical change by placing priority on teaching children with special educational needs within mainstream schools, and introduced the system of “statementing” children, which provides additional support. Continue reading...

The jet car scheme was given a lifeline by Ian Warhurst, who stepped in to provide finances

Wednesday night’s rare occurrence of a super worm moon coincided with the equinox. The name is a nod to the emergence of worms from the soil around the time of the March full moon Continue reading...

A rare super worm moon will loom large as it coincides with the spring equinox. It will be the third time this year a full moon has occurred near to the moon’s closest approach to Earth – making it a supermoon – and will be the last such event in 2019

Psychologists call for greater regulation of reality shows to address mental health risksPsychologists and producers who have worked in reality television have warned that the industry must do more to protect participants who are being “exploited and spat out” by the experience.After the death of the former Love Island contestant Mike Thalassitis, current and former members of production teams in the hugely popular genre said contributors often had no idea of the mental health risks attached to their sudden fame, and called for regulation to address the risks. Continue reading...

Letters from Dr Helen Drury, Christopher Ormell and Jane Lawson on ‘maths anxiety’ and Britain’s poor numeracy rateThe Nuffield Foundation’s report raises very worthy concern about the effects of “maths anxiety” and the impact that it has on children’s prospects (Report, 14 March). Without highlighting solutions, however, we run an increased risk of making maths anxiety a self-perpetuating phenomenon. The vast research base into mathematics education has shown that a cumulative and coherent maths curriculum is the solution. Teachers need to be empowered with support, materials and training to teach maths in a connected, meaningful way. Unfortunately, a lot of maths teaching in the UK is delivered in standalone episodes, leaving students without transferable foundations.

Phenomenon last occurred in spring 1905 and won’t happen again until the year 2144Those gazing up into the sky on Wednesday night are set to witness an unusual event: a super worm moon that coincides with the equinox.It will be the third time this year a full moon has occurred near to the moon’s closest approach to the Earth – making it a supermoon – and will be the last such event in 2019. Those venturing out can expect to see the moon looming larger than usual in the night sky. Continue reading...

Matt Hancock hails ‘game-changer’ but critics raise racial bias and ‘fatalism’ concernsThe health secretary is calling for predictive genetic tests for common cancers and heart disease to be rolled out on the NHS without delay.Matt Hancock, speaking at the Royal Society on Wednesday, revealed he recently took a commercial genetic test that showed he was at heightened risk of developing prostate cancer, saying he was shocked by the result. Hancock called for a national debate about the ethical issues around testing for diseases, some of which could not readily be treated. Continue reading...

A panel to promote an alternative explanation for climate change would be disastrous. Yet that’s what White House officials wantAmericans should not be fooled by the Stalinist tactics being used by the White House to try to discredit the findings of mainstream climate science.The Trump administration has already purged information about climate change from government websites, gagged federal experts and attempted to end funding for climate change programmes. Continue reading...

Research reveals striking changes in babies’ immune development that could form the basis for lifesaving vaccinesA groundbreaking study has claimed that the key to saving the lives of newborns is found in just half a teaspoon of blood.Research has revealed dramatic changes in the immune systems of newborns, which scientists say could transform our understanding of disease in babies. Continue reading...

How did the ex-CEO, now facing criminal charges, find fame and fortune? By aping the persona of a ‘tech genius’Elizabeth Holmes did not change the world, as she once promised, but she certainly captured its attention. The story of the founder of the now defunct blood-testing company Theranos is everywhere. There is a bestselling book, a popular podcast and a new documentary, The Inventor: Out for Blood in Silicon Valley, directed by the Oscar winner Alex Gibney, which premiered in the US on Monday.Why are we so obsessed with Holmes? Elementary, my dear reader: she is a mesmerisingly modern morality tale. A photogenic 19-year-old Stanford dropout starts a revolutionary blood-testing company, which police are now investigating as a possible multibillion-dollar scam. Powerful men such as Henry Kissinger give her their backing. Holmes is named the US’s youngest self-made female billionaire before the authorities come knocking and a criminal case is mounted. If you had pitched the story to Hollywood, they would have said it was far-fetched. Continue reading...

