Science | The Guardian

Thin dusting of water ice appears to form overnight in summit craters and evaporate after sunrise, scientists sayEarly morning frost has been spotted on some of the largest mountains in the solar system - the colossal Martian volcanoes that rise up to three times the height of Mount Everest near the planet's equator.In colder months the fine dusting of ice, thinner than a human hair, appears to form overnight in the volcanoes' summit craters, or calderas, and on sections of their rims and then to evaporate a few hours after sunrise. Continue reading...

Chinese scientists say further research on potential harm to reproduction from contamination is imperative'Microplastic pollution has been found in all human semen samples tested in a study, and researchers say further research on the potential harm to reproduction is imperative".Sperm counts in men have been falling for decades and 40% of low counts remain unexplained, although chemical pollution has been implicated by many studies. Continue reading...

Even if you think that's how markets work, it's hard to stomach the illegal trade it fosters and the resulting loss to science

A curious cup and some wacky wheels

This weekend offers an opportunity to watch stars that make up Virgo, the second largest constellation in night skyThe moon moves into a nice conjunction with the star Spica this weekend. The chart shows the view looking south-south-west from London on 16 June at 22.00 BST.On this evening, the moon will be almost 10 days old with about 75% of its visible surface illuminated. Since the ratio is greater than 50%, this puts it in a waxing gibbous moon heading for full in the next few days. Continue reading...

Experts say fluorescent dye, which spotlights tiny cancerous tissue invisible to naked eye, could reduce risk of cancer returningScientists have developed a glowing dye that sticks to cancer cells and gives surgeons a second pair of eyes" to remove them in real time and permanently eradicate the disease. Experts say the breakthrough could reduce the risk of cancer coming back and prevent debilitating side-effects.The fluorescent dye spotlights tiny cancerous tissue that cannot be seen by the naked eye, enabling surgeons to remove every last cancer cell while preserving healthy tissue. That could mean fewer life-changing side effects after surgery. Continue reading...

Scheme will enable siblings and children of those with fatal condition to know if they are likely to develop it themselvesRelatives of people with motor neurone disease are being offered genetic tests that will tell them if they are also likely to get the fatal neurological condition.Siblings and children of the approximately 5,000 people in Britain with MND will be able to access a test that will identify if they have any of the more than 40 genes associated with the disease. Continue reading...

The brain protects itself from pain by shutting down emotional responses. This can help us cope in the short term, but is problematic when it persists

We're 50 years apart and have never met, but my connection with Pauline is deeper than I could have imaginedAll best friends were strangers once. Why, then, does reaching out to someone you don't know, making platonic connections in the modern world, feel like such a bold, even brave thing to do?Let me tell you about my friend, Pauline. Like all good friends, we make a point of catching up at least once a week, talking for hours about everything and nothing at all. But Pauline and I, while always there for each other, are unlike more conventional companions because, as well as being born 50-odd years apart, and living several hundred miles from each other, we've never actually met. We're telephone friends. Continue reading...

American astronaut who took the celebrated 1968 Earthrise photograph during the Apollo 8 mission to orbit the moonIt may be that the most famous picture from the US space programme is not the shot of Neil Armstrong landing on the moon, but the image of Earth, seen rising above the moon's horizon, an image relayed from space on 24 December 1968 by the crew of Apollo 8 - Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders.It was Anders, who has died aged 90, who snapped the Earthrise" photograph, which was not part of the mission's scheduled protocol. And it was he who read first from the Book of Genesis during their live transmission from lunar orbit that Christmas Eve. Continue reading...

Nine years after his first trip to outer space, Tim Peake is ready to blast off once again. He talks about preparing for the first all-British space mission - and setting his sights on MarsThe astronaut Tim Peake is tracking his cab driver on his phone. The car that will deliver him from our meeting to his next appointment (on a day packed with radio commitments) is late and Peake is calculating the most time-efficient route for us to meander through Soho's traffic, on foot, to reach it. Peake is the seventh UK-born astronaut in space and the first Briton to spacewalk - an unfathomable feat for us, but not for him. Space, he agrees, casting a glance at a printout of the schedule he keeps in his jacket pocket, might be easier to navigate than rush hour on Earth.We have already been chatting for an hour, in a snug above his agent's office. He announced his retirement as a European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut in January 2023, but we're meeting in the wake of news that he is preparing for a return to orbit on the first ever all-British space mission. That mission is due to launch next year and Peake is expected to be announced as the flight's commander within the coming weeks. The radio interviews he's conducting today coincide with a deadline for British businesses to make a case for their science to be included onboard, to be tested in microgravity as a priority for the mission: a strident bid to showcase Britain's Stem capabilities on an outer-world stage. Continue reading...

