Official guidelines are based on morality, not evidence, so will never admit that there may be benefits to drug or alcohol use

Species are hard to define, as they don’t fit neatly into the categories that science wants to put them into. But increasingly, people are naming new species without enough evidence to suggest they are indeed a separate taxon. Graihagh Jackson investigates why so-called taxonomic vandalism is on the rise and what we can do about itSubscribe and review on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom and Mixcloud. Join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterScience has long tried to divide nature into discrete categories. But the natural world doesn’t fit neatly into glass cabinets - the distinction between species is often much more fluid and blurred. So much so, that debates between academics often break out when they are trying to decide whether a newly discovered creature is a de novo taxa or belongs to an existing species. This has been the case with the marbled crayfish – it’s closely related to slough crayfish but unlike their American counterparts, it can reproduce asexually. Some argue it’s a new species, others disagree and believe that there’s not enough evidence. Continue reading...

Study shows correlation between levels of exposure to fine particulate matter and chamber enlargement seen in early stages of heart failureAir pollution is linked to changes in the structure of the heart of the sort seen in early stages of heart failure, say researchers.The finding could help explain the increased number of deaths seen in areas with high levels of dirty air. For example, a report last year revealed that people in the UK are 64 times more likely to die from the effect of air pollution than people living in Sweden. Such premature deaths can be linked to a number of causes including respiratory problems, stroke and coronary artery disease. Continue reading...

RSPB found urban sparrow colonies waning at fastest rate where traffic-borne nitrogen dioxide was worstThe cheeky house sparrow is the archetypal city bird. You can find them around the world, but they are in serious decline in cities in Italy, Canada, India and the UK. London’s house sparrow population fell by 60% between 1994 and 2006.Scientists from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds fed London sparrows in 33 colonies and compared them with birds at 33 other places where no extra food was offered. More food meant more fledglings, but it did not improve their wintertime survival. Continue reading...

Tests show 5,000-year-old remains found at the world heritage site came from more than 100 miles away in west WalesThe bones of people buried at Stonehenge, who died and were cremated about 5,000 years ago, have given up their secrets: like the bluestones, which form part of the famous prehistoric monument, they came from west Wales, near the Preseli Hills where the stones were quarried.The remains of at least 10 of 25 individuals, whose brittle charred bones were buried at the monument, showed that they did not spend their lives on the Wessex chalk downland, but came from more than 100 miles away. Examination of the remains showed they were consistent with a region that includes west Wales, the most likely origin of at least some of these people.

We have never been more aware of the appalling events that occur around the world every day. But in the face of so much horror, is there a danger that we become numb to the headlines – and does it matter if we do? By Elisa GabbertIn April this year, a woman calling herself Apathetic Idealist wrote to an advice columnist at the New York Times, asking for help in overcoming a sense of political paralysis. This condition, which was keeping her from engaging in “real action”, began in November 2016, when Donald Trump won the US presidential election. “I continue to be outraged by this administration’s treatment of Latinos, Native Americans, Muslims, LGBT folks, women and so many others,” she wrote. “But I’m struggling to summon a response.”“I have no doubt that many people can relate to your letter. I can relate to it,” began the response from the columnist, Roxane Gay. “It is damn hard to expand the limits of our empathy when our emotional attention is already stretched too thin.” Continue reading...

US-based professor is only the second Australian to win the prestigious prizeThe Australian mathematician Akshay Venkatesh has won the Fields medal, the mathematics equivalent of the Nobel prize.He becomes only the second Australian to win the prestigious prize, after Terence Tao in 2006. It is only awarded every four years to up to four mathematicians who are under 40. Continue reading...

One quarter of the world’s population has latent tuberculosis - with 10.4m new cases and 1.7m deaths reported in 2016 aloneA new, shorter and safer drug regime for latent tuberculosis could help curb the global epidemic by increasing the numbers successfully treated and reducing the pool of infection, researchers believe.Two groundbreaking studies, one in adults and the other in children, have trialled a less toxic drug than the one in current use worldwide for latent TB and cut the treatment time from nine months to four. Continue reading...

The alcohol-based handrubs that hospitals use to prevent infection are becoming less effective, research has shownHospitals will need to use new strategies to tackle bacteria experts have warned, after finding a type of hospital superbug is becoming increasingly tolerant of alcohol – the key component of current disinfectant hand rubs.Handwashes based on alcohols such as isopropanol have become commonplace as a method of infection control. But while the move has been linked to benefits, including a fall in rates of hospital infections of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), new research suggests it might also have had unexpected consequences. Continue reading...

Caucher Birkar grew up on a farm near the Kurdish city of Marivan in Iran and spoke little English when he began his PhDA Kurdish man who came to Britain as a refugee after fleeing conflict two decades ago is one of four men who have been awarded the Fields medal, considered the equivalent of a Nobel prize for mathematics.

American physicist who won the Nobel prize for his groundbreaking particle discoveryOn the morning of 11 November 1974, members of the programme selection committee at the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center in California were assembling for one of their regular meetings. Sam Ting, from Brookhaven National Laboratory, New York, met Burton Richter, a leading experimenter at SLAC and said: “Burt, I have some interesting physics to tell you.” Richter responded immediately: “Sam, I have some interesting physics to tell you!”Neither realised they had discovered the same fundamental particle in two entirely different experiments, nearly 5,000km apart. Their breakthrough, which some regarded as the most important discovery in the history of particle physics, was so startling and far-reaching that Richter, who has died aged 87, and Ting shared the Nobel prize in 1976, making their award one of the most rapid in its history. Continue reading...

The blazing summer of 2018 has led to a shift in tone from some rightwing sceptics who can no longer deny the obviousIt’s not always easy to recognise a historical tipping point when you see one, but I believe I spotted one when I walked into my local newsagent last Wednesday and saw the front page of the Sun. Over a map of the world which was coloured bright scarlet, the splash headline screamed: “THE WORLD’S ON FIRE”.Britain’s biggest-selling daily newspaper was not mincing its words. The subheading on the left-hand side proclaimed “PLANET GRIPPED BY KILLER HEATWAVE”, while the right-hand one announced: “HUNDREDS DIE IN EUROPE AND JAPAN”. And if you were wondering what the cause of all this might be, the accompanying news report carried a quote – just the one – from Len Shaffrey, professor of climate science at Reading University, who said: “Global temperatures are increasing due to climate change. The global rise in temperatures means the probability that an extreme heatwave will occur is also increasing.” Continue reading...

Insects unable to transmit viruses halted disease in Australian city – now scientists hope same technique could help tackle Zika and malariaThe first large-scale deployment of mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria, which makes them unable to transmit viruses, has stopped all outbreaks of dengue fever in a city in northern Australia for the last four years.The success of the project in Townsville, Queensland, will encourage hopes that Wolbachia can provide a knockout blow against the Zika virus in Brazil as well, where the mosquitoes have been introduced into the favelas of Rio de Janeiro. Until now, the technology has looked promising but has only been tried in small pilot projects around the world of 1 to 1.5 square km. Continue reading...

Scientist claims it is likely that the illness that killed the novelist was contracted after he was wounded in the Spanish civil warScientific tests carried out on a letter sent by George Orwell shortly after his return from the Spanish civil war have suggested he may have caught the tuberculosis that killed him in a Spanish hospital.The letter, written after the author came home from fighting against Franco’s fascist uprising in July 1937, was sent by Orwell to Sergey Dinamov, the editor of the Soviet journal Foreign Literature. It was tested by Gleb Zilberstein, a scientist who has previously identified traces of kidney disease on the manuscript of Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita. Although it is well known that Orwell died from a haemorrhage caused by tuberculosis, it has not been clear where he caught it. Continue reading...

After six years exactly, Dean Burnett’s Brain Flapping blog is coming to an end. It’s been emotionalOn 31 July, 2012, the very first Brain Flapping post appeared on the Guardian website. Exactly six years to the day later, here’s the very last one.To confirm, the Guardian is shutting down the science blog network, which includes Brain Flapping. Nothing personal, just more fallout from the ever-challenging modern media environment. And let’s be honest, what began with the Guardian boldly introducing a regular blog that took a more light-hearted, amusing/surreal look at science has, over six years, resulted in over 15 million hits, abandoning of the day job, two book deals, countless TV and radio appearances, and major Hollywood endorsements. Ergo, it would be a bit rich for me to claim to be hard done by. Continue reading...

Dosing animals with antibodies from their own immune systems could prevent illness and reduce the need for antibioticsUsing animals’ own immune systems may provide a way to reduce the overuse of antibiotics in farming, replacing the drugs with cheap farm byproducts and cutting the growing risk of resistance to common medicines, new research has suggested.Natural antibodies, produced by the immune system without previous infection, in animals and humans, can protect the body against harmful bacteria. They are present in some usually unconsidered farm byproducts, such as the whey left over from milk production, and they could be administered to animals easily in feed. Continue reading...

Number of king penguins on the remote Île aux Cochons has fallen from 2m to 200,000, warn scientistsThe planet’s largest colony of king penguins has declined by nearly 90% in three decades, researchers have warned.The last time scientists set foot on France’s remote Île aux Cochons – roughly half way between the tip of Africa and Antarctica – the island was blanketed by 2m of the penguins, which stand about a metre tall. Continue reading...

Scientists say cannabidiol could extend patients’ lives by a matter of yearsA substance found in cannabis plants might boost treatments for patients with pancreatic cancer, research in mice has suggested.Cannabidiol, or CBD, is not psychoactive, meaning it does not produce feelings of being high in those who take it. It is extracted from hemp plants and is legal in the UK, although a CBD product must be licensed before it can be advertised as having health benefits. At present, there are no licensed CBD-only medicines in the UK, but it is being used in a number of clinical trials, including for treating psychosis. Continue reading...

The solutions to today’s puzzlesEarlier today I set you three Skyscrapers puzzles. You can read the explanation of the puzzle in that article, or print out the puzzles here.The solutions are below: Continue reading...

Galápagos finches have been the subject of a plethora of evolutionary studies, but where did the first ones come from?When the first of the Galápagos Islands arose from the ocean floor around 3m years ago, they were naked, angry, lava-spewing cones devoid of life. Now, millions of years later, they are alive with some of the world’s most iconic animals. Giant tortoises. Sea iguanas. Flightless cormorants. And those finches equipped with Swiss army knife beaks.The Galápagos finches are probably one of the most well-known examples of evolution and will forever be tightly linked to Charles Darwin’s voyage and his theory of natural selection (although you may be surprised to learn that the Galápagos finches were not as central to Darwin’s theory as we like to think). With their diversity of bill sizes and shapes, each species has adapted to a specific type of food; the ground-finch (Geospiza) has a thick beak adapted to feeding on a variety of crunchy seeds and arthropods, whereas the warbler finch (Certhidea olivacea) developed a slender, pointy bill to catch tasty insects hiding between the foliage. The woodpecker finch (Camarhynchus pallidus) even uses twigs or cactus spines to pry arthropods out of treeholes. Continue reading...

Attack the block!UPDATE: Solutions are available hereHi guzzlers,Skyscrapers is one of my favourite Japanese logic puzzles because it forces you to think three-dimensionally, and also because Tokyo is full of skyscrapers. Continue reading...

The brightest stars of three constellations form one of the northern hemisphere’s most familiar asterismsOne of the most obvious star patterns in the night sky at the moment is not a constellation at all. Instead, the Summer Triangle is made up of the three brightest stars from three constellations: Deneb from Cygnus, Altair from Aquila and Vega from Lyra. In the UK, British astronomer Patrick Moore popularised the term Summer Triangle in the latter half of the 20th century but its use dates back to at least 1913. Before that, the asterism was marked on 19th century star charts. All three stars give out blue-white light, indicating surface temperatures of roughly 2500-3500K hotter than the Sun’s 5800K. Whereas Altair and Vega are just a few times larger than the Sun, Deneb is fully 200 times the diameter of the Sun and pumping out around 200,000 times the Sun’s luminosity. Vega is interesting because it is surrounded by a disc of matter, which may indicate the formation of a planetary system. Continue reading...

My colleague Geoff Byham, who has died aged 71, will be remembered as the architect of advanced rotor aerodynamics at Westland Helicopters.In 1974, as Westland’s head of aerodynamics research, he led the development of new rotor aerodynamic solutions in partnership with the Royal Aircraft Establishment. This programme would later blossom under his leadership into the British Experimental Rotor Program (Berp), from which emerged a revolutionary helicopter blade. Continue reading...

Dig deep inside, battle self-doubt and become the person you know you can be. Richard Skinner on the healing powers of writing a novelWriting a novel is a scary prospect. They’re so long and winding, they can seem never-ending. The main obstacle might seem to be starting – the terror of the blank page – but the real stumbling block lies elsewhere. There is no reason in the world why you can’t write a novel and the only thing stopping you from doing so is yourself. It seems such an insurmountable task and, in any case, you might ask yourself, why would anyone be interested in what I have to say? Who am I to have a voice? It is this lack of self-belief that is the main hindrance. It is the first thing any aspiring author has to get to grips with every time they sit down to write.Writing is about claiming ownership of yourself in order to become the person you know you can be. It’s about acknowledging to yourself that writing is not just a hobby, but a profound force in your life, one that will help you to achieve a deep sense of self-expression. A novel is making your mark on the world. It is your cri de coeur. But bridging that gap will be a struggle. You will have to push yourself far outside your comfort zone. And you will have to be completely honest with yourself about why and what you want to write. The first question to ask yourself is: “What do I want to say?” Continue reading...

This absurd ruling restricts highly targeted plant breeding but allows random changes caused by carcinogenic chemicalsWe live on a planet where human numbers are expected to swell to more than 11 billion by the end of the century. At the same time, global warming is destined to alter our climate dramatically and, in many regions, erode our ability to feed the burgeoning population. Much will depend on our ability to use advanced scientific techniques, responsibly controlled, to produce the food we need while addressing environmental concerns.The Observer is the world's oldest Sunday newspaper, founded in 1791. It is published by Guardian News & Media and is editorially independent.

Targeted genetics will help a threatened species spurn a poisonous toad mealAustralia’s northern quoll, one of the world’s rarest carnivores, has developed a feeding habit that puts its very existence in peril. The squirrel-sized marsupial turns out to have a fondness for the poisonous flesh of invasive cane toads, introduced into Australia in the 1930s. And this appetite has wiped out vast numbers of the species across the country. As a result, the northern quoll is now considered to be nationally endangered.But scientists have launched a remarkable project aimed at saving the little nocturnal hunters. They have pinpointed an isolated group of quolls that have evolved an aversion to cane toads and, instead of munching meals of their venomous flesh, give cane toads a wide berth and seek other prey. Continue reading...

The lunar eclipse captivated stargazers across the world, generating countless photos and a decent dose of humour• The blood moon around the world – in pictures Amateur skywatchers and photographers from around the world – as well as the stargazing professionals – have sacrificed sleep to share spectacular images of the blood moon on social media.

From the ancient Minotaur myth to Stanley Kubrick’s The Shining … why are mazes so powerful and comforting in confusing times?I cannot navigate. My internal disorientation is mirrored by the world’s; perhaps it is even caused by it. We are surrounded by confusion. I am afraid of what will happen. Round every corner, down every false trail, there are monstrous dangers that threaten to consume us. Will we ever find a clear path to lead us through?I have never been able to find my way. If I once possessed a sense of direction, I have long surrendered it to the reassuring blue thread of the map on my smartphone. But I never had one, really. Turn me loose in a city without a map and panic rises, as if I were a child who had lost the grip of a parent’s hand in a crowd. Continue reading...