No one knows if Mary Anning had lovers. But what a new film does get right is the vital role women played in her lifeThe furore over a film portraying the 19th-century palaeontologist Mary Anning as having a female lover probably tells us more about ourselves than it does about historical accuracy onscreen. Francis Lee’s Ammonite might not be a scrupulously backed-up biopic, but it may just hit on the one thing that so many other accounts of Anning, and other early women in science, have missed: the importance of friendships and collaborations.Anning, the working-class woman whose fossil discoveries changed the world, and a modern-day icon for women in science, is once again making news. This time, however, it’s not the ancient creatures she unearthed causing the stir. Kate Winslet will play her in the new movie, and her fellow actor Saoirse Ronan has confirmed that her character, widely reported in the press as Frances Bell (a real person and friend of Anning) and Mary Anning are lovers. Cue media frenzy, with plenty of opportunity for outrage over (presumed) historical inaccuracy and claims of sexing-up an already remarkable biography, alongside salacious delight at the thought of a lesbian love affair amid the Lias. Continue reading...

Distinctive musky odour of people with Parkinson’s could lead to earlier diagnosisScientists have developed a test for Parkinson’s disease based on its signature odour after teaming up with a woman who can smell the condition before tremors and other clinical symptoms appear.The test could help doctors diagnose patients sooner and identify those in the earliest stages of the disease, who could benefit from experimental drugs that aim to protect brain cells from being killed off. Continue reading...

Kunxun was cloned from a police sniffer dog in Beijing but cost of process remains an obstacleScientists in south-west China’s Yunnan province have reportedly cloned what they called the “Sherlock Holmes of police dogs” in a programme they hope will help cut training times and costs for police dogs.The dog, named Kunxun, was cloned from a police sniffer dog by the Beijing-based Sinogene Biotechnology Company and the Yunnan Agricultural University, with support from the Ministry of Public Security, the state-owned tabloid Global Times reported. Continue reading...

Study says 30% of first-time psychotic disorders in south London linked to strong drugsFrequent cannabis use and high-strength varieties are likely to increase the chance of mental health problems among users, according to researchers behind the largest study of its kind.Experts have previously flagged a link between cannabis use and psychosis, particularly among vulnerable people with heavy use of the drug. Now research suggests the potency of the cannabis is also important, with patterns in cannabis use linked to how often new cases of psychotic disorders arise in different cities. Continue reading...

Climate must not be confused with local conditions, but remodelled broadcasts could help people understand the dangers we faceStill, and in defiance of decades worth of scientific evidence, vast numbers of people around the world refuse to accept that we are in the process of drastically altering the climate. Vast numbers more lack the information they need to interpret what is going on. This is a global problem whose importance cannot be overstated. It has no single solution. But giving up on trying to halt the damage to life on our planet is not an option. And in this context, this week’s suggestion by the former BBC weather presenter Bill Giles, that forecasts should be adapted to include information about climate change as well as local weather conditions, is extremely welcome.Weather and climate are not the same thing, and to confuse them would be unhelpful. But the rapidly developing science of weather attribution means that experts are now able to analyse extreme events including floods and heatwaves to determine the contribution of manmade climate change. Last summer’s UK heatwave, for example, was made 30 times more likely by greenhouse gases. Findings such as this could feature in the remodelled broadcasts, and play a valuable role in increasing public understanding. So could information about globally important climate-related events, such as updates on melting ice sheets in Greenland or Antarctica. Continue reading...

Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck of the University of Texas at Austin wins one of the world’s most prestigious mathematics awardsAn American professor has become the first woman to be awarded the Abel Prize, one of the world’s most prestigious international mathematics awards.The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters announced in Oslo on Tuesday that Karen Keskulla Uhlenbeck of the University of Texas at Austin was this year’s winner of the prize, seen by many as the Nobel Prize in mathematics. Continue reading...

