Niraparib, which can buy months of time before relapse after chemotherapy, is yet to be assessed for free availability on NHSA pill treatment that holds back ovarian cancer and has the potential to prolong life has been launched in the UK.Trial results have shown that niraparib, taken once daily, can buy months of time before the disease returns after chemotherapy. Continue reading...

The highs and lows of a year in which prevailing westerly winds brought unsettled weather to the north and west, and prolonged dry spells to the south-eastThe most notable feature of 2017 was the prevalence of westerly winds across the UK. This was probably a factor in making it a year of below average sunshine. It was certainly a factor in giving some very unsettled weather in the north and west at times while the dry anomaly that started in south-eastern Britain in 2016 continued, with only brief interruptions. As in most recent years, temperatures were above average and Central England enjoyed the warmest spring in over 350 years of records. Although the cold snap and snow of early December aroused much interest, it was not exceptional. The most unusual weather event was probably the oddly coloured skies following the passage of Storm Ophelia across the country on 16 October, 30 years to the day after the Great Storm of 1987. The colours were caused by a combination of smoke from forest fires in Iberia and Saharan dust. Continue reading...

Scientists have sequenced the DNA of the Tasmanian tiger, which died out in the 1930s, bringing them closer to recreating the animal – and there are plans to do the same with the woolly mammoth. But is it ethical to do so?

Scientist and inventor best known for presenting BBC2’s The Great Egg RaceHeinz Wolff, who has died aged 89, was one of a long line of distinguished British scientists who became even more distinguished television presenters and apostles of science. With his trademark bow tie, quizzical look, characteristic pronunciation patterns and appetite for invention, he hosted a pioneering TV programme called The Great Egg Race from 1979 to 1986 and almost certainly inspired thousands of young viewers to take up careers in engineering or research.His looks and manners helped fit him neatly into the populist category of “eccentric egghead”, and in many ways he cheerfully exploited the image. But he remained to the end a serious, committed scientist and spokesman for science. Continue reading...

Do you vote the same way and have similar personalities? Ben Ambridge reveals whether these things matter in a relationshipDo opposites attract? The old cliché says they do. But is it true, or do we prefer partners who are similar to ourselves? And if so, similar in what way? To find out, take the quiz below and if possible ask your partner to as well.On a scale of 1 to 7, to what extent are you:

The people of the UK deserve the best health service in the world and with the clinical talent and scientific innovations at our disposal, we can achieve itNext year the NHS will be 70 years old. For seven decades it has been there for us at times of most basic human need, offering care and compassion. The NHS has been a vital friend to millions: it belongs to the people, and is cherished by the public. I want to see it not just survive but thrive: the NHS deserves a secure future that gives us confidence that it will celebrate its centenary in a little more than 30 years from now.All political parties declare their affections for the NHS and promise to protect it. There is a strong cross-party consensus on retaining a health service that is based on need, not ability to pay. Yet there are enormous questions on how the NHS is funded and how the system functions. In the autumn budget 2017, Philip Hammond, the chancellor, rightly put more money into the NHS, but the service has still endured the most austere decade in its history while funding for social care has declined almost every year since the start of the decade. Simply demanding more for less or promising more money without a plan for better care isn’t good enough. The re-emergence of rationing of care, waiting times that are on the rise, and deteriorating financial performance means that change is becoming urgent as well as important. Continue reading...

We need more than ever to celebrate advances in medical science – though they may take years to emergeThere has been a surprising outbreak of the use of the c-word among medical researchers over the past few days. Normally cautious in their language, they have nevertheless been wielding the term “cure” when discussing the long-term potential of two separate treatments for inherited ailments that were announced last week. Such enthusiasm is striking.In one case, scientists based at St Bartholomew’s, London – who have been working on the inherited bleeding disorder haemophilia A – outlined how they had used a virus to carry the gene for the blood-clotting chemical, factor VIII (which patients lack) to their livers. Production of the missing chemical was restored and their bleeding halted. The development, according to the World Federation of Hemophilia, now points “the way to a cure” for the condition, which affects around 400,000 people worldwide. Continue reading...