Oxford University team say thousands of lives could be saved by technology that finds hidden data in CT scansAn artificial intelligence system that can identify people who are likely to suffer heart attacks up to 10 years in the future could soon be in operation across Britain.The technology, which could save thousands of lives a year, is being assessed by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) and a decision on its use in the NHSisexpected by the end of theyear. Continue reading...

Rather than stretching to infinity and beyond, the universe may have a topology that can eventually be mappedWe may be living in a doughnut. It sounds like Homer Simpson's fever dream, but that could be the shape of the entire universe - to be exact, a hyperdimensional doughnut that mathematicians call a 3-torus.This is just one of the many possibilities for the topology of the cosmos. We're trying to find the shape of space," says Yashar Akrami of the Institute for Theoretical Physics in Madrid, a member of an international partnership called Compact (Collaboration for Observations, Models and Predictions of Anomalies and Cosmic Topology). In May, the Compact team explained that the question of the shape of the universe remains wide open and surveyed the future prospects for pinning it down. Continue reading...

A male equivalent to the female birth control pill has not yet materialized, but a clinical trial shows encouraging resultsHumans have managed to put men on the moon, clone mammals and develop nuclear bombs powerful enough to end civilization in a matter of minutes. One advancement that has remained elusive, however? Male birth control. Continue reading...

Retired major general, 90, killed when his plane plunged into waters off Washington state's San Juan IslandsRetired Maj Gen William Anders, the former Apollo 8 astronaut who took the famous Earthrise photo showing the planet as a shadowed blue marble from space in 1968, was killed Friday when the plane he was piloting alone plummeted into the waters off the San Juan Islands in Washington state. He was 90.The family is devastated," said his son, retired air force Lt Col Greg Anders, who confirmed the death to the Associated Press. He was a great pilot and we will miss him terribly." Continue reading...

Exposure to toxic particles also led to $432bn in health expenses between 2008 and 2018More than 50,000 people have died prematurely in California over a decade due to exposure to toxic particles in wildfire smoke, according to a new study.Wildfires create smoke containing PM2.5, tiny particles roughly one-thirtieth of a human hair that can embed themselves deep in the lungs and enter the bloodstream. The particles have been linked to numerous health conditions and premature death. Previous research has found that the wildfire smoke is exposing millions of people in the US to the harmful pollutant. Continue reading...

Buronius manfredschmidi estimated to have weighed just 10kg and was about the size of a human toddlerThe smallest known great ape has been discovered in Germany, dating to 11m years ago.The tiny creature, far smaller than any other great ape on record, is estimated to have weighed 10kg (1st 8lbs), about the size of a human toddler. The species, called Buronius manfredschmidi, is an ancient hominid, part of the ancestral family that gave rise to modern humans, gorillas and chimpanzees. Continue reading...

World's largest cancer conference in Chicago shares impressive' findings in vaccines, drug trials and AIAt the 2024 American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, the world's largest cancer conference, doctors, scientists and researchers shared new findings on ways to tackle the disease.The event in Chicago, attended by about 44,000 health professionals, featured more than 200 sessions focused on this year's theme, The Art and Science of Cancer Care: From Comfort to Cure. Here is a roundup of the key studies. Continue reading...

Heat stress and increase in insect-borne diseases particularly acute in smaller states, warns secretary general Lady ScotlandClimate change is now the biggest concern facing health ministers in Commonwealth countries, the organisation's secretary general has warned.Patricia Scotland said it was a reality today" rather than a problem of the future, with impacts such as heat stress and increases in insect-borne diseases particularly acute in smaller states. Continue reading...

Successful maneuver means two US-built crewed spacecraft are anchored to ISS simultaneously for first timeBoeing's pioneering Starliner capsule and its two astronauts overcame a technical hiccup to finally dock with the international space station on Thursday, as Nasa continued to monitor two separate helium leaks that have concerned mission managers.A first attempt at the rendezvous was called off when engineers at the US space agency detected a problem with reaction control thrusters essential to the high-precision docking maneuver. Continue reading...

