The first supermoon of the year will be on show later this week, with a total eclipse thrown in for good measureA total lunar eclipse greets skywatchers at the end of this week. Don’t miss it, as the next one will not be until 26 May 2021. The Moon will begin to enter Earth’s shadow at 03:34 GMT on 21 January and reach mid-eclipse at 05:12 GMT. Skywatchers in the Americas will see things at earlier local times, which shift the eclipse into the evening of 20 January. The Moon will spend a total of 62 minutes in the deepest part of the Earth’s shadow, known as the umbra. During this time, the Moon will appear to turn a red colour due to atmospheric effects at Earth bending the sunlight. In total, the full eclipse will last more than three hours and twenty minutes. The eclipse takes place during the first supermoon of 2019. A supermoon is a new or full moon that takes place when the Moon is near the closest point in its orbit with Earth. By coincidence there are three supermoons this year, occurring at full moon on 21 January, 19 February and 21 March. February’s is closest at 356,846km but only January’s boasts an eclipse. Continue reading...

New York laboratory cuts ties with 90-year-old scientist who helped discover the structure of DNA, revoking all titles and honorsA New York laboratory has cut its ties with James Watson, the Nobel Prize-winning scientist who helped discover the structure of DNA, over “reprehensible” comments in which he said race and intelligence are connected.Related: Interview: James Watson Continue reading...

The creation of modern chemistry in the 19th century was a forgotten intellectual revolution that made today’s world possibleThis year marks the 150th anniversary of the discovery, or invention, of the periodic table of the elements, one of the most important, if least dramatic, of all scientific breakthroughs. Chemistry has a bad reputation among non-chemists, perhaps because it is the first place in science where a schoolchild comes up against the stubborn complexity of nature. The organising principles of physics appear simple; evolution makes biology appear a well-ordered process, at least until it’s examined in detail. But chemistry is awkward and lumpy. There are endless facts to memorise, and there are few obvious and intuitively pleasing answers to questions such as why the periodic table has eight columns and not seven or nine. There is not even a hero figure like Darwin, Newton or Einstein whose story can dramatise our understanding of the subject. If there were, it would be Dmitri Mendeleev, the Russian who first organised the known elements into an arrangement which not only fitted them together but had predictive value: it suggested new elements that might be discovered, and what their qualities would be.This was not a complete theoretical understanding, but it exposed the phenomena which a theory must explain. In some sense the elements had been known since gold was first washed out of gravel, long before writing was invented. But the existence of some simple and apparently irreducible kinds of stuff did not prove and might not even imply that every substance in the world was made from simpler elements combined. The idea that water is really the combination of two gases, themselves never found in a pure state in nature, seems entirely fanciful until it is proved by experiment. In the 18th century, following Antoine Lavoisier, chemists began to isolate more and more elements from the apparent chaos around them. But their qualities and modes of reaction formed no discernible pattern. The discovery of this pattern and the development of its implications was Mendeleev’s great contribution. Continue reading...

Dr David Marjot on the anti-boredom effect, and Dr Ian Flintoff on the damage done by a materialist societyI am a retired consultant psychiatrist who specialised in the field of addiction (Constant craving: is addiction on the rise?, G2, 9 January). My conclusion was that most, perhaps all, drugs of addiction were very effective ways of passing time with minimum distress – the anti-boredom effect. Even “unpleasant” experiences will pass time very effectively. Similar experiences are achieved by shopping, TV and sexual activity etc. I thought that heroin and tobacco were the best anti-boredom drugs. Nicotine is not intoxicating, the withdrawal symptoms are severe but not obvious to the observer, easily relieved by the next fag, and disease and death are delayed until towards the end of working life, thus saving the public the expense of a pension. The ideal drug?Dopamine is incidentally involved in addiction. The function of dopamine appears to be in a system or systems for the initiation and maintenance of our behaviours – the way we think, feel and act. These systems could be called systems for iteration. Continue reading...

‘Slow down your thinking. Feel the serenity that comes from finding out you are the bore you’ve always thought’Hi. It’s me, Owen, and I want you to know that I’m here for you. Thank you for picking up my book. It means a lot that you have chosen to put your trust in me. I’m guessing that, since you have managed to read this far, you are probably feeling something has been missing from your life. That something has been me. With my workout you can be the person you have always wanted to be.What makes my approach so different is that it doesn’t demand you waste years in therapy trying to understand why you are so useless. Instead I can get you to become perfectly comfortable with the futility of your existence in just 10 minutes. That’s why there is Ten in the title. And don’t be put off by the word Zen. I’m not trying to turn you into a Buddhist monk. The publishers just said I needed a word that rhymed with ten. Continue reading...