Emeritus professor at Brunel University was best known to the public for presenting long-running BBC2 seriesHeinz Wolff, the scientist who presented BBC2’s long-running show The Great Egg Race, has died aged 89.The German-born inventor and social reformer suffered heart failure on Friday, his family said in a statement released through Brunel University London.

The biggest and most exciting news this week is, of course, that remarkable success in a drug trial for Huntington’s disease means we may be at a turning point in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. However, the stories that have most captured reader imagination are, naturally, the ones to do with the discovery of the first solar system with as many planets as our own, scanning ‘Oumuamua for signs that it might be an alien spacecraft and another story about weird monkey-deer sex (following on from January’s monkey-deer sex revelation). Add to that an enormous ancient penguin, Dracula, the bloodsucking tick which feasted on dinosaurs 99m years ago, found by fossil-hunters amongst the remains of a feathered dinosaur nest and the grim news that the risk of a fatal motorcycle crash is higher under a full moon and frankly you’ve probably got enough to keep your brain busy until the new year. Continue reading...

Success in trials for Huntington’s and Spinal Muscular Atrophy raises hopes that diseases such as Alzheimer’s and ALS could be tackled using a new class of drugsThey are diseases that threaten more than physical health: memories, personality, and the ability to move and speak are incrementally stolen. And until this year neurodegenerative diseases, from Alzheimer’s to ALS, had been entirely unstoppable.However, a breakthrough in Huntington’s disease this week suggests this bleak picture could be about to change. The landmark trial was the first to show that the genetic defect that causes Huntington’s could be corrected, raising hopes that the drug will become the first to slow the progress of the disease – or even stop it. Continue reading...

The rare oriental blue clearwing, that disguises itself as a bee, was spotted in the Malaysian rainforestA moth that disguises itself as a bee and was previously only identified by a single damaged specimen collected in 1887 has been rediscovered in the Malaysian rainforest by a lepidopterist from Poland.The oriental blue clearwing (Heterosphecia tawonoides) was seen “mud-puddling” – collecting salts and minerals from damp areas with its tongue-like proboscis – on the banks of a river in Malaysia’s lowland rainforest, one of the most wildlife-rich – and threatened – regions on Earth. Continue reading...

I’m sure you don’t feel like a jerk. Nobody does. Few of us like to believe anything negative about ourselvesDo you think it’s possible you might be a jerk? It’s a rude question, I know, but not a totally absurd one. After all, we’re surrounded by jerks – if you don’t believe me, glance at the headlines, drive home during rush hour, or check Twitter – so, statistically, it’s entirely plausible that one of them is you. I’m sure you don’t feel like a jerk, of course. But nobody does. Partly that’s because few of us like to believe anything negative about ourselves.But, as the philosopher Eric Schwitzgebel has argued in several essays, it’s also because the essence of jerkitude (which, he argues, is distinct from other forms of obnoxiousness) is “to see the world through goggles that dim others’ humanity”. Jerks view other people “as tools to be manipulated or fools to be dealt with, rather than as moral and epistemic peers”. So if you’re a jerk to people, and they respond in predictable ways – with anger, irritation or, if you’re lucky, friendly criticism – you won’t take their reactions seriously, assuming you’re even listening at all. Why? Because you’re a jerk. Continue reading...

Following a report of monkey-deer interactions earlier this year, researchers have now recorded the behaviour in another group of monkeysSexual interactions between snow monkeys and sika deer could be a new behavioural tradition within a group of monkeys observed in Japan, researchers have suggested.While the first report of a male Japanese macaque, or snow monkey, and female sika deer taking to each other was revealed earlier this year, scientists say they are now confident the behaviour is sexual after scrutinising adolescent females suggestively interacting with stags at Minoo in Japan.

Kepler scientists team up with Google AI specialists to detect eighth planet orbiting distant starScientists on Nasa’s Kepler mission have spotted an eighth planet around a distant star, making it the first alien solar system known to host as many planets as our own.