The hour-long test flight of the world's most powerful rocket was followed by a splashdown in the Indian OceanStarship, the mighty space rocket designed by Elon Musk's SpaceX company, recorded its first fully successful test flight on Thursday, splashing down in the Indian Ocean minus any fiery explosion that ended previous attempts.The demonstration mission from the Boca Chica launch complex in Texas sent Starship to almost 130 miles (210km) of altitude, at a speed above 16,000mph (25,700km/h), showcasing the capability of the world's most powerful rocket that Nasa is banking on to one day send humans to Mars. Continue reading...

Up to 90% lost in the blink of an eye', say scientists studying Cyclone Ilsa's effect on birds on Western Australian islandIncreased tropical cyclones due to global heating could lead to dramatic declines in seabird populations, according to a new study.Scientists found that after Cyclone Ilsa - a category-5 tropical cyclone - hit Bedout Island in Western Australia in April 2023, several seabird populations experienced a collapse of 80-90% due to the storm at the internationally important breeding site. Continue reading...

Scan could become routine procedure in memory clinics if findings confirmed in larger cohort, scientists sayA 10-minute brain scan could detect dementia several years before people develop noticeable symptoms, a study suggests.Scientists used a scan of resting" brain activity to identify whether people would go on to develop dementia, with an estimated 80% accuracy up to nine years before people received a diagnosis. If the findings were confirmed in a larger cohort, the scan could become a routine procedure in memory clinics, scientists said. Continue reading...

A court in the Philippines has banned the commercial growth of golden rice, a genetically modified rice which was created to help tackle vitamin A deficiency in developing countries. It's just the latest twist in a long and controversial journey for this rice. Ian Sample hears from the Observer science and environment editor, Robin McKie, and from Glenn Stone, a research professor of environmental science at Sweet Briar College in Virginia who is also an anthropologist who has studied golden rice, about why it has taken so long for this potentially life-saving technology to reach the fields, if it is the silver bullet so many had hoped for, and whether this ban is really the end of the story Continue reading...

Launch from Cape Canaveral carrying two Nasa astronauts comes seven years after capsule's original target dateTwo Nasa astronauts were on their way to the international space station on Wednesday after Boeing's pioneering Starliner capsule finally made its much delayed first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral.The visually stunning liftoff, against a mostly clear and blue Florida sky, came seven years beyond the spacecraft's original target date, five years after the failure of an uncrewed test flight, and following a more recent series of postponements for technical reasons that saw launch attempts aborted twice. Continue reading...

Two Nasa astronauts were on their way to the International Space Station after Boeing's pioneering Starliner capsule finally made its much-delayed first crewed flight from Cape Canaveral. The liftoff came seven years after the spacecraft's original target date, five years after the failure of an uncrewed test flight and following a more recent series of postponements for technical reasons that resulted launch attempts aborted twice. The veteran astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams reached orbit 12 minutes after the 10.52am ET launch. If the eight- to 10-day mission is successful, Starliner will give Nasa a second option for ferrying humans to low Earth orbit after SpaceX's Dragon capsule

Eric Yuan suggests technology is five or six years away and will free up time to spend with familyZoom users in the not-too-distant future could send AI avatars to attend meetings in their absence, the company's chief executive has suggested, delegating the drudge-work of corporate life to a system trained on their own content.Such a system would be five or six years" away, Eric Yuan told The Verge magazine, but he added that the company was working on nearer-term technologies that could bring it closer to reality. Continue reading...

Scientists used an algorithm to mine the entirety of the microbial diversity' on Earth, speeding up antibiotic resistance researchA new study used machine learning to predict potential new antibiotics in the global microbiome, which study authors say marks a significant advance in the use of artificial intelligence in antibiotic resistance research.The report, published Wednesday in the journal Cell, details the findings of scientists who used an algorithm to mine the entirety of the microbial diversity that we have on earth - or a huge representation of that - and find almost 1m new molecules encoded or hidden within all that microbial dark matter", said Cesar de la Fuente, an author of the study and professor at the University of Pennsylvania. De la Fuente directs the Machine Biology Group, which aims to use computers to accelerate discoveries in biology and medicine. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Massive' discovery raises possibility conditions for life were present almost from dawn of timeAstronomers have detected carbon in a galaxy observed just 350m years after the big bang, in observations that raise the possibility that the conditions for life were present almost from the dawn of time.The observations, made by the James Webb space telescope, suggest that vast amounts of carbon were released when the first generation of stars exploded in supernovae. Carbon is known to have seeded the first planets and is a building block for life as we know it, but was previously thought to have emerged much later in cosmic history. Continue reading...

