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...

Some fossils have never been identified. Mark Carnall takes a look at a selection of UFOs – unidentifiable fossil organismsPalaeontological research can yield an amazing amount of information about the lives of long-dead organisms, as specific as the last meal consumed, the colour of feathers or the precise depth at which a marine organism lived. However, there are some fossils that defy classification, whether because their remains are incomplete, they don’t bear a resemblance to any known form of life or they are just plain weird.There is a detailed vocabulary used to describe organisms which defy classification and a system of nomenclature to denote confidence limits on probable or speculative affinities, but they are generally grouped together as “problematica”. A handy grab-bag of misfits that have exasperated or eluded scientists, ready for future generations to have a go at. In museums, problematica specimens reside in drawers and cabinets equivalent to the ubiquitous drawer of odds and sods that most people have in the kitchen. You know the one. The one where chopsticks, elastic bands and watch batteries go. Continue reading...

Mother of healthy two-year-old unsure whether she was told of risks in sildenafil trialA woman who took part in a Dutch drug trial in which 11 babies died has spoken of going through a “whirlwind” of emotions before she signed up.Lana Huf-Germain, 38, was one of 183 pregnant women who took part in a programme to test whether the drug sildenafil, which is sold under the brand name Viagra, would spur the growth of unborn children in the womb. Continue reading...

Discovery could accelerate adoption of electric cars and solar energy, as well as helping to recharge your smartphone in minutesA newly identified group of materials could help recharge batteries faster, raising the possibility of smartphones that charge fully in minutes and accelerating the adoption of major clean technologies like electric cars and solar energy, say researchers.The speed at which a battery can be charged depends partly upon the rate at which positively charged particles, called lithium ions, can move towards a negatively charged electrode where they are then stored. A limiting factor in making “super” batteries that charge rapidly is the speed at which these lithium ions migrate, usually through ceramic materials. Continue reading...

Scientists have spotted a 12 mile-wide stretch of water underneath a slab of ice at the Martian south poleAstronomers have found compelling evidence that there is a huge reservoir of liquid water buried a mile under the ice near the south pole on Mars.Radar measurements taken from the European Space Agency’s Mars Express orbiter spotted the 12-mile-wide stretch of water at the base of a thick slab of polar ice in a region known as Planum Australe. Continue reading...

Scientists have discovered that people infected with toxoplasmosis are more go-getting. But that doesn’t mean we should all be trying to catch itName: Toxoplasma gondii.Location: All over the place. Continue reading...

Afghanistan war veterans helping out with archaeological dig on military grounds found scores of Saxon burials complete with weapons and jewelleryOn the last day of an excavation by soldiers within the military training lands on Salisbury Plain, they found a comrade in arms: the grave of a 6th century Saxon warrior, buried with his spear by his side and his sword in his arms.His bones and possessions, which included a handsome belt buckle, a knife and tweezers, were remarkably well preserved despite his grave lying under a military trackway on which tanks and massive military vehicles have been trundling across the plain. Pattern welded swords, high status objects, are rarely found intact: his was lifted in one piece, complete with traces of its wood and leather scabbard.

Landmark decision means gene-edited plants and animals will be regulated under the same rules as genetically modified organismsPlants and animals created by innovative gene-editing technology have been genetically modified and should be regulated as such, the EU’s top court has ruled.

Regulator wants stricter rules in place to stop multiple orders linked to same addressPeople with addiction problems are able to order hundreds of powerful opioid painkillers by taking advantage of a lack of proper checks with registered online pharmacies, the Guardian can reveal.A number of online pharmacies that are regulated and operating legally have no alert system in place to identify when someone makes multiple orders to the same address. Continue reading...

Jess Wade’s work to add women in science to Wikipedia demonstrates the importance of Stem role models for young peopleAs Dr Jess Wade, postdoctoral researcher in plastic electronics at Imperial College London, continues her mission of adding women in science to Wikipedia, she highlights a key problem with many “women into science” projects: a lack of evidence that they work. “There’s so much energy, enthusiasm and money going into all these initiatives to get girls into science. Absolutely none of them is evidence-based and none of them works. It’s so unscientific, that’s what really surprises me,” she says.You wouldn’t know it from marketing campaigns such as EDF Energy’s Pretty Curious competition or IBM’s #HackAHairDryer campaign, but there’s a solid body of research from which advocates can draw inspiration. We know that, for example, role models play a crucial part in developing girls’ and women’s interests. Studies by Girlguiding UK have shown that girls value role models and that a lack of role models puts them off careers such as engineering. And a psychologist, Penelope Lockwood, found that women needed female role models to illustrate that success was attainable. Continue reading...

The longest celestial event of its kind this century so far will be visible in most parts of the world on Friday and SaturdayThe longest lunar eclipse of the century (so far) will take place across Friday night and Saturday morning, as the moon is totally eclipsed by the Earth for one hour and 43 minutes. During this time, people around the world will be able to see a “blood moon”, as the Earth’s satellite turns red. Continue reading...

As the world’s first IVF baby turns 40, it’s time to make fertility treatment more widely available in the UK and abroadToday marks the 40th anniversary of the first IVF birth. Louise Brown, born in Oldham General Hospital in 1978, was heralded by the world’s press as a British medical marvel and a beacon of hope for people with fertility problems. Forty years later, IVF has unquestionably transformed the lives of millions of men and women, giving them the children they so deeply desired. But, despite its evident positives, IVF also hides a dirty secret: its benefits remain largely limited to those who can afford them.Related: Seven ways IVF changed the world – from Louise Brown to stem-cell research Continue reading...

What’s behind our tendency to go with the crowd, sensible thinking or emotion? And what are its dangers?No one likes to think of themselves as one of life’s sheep. And yet, Michelle Baddeley suggests, there are many circumstances where following the herd is the smart option, because it saves you the bother of decision-making from scratch. Say you’re after a new fridge freezer. Instead of exhaustively researching the topic, you could just buy the one that everyone in your street has got. Chances are that your neighbours have done all the grunt work of comparing thermostats and drip trays and you can simply benefit from their expertise. The time you save could be more usefully employed in learning Mandarin or cooking delicious midweek dinners.What’s being enacted here, she explains, is the sort of self-interested herding you see in nature. We’re not just talking obvious stuff, such as meerkats taking it in turns to do sentry duty or lionesses approaching their lunch like a well-drilled first XI. Baddeley digs deeper to report on some well-I-never moments in behavioural ecology. Take the quoll, a small Australian marsupial that until recently was under threat from the cane toad. It wasn’t that the toads were aggressive to them, rather they presented the fatal threat of being both toothsome and toxic. Continue reading...

Researchers urge people to use higher-SPF products to compensate for tendency to apply protection too thinlyThe typical way most of us apply sunscreen leaves our skin with less than half the expected protection from damaging ultraviolet rays, say scientists.New research has revealed that when sunscreen is applied in a typical way, it provides only 40% of the protection they might expect based on the sun protection factor (SPF). Most skin cancers are caused by DNA damage from UV radiation in sunlight. Continue reading...

On Friday 27 July the longest lunar eclipse of the century (so far) will take place. Also known as a blood moon, this occurs when the sun, Earth and moon align perfectly, putting the moon in the Earth's shadow. The moon will be totally eclipsed by the Earth for one hour and 43 minutes. The red colouring is a result of sunlight refracting through the Earth's atmosphere• Starwatch: red marvel that is a lunar eclipse

Researchers pause to gather information after 11 babies died in similar Dutch trialA Queensland study on reducing foetal distress during childbirth through the use of Viagra has been paused after the death of 11 babies in a clinical trial in the Netherlands using the same drug.Mater Research Institute professor Sailesh Kumar said the study at the Mater Mother’s hospital used a much lower dosage of Sildenafil, which is sold as Viagra and dilates blood vessels in the pelvis, compared to the Dutch study. Continue reading...

For a long time the world of wellness was obsessed with heat. But now, ​with the rise of​ cold yoga ​and cryochambers​, it’s cool to be ice cold​If you’re reading this, it’s probably because you’re hot. In which case, as concepts go, this one will be music to your ears. Or rather balm for your sunburn.The heatwave has created a need for cooling off that extends beyond a cold shower – and so the current trend for coldness in the world of wellness, beauty and exercise feels timely given that for years it’s been all about Bikram yoga, hot-cloth cleansing and saunas. But is this penchant for the cold more than a whim? Or is it simply the latest fad to be commodified by the wellness industry? Continue reading...

Metalworker would have plied his trade from small, half-buried circular stone structure, say archaeologistsThe grimy handprint of a sweaty metalworker and the smeared track of his dirty knees have been uncovered by archaeologists more than 1,000 years after the fires went out in his copper workshop on an island in Orkney.It would have been a hot, uncomfortable workspace: a small circular stone structure, half underground, in a substantial Pictish settlement on the island of Rousay. Archaeologists are racing against the tides, which are gradually eroding the surviving structures, to save as much evidence as possible. Continue reading...

Betty Boothroyd, former Speaker of the House of Commons, calls for more research funding for eye healthRe your article on age-related macular degeneration (G2, 16 July), this week the eye research charity Fight for Sight is launching a campaign to raise awareness of eye health and the desperate need for more research funding. This is an issue close to my heart. Many people of my age are starting to have difficulty with their sight and over 2 million people in the UK are affected by sight loss – a figure set to double by 2050. The answer lies in research. Breakthroughs have already led to pioneering treatments that have transformed people’s lives – for example, cataract surgery which today takes just 20 minutes and benefits hundreds of thousands of people every year. However, eye research remains woefully underfunded – a Fight for Sight review shows that just 1% of public grant funding went to this area last year. While investigations into stem cells and gene therapy offer hope for the future, there is much more work to be done. I hope others will join me this week in supporting Fight for Sight to achieve the next breakthrough, so we can build a future where everyone can see.

Study finds the species generally live under the same roof in harmony – although cats are far more antagonisticThere are times when living under the same roof can test even the most patient among us. When favourite chairs are already taken, and food mysteriously disappears, it is no wonder that tempers start to fray – and that’s just the pets.In a rare study, researchers set out to explore the relationships between cats and dogs that shared the same homes. They found that while cats might rightly feel the more nervous of the species, they appeared to have little trouble in asserting themselves. Continue reading...

Inoculation programme will be expanded to cover 12- and 13-year-old boys in EnglandBoys aged 12 and 13 in England are to be vaccinated against the cancer-causing human papilloma virus (HPV), the government has said.The decision, announced on Tuesday, comes after the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) recommended last week that the HPV vaccination, which protects girls against cervical cancer, should be extended to boys. It followed growing calls for the inoculation programme to be expanded. Continue reading...

‘Man in a hole’ story arc – a fall followed by a rise – found to be most commercially successfulA team of UK scientists believe they have found the formula for box office success.

Buprenorphine linked to an increase in side-effects including sedation and confusion, scientists findA painkiller commonly used by people living with dementia could make symptoms worse, according to researchers who found it was linked to an increase in problematic side-effects including sedation and confusion.The painkiller buprenorphine is an opioid that is available in several forms, including as a patch that delivers the drug through the skin. It is thought to result in fewer side-effects than morphine, with the added benefit that it can be given to people who have difficulty swallowing.

Research halted as 10 to 15 other participants wait to see if their children affectedThe death of 11 babies born to women who were given Viagra during a drug trial has led to the termination of the experiment – and an anxious wait for other mothers involved.

Researcher Jess Wade says efforts to attract girls into science are not evidence-based – and are not workingJess Wade is a scientist on a mission. She wants every woman who has achieved something impressive in science to get the prominence and recognition they deserve – starting with a Wikipedia entry.“I’ve done about 270 in the past year,” says Wade, a postdoctoral researcher in the field of plastic electronics at Imperial College London’s Blackett Laboratory. “I had a target for doing one a day, but sometimes I get too excited and do three.” Continue reading...

Archaeobotanist who was a distinguished researcher into ancient food plants and the history of agricultureWell before the beginnings of farming, people had developed an understanding of how to use the plant world that was detailed and sophisticated. That observation is far less surprising now than it was before the life’s work of Gordon Hillman, a distinguished researcher into ancient food plants, who has died aged 74.The early 1970s brought Gordon as a young postgraduate to the Turkish village of Aşvan, to join David French’s team of archaeologists who were charting patterns of village life that were soon to disappear. Not just the local customs and resources, but even the village of Aşvan itself was about to be engulfed by the Keban hydroelectric dam. Gordon brought to that project his novel approach to “archaeobotany”, the science of studying past crops and their management through recovered plant remains. Continue reading...

The M32 galaxy was shredded and consumed by our closest neighbour, Andromeda, scientists sayThe Milky Way once had a massive galactic sibling that was shredded and consumed by our closest neighbour, Andromeda, scientists have discovered.The dramatic sequence of events, dating back 2bn years, was reconstructed through a detailed survey of stars in the faint halo surrounding the Andromeda galaxy. Continue reading...

Moustachioed animals’ relationship with whistling thorn acacia trees resembles that of the Lorax with truffulas, researchers say“I am the Lorax, I speak for the trees,” says the eponymous hairy hero of Dr Seuss’s children’s book after he climbs out of the stump of a truffula tree. An irate orange figure with a bristling moustache, the Lorax is an environmental activist who wastes no time in berating the axe-wielding Once-ler, a shady money-grabbing interloper who lays waste to the environment to produce peculiar knitted outfits called thneeds.Now researchers say the book may have been inspired by the things Seuss saw on a trip to Kenya, and that the bristly character may have been based on the orange moustachioed patas monkeys indigenous to the area. Continue reading...

The Victorian railway icon will go on long-term display in York, reveals culture secretaryStephenson’s Rocket, the world-changing locomotive, which was built in Newcastle but has been in London for more than 150 years, is to go on long-term display in York.The news of its return to the north of England was announced on Monday by the culture secretary, Jeremy Wright, as he attended Theresa May’s cabinet awayday to Gateshead. Continue reading...

Since the big discovery of 2012, the Large Hadron Collider at CERN has been accumulating data and making steady progress. Two recent results establish the origins of the mass of the two heaviest quarksEvery atom has a nucleus at its centre, and the smallest constituents of that nucleus are quarks. Named by Murray Gell-Mann after James Joyce’s Finnegan’s Wake, nothing is smaller than a quark. In fact as far as we know, quarks are infinitely small.The idea of an infinitely small particle is difficult enough to grasp. It becomes even more so when we take into account that quarks have mass. Some of them have a lot of mass. The top quark (which, admittedly is not found very often inside a nucleus) has nearly as much mass as an atom of tungsten. On the tiny scales of particle physics, a tungsten atom is an enormous, sprawling thing. The bottom quark has a bit more mass than a helium atom, still pretty substantial by these standards. Continue reading...

Most of the world has a chance to see the moon change colour at the end of the weekA total lunar eclipse will be visible over most of Europe, Asia, Australia and South America on 27 July. Only North America misses the show this time.During a total lunar eclipse, the moon passes through the Earth’s shadow. Once totally immersed, it turns to a deep red colour. This glorious sight occurs because of the way sunlight bends (refracts) through the Earth’s atmosphere. Continue reading...

Spectacular blood moon will be visible from Friday night until next morningBritain will witness a spectacular and rare celestial spectacle this week. At dusk on Friday, the full moon will rise and reveal itself coloured a deep red. The nation will then experience a blood moon or, as astronomers term it, a total lunar eclipse.And this week promises to be a special one, for it will be the longest-lasting total lunar eclipse of the 21st century. After it rises in the south-east – at around 8.50pm in London – the moon’s eclipse will continue until early on Saturday. “Weather permitting, it should give Friday evening a special, exciting edge,” said Sheila Kanani of the Royal Astronomical Society. Continue reading...

Nasa’s new probe is designed to enter our star’s corona, investigating solar weather and answering the questions we have yet to askSome time during the early hours of 4 August, the Floridian night will be temporarily banished. One of the most powerful rockets in the world, a Delta IV Heavy, will ignite. Its fiery breath with bathe Cape Canaveral in light and thunder.Riding the rocket will be Parker Solar Probe (PSP), on one of the most audacious space missions that has ever been conceived. PSP will fly closer to the sun than any previous mission. It will dip into the sun’s atmosphere, where it will have to tolerate temperatures of around 1,400C (seven times hotter than a kitchen oven). Continue reading...

It was a dangerous time, but my lesbian parents paved the wayJeers of “Lara the Lezzie” accompanied me as I walked down the hallway. A girl at school had outed my family to the entire class. It wasn’t easy being the daughter of lesbians in the 1980s. Many of my friends’ parents had married right out of high school and started families shortly thereafter. LGBT families were just starting to become visible and my family was one of the first. This was before the first child was conceived through in vitro fertilisation in Manchester in 1978. Back then, children of LGBT parents were mostly the result of heterosexual unions, or occasional liaisons between lesbians and gay men with the intent of procreation.In my case, my father and mother divorced when I was still in nappies, for reasons that had nothing to do with my mother’s sexuality. She went back to college and became active in the feminist movement of the 1970s, and once she found her voice she couldn’t imagine going back to a subservient role with a husband. She calls herself a “political lesbian” because for her, dating women was as much about finding her own feminist strength as it was about anything else. When I was three, my mother fell in love with Pat, a woman who had known she was gay since she was 12, if not earlier. In terms of the “born gay” versus “become gay” argument, I have one parent in each camp. Continue reading...