The chancellor’s announcement of a new centre for data ethics is welcome. But we must ensure that it has the power to address the ethical issues it identifiedData, data everywhere – but will it make our lives better, or put us at risk? In recent months it has become clear that while the opportunities presented by ever-growing data are abundant, so too are the threats. That’s why we need better governance – a set of guiding principles as to how this new technology is used and developed – not least because misuse threatens to turn the public against such innovations.Data breaches from companies including Uber and Morrisons have made headlines, but the ways in which corporations can use data legally, to develop artificial intelligence (AI) and pinpoint information for their own commercial uses, are less well publicised. Continue reading...

Mysterious object detected hurtling through our solar system swept for radio signals, but scientists have found no evidence it is anything other than rockThe first scans for alien technology aboard a mysterious object that is barreling through the solar system have found no evidence it is the work of an intelligent civilisation.

A study has found a link between hot tea and a lower risk of glaucoma, but experts say there’s no evidence that a cuppa will protect you from the conditionDrinking hot tea could be linked to a lower risk of having an eye condition that can lead to blindness, research has suggested – although experts say the study does not show that the brew offers any protective effect.Glaucoma is an eye condition in which the pressure of fluids inside the eye damages the optic nerve – and can lead to blindness if left undetected. Many are unaware they have the condition, and while the risk of glaucoma increases with age, it can also affect babies and children. About 57.5 million people are thought to have the condition worldwide. Continue reading...

Barely two in five people in at-risk groups have been vaccinated as NHS hospitals buckle under strain caused by cold snapFewer than half those eligible for a free winter flu jab have had one, despite high-profile warnings that this winter could bring the biggest flu outbreak in years, NHS figures reveal.The low uptake, which will alarm NHS bosses, come as many hospitals showed clear signs of starting to buckle under the extra demand for care caused by the cold snap that began last week. Continue reading...

In the 1700s the average-sized wine glass could hold just 66ml of the tipple. Today it’s not unusual to be handed a glass that holds almost half a litreOur Georgian and Victorian ancestors may have enjoyed a Christmas tipple but judging by the size of the glasses they used they probably drank less wine than we do today.Scientists at the University of Cambridge have found that the capacity of wine glasses has ballooned nearly seven-fold over the past 300 years, rising most sharply in the last two decades in line with a surge in wine consumption. Continue reading...

Underwater excavations at Lechaion, the ancient harbour of Corinth, provide insight into engineering by the Roman EmpireNew archaeological excavations at the ancient port of Corinth have uncovered evidence of large-scale Roman engineering. Named Lechaion, the port was one of a pair that connected the city of ancient Corinth to Mediterranean trade networks. Lechaion is located on the Gulf of Corinth, while Kenchreai is positioned across the narrow Isthmus of Corinth on the Aegean Sea. These two strategic harbours made Corinth a classical period power, but the Romans destroyed the city in 146 BC when conquering Greece. Julius Caesar rebuilt the city and its harbours in 44 BC, ushering in several centuries of prosperity. Recent excavations by the Lechaion Harbour Project have revealed the impressive engineering of the Roman Empire.Related: What mysteries could be unlocked by new Antikythera shipwreck finds? Continue reading...

A technique has been devised that allows electricity to flow directly from solar panels to electrified train tracks to the trains themselves making solar powered trains more feasible than ever before

Scientists have identified 2 million species of living things. No one knows how many more are out there, and tens of thousands may be vanishing before we have even had a chance to encounter them. By Jacob MikanowskiThe Earth is ridiculously, burstingly full of life. Four billion years after the appearance of the first microbes, 400m years after the emergence of the first life on land, 200,000 years after humans arrived on this planet, 5,000 years (give or take) after God bid Noah to gather to himself two of every creeping thing, and 200 years after we started to systematically categorise all the world’s living things, still, new species are being discovered by the hundreds and thousands.In the world of the systematic taxonomists – those scientists charged with documenting this ever-growing onrush of biological profligacy – the first week of November 2017 looked like any other. Which is to say, it was extraordinary. It began with 95 new types of beetle from Madagascar. But this was only the beginning. As the week progressed, it brought forth seven new varieties of micromoth from across South America, 10 minuscule spiders from Ecuador, and seven South African recluse spiders, all of them poisonous. A cave-loving crustacean from Brazil. Seven types of subterranean earwig. Four Chinese cockroaches. A nocturnal jellyfish from Japan. A blue-eyed damselfly from Cambodia. Thirteen bristle worms from the bottom of the ocean – some bulbous, some hairy, all hideous. Eight North American mites pulled from the feathers of Georgia roadkill. Three black corals from Bermuda. One Andean frog, whose bright orange eyes reminded its discoverers of the Incan sun god Inti. Continue reading...

Scientists around the world congratulate the team that has made a major advance in finding a cure for the life-threatening blood disorder

Science and medical foundation identifies condition as rare congenital endocrine condition known as Ambras SyndromeOn 15 September 1657 the diarist John Evelyn had a conversation with an intelligent, cultured German woman, dressed in the height of fashion, who played beautifully to him on the harpsichord. She also had “a most prolix beard, & mustachios, with long locks of haire growing on the very middle of her nose, exactly like an Island Dog.”The Wellcome Collection in London has acquired a remarkable portrait painted a few years before their meeting, which shows Barbara van Beck exactly as Evelyn described her: composed, dignified, wearing a beautiful and expensive low-cut grey silk dress, with a lace collar tied with a scarlet bow, and more ribbons in her hair which was, Evelyn wrote, “neatly dress’d … of a bright browne & fine as well dressed flax”. Continue reading...

Make sure Star Wars isn’t the only celestial event you see tonight. The bright Geminid meteor shower reaches its peak in the early hours of Thursday morningThe latest chapter of events in a galaxy far, far away isn’t the only thing worth staying up late for tonight in the UK. Just as cinema goers are pouring out of the midnight Star Wars showing, up in the (hopefully clear) skies above, the Geminid meteor shower will be reaching its climax in a solar system very, very close to us – our own, in fact.Meteors burn up between 80 and 120km above our heads. This particular annual meteor shower has been getting more intense in recent years and between 2am and 3am tonight, an estimated 120-160 meteors could be seen. Continue reading...

Vanellope Hope Wilkins, who had her first surgery within an hour of delivery, is believed to be the first baby in the UK to survive the extremely rare condition ectopia cordis, where she is born with her heart and part of her stomach growing externally. Her parents, Naomi Findlay and Dean Wilkins, were advised to consider terminating the pregnancy, but they decided against it. Vanellope has had three operations to place her heart in her bodyBaby girl survives after being born with heart outside her body, in UK first Continue reading...

The unprecedented downpour and severe flooding was also 15% more intense due to climate change, which is making weather more violent around the worldHurricane Harvey’s unprecedented deluge, which caused catastrophic flooding in Houston in August, was made three times more likely by climate change, new research has found.

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific conceptsOK, so a mysterious, cigar-shaped, 400m-long object is speeding through the solar system and astronomers are checking it for evidence of alien technology. So what do we do if it turns out that Oumuamua, as they have named it, is broadcasting extraterrestrial radio signals?John Chambers, Leeds Continue reading...

Proposed radical cuts to US National Monuments threaten America’s unique fossil heritage – but the palaeontologists are fighting backResearch published earlier this year suggested that the only area of science that liberals and conservatives could bond over, was dinosaurs. Everyone loves Brontosaurus, right? Whatever else may be going wrong in the world, surely palaeontology is safe from the ravages of politics?At the start of December Trump announced plans for the biggest loss of protected public lands in the history of the US. By gutting two of America’s National Monuments – named Grand Staircase-Escalante, and Bears Ears - he will eradicate over two million acres of land from government protection. These areas were designated because they contain thousands of archaeological sites, landscapes sacred to Native American tribes, virtually pristine wilderness, and unique geology.

Divisions between left and right, young and old, metropolitan and rural have never been greater. How can we connect with those we disagree with? And what happens if we fail?

Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesThere are few things as difficult to navigate as the space between ourselves and others. Get too close, and we feel suffocated; move too far apart, and we feel abandoned.Pushing people away takes many forms. It might involve being verbally or physically aggressive, or, just as destructively, shutting them out emotionally. Pushing people away shows someone still matters to us. Indifference, after all, is a greater form of insult. Continue reading...

13 December 1972 Engineers at mission control in Houston work out a do-it-yourself repair routine for a broken mudguard on the Apollo 17 team’s lunar roverThe Apollo 17 astronauts, Eugene Cernan and Jack Schmitt, carrying a makeshift replacement mudguard for their lunar rover, late last night (British time), returned to a dusty canyon hoping to find the oldest rocks man has ever seen amid the rubble of a nearby landslide. They were also looking for proof on their second moon walk that the floor of the canyon is blanketed by relatively young ash from one of the moon’s dying volcanic upheavals.Related: Apollo 40 years on: how the moon missions changed the world for ever Continue reading...

Researchers asked 160 women to rate the attractiveness of headless male torsos and every single woman chose the stronger men over the weakSome women may claim that chiselled abs and giant biceps are not what they are seeking in a man. But a scientific study suggests that if your female partner tells you this, she is probably just being kind.

An Anglo-Spanish team of fossil hunters has found several perfectly preserved ticks amongst the remains of a feathered dinosaur nestAs if the dinosaurs didn’t have enough to look out for with volcanic eruptions, fearsome predators stalking the land and a huge, unstoppable asteroid hurtling across space to ruin their day.Now scientists have found that the prehistoric beasts also had blood-sucking ticks to contend with, having spotted carcasses of the parasites lodged in 99million-year-old lumps of Burmese amber along with material left over from dinosaurs and their nests. Continue reading...

Remnants of a 1.77-metre-tall penguin who walked on earth 55m to 60m years ago have been found south of ChristchurchThe remnants of an ancient penguin that stood as tall as a human have been found encased in rock on a beach in New Zealand.Fossil hunters chanced upon the prehistoric bones in sedimentary rock that formed 55m to 60m years ago on what is now Hampden beach in Otago in the country’s South Island.

Ministry of Health asks suppliers to stop marketing the mesh until they have proven its safetyNew Zealand has become the first major country to effectively ban vaginal mesh implants in response to safety concerns over the surgery.

Comedian and author David Walliams recently revealed he has clung on to the friends he invented as a child – something that can help even adults make sense of emotions, says psychotherapist Philippa PerryComedian and children’s author David Walliams recently said that the make-believe companions of his childhood were still with him. “They’re still my friends – they’re not imaginary, are they?”Being a psychotherapist with no sense of humour, I am going to answer Walliams’s question seriously. Continue reading...

A law paving the way for GM crops is aimed at tackling the acute food shortages faced by almost 11 million Ugandans, despite experts’ fears over the technology

Our magpies are not the same as Europe’s, so why do they share a name? The bird of the year has a complicated back storyThe Australian magpie has been crowned bird of the year but how much do we really know about it? Where do magpies fit in the evolutionary scheme of things? Why do we even call them magpies?DNA sequencing technology has revolutionised biology. Our understanding of the evolutionary tree of bird life – that is how species and groups of birds are related to each other and how their evolution has unfolded on the planet’s changing continents – is no exception. We now have a much better understanding than we did just 30 years ago of where all the species of the world’s birds perch, so to speak, on that tree. Continue reading...

A somewhat tongue-in-cheek BMJ article argues that men might experience worse cold and flu symptoms than women, and explores possible explanationsThe fight against the ridicule of “man flu” has been taken up by a doctor who says, somewhat tongue-in cheek, that he delved into the issue after growing tired of being accused of overreacting.In a treatise based on previous studies – some scientific, some notably less so – the Dr Kyle Sue not only puts the case that men might indeed experience worse cold and flu symptoms than women, but also explores why such a difference might have evolved. Continue reading...

System would presume consent but experts criticise plans, saying there is no yet evidence that opt-out policies increase donationThe health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, is to launch plans for an opt-out system of organ donation, asking people to overcome their “fatal reluctance” to discuss the issue with family and friends.Under the plans, everybody in England would be presumed to be happy to donate their organs on their death, unless they have signed up to a register stating that they do not want that to happen. In practice, however, it is unlikely that organs would be taken against the wishes of the family. Continue reading...

Tongan volcanic island unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai was initially only expected to stay above sea level for a matter of monthsA new Tongan island formed from the ash of a 2014 volcanic eruption in the South Pacific could exist for decades, according to a study released by Nasa.The ash island, unofficially named Hunga Tonga-Hunga Ha’apai, formed during a submarine volcanic eruption that lasted from late December 2014 to early January 2015. The new land mass, which has a 120m summit, was originally only predicted to last months. Continue reading...

Trial offering shopping vouchers to 10,000 mothers in northern England resulted in significant rise in breastfeeding levelsCash incentives should be given to mothers to encourage breastfeeding, according to a “pioneering” pilot study.More than 10,000 new mothers across South Yorkshire, Derbyshire and north Nottinghamshire were involved in the trial, which offered shopping vouchers worth up to £120 if babies received breast milk – either by breastfeeding or with expressed milk – at two days, 10 days and six weeks old. A further £80 of vouchers were given if babies continued to receive breast milk at up to six months. Continue reading...

The benefits of clean growth lay at the heart of our industrial strategy. But we must be at the forefront of the effort to keep global temperature rises at manageable levelsTackling climate change and mitigating its effects for the world’s poorest are among the most critical challenges the world faces. That is why I will join other world leaders gathering in Paris today for the One Planet Summit.There is a clear moral imperative for developed economies such as the UK to help those around the world who stand to lose most from the consequences of manmade climate change. But by putting the UK at the forefront of efforts to cut carbon emissions and develop clean energy, we can also make the most of new economic opportunities. And by taking action to create a secure natural environment, we are fulfilling a duty we owe to the next generation. Continue reading...

Although reason for link remains unclear, data suggests extra care is needed when riding on nights with a full moonMotorcyclists venturing forth under a full moon, beware – the risk of having a fatal crash is higher, researchers have found.While the reason for the link is not clear the researchers say there could be several possibilities, including that the full moon could distract riders, or make it harder to gauge speed. Continue reading...

Green Bank telescope in West Virginia will listen for radio signals from ‘Oumuamua, an object from another solar systemAstronomers are to use one of the world’s largest telescopes to check a mysterious object that is speeding through the solar system for signs of alien technology.The Green Bank telescope in West Virginia will listen for radio signals being broadcast from a cigar-shaped body which was first spotted in the solar system in October. The body arrived from interstellar space and reached a peak speed of 196,000 mph as it swept past the sun.

Researchers sequence the Tasmanian tiger’s genome, showing it to be a closer relative of the kangaroo than the dingoThe first full genetic blueprint of the long-extinct thylacine has revealed the animal suffered from genetic weakness well before it was isolated on Tasmania 10,000 to 13,000 years ago.An international team of researchers led by associate professor Andrew Pask from the University of Melbourne used DNA from the 106-year-old preserved remains of a juvenile thylacine or Tasmanian tiger to sequence the animal’s genome, making it one of the most complete genetic blueprints for an extinct species. Continue reading...

Tech designed to help mental wellbeing is coming into the workplace, but experts warn that it shouldn’t be seen as a quick fix

Huntington’s patient Peter Allen and his siblings – who also carry the gene – watched their mother and grandmother slowly die from the disease. But a new trial has given the family a glimmer of hopeHuntington’s has blighted Peter Allen’s family for generations. He watched his mother, Stephanie, slowly die from the disease and before that his grandmother, Olive, fell victim to the same illness. At 51 years old, Peter is the first of his generation to show signs of the illness, but his sister, Sandy, and brother, Frank, know they are also carrying the gene.The onset of Huntington’s is insidious. Psychological changes typically come first – tiredness, mood swings, apathy and anger. Four years ago, Peter was formally diagnosed as symptomatic when he began suffering anxiety and panic attacks so severe he would become convinced that he couldn’t swallow. In retrospect, the depression he suffered in his thirties may have been an earlier manifestation of changes happening his brain. Continue reading...