On this week’s show, Claire and Sian meet up at London book fair to discuss the trends and biggest books announced for 2019 and 2020. Then they sit down with neuropsychologist AK Benjamin and novelist Anthony Good, who have written two very different books turning the tables on therapy. Benjamin’s genre-busting take on mental health, Let Me Not Be Mad, puts the author centre stage, while Good’s Kill [redacted] is a thriller in which a man grieving the murder of his wife attempts to justify his right to revenge through letters to his therapist. Continue reading...

Kate Winslet picture about renowned fossil hunter had been criticised by relatives for ‘unconfirmed’ portrait of her sexualityThe director of a new biopic about the celebrated fossil hunter Mary Anning has defended his film after criticism of its lesbian romance storyline.Ammonite, which stars Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan, recently began filming in Lyme Regis, the coastal town in Dorset where Anning lived in the early 19th century. Anning never married and is not known to have had any direct descendants, but a report in the Telegraph suggested her distant relatives were at odds over the film’s central relationship, a romance between Anning and Frances Bell, with whom Anning is known to have corresponded. Continue reading...

Bill Giles calls on broadcasters to add slot explaining humans’ impact on climateThe veteran weatherman Bill Giles is calling on the BBC and other major broadcasters to radically overhaul their forecasts to incorporate information about climate change.The former head of BBC weather presenters has said more needs to be done by broadcasters to highlight climate change to face the “reality more squarely and openly”. Continue reading...

Prof Joe Smith, director of the Royal Geographical Society, Prof Sir David Cannadine, president of the British Academy, and Prof Norman Gowar respond to a Guardian editorialYour editorial in defence of the humanities (13 March) is well timed and well argued. The UK needs the contribution of Stem graduates and that made by graduates with knowledge, skills and understanding gained through study of the humanities and wider social sciences. And geography, a subject that is a humanity, a social science and has part Stem designation in higher education, is well placed to make such a contribution.For example, the cabinet office’s geospatial commission estimates that UK plc can gain £11bn through the better use of the geospatial data held by organisations including the Ordnance Survey, Land Registry and the Hydrographic Office. Yet this can only be achieved if we have enough graduates trained to understand how such data can be used to benefit our communities, environments, businesses, and policy decisions – training which is provided through the study of geography. Continue reading...

Scientists say there are signs of humans having a subconscious magnetic senseIt sounds like a power to be boasted of by the X-Men, but researchers say humans might have the ability to pick up on Earth’s magnetic field.Many animals, from pigeons to turtles, use it to navigate, while research has shown cattle prefer to align themselves with the field when standing in, well, a field. Even dogs make use of it – albeit when defecating. Continue reading...

Cambridge researchers grew ‘organoid’ that spontaneously connected to spinal cordScientists have grown a miniature brain in a dish with a spinal cord and muscles attached, an advance that promises to accelerate the study of conditions such as motor neurone disease.The lentil-sized grey blob of human brain cells were seen to spontaneously send out tendril-like connections to link up with the spinal cord and muscle tissue, which was taken from a mouse. The muscles were then seen to visibly contract under the control of the so-called brain organoid. Continue reading...

Without an exit deal with the EU, the whole NI agricultural industry will be destroyed

Fireball over Kamchatka peninsula in December went largely unnoticed at the timeA meteor explosion over the Bering Sea late last year unleashed 10 times as much energy as the atomic bomb that destroyed Hiroshima, scientists have revealed.The fireball tore across the sky off Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula on 18 December and released energy equivalent to 173 kilotons of TNT. It was the largest air blast since another meteor hurtled into the atmosphere over Chelyabinsk, in Russia’s south-west, six years ago, and the second largest in the past 30 years. Continue reading...

Australian researchers believe it is the oldest viable stored semen of any species in the worldDecades after his 1960s heyday, Sir Freddie the ram has sired offspring from beyond the grave in what researchers believe is a project that shows the world’s oldest viable stored semen.A team at the University of Sydney has defrosted Sir Freddie’s 50-year-old semen and that of three other rams and successfully impregnanted it in 34 merino ewes. Continue reading...