Scientists pinpoint driver of IBD and other disorders with work under way to adapt existing drugs to treat patientsResearchers have discovered a major driver of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and several other immune disorders that affect the spine, liver and arteries, raising hopes for millions of people worldwide.The breakthrough is particularly exciting because the newly found biological pathway can be targeted by drugs that are already used, with work under way to adapt them to patients with IBD and other conditions. Continue reading...

Study participants born unable to hear could locate sound sources, recognise speech and dance to music after treatmentFive children who were born deaf now have hearing in both ears after taking part in an astounding" gene therapy trial that raises hopes for further treatments.The children were unable to hear because of inherited genetic mutations that disrupt the body's ability to make a protein needed to ensure auditory signals pass seamlessly from the ear to the brain. Continue reading...

Surprising' results in tests could change assumptions about female athletes' abilities during their period, says authorWomen make fewer mistakes and have better mental agility while on their period despite feeling worse than at any other time during their menstrual cycle, research suggests.The research, conducted by the UCL Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health (ISEH), found that women's reaction times, accuracy and attention to detail were heightened while menstruating, challenging current hypotheses regarding how women perform in sports during their period. Continue reading...

Before the pandemic, Lucy Keighley ran a gym, worked as a personal trainer and went on gruelling, exhilarating runs. But after three and a half years of illness, she isn't sure she will ever recoverI was incredibly strong and fit," says Lucy Keighley. And she looks it, in the photo she is showing me, taken a few years ago. She is with her best friend, Lorna; they have just completed a 15-mile race on the North York Moors. It was a brutal race," she says. But it was great. I was happy." Today, although it's quite dark in the room (she doesn't get on well with bright light), I can see a tear rolling down her cheek. I don't know if I'm ever going to get back there."Lucy, 49, still runs - across the moors and along the coast - but only in her sleep. I'm so light on my feet. I was never a light-footed runner in real life. But in my dreams I am so light, I can run so far, and it feels joyous." Continue reading...

Contrary to other recent research, study finds no evidence of decline - but conclusions disputed by other fertility expertsA row has broken out over falling sperm counts after a new study suggested fears of a spermageddon" may have been exaggerated.Recent research has suggested a global reproductive crisis could be in the offing, with researchers in Israel suggesting average sperm counts may have more than halved in the past 40 years. Continue reading...

Those with BMI of 35 and a comorbidity can now be prescribed tirzepatide and Nice says it is more effective than WegovyThe medical treatment regulator for England has approved a second drug to combat obesity, giving patients and doctors what it says is a more effective alternative to semaglutide.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) issued draft guidance on Tuesday recommending that very obese people should be prescribed tirzepatide, which is marketed in the UK as Mounjaro. Continue reading...

Trio hit upon the bone, which was likely entombed about 67m years ago, in July 2022 on a stretch of land around MarmarthTwo young brothers and their cousin say they were completely speechless" when they came across a Tyrannosaurus rex bone poking out of the ground while out for a jaunt in the North Dakota badlands.In July 2022, Liam and Jessin Fisher, then seven and 10, and cousin Kaiden Madsen, then nine, were hiking across a stretch of property owned by the US bureau of land management around Marmarth, a small town with a population of 101 - but also known as the dinosaur capital of North Dakota for its rich deposits of Triceratops and T rex fossils.The Associated Press and Reuters contributed reporting. Continue reading...

Experts believe injections such as Wegovy could play a big role in preventing and treating the diseaseWeight-loss drugs offer a new weapon in the global fight against cancer, with enormous potential" to prevent new cases and shrink tumours, doctors said as research showed the jabs can cut the risk of developing the disease by a fifth.Blockbuster injections such as Wegovy have revolutionised the treatment of obesity, and recently been approved for use in other areas of medicine, including reducing the risk of heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular-related deaths. Continue reading...

While the birds pick up stones and offer them as a gift to the object of their desire, people are displaying similar behaviour onlineName: Pebbling.Age: Gentoo penguins have been doing it pre-social media. Continue reading...