Those who looked skyward before sunrise were not left disappointed, as the sun, Earth and moon alignedAustralians who looked skyward before sunrise were not left disappointed, as the moon glowed blood red for the longest lunar eclipse of the 21st century.The total lunar eclipse, or “blood moon” began at 5.32am AEST on Saturday, lasting for one hour and 43 minutes, as the sun, Earth and moon aligned. Continue reading...

The world’s press photographers have fun taking pictures of the lunar eclipse

Tracking the eclipse from Australia, India, the Middle East, east Africa and Europe

Lunar observers foiled as thunderclouds obscure rare phenomenon for most of UK

Ageing motivates me to strive with ever greater enthusiasm and urgency to be better at the things that are important to meIt came as a surprise to me that the midlife crisis is something of a myth and the less time I’ve got left the happier I’ll apparently become.It’ll also be news to many 50-something people I know, some of whom, besides still supporting school and university-aged children at home, are also caring for ageing parents and all of the heartbreaking decisions that can entail. Continue reading...

Fresh delay to the James Webb Space Telescope, because of test results that need investigating, will bring the cost to $9.6bnThe ambitious James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has a new launch date: March 2021. It had been planned for lift off in October this year, but has suffered numerous delays since the project began in 1996.Back then, its budget was forecast at $500m and the launch date was set for 2007. But the technical requirements for the mission were so challenging that delays started to mount and costs started to spiral. Continue reading...

Rio 2.0 rates potential signs of extraterrestrial life from 0 to 10, with 10 equivalent to ‘an alien shaking your hand’When a team of Russian astronomers reported in 2015 that a telescope in the Caucasus region had intercepted a mysterious signal from a distant star, talk of extraterrestrials was not far behind. As some asked: was this proof aliens were trying to contact us?The answer came soon enough. Follow-up observations from other telescopes failed to confirm the signal and researchers came to the conclusion that the source of the signal was far closer to home. The chances are it came from a passing plane or a person on a citizens band radio, or was down to a glitch in the telescope’s electronics. Continue reading...

Archaeologists find corroded shells stored by powerful 18th-century ruler Tipu SultanMore than 1,000 rockets belonging to an 18th-century Muslim warrior king have been found by excavators in an abandoned well in southern India, according to authorities.Related: Tipu Sultan papers reveal wealth of spoils after India siege Continue reading...

Police and armed forces could be guaranteed uninterrupted access to satellite signal

Campaign group finds at least 44% of local authority areas in England affected by recent cuts to breastfeeding servicesNew mothers across England are being failed as a result of cuts to local breastfeeding support services, campaigners say.Breastfeeding is known to reduce the risk of infections and allergies as well as future obesity and diabetes for the baby, while benefits to mothers include a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancer.

Everything you need to know about Friday’s total lunar eclipse, from how to see it wherever you are in the world to why the moon turns redWeather permitting, get ready for a beautiful celestial sight on Friday 27 July and Saturday 28 July, when a total lunar eclipse will be visible from almost all parts of the world. The only people missing out this time are Greenland, Canada and the USA.From the UK, this spectacular sight will last all evening. As the moon rises at 8:50pm, the eclipse will already be in its total phase and the moon will be a deep-red colour as it climbs into the sky. Continue reading...

Strains circulating in Saskatchewan, where nearly 80% of infected are indigenous, may lead to faster development of related virusesMutated strains of HIV circulating in a Canadian province where HIV rates rank among the highest in North America could be leading to the more rapid development of Aids-related illnesses, according to new research.The research, published in the scientific journal Aids, was sparked by anecdotal reports from Saskatchewan, where HIV rates in 2016 exceeded the national average tenfold in some areas. Nearly 80% of those infected with HIV in the province are indigenous. Continue reading...

We’d like to see your images as parts of the world experience the longest lunar eclipse of the century

This week, the world’s first IVF baby turned 40. The procedure has come a long way since 1978, and more than 6 million IVF babies have now been born. But should we be concerned about the rising numbers of fertility treatments? And are we becoming less fertile? Hannah Devlin investigatesSubscribe and review on Acast, Apple Podcasts, Soundcloud, Audioboom and Mixcloud. Join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterThis week, the world’s first IVF baby turns 40. Louise Brown was born on 25 July 1978, weighing five pounds, 12 ounces. IVF has come a long way since then, and 6 million babies have been born thanks to the procedure. But should we be concerned with the rising numbers of fertility treatments? Continue reading...

Longest total lunar eclipse of century coincides with Mars being unusually close to EarthWhether you are scrambling to pack for a holiday or swigging an ale in your local beer garden, take a moment on Friday evening to look up. The longest “blood moon” this century will be closely tracked by Mars through the sky in a double celestial treat of a kind that will not be repeated for decades.The moon will rise from the horizon tinged a deep, rusty red as it is totally eclipsed by the Earth. About half an hour later, Mars will rise in the same place, sparkling brighter than usual because, in an astronomical coincidence, it is closer to us than at any time during the past 15 years. Continue reading...

Met offices issues heavy rain warning from Friday afternoon until midnight, with lunar eclipse starting at 8.49pmRain clouds and thunderstorms could prevent skygazers from seeing the “blood moon” lunar eclipse in some parts of the country as forecasters warn of torrential downpours across eastern parts of Great Britain.The Met Office issued a thunderstorm warning from Friday afternoon due to last until just before midnight. It has dampened the record heat predictions that had been tipped to challenge the UK’s all-time temperature record of 38.5C (101F), set in Kent in 2003 – may be beaten. Continue reading...

Relaxation of laws means doctors will be able to prescribe medicinal cannabisDoctors in the UK will be able to prescribe cannabis-derived medicine after the government announced a relaxation of laws governing access to the substance.Thousands of people with drug-resistant conditions will potentially be able to use cannabis-derived medicinal products for treatment after the home secretary, Sajid Javid, announced they should be placed in schedule 2 of the 2001 Misuse of Drugs Regulations, allowing clinicians to prescribe them by the autumn. Continue reading...

Adapting to hotter temperatures is sensible – but ignoring their causes is dangerousThe NHS is experiencing a “summer crisis”, with increased emergency admissions and uncomfortable conditions in buildings not equipped for the heat, while the Met Office has warned that the UK temperature record of 38.5C could be broken on Friday. Authorities in Greece are dealing with the aftermath of devastating wildfires that killed at least 85 people, while efforts to control blazes in Sweden and in California continue. In Japan, 23,000 people have been taken to hospital in the past week and the weather described by officials as a “disaster”. In Algeria, a new African record has been set of 51.3C.Weather systems are highly complex and scientists are cautious about assigning specific causes to one-off events. But experts are already pointing to global warming as a driver for the current heatwave, with a study based on computer models and temperature data due to be published by scientists at Oxford University on Friday. Meanwhile, a new report from the environmental audit committee points to the likelihood of more frequent heatwaves in future, and the UK government’s failure to prepare adequately for them. Continue reading...

Families of children with epilepsy welcome easing of rules but warn there is work to doCharlotte Caldwell, whose son Billy became the symbol of the campaign to make cannabis-based medicinal products available on prescription, has welcomed Sajid Javid’s climbdown on the issue because Billy will now be able to live “a normal life”.But while families that have been campaigning for children living with epilepsy to get access to medicinal cannabis have welcomed the news, they warned that there is still work to be done. Continue reading...

Chile’s Very Large Telescope tracks S2 star as it reaches mind-boggling speeds by supermassive black holeAstronomers have observed a star speeding close to the massive black hole at the centre of the Milky Way for the first time.The observations, made using the Very Large Telescope in Chile, tracked a star called S2 as it passed through the extreme gravitational field at the heart of our galaxy. Continue reading...

The potential for AI and other developments in health is huge, but the voices of doctors and patients must first be heardIt perhaps shouldn’t come as a surprise that Matt Hancock, the new health and social care secretary, made technology the theme of his first big speech in the new job. The former culture secretary is a renowned tech enthusiast and was the first MP to launch his own app.Hancock is right that technology has great potential to improve the quality of our healthcare – and save money into the bargain. But it won’t be a panacea, and it raises a number of issues our society must deal with now. Continue reading...