New dating technique used to prove Llwyn Celyn farmhouse is medieval marvelA Welsh farmhouse that was once in such poor condition that rainwater ran through its rooms is in fact an exceptionally rare 600-year-old medieval hall house, it has been confirmed, after conservation experts used a groundbreaking new dating technique originally developed by climate change scientists.Llwyn Celyn, which lies in the Black Mountains on the border of England and Wales, was completed in 1420, an analysis of its timbers found, making it one of only a tiny number of domestic buildings to survive from one of the most destructive periods in Welsh history, immediately following the failed revolt of the Welsh prince Owain Glyndŵr. Continue reading...

New varieties created through genetic editing and engineering promise to beat disease, and offer enticing new flavoursIt was reported this week that Brazilian scientists are hoping to create spicy tomatoes using Crispr gene-editing techniques. Although tomatoes contain the genes for capsaicinoids (the chemicals that give chillies their heat) they are dormant – Crispr could be used to make them active. This is desirable because, compared to tomatoes, chillies are difficult to farm – and capsaicinoids have other useful applications besides their flavour – in pepper spray for example. Continue reading...

We all cling to beliefs despite the evidence. Immersive theatre experience The Justice Syndicate aims to show why“It’s her word against his,” says a middle-aged male juror in thick-rimmed glasses. “Someone of his experience wouldn’t do something so risky.” A woman to my right says the defendant is probably guilty, but maybe not beyond reasonable doubt. “But why would she lie?” asks another female juror.Eleven strangers and I are discussing whether renowned children’s surgeon Simon Huxtable tried to rape Sally Hodges, the mother of a former patient. She says he tried to kiss her and then force himself on her. Huxtable says Hodges made up the allegation after he spurned her advances. Mobile phone records show he was at her home for 26 minutes but he told police he was there for only 10. His browsing history reveals he has an interest in rape porn. Continue reading...

Cosmologist Jo Dunkley on the most mind-bending recent discoveries, as astronomers use powerful new telescopes to explore nature’s weirdest stars, ‘dark energy’ and the origins of goldAstronomy is in the middle of a data revolution, a time of enormous discovery. Humans have been looking up at the stars for thousands of years, but modern telescopes and computers are rapidly accelerating our understanding. We know far more than we did even 20 years ago, and we are now much closer to answering questions about whether life exists elsewhere in the cosmos, how our planet came to be here, our cosmic origins and eventual fate.On a clear night the stars twinkle in the sky, and often we can see the bright planets of our own solar system in orbit, like us, around our sun. Until the early 1990s, we had no idea whether there were any other planets around the stars in the sky. Astronomers suspected so, but had no way to prove it. We have in the past decade found thousands in orbit around foreign stars, and have a better idea of how common they are. A sizable fraction of stars probably have their own planets, their own worlds carried around them in the most fantastically diverse solar systems. Continue reading...

Company cites ‘extraordinarily difficult times ahead’ behind decision to slash about 600 employeesElon Musk’s rocket company SpaceX will reduce its workforce by about 10% of the company’s more than 6,000 employees.The company said it will “part ways” with some of its manpower, citing “extraordinarily difficult challenges ahead”. Continue reading...

China's space agency has released a video of its Chang'e 4 spacecraft landing on the side of the moon permanently hidden from Earth's view. On Friday, the National Space Administration released images from the lunar surface.

Radio signals could be signs of extraterrestrial life. But, with Brexit and Trump, could they have chosen a worse time to call?Earlier this week, astronomers announced that they had observed repeated bursts of radio waves coming from deep space, with some experts suggesting this could be evidence of alien life. Is this it? Could extraterrestrials finally be trying to contact us? I hope not.Related: Mysterious fast radio bursts from deep space ‘could be aliens’ Continue reading...

Pictures taken by Chang’e 4 lander and rover beamed back to Earth and shown on state TV

International team say ‘spectacular’ data hints at historic breakthroughAstronomers attempting to capture the first images of the black hole at the heart of the Milky Way have given early hints that the ambitious project has been successful.The observations, by the Event Horizon Telescope, are expected to be unveiled in the spring in one of the most eagerly awaited scientific announcements of 2019. Now, a senior scientist on the project has said “spectacular” data was gathered during observations of two black holes, including Sagittarius A* at the centre of our own galaxy. Continue reading...