Uncrewed Chang'e-6 lander is carrying rock and soil samples in very important achievement' after lunar liftoffChina's uncrewed Chang'e-6 probe is on its way back to Earth carrying the first samples from the far side of the moon, in a major achievement for Beijing's space programme.The probe landed on the lunar surface on Sunday, within one of the oldest craters on the moon - the South Pole-Aitken (SPA) basin - then spent two days gathering rock and soil samples using its drill and robotic arm. Continue reading...

For a long time, western science and Indigenous knowledge have been seen as distinct ways of learning about the world. But as we plunge the planet deeper into environmental crises, it is becoming clear that it is time to pay attention to both. Bridging that gap has been the driving force behind the career of the botanist and author of Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer. She tells Madeleine Finlay what we can learn from the most ancient plants on Earth, why we need to cultivate gratitude for the natural world and what western science can learn from Indigenous knowledge Continue reading...

Vaccine approach will help improve survival rates for the next decades and more', says Cancer Research UK's chief clinicianThe world's first personalised mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma halves the risk of patients dying or the disease returning, according to trial results that doctors described as extremely impressive".Melanoma affects more than 150,000 people a year globally, according to 2020 figures from World Cancer Research Fund International. Continue reading...

Pembrolizumab triples chance of survival for the 10-15% of patients with the right genetic makeup, study findsA gamechanger" immunotherapy drug that melts away" tumours dramatically increases the chances of curing some bowel cancers and may even replace the need for surgery, doctors have said.Pembrolizumab targets and blocks a specific protein on the surface of immune cells that then seek out and destroy cancer cells. Continue reading...

Latest study shows Enhertu, rejected by Nice, can stall growth of tumours by a year, longer than standard chemotherapyThousands of women with advanced breast cancer in England and Wales are being denied a drug that cuts the risk of the disease spreading by more than a third.Enhertu has been rolled out to patients with HER2-low breast cancer in Scotland and Northern Ireland, but the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) has rejected it for patients in England. Women in Wales are also being denied the drug. Continue reading...

Are you in the habit of telling everyone how overstretched you are? A new study has found that it might make you less likable and less competent, while undermining your co-workersName: Stress bragging.Age: As a tactic, ancient; as a term, about three months old. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Michael Coulthart's claims emerge after New Brunswick closes its inquiry into disease affecting more than 200 peopleA leading federal scientist in Canada has alleged he was barred from investigating a mystery brain illness in the province of New Brunswick and said he fears more than 200 people affected by the condition are experiencing unexplained neurological decline.The allegations, made in leaked emails to a colleague seen by the Guardian, have emerged two years after the eastern province closed its investigation into a possible cluster" of cases. Continue reading...

I can see why scientists think two-way communication is a good idea. But some things are better left unsaidOne of my favourite theories about pet behaviour is that cats see their human owners as fellow cats - just very large, hairless, uncoordinated cats. It's why, or so the lore goes, our pet cats treat us like friendly felines, sometimes licking or rubbing against us.How do I know this titbit? Because at some point in the past few years, I joined the ranks of the pet-obsessed millennials. It crept up on me. One day I was idly thinking how nice it would be to get a kitten, the next I was staring into glistening jade eyes, feeling the vibrations of a purr through warm fur, thinking: Yes, this does seem a fair exchange for lifelong servitude." Now I participate regularly in the OTT pet-parent customs. I take too many photos, I bore people with tales of tails, and perhaps the most universal ritual of all: I Google every single thing my pet does to find out why. Continue reading...

Polka theatre, London

Composed of four of the brightest stars, the asterism is great for finding your way around the night skyBeyond the traditional constellations, asterisms can provide a useful alternative way to find your way around the night sky. This week we take a look at one that spans four northern spring constellations.The chart shows the view looking south-west from London at about 23.00 BST this week. Continue reading...

Spacecraft to collect samples from rarely explored area after landing heralded as enormous technical achievement'China has landed its uncrewed Chang'e-6 lunar probe on the far side of the moon, marking an important step in the country's 53-day mission to retrieve rock and soil samples from the dark" lunar hemisphere, in what would be a world first.The landing elevates China's space power status in a global rush to the moon, where countries including the US are hoping to exploit lunar minerals to sustain long-term astronaut missions and moon bases within the next decade. Continue reading...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhy do neanderthals have such a bad reputation? Carlo Moretti, VeronaSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading...