Science | The Guardian

Alarm over high mortality and miscarriage rates as mutated virus spreads in eastern Democratic Republic of the CongoA dangerous strain of mpox that is killing children and causing miscarriages in the Democratic Republic of the Congo is the most transmissible yet and could spread internationally, scientists have warned.The virus appears to be spreading from person to person via both sexual and non-sexual contact, in places ranging from brothels to schools. Continue reading...

UK researchers say study shows stopping use of the drugs is possible at scale without costly therapyAlmost half of long-term antidepressant users could stop taking the medication with GP support and access to internet or telephone helplines, a study suggests.Scientists said more than 40% of people involved in the research who were well and not at risk of relapse managed to come off the drugs with advice from their doctors. Continue reading...

Two-page letter written by physicist and fellow scientist, for sale at Christie's, urged US government to invest in researchA two-page letter written by Albert Einstein warning Franklin D Roosevelt - then the president of the US - that Nazi Germany might harness nuclear research to invent an atomic bomb is going up for sale at Christie's auctioneers in September with an estimate value of $4m.Einstein's letter - one of two the theoretical physicist drafted in a cabin on the north shore of New York's Long Island with a fellow scientist, Leo Szilard - warned that the German government was actively supporting nuclear research and could make extremely powerful bombs" like the kind that were eventually deployed by the US at the end of the second world war. Continue reading...

Money is emotional. Financial therapists can help make sense of these feelings, from budget plans to money scriptsNot many people seem to feel happy about their financial lives right now. In the US, 63% of Americans cited money as a significant stressor" in their lives, according to the American Psychological Association's 2023 Stress in America report. Among those aged 18 to 34, that number went up to 82%. In the UK, a November 2023 poll found that a third of adults had felt anxious in the past month because of their personal financial situation, and 9% reported feeling hopeless".cdxnmghThere are concrete reasons for this anxiety. In the US, high inflation has given consumers a grim outlook on the economy, and a cost of living crisis has seized the UK. Continue reading...

Study identifies 16,825 sites around the world where prioritising conservation would prevent extinction of thousands of unique speciesProtecting just 1.2% of the Earth's surface for nature would be enough to prevent the extinction of the world's most threatened species, according to a new study.Analysis published in the journal Frontiers in Science has found that the targeted expansion of protected areas on land would be enough to prevent the loss of thousands of the mammals, birds, amphibians and plants that are closest to disappearing. Continue reading...

Small increase in temperature of intruding water could lead to very big increase in loss of ice, scientists sayA newly identified tipping point for the loss of ice sheets in Antarctica and elsewhere could mean future sea level rise is significantly higher than current projections.A new study has examined how warming seawater intrudes between coastal ice sheets and the ground they rest on. The warm water melts cavities in the ice, allowing more water to flow in, expanding the cavities further in a feedback loop. This water then lubricates the collapse of ice into the ocean, pushing up sea levels. Continue reading...

On Tuesday, China's Chang'e-6 lunar mission achieved a milestone as its re-entry capsule successfully landed in Inner Mongolia, retrieving the first samples from the moon's far side. The capsule made its touchdown at 2.06 pm Beijing time, bringing back lunar soil that the probe had gathered earlier this month. The soil was collected from the South Pole-Aitken Basin, an impact crater that is 8 miles deep

Re-entry capsule containing precious cargo from mission has parachuted into Inner MongoliaChina has become the first country to gather samples from the far side of the moon and bring them back to Earth in a landmark achievement for the Beijing space programme.A re-entry capsule containing the precious cargo parachuted into a landing zone in the rural Siziwang Banner region of Inner Mongolia on Tuesday after being released into Earth's orbit by the uncrewed Chang'e-6 probe. Continue reading...

Artefacts including a roundhouse and a clay furnace - only the second ever found - have been discovered at Trelai ParkAt first sight, it does not feel like the sort of spot where you may happen upon extraordinary insights into the daily lives of the people who inhabited bronze age Britain.But in the corner of a sports field in Cardiff, archaeologists and volunteers are uncovering a trove of artefacts on the site of two roundhouses that give clues into how people lived and worked there 3,500 years ago. Continue reading...

Anyone who has had a urinary tract infection knows how agonising they can be. Some infections go away on their own, but many need antibiotics.Beneath the surface of this very common infection lie many mysteries, unanswered questions, and unnecessary suffering. And it gets to the heart of the challenge of tackling antimicrobial resistance.Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Jennifer Rohn, head of the centre for urological biology at University College London, about what we now understand about how UTIs take hold, and the complexity surrounding their treatmentFor more information about chronic UTI, visit the CUTIC website. Continue reading...

People who feel chronically lonely over long period of time at higher risk, finds first study of its kindLoneliness may increase the risk of stroke by as much as 56%, according to research that experts say explains why the issue poses a major health threat worldwide.The World Health Organization (WHO) has said loneliness is among the most significant global health concerns, affecting every facet of health, wellbeing and development. The US surgeon general has warned that its mortality effects are equivalent to smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Continue reading...

The answers to today's puzzlesEarlier today I set you three symmetry puzzles. Here they are again with solutions.The most entertaining way to solve these problems is to cut the pieces out of paper and do the rearranging by hand. However, a generous reader made an interactive version available here. Continue reading...

71% of patients found to experience a relapse compared with 43% who received the pills twice a weekSlow-release ketamine pills have been found to prevent relapse into depression, in a trial that could pave the way for a new treatment option for patients with severe illness.Ketamine is already used as a treatment for depression when conventional antidepressant drugs and therapy have failed. But ketamine is currently only administered intravenously, which requires supervision in a clinic, and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence ruled that a ketamine-like nasal spray should not be available on the NHS. Continue reading...

Oran Knowlson, who could suffer hundreds of seizures a day, had neurostimulator fitted at Great Ormond StreetA UK teenager with severe epilepsy has become the first person in the world to be fitted with a brain implant aimed at bringing seizures under control.Oran Knowlson's neurostimulator sits under the skull and sends electrical signals deep into the brain, reducing his daytime seizures by 80%. Continue reading...

An L-of a problemUPDATE: Read the answers hereToday's puzzles are of a piece. Two, three, and five pieces, to be exact.In each problem you are presented with a set of non-symmetrical shapes. The challenge is to rearrange them without overlaps so the combined shape has a line of symmetry. Continue reading...

Planet's yellow disc can be seen near the boundary of Pisces and Aquarius in two-day conjunctionThe moon heads for Saturn this week. The yellow disc of the sixth planet in the solar system can be found near the boundary of Pisces, the fish, and Aquarius, the water bearer, in the early hours of the morning.The chart shows the view looking south-east from London at 03.00 BST on 27 June. Continue reading...

We develop stories as short cuts to navigate our worlds and it requires focus and energy to re-evaluate them

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 is it easier for me to remember that I've forgotten something than to remember the thing I've forgotten? John Gray, YorkSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue reading...

Genetically speaking, we are more microbe than human and, whether on our skin or up our nose, they are essential to our health. Here are simple ways to keep yours thrivingWe feel a strange sense of responsibility, in these microbiome-aware times, towards the bacteria, yeasts, fungi, viruses and protozoa living in and on us. While we can't see our tiny brethren, research has revealed their fundamental role in keeping us healthy and happy. Genetically speaking, we are more microbe than human. Even if we only count the microbes that live on our skin, says Adam Friedman, a professor of dermatology at George Washington University's School of Medicine and Health Sciences, We have more bacterial genes than we do human genes. Together, we are a superorganism."It is nigh on catastrophic, then, that so many typical 21st-century western behaviours - poor diet, obsessing over hygiene, sedentary jobs - are bad for our microbes. But at least now that we know, we can act. We are nothing without our bugs, so here is how to nurture them. Continue reading...

Insects from the famous Royal Navy flagship are helping experts plot the genome of the notorious timber pestThe oak timbers of HMS Victory have played an unexpected role in ensuring a scientific research triumph for Great Britain. A deathwatch beetle - taken from an infected beam on Nelson's great warship - has been used to create the first fully sequenced genome of the species.The project, carried out by scientists at the Sanger Institute and Oxford University and by National Museum of the Royal Navy conservationists, has made a key breakthrough, say researchers. Continue reading...

Debris was from a pallet released from space station that did not burn up in atmospheric re-entryA family in Naples, Florida, whose home was struck by debris that fell to Earth from outer space and punched a hole in the roof is pursuing $80,000 from Nasa in compensation for damages.The law firm Cranfill Sumner said in a press release that it filed a claim on behalf of plaintiff Alejandro Otero and his family. Continue reading...

Study suggests exposure to chemicals manufactured to resist water and heat likely to affect health of offspringNew research has found for the first time that PFAS forever chemicals" accumulate in the testes, and the exposure probably affects children's health.The toxic chemicals can damage sperm during a sensitive developmental period, potentially leading to liver disease and higher cholesterol, especially in male offspring, the paper, which looked at the chemicals in mice, noted. Continue reading...

Scientists hope wealth of prehistoric material in Wogan Cavern in Wales is well preserved enough to reveal what really happened to our most ancient ancestorsPembroke Castle has been a seat of power for centuries. It was the birthplace of Henry Tudor, father of Henry VIII, and is one of the country's best preserved medieval strongholds, containing amaze of passages, tunnels and stairways, as well as a vast gatehouse tower. Scientists have discovered that the fortress has also been concealing a startling secret. A cave, known as Wogan Cavern, which lies directly underneath Pembroke Castle, has been found to contain a treasure trove of prehistoric material, including ancient bones and stone tools left behind by early Homo sapiens and possibly by Neanderthals.These remains will provide key information about the settling of Britain in prehistoric times, say scientists, who last week began their first major excavation of the year at Wogan. Work on the site over coming years should provide answers to major puzzles about prehistoric Britain, including the end of the Neanderthals' occupation about 40,000 years ago. Continue reading...

Research raises possibility that tirzepatide could become first pharmaceutical treatment for the sleeping disorderA drug used for type 2 diabetes and weight loss could reduce the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) in people with obesity, research suggests, raising the possibility of the first pharmaceutical treatment for the condition.Tirzepatide, which is made by Eli Lilly and Company, together with other medications such as Wegovy from Novo Nordisk, are part of a new wave of medications sometimes referred to as skinny jabs" because they can result in dramatic weight loss. Continue reading...

Researchers challenge long-held idea that islanders chopped down palm trees at an unsustainable rateEaster Island has long been put forward as a prime example of humans undermining their own survival by destroying the environment they rely on. But now fresh data is turning the narrative on its head.Also known as Rapa Nui, the remote island in Polynesia is well known for its huge stone statues called moai" and for the idea that its growing population collapsed because of ecocide". Continue reading...

Some neurodivergent people do not experience smells in the same way as the neurotypical, writes an anonymous step-parentThe response to the parent concerned that her daughter has zero sense of personal hygiene" did not include the possibility that the daughter may not possess the same sensory experiences as the mother (My daughter rarely bathes and her room is smelly, but says she doesn't care, 14 June). The situation chimed with my own, in relation to my stepson's lack of awareness of hygiene and odours.Some neurodivergent individuals do not experience sensory input the same way as the neurotypical, and my stepson would simply not register what we might experience as overwhelming smells or a disgusting" messy room. I am not insisting that the daughter in this case is neurodivergent; I just wanted to raise the idea that we do not all experience sensory information in the same way, and open up the chance for communication aboutthese differences.

For people in north Queensland, a bright green caterpillar's sting feels like the seven rings of hell'. But scientists in Brisbane hope its toxin can be used to heal, not harmThe devil arrived at Andrew Walker's laboratory in a cardboard box. Its fluorescent green body, covered in a thicket of menacing spikes, was adorned at both ends with a pair of black horns.For residents of north-east Queensland, this devil - scientific name Comana monomorpha - is known as the electric caterpillar. Its sting, typically received while tending to lilly-pillies in the garden, is exceptionally painful. Continue reading...

Scientists call for regulation to stop regional use of marine cloud brightening having negative impact elsewhereA geoengineering technique designed to reduce high temperatures in California could inadvertently intensify heatwaves in Europe, according to a study that models the unintended consequences of regional tinkering with a changing climate.The paper shows that targeted interventions to lower temperature in one area for one season might bring temporary benefits to some populations, but this has to be set against potentially negative side-effects in other parts of the world and shifting degrees of effectiveness over time. Continue reading...

Study finds same-sex sexual behaviour in primates and other mammals widely observed but seldom publishedGeorge Murray Levick, an explorer with the Scott Antarctic expedition, spent the summer of 1911-12 taking detailed notes on the breeding cycle of Adelie penguins. Male penguins, he was surprised to discover, frequently had sex with other males, but this fact was deemed too shocking for inclusion in the official expedition report and it was another 50 years before it was noted in the scientific literature.Today, same-sex sexual behaviours have been reported in a wide variety of species, but a new analysis suggests a gulf remains between how often it happens and how often we hear about it. A survey of animal scientists found they widely observe, yet seldom publish about, same-sex sexual behaviour in primates and other mammals. Continue reading...

Lokiceratops, named after Norse god Loki, is possibly fifth species of Ceratops and roamed Earth nearly 78m years agoScientists may have dug up a new dinosaur species in the badlands of Montana.The Lokiceratops is possibly the fifth species of a large, horned family of dinosaurs found in the Kennedy Coulee, a dry gorge of fossil-bearing rocks along the border of Montana and Alberta, Canada. Continue reading...

We've stopped believing they're messages from the gods. So what are dreams - and what purpose do they serve? Here's what the science saysWhen my husband brought me a cup of tea in bed the other morning, I could barely muster a thank you". I was furious that he'd spent the night blatantly cavorting with another woman (a friend of ours, no less).Never mind that it only happened in a dream. The emotions - betrayal, outrage, rejection - felt real. My next words - I had a dream last night" - echoed what Oscar Wilde is said to have deemed the most frightening sentence in the English language. Continue reading...

Plans to show The Last Screenwriter, whose script is credited to ChatGPT 4.0', prompted complaints although the film-makers insist the feature is a contribution to the cause'A cinema in London has cancelled the world premiere of a film with a script generated by AI after a backlash.The Prince Charles cinema, located in London's West End and which traditionally screens cult and art films, was due to host a showing of a new production called The Last Screenwriter on Sunday. However the cinema announced on social media that the screening would not go ahead. Continue reading...

Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a glimpse of a black hole awakening, to a new blood test that can detect Parkinson's seven years before symptoms appear, and a study exploring how some people manage to avoid Covid infectionFollow Hannah Devlin's reporting here Continue reading...

Australian research finds people who walked three to five times weekly stayed pain-free almost twice as longWalking three times a week to ease back pain almost halves the risk of its recurrence, according to the first study of its kind.About 800 million people worldwide have low back pain, and seven in 10 who recover experience flare-ups within a year. Continue reading...

Subjects who kept virus at bay showed rapid response in nasal immune cells and more activity in early-alert geneScientists have discovered differences in the immune response that could explain why some people seem to reliably escape Covid infection.The study, in which healthy adults were intentionally given a small nasal dose of Covid virus, suggested that specialised immune cells in the nose could see off the virus at the earliest stage before full infection takes hold. Those who did not succumb to infection also had high levels of activity in a gene that is thought to help flag the presence of viruses to the immune system. Continue reading...

Natacha Gray had an active life, diving, climbing and playing music, before illness left her so tired she would collapse on the way to the couch. She discusses two and a half devastating years - and how she stays optimisticNatacha Gray is singing the song she has written about living with long Covid. It's a lovely, haunting song and she sings it beautifully. It begins:There's a piano in my home

Year of heavy weights resistance training around retirement age has long-lasting benefits, research suggestsLifting heavy weights three times a week around the age of retirement could dramatically preserve your leg strength long into the later stages of life, research suggests.People naturally lose muscle function as they get older, and experts say faltering leg strength is a strong predictor of death in elderly people. Continue reading...

Readers respond to an article describing one child's experience with the virus and how it has affected him and his familyWe were interested to read about life with long Covid and our hearts go out to the children described, and all the sufferers of this condition (Childhood, interrupted: 12-year-old Toby's life with long Covid, 12 June). However, doctors are still debating the causes of long Covid. We are concerned about the science behind the microclots" hypothesis as a cause of long Covid and have examined it academically.The evidence base for microclots" causing long Covid is tenuous to say the least: the research shows these particles are found in normal individuals and other conditions. This makes it unlikely that they are the cause of long Covid. Indeed, the particles are not actually clots; they are small particles of a protein called amyloid, which are not involved in blood clotting. Continue reading...

Huge audiences and even larger livestreams are putting a whole new type of pressure on dancers. Yasmine Naghdi, principal of the Royal Ballet, tells us how Britt Tajet-Foxell fixed more than just her fouettesEarlier this year, Yasmine Naghdi was struggling in the rehearsal studio. Naghdi is one of the Royal Ballet's leading dancers and her performance of Swan Lake would be livestreamed into cinemas around the world. But although known for her crystalline technique, she became almost too anxious to nail her solo.Naghdi seems enviably poised today: back straight, eyes shining beneath strongly etched brows. But the impending show literally threw her off balance, she explains. Performing Swan Lake to 3,000 people [in the Royal Opera House] is stressful in itself but this would be filmed and streamed live to cinemas globally, with the prospect of being on stream thereafter - that's the version of me that remains out there. So everything has to be perfect. That's a huge amount of pressure." Continue reading...

Scientists say new early diagnosis method could improve research into treatments that slow or prevent the diseaseA blood test that draws on artificial intelligence can predict who will develop Parkinson's disease up to seven years before symptoms arise, researchers say.The test is designed to work on equipment already found in many NHS laboratories and, if validated in a broad population of people, could be made available to the health service within two years. Continue reading...

Lessons from Ebola and Covid were not learned, say Helen Clark and Ellen Johnson Sirleaf as they launch report calling for urgent actionWorld leaders are gambling with their children's and grandchildren's health and wellbeing" by failing to prepare for a future pandemic, a new report warns.Amid surging cases of H5N1 bird flu in mammals, and an mpox outbreak in central Africa, two senior stateswomen have said the lack of preparation had left the world vulnerable to devastation". Continue reading...

Reddish-brown liquid found in untouched 2,000-year-old Roman tomb is a local, sherry-like wineThe oldest wine ever to have been discovered in its original liquid form is reddish-brown and, quite conceivably, full-bodied. Reddish-brown because of the chemical reactions that have taken place in the 2,000 years since the white wine was poured into a funeral urn in southern Spain - and potentially full-bodied because the urn also contained, among other things, the cremated bones of a Roman man.Analysis by experts at the University of Cordoba has established that the ancient tawny liquid inside the urn - which was found in a rare, untouched Roman tomb that was accidentally discovered in the Andalucian town of Carmona five years ago - is a local, sherry-like wine. Continue reading...

Mysterious brightening of distant galaxy believed to be caused by material falling into huge black holeThe mysterious brightening of a galaxy far, far away has been traced to the heart of the star system and the sudden awakening of a giant black hole 1m times more massive than the sun.Decades of observations found nothing remarkable about the distant galaxy in the constellation of Virgo, but that changed at the end of 2019 when astronomers noticed a dramatic surge in its luminosity that persists to this day. Continue reading...

The story behind the explosion of the Nasa space shuttle in 1986 is a gripping, damning catalogue of underfunding, labyrinthine bureaucracy and fatal corner-cuttingIn 1986, two catastrophic events occurred on either side of the cold war divide that shocked the world. On 28 January, 73 seconds after takeoff, the US space shuttle Challenger broke apart in mid-air, killing all seven astronauts on board and traumatising millions of viewers watching live on TV. Three months later, on 26 April, a meltdown at Chornobyl sent a radioactive cloud across the USSR and Europe. Two workers died immediately and the estimated death toll over time ranges from hundreds to tens of thousands. It's widely believed to have contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.In his 2019 book Midnight in Chernobyl, the British writer Adam Higginbotham reconstructed the latter event in forensic detail, building up to the meltdown and tracking its aftermath with the skill of a great thriller writer. It's one of the most queasily compelling books I've ever read, and the scenes in which ill-equipped workers venture into the stricken reactor in the hope of containing the fallout are permanently seared into my memory. Continue reading...

Last week more than 400 scientists signed an open letter to political parties urging ambitious action on the environment to prevent making Britain and the world more dangerous and insecure'.Now that the main parties' manifestos have all been released, Ian Sample is joined by the global environment editor, Jon Watts, and the biodiversity reporter, Phoebe Weston, to find out what the manifestos have to say about nature and climate, and whether anyone is promising the level of action scientists are asking forFind more analysis of how the UK parties rate on their environmental manifesto pledges Continue reading...

The science of epigenetics suggests we can pass on trauma - but trust and compassion tooSince the sequencing of the human genome in 2003, genetics has become one of the key frameworks for how we all think about ourselves. From fretting about our health to debating how schools can accommodate non-neurotypical pupils, we reach for the idea that genes deliver answers to intimate questions about people's outcomes and identities.Recent research backs this up, showing that complex traits such as temperament, longevity, resilience to mental ill-health and even ideological leanings are all, to some extent, hardwired". Environment matters too for these qualities, of course. Our education and life experiences interact with genetic factors to create a fantastically complex matrix of influence. Continue reading...

Longer days make it easier to see these natural phenomena, which can appear about 30 minutes after sunset in the westIt is the week of the summer solstice in the northern hemisphere. The longest day of the northern year falls on 20 June and by astronomical traditions, this marks the beginning of summer.In the southern hemisphere, this is the winter solstice, marked by the longest night. Continue reading...

Significant rise in number of people taking lessons amid surge in interest in language declared extinct a decade agoThe ancient Cornish language has been declared dehwelans dhyworth an marow - back from the dead - amid a surge in popularity thanks to Covid-19 and a critically acclaimed psych-pop star.There has been a significant rise in the number of people learning Cornish since the pandemic lockdown forced classes online, according to the volunteer network An Rosweyth. Continue reading...

Breakthrough could pave way for formula milk that more closely replicates health benefits of breastfeedingScientists have genetically engineered a close relative of the tobacco plant to pump out nutrients found in human breast milk.The technology could pave the way for infant formula milk that more closely replicates health benefits of breastfeeding, according to the team behind the work. The study demonstrated that the genetically modified Nicotiana benthamiana could produce complex sugars called human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) that boost healthy gut bacteria and have benefits for the infant immune system. 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 is it easier for me to remember that I've forgotten something than to remember the thing I've forgotten? John Gray, YorkPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...