Full moon marks the midway point of the moon’s cycle, and this month it will be a supermoon – the third supermoon of the yearSpring arrives this week in the form of the vernal equinox. This marks the moment when day and night are of approximately equal length. From here on, there will be more daylight hours in the northern hemisphere than night time ones. This situation continues until the next equinox (in October) when the situation reverses. The moment of the equinox takes place at 21:58 GMT on 20 March and by coincidence the moon reaches full illumination approximately four hours later at 01:43 GMT on 21 March. Also by coincidence, this moon is a “supermoon”. A supermoon takes place when the full moon occurs close to the moon’s perigee, its closest approach to Earth. In the early hours of 21 March, the moon will be 224,173 miles or 360,772km away, roughly 20,000km closer than average. Although the difference in the moon’s appearance will be unnoticeable to the naked eye, it will raise the tides a few inches higher than usual in most places. The full moon marks the mid-point of the lunar cycle. Earth is now between the moon and the sun, and so we see the visible surface of the moon fully illuminated. Continue reading...

Public health campaign triggers surge in numbers attending cervical screenings at ‘worst possible time’Women could be forced to wait months for cervical cancer screening results because the planned closure of dozens of laboratories has left the service in “meltdown”, the Guardian has been told.The crisis has been triggered by a surge in numbers of women attending smear tests following a government public awareness campaign launched earlier this month. The campaign coincides with an exodus of biomedical scientists due to a restructuring process that will reduce nearly 50 hospital screening laboratories to nine this summer. Continue reading...

When Elma van Vliet decided to start asking her mother about her life, the results were remarkableIt wasn’t until Margreeth van Vliet-Smit was diagnosed with inoperable cancer in 2001 that Elma van Vliet realised how much she didn’t know about her own mother. She didn’t know what dreams and adventures Margreeth had had when she was a young woman. She didn’t know what her mother had done on Saturday afternoons as a small girl. She didn’t even know how to make the chicken soup Margreeth had always made when her daughter was ill. “And she was the only person in the world who knew how to make that soup,” said Elma.So Elma began jotting down questions for her mother, to tease out who she was – and why. “As soon as I started writing, the questions kept coming. I realised that when we had talked, it had always been about my life, not hers,” she said. Elma’s questions ranged widely, from “What kind of parents did you have: were they progressive or old-fashioned?” to “Were you an easy-going or rebellious teenager?” and “What changed in you when you had children?” Continue reading...

Greek historian’s description of ‘baris’ vessel vindicated by archaeologists at sunken city of Thonis-HeraclionIn the fifth century BC, the Greek historian Herodotus visited Egypt and wrote of unusual river boats on the Nile. Twenty-three lines of his Historia, the ancient world’s first great narrative history, are devoted to the intricate description of the construction of a “baris”.For centuries, scholars have argued over his account because there was no archaeological evidence that such ships ever existed. Now there is. A “fabulously preserved” wreck in the waters around the sunken port city of Thonis-Heracleion has revealed just how accurate the historian was. Continue reading...

US archaeologists trace roots of woman to modern-day Sierra Leone as part of ongoing ancestry researchArchaeologists used DNA taken from a broken clay pipe stem found in Maryland to build a picture of an enslaved woman who died around 200 years ago and had origins in modern-day Sierra Leone. One researcher called the work “a mind-blower”.Related: El Norte review: an epic and timely history of Hispanic North America Continue reading...

Born poor and nonconformist, Mary Anning’s contributions to the birth of palaeontology had been forgotten. But not any longerA few months ago a stylish set of rooms were opened in London’s Natural History Museum. They include a restaurant, a study and a floor-to-ceiling cabinet displaying biological treasures and curiosities. Here, patrons of the museum gather to relax and contemplate nature’s wonders in a setting named after one of the most remarkable of all explorers of Earth’s ancient marvels: Mary Anning.“We could have named the rooms after many ‘greats’: Alfred Waterhouse, who designed the museum, or David Attenborough. But in the end there was really only one choice. The Anning Rooms it had to be,” said museum executive Christina Heap. Continue reading...

Teeth and tongues make the sounds of our speech, but our humanity makes its meaningsBabies have an astonishing talent that adults entirely lose. By the age of one, they can recognise the significant noises in the babble around them and group them into a language. When we have lost this capacity as adults, it becomes enormously difficult to distinguish between sounds that are glaringly different to a native speaker. It all sounds Greek to us, or, as the Greeks would have it, barbarous. This is because the range of possible sounds that humans use to convey meaning may be as high as 2,000, but few languages use more than 100 and even then the significant noises – the phonemes of a language – each cover a range of sounds and so blur distinctions which would change the meaning of a word in other languages.But where do these phonemes come from and why do they shift over time? New research suggests that the apparently arbitrary distribution of some sounds around the world may be partially explained by diet. This is unexpected. We’d rather think of language as the product of our thought, rather than of the arrangement of our teeth. In reality, though, any given language must be both. Continue reading...

The school climate strikes show how we are trying to save the world and change it for the better. Everyone can helpSince we made headlines in February with the UK’s first school strike, we’ve seen an outpouring of support from our peers, parents, carers, politicians and other people from all walks of life. It seems that most people know we’re in a mess, but they just didn’t know what we can to do to get out of it.This is where the UK Student Climate Network (UKSCN) stepped in, not necessarily out of choice, but necessity. There’s no time left for the “adults in the room” to solve the climate crisis. The politicians and powerful actors have failed us. Youth is rising up all around the world and here in the UK we’re emerging as one of the most powerful forces, demanding urgent and radical change. Continue reading...

Fertility laws compel clinics to destroy frozen eggs after a decade, irrespective of a woman’s ageA woman who is fighting for her chance to start a family is bringing the first legal challenge in the UK against fertility legislation that places a 10-year time limit on the storage of frozen eggs.The woman paid to freeze her eggs in 2009 because she was not in a relationship, but hoped to have a baby in the future. However, fertility laws compel clinics to destroy frozen eggs after 10 years, irrespective of a woman’s age or wishes. Continue reading...

To tackle the oil and gas giants driving climate change, young people of all nations must act togetherBrexit is reversible. Article 50 can be juggled, delayed, and bounced around until the government decides to reboot and restart the process. In the meantime, another meaningless “meaningful vote” could happen in the next few days – while we ignore the only threat that truly matters.The effects of climate change are irreversible. That’s why it’s a crisis. The UN’s warning last year lays bare the dangers of this emergency. And these are dangers that we can only attempt to predict, because Earth has never faced a disaster of this nature before: the future is volatile on an unprecedented scale, with famines, floods, and droughts looming over us. Continue reading...

Nothing is possible without action, and almost anything is when we rise up together, as you are today

The children on climate strike are right: their lives should not be sacrificed to satisfy our greedThe young people taking to the streetsfor the climate strike are right: their future is being stolen. The economy is an environmental pyramid scheme, dumping its liabilities on the young and the unborn. Its current growth depends on intergenerational theft.At the heart of capitalism is a vast and scarcely examined assumption: you are entitled to as great a share of the world’s resources as your money can buy. You can purchase as much land, as much atmospheric space, as many minerals, as much meat and fish as you can afford, regardless of who might be deprived. If you can pay for them, you can own entire mountain ranges and fertile plains. You can burn as much fuel as you like. Every pound or dollar secures a certain right over the world’s natural wealth. Continue reading...

As young people walk out of classrooms for a global climate strike, a panel of campaigners share their reasons for actionWe strike for the Earth, to protect and save it from what the human race has done. As indigenous youths we have a close connection to the Earth. We know that without it we have nothing, we are nothing. Our community is directly affected by the Cold Lake oil sands, which is a large deposit of tar sands. Some of the tar sands can be extracted through drilling, which is incredibly dangerous to land, animals and people, and affects the water and air quality in negative ways. We must think of the future generations: what we do today, tomorrow and the next day will impact the next seven generations. We must change our ways from burning natural resources, from releasing so much carbon, from poisoning what we need to live. We cannot survive by drinking oil. Continue reading...

As thousands of pupils strike over the catastrophe facing the planet, we demand a state of emergency be calledWe’re the UK Student Climate Network. We’re young, we’re students and we’re calling for change. Our movement started in February when tens of thousands of young people took to the streets in towns and cities around Britain, in an unprecedented emergence of a youth climate justice movement.We’ve joined a movement that’s spreading rapidly across the world, catalysed by the actions of one individual in taking a stand in August last year. Greta Thunberg may have been the spark, but we’re the wildfire and we’re fuelled by the necessity for action. Continue reading...

Happy International Pi Day. To celebrate, Hannah Devlin is joined by the mathematician and comedian Matt Parker to discuss maths anxiety, how much today’s world relies on number crunching and what happens when we get it wrongHappy International Pi Day! On 14 March, the world celebrated this mathematical constant because 3/14 matches the first three digits of pi – 3.14. To mark the occasion, Hannah Devlin invites the mathematician and comedian Matt Parker to talk about Pi, maths and his new book, Humble Pi: A Comedy of Maths Errors. They discuss maths anxiety, how much today’s world relies on number crunching and what happens when we get it wrong. Continue reading...

Diet of porridge and gruel shaped human faces, which diversified English languageThe texts of the 16th century were first to record the F-word for posterity. It appeared in William Dunbar’s poem A Brash of Wowing in 1503 and later, thanks to an angry monk, in a note scrawled in the margin of a 1528 copy of De Officiis, Cicero’s moral manifesto.But according to researchers, the English language might never have enjoyed a richness of F-words had it not been for early farmers and the food processing they favoured. Dairy products and other soft foods, such as gruel, porridge, soup and stews, helped shape our faces, the researchers claim, and allowed us to form the sounds “f” and “v”, known as labiodental fricatives. Continue reading...

Bone analysis adds to evidence that Tudor England was a melting pot of ethnic diversityAnalyses of skeletons from the Mary Rose are fleshing out the crew’s past, offering further evidence that Tudor England was a bustling scene of ethnic diversity.Researchers say studies on the human remains recovered from the warship, which sank in the Solent during a battle with the French in 1545, have revealed at least two of the crew might have had heritage from as far afield as north Africa. Continue reading...

Memory does not work like a video tape – it is not stored like a file just waiting to be retrieved. Instead, memories are formed in networks across the brain and every time they are recalled they can be subtly changed. So if these memories are changeable, how much should we trust them? With experts Dr Julia Shaw and Prof Elizabeth Loftus, the Guardian's Max Sanderson explores the mysterious world of human memory, how false memories can be implanted – and how this can be harnessed for good and ill Continue reading...

Study says condition can cause physical symptoms and behaviour problems in class

Crispr ‘tops list’ of recent scientific discoveries with massive consequences for humanity, says lead proponentLeading scientists have called for a global moratorium on the use of powerful DNA editing tools to make genetically modified children.The move is intended to send a clear signal to maverick researchers, and the scientific community more broadly, that any attempt to rewrite the DNA of sperm, eggs or embryos destined for live births is not acceptable. Continue reading...

Japanese firm’s vehicle would allow astronauts to travel on moon without space suitsToyota is to build a self-driving lunar rover that will enable astronauts to travel on the surface of the moon without space suits, as Japan raises the stakes amid renewed international interest in lunar exploration.The Japanese carmaker and the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (Jaxa) hope the vehicle will be included in a mission to the moon between 2029 and 2034, according to Kyodo news agency. Continue reading...

Chancellor promises a global Britain and announces funds for science and digital projectsThe chancellor outlined a package of measures at the spring statement designed to prepare Britain for life outside the EU, as well as for the hi-tech digital jobs of the future.Alongside the central update on the economy, other announcements made by Philip Hammond included: Continue reading...

Ageing population and stretched care services leave poorest most vulnerableA landmark report on the state of ageing in Britain has warned that a significant proportion of people are at risk of spending later life in poverty, ill-health and hardship.Britain is undergoing a radical demographic shift, with the number of people aged 65 and over set to grow by more than 40% in two decades, reaching more than 17 million by 2036. The number of households where the oldest person is 85 or over is increasing faster than any other age group. Continue reading...