Hannah Devlin looks at why there is renewed interest in lunar exploration following the Chinese Chang’e 4 adventure on the far side of the moonThe Chang’e 4 robotic probe’s successful mission is the latest in a well-coordinated series from the Chinese space programme. And the Chinese are not alone. The US, Russia and Europe are also looking at getting back to the moon, hoping to explore any untapped resources that could, one day, be useful to lunar settlers.Despite what the Pink Floyd album implies, the far side of the moon is actually no darker than the near side, but we’re learning more that its surface is vastly different in other ways. Continue reading...

Fast radio bursts have caused more suspicion about extraterrestrial activityIn the 400 years since Galileo Galilei first held a telescope to the heavens, astronomers have laid bare some of the deepest mysteries of the cosmos. They have seen comets crash into planets, found oceans inside moons, and witnessed the shudder of spacetime as black holes collide.But space remains a realm of the unknown. Writing in the journal Nature on Thursday, scientists in Canada reported the detection of mysterious radio signals from halfway across the universe. It is only the second time that repeating fast radio bursts, or FRBs, have been spotted. Continue reading...

The craft is to collect samples of material that reflect the solar system’s earliest stagesNasa’s Osiris-Rex spacecraft has achieved orbit around asteroid Bennu. The spacecraft eased into orbit with an eight-second burn of its thruster on 31 December at 19.43 GMT.Its mission is to survey the small asteroid and then collect a sample of the surface material to send back to Earth for analysis. Continue reading...

Seawater temperature is rising faster than predicted, which is likely to worsen extreme weather events around the worldThe world’s oceans are warming at a faster rate than previously estimated, new research has found, raising fresh concerns over the rapid progress of climate change.Warming oceans take up more space, a process known as thermal expansion, which the study says is likely to raise sea levels by about 30cm by the end of the century, on top of the rise in sea levels from melting ice and glaciers. Warmer oceans are also a major factor in increasing the severity of storms, hurricanes and extreme rainfall. Continue reading...

Half the world’s population is online but lack of skills and investment are slowing growthParts of the world will be excluded from the internet for decades to come without major efforts to boost education, online literacy and broadband infrastructure, experts have warned.While half the world’s population now uses the internet, a desperate lack of skills and stagnant investment mean the UN’s goal of universal access, defined as 90% of people being online, may not be reached until 2050 or later, they said. Continue reading...

Nine ways to boost your willpower, from dodging doughnuts to making the most of morningsIt is tempting, when your shiny New Year’s resolutions start to crumble, to tell yourself that self-control simply isn’t your strong point. “Oh well,” you might say, surrendering to the desire for a large glass of red. “No willpower, that’s my problem.”But, according to a body of scientific research, willpower is not a talent that a lucky few are born with. It is a skill to be practised. “Willpower is a dynamic, fluctuating resource,” explains Frank Ryan, consultant clinical psychologist and author of Willpower for Dummies. “Our level of willpower fluctuates according to our motivation in any given situation. Everybody can learn to use their willpower more effectively.“ Continue reading...

Flat earthers, who believe the Earth is a large disk, may be shocked to find the ship’s navigation is based on a spherical planetA group of people who believe the Earth is flat have announced their “biggest, boldest, best adventure yet”: a Flat Earth cruise scheduled for 2020.The cruise, organized by the Flat Earth International Conference, promises to be a lovely time. Flat earthers – who include the rapper B.o.B. and reality television person Tila Tequila – will be able to enjoy restaurants, swimming pools and perhaps even an artificial surf wave. Continue reading...

Nasa working on fix after space telescope’s wide-field camera broke downThe Hubble space telescope is operating without its best camera after a hardware problem forced it to shut down.Nasa said the camera stopped working on Tuesday but three other science instruments were still operating and able to continue celestial observations. Continue reading...

Repeating bursts of radio waves detected for first time since initial accidental discovery in 2007Astronomers have detected mysterious, ultra-brief repeating energy bursts from deep space for only the second time in history, and some experts suggested they could be evidence of advanced alien life.The origin of fast radio bursts (FRBs), millisecond-long pulses of radio waves, is unknown, but most scientists say they are generated by powerful astrophysical phenomena emanating from billions of light years outside our galaxy, the Milky Way – such as black holes or super-dense neutron stars merging together. Continue reading...

South Korea and US teams say infertility could be linked to deficiency of a protein in wombA new study has cast light on why some women with endometriosis experience infertility, with scientists saying the finding could lead to new treatment options.Endometriosis is an inflammatory condition in which cells that usually form the lining of the uterus are present elsewhere, such as the ovaries, fallopian tubes, pelvis and rectum. Continue reading...

Are you sensitive or resilient? This study by a paediatric health expert considers why children with the greatest potential are also the ones most likely to falterSome people seem to have terrible childhoods and yet manage to thrive despite them. Others grow up in loving homes but suffer from mental and physical health difficulties, even if their siblings do not. Why?Research shows that about 15 to 20 % of children experience well over half of the recorded psychological illnesses. The remaining 75 to 80 % are comparatively healthy. This pattern continues into adulthood, and appears to be true for children around the world. Continue reading...

From sex to sugar to social media, people are in the grip of a wider range of compulsive behaviours. But what is driving them – and what can be done?Addiction was once viewed as an unsavoury fringe disease, tethered to substances with killer withdrawal symptoms, such as alcohol and opium. But now the scope of what humans can be addicted to seems to have snowballed, from sugar to shopping to social media. The UK’s first NHS internet-addiction clinic is opening this year; the World Health Organization (WHO) has included gaming disorder in its official addictions diagnosis guidelines.The first glimmer of this shift was in 1992, when tabloids reported that Michael Douglas – Hollywood royalty, fresh from starring in the erotic thriller Basic Instinct – was holed up in an Arizonan rehab facility with sex addiction. No matter that, to this day, Douglas stringently denies ever suffering from the condition – the way we perceive addiction had begun to unfurl. Continue reading...

Molluscs not only have tidal and circadian clocks but are attuned to lunar rhythms, experts sayThe gentle glow of moonlight on water has moved musicians, poets and painters – and, it turns out, molluscs. Researchers have discovered the opening and shutting of oysters’ shells appears to be tied to the lunar cycle.Biological clocks have intrigued scientists for centuries, and researchers in the field won the 2017 Nobel prize for studies into the 24-hour body clock. Continue reading...

Tess mission has detected three new planets and six supernovae in its first three monthsThree new planets and six supernovae outside our solar system have been observed by Nasa’s planet-hunting Tess mission in its first three months.Since it started surveying the sky in July, the MIT-led Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite project has identified Pi Mensae c, a “super-Earth” that travels around its star every six days, and LHS 3844b, a rocky world with an orbit of only 11 hours. Continue reading...

Through cooking I have learned a lot about science, despite being a chemistry brain-dud. Maybe it can work the other way aroundImperial College London is including cookery lessons in its chemistry degree courses, starting this September. The Introduction to Culinary Practice module, created in collaboration with the chef Jozef Youssef from the Basque Culinary Centre, will allow students to “experience the ambiguities and challenges of translating written instructions into action” (AKA “following a recipe”). There are several reasons why I think this is a great idea, only some of which hold academic weight.I met Youssef several years ago, and he is one of the most absurdly good-looking men I have ever set eyes upon. He looks like a young Antonio Banderas had sex with a Magimix in Zorro’s kitchen. His science-theory-inflected food is extraordinary, too. At the tasting menu I attended, we ate origami pasta, oyster ice-cream and fossilised squash. One course was based on a Mexican folk tale and there was a mushroom dish based around the scent of petrichor. I was like a kid in a candy store. Not a real candy store, obviously, a virtual one, with piped custard aromas and implanted happy memories. Molecular gastronomy gets a bad rap from traditional food critics, seen as “all fur coat, no knickers”, but it’s right up my street. Spherification, emulsions, foams, there’s a Roald Dahl-esque theatre to this type of food that I love. Continue reading...

Research suggests the platform fosters anxiety as we compare ourselves to othersLike many 24-year-olds, Alexandra Mondalek, a fashion reporter in New York, found herself obsessing over social media. Her rapidly growing fashion-focused Instagram account, @hautetakes, was gaining attention, with a little more than 1,000 followers, and it was all she could think about. She wasn’t making money from it yet, but Mondalek wondered if she could reach “influencer” status if she kept at it.“I was putting too much weight into who was viewing my Instagram,” says Mondalek, who started posting photos of the free gifts she received from designers and PR teams, hoping to build her following. “I would worry about how a post was performing instead of making important calls. I felt a certain pressure to make a brand of myself, and there was so much anxiety in that.” Continue reading...

Scientists compared DNA of 10 species and found 24 genes which marked out males that stayed with their matesIt could be a handy riposte for the stalwart commitment-phobe. When challenged on their reluctance to be tied down, half-hearted partners could shrug and claim their neural gene expression profiles made them that way.That is, at least, if research on smaller animals holds true in humans. Researchers who compared the DNA of 10 different species found a common genetic formula which marked out males that stayed with their mates and lent a hand from their less-than-committed cousins. Continue reading...

Seas absorb 90% of climate change’s energy as new research reveals vast heating over past 150 yearsGlobal warming has heated the oceans by the equivalent of one atomic bomb explosion per second for the past 150 years, according to analysis of new research.More than 90% of the heat trapped by humanity’s greenhouse gas emissions has been absorbed by the seas, with just a few per cent heating the air, land and ice caps respectively. The vast amount of energy being added to the oceans drives sea-level rise and enables hurricanes and typhoons to become more intense. Continue reading...

First there was pizza rat, now the egg roll- and avocado-loving squirrels are the city’s latest social media starsName: New York squirrels.Also known as: The eastern gray squirrel. Continue reading...

Longer journeys may exhaust birds, say scientists tracking them off South American coastEvery year, thousands of Magellanic penguins get stranded along the coast of South America – but puzzlingly, about 75% of those that get stuck are female. Now scientists say they have worked out what is behind the gender imbalance: the females migrate further north than males.Magellanic penguins finish breeding in Patagonia in February, and during the subsequent winter months head north, reaching as far as Brazil, in search of anchovies. But every year thousands become stranded, with many airlifted to safety onboard military aircraft. Continue reading...

Scientists also looking at altering colour of kiwis and taste of strawberriesSpicy tomatoes could soon be on the menu thanks to the rise of genome-editing technology, say researchers.It is not the first time experts have claimed the techniques could help to precisely and rapidly develop fruits and vegetables with unusual traits: scientists have already been looking at changing the colour of kiwi fruits and tweaking the taste of strawberries. Continue reading...

UK forensic science regulator warns of shortcomings that could cause cases to collapseLess than 10% of police forces have met basic quality standards for fingerprint evidence, the government’s forensic science regulator has warned.All UK forces were ordered three years ago to ensure their laboratories met international standards for analysing prints found at crime scenes. But only three forces have complied, with almost every force missing a deadline set by the regulator to gain accreditation by November. Continue reading...

The organisers of a major Indian science conference said they were concerned by speakers citing religious texts and ideas at the eventThe organisers of a major Indian science conference distanced themselves on Sunday from speakers who used the prestigious event to dismiss Einstein’s discoveries and claim ancient Hindus invented stem cell research.The Indian Scientific Congress Association expressed “serious concern” as the unorthodox remarks aired by prominent academics at its annual conference attracted condemnation and ridicule. Continue reading...

Our only satellite and our nearest planet appear close together in the night sky this weekend but have little else in commonThis coming weekend, keep a look out for the Moon as it slides past the red planet Mars. The chart shows the view looking south at 18:00 GMT on 12 January. The view will be similar on the days either side of this. Mars is about twice the physical diameter of the Moon but appears so much smaller in the sky because it is so much further away. Whereas the Moon orbits the Earth, and on 12 January will be around 396 thousand kilometres away, Mars is in an orbit that carries it around the Sun. On 12 January, it will be 203 million kilometres away from Earth. In many ways, Mars is intermediate in character between Earth and the Moon. Whereas the Moon is airless and the Earth has a full atmosphere, Mars has a tenuous atmosphere. Whereas the Moon is arid and Earth boasts an abundance of water, Mars shows evidence that water once flowed there but no longer. During 2019, Mars will travel behind the Sun from our perspective. Having been visible since 2017, it will be lost from view in July and return to the dawn sky in October. Continue reading...

Noise which saw diplomats complaining of headaches and nausea could be song of Indies short-tailed cricketThe US embassy in Havana more than halved its staff in 2017 when diplomats complained of headaches, nausea and other ailments after hearing penetrating noises in their homes and nearby hotels.The mysterious wave of illness fuelled speculation that the staff had been targeted by an acoustic weapon. It was an explanation that appeared to gain weight when an audio recording of a persistent, high-pitched drone made by US personnel in Cuba was released to the Associated Press. Continue reading...

Changes will include a mental health overhaul and advances in diabetes careAs the government prepares to unveil its 10-year-plan for the NHS on Monday, here are some of the details we already know about. Continue reading...

Naturalist’s symptoms of diarrhoea, rashes, palpitations and flatulence could have been tick infection, say researchersHe travelled the world studying exotic creatures in dangerous lands, but the disease that marred Charles Darwin’s life may have been caught closer to home as he trudged around Britain collecting insects, shooting birds, and picking up stones, researchers say.The Victorian naturalist who gave the world the theory of evolution is a strong contender for the most famously ill scientist in history. His diaries, notebooks and letters brim with despair over ailments ranging from diarrhoea, rashes and heart palpitations, to vomiting, muscle pain and incessant flatulence. Continue reading...

Things to look out for in the night sky over the coming months, from meteor showers to supermoons21 January Continue reading...

Landing a spacecraft on the far side of the moon is a fine achievement – and propaganda winNasa rejected it as too difficult and costly an undertaking. Last week, China declared “mission accomplished” after landing a spacecraft, Chang’e-4, on the far side of the moon.It was a remarkable endeavour. As the far side of the moon never faces the Earth, mission control cannot communicate directly with the spacecraft, but only via an orbiting satellite. The terrain is more broken and cratered than the near side, so landing a craft is that much more difficult. Even Nasa was impressed: “a first for humanity and an impressive accomplishment!”, the administrator tweeted. Continue reading...

Intrigued by peer pressure or power plays? Our expert suggests novels and psychoanalysis that get a grip on group politicsQ: I am interested in the way people can become morally corrupted in group scenarios. Which books best show how and why this happens?

The story of one family’s struggle with drugs has become a Hollywood film – and is showing others they aren’t aloneNic was a lovely child, though of course I’m prejudiced. I’m his father. According to the external barometers we often use to measure how our kids are doing, as Nic grew up – in California where we live – he was doing great. He was a good student, had good friends and his teachers described him as a leader. Nic did have to endure the trauma of his mother and my divorce (he was four), but he seemed to weather it well. Most important in my mind, he was kind, loving and moral.I found a bag of marijuana in Nic’s backpack when he was 11. It’s not that I was naive about drugs – I knew about the ubiquity and temptation (when I was a teenager I used many) – but Nic was so young. It broke my heart. Continue reading...

Nasa’s first chief of astronomy who oversaw the early development of the Hubble space telescopeNancy Roman, who has died aged 93, was Nasa’s first chief of astronomy. She was the first woman to hold an executive position at America’s space agency and had direct oversight of the planning and early development of what became the Hubble space telescope. This led Nasa to call her “mother of Hubble”.Joining Nasa in 1959, just six months after the agency opened, Roman was in charge of developing a programme of astronomy from space. She travelled the US talking to astronomers in their various universities and listening to their ambitions. She also discussed with them the advantages of observing from space, where there was no atmosphere to blur the view and no daytime to halt the observatory’s work for half the day. Continue reading...

Clive Lewis’s ‘wafer-thin’ majority | A miniature Christmas Carol | Positive news, please | Hope, Derbyshire | Pennsylvania, Gloucestershire | Moon landingYour article on the Labour MP Clive Lewis (‘Switch to green lifestyles must start now’, 2 January) refers to his Norwich South majority prior to 2017 as “wafer-thin”. It was in fact 7,654 in 2015. I was canvassing as the Green party candidate in 2017 and found that the term “on a knife edge” was being used widely. The spin worked. The voters swallowed this myth that they had to vote Labour “to keep the Tories out”. Green and Liberal Democrat voters fell for the two-party story, instead of voting for the candidate they believed in, and Lewis’s majority doubled to 15,596.

US study finds some people needlessly avoid foods while others do not have life-saving medicationThe number of adults who think they have a food allergy is almost double the figure who actually have one, research has revealed.While the study was conducted in the US, experts say a similar situation is also seen in other countries, including the UK. The researchers found that many people with an allergy do not have a prescription for potentially life-saving medication, while others might be avoiding foods unnecessarily. Continue reading...

Imperial College scientists find DNA damage in sperm could be undetected causeMen should undergo tests when couples suffer repeated miscarriages, according to researchers who say the health of the man’s sperm may sometimes be a factor.The focus is usually on the woman’s body when multiple pregnancies fail, with tests usually looking for immune system problems or infection. But a small government-funded study by scientists at Imperial College London suggests miscarriage could also be a result of male issues, particularly if they are not routinely tested. Continue reading...

The rover from China's Chang'e 4 probe separated from its lander on Thursday evening after the probe touched down on the far side of the moon. It is the first spacecraft in the world to achieve a lunar soft landing