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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Polka theatre, London

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

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

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

I've managed to conquer my fears and build great friendshipsOn the day I received an offer from my first-choice university, I expected to feel elation and excitement. I had spent years preparing for this moment, and yet when it came, I felt only dread at the thought of freshers' week and all the social challenges this would inevitably involve.I had always been something of a shrinking violet and the fact that I now had a close group of friends at school did not helped to assuagemy social anxiety. I assumed this was a stroke of extreme good luck - a one-off. The potential for rejection seemed immense, and I feared I would spend the next few years in loneliness. Continue reading...

New liquid biopsy' will act as an early warning sign to anticipate risk of tumours returningA new blood test can predict the risk of breast cancer returning three years before any tumours show up on scans in an incredibly exciting" breakthrough that could help more women beat the disease for good.More than 2 million women are diagnosed every year with breast cancer, the most prevalent type of the disease. Although treatment has improved in recent decades, the cancer often returns, and if it does, it is usually at a more advanced stage. Continue reading...

Astrophysicists call for international cooperation on ambitious probe, amid growing interest in the mysterious planetEuropean space scientists have been urged to join forces with Nasa to ensure the success of one of the most ambitious space missions planned for launch this century.Joining a robot spaceflight to the mysterious planet Uranus would offer the opportunity to participate in a groundbreaking, flagship-class mission", astrophysicists have said. Continue reading...

The use of the drugs in treating low mood has sparked debate, not least about the necessity of a hallucinogenic experience. But a new discovery may provide an answerRobitussin has been a staple of American pharmacies since the late 1940s - but since the 1960s, people have swigged bottles of the cough medicine recreationally because, at a high enough dose, its active ingredient, dextromethorphan, can cause hallucinations (so-called robotripping"). Now, that ingredient, common to many cough medications, has a potential new use - as an antidepressant.In recent years, studies have found that conventional antidepressants are only marginally more effective than biologically inactive placebos. Meanwhile, big pharmaceutical companies conduct very little research into mental health drugs. So researchers and sufferers have instead placed their hopes in psychedelic drugs usually considered hallucinatory, such as psilocybin or LSD. Yet the evidence of their effectiveness as an antidepressant comes from small trials, one of the largest involving just 233 people - and no national government medicine regulator has formally approved them for this use. Against this backdrop, a legitimate drug company has quietly moved dextromethorphan beyond robotripping into a, legally approved depression treatment - but with an important twist. Continue reading...

Approach replaces sugar with mashed pulp and husk of cocoa pod and uses less land and waterHealthier and more sustainable chocolate could hit store shelves after Swiss scientists and chocolatiers developed a recipe that swaps sugar for waste plant matter.By mashing up the pulp and husk of a cocoa pod instead of just taking the beans, scientists have made a sweet and fibrous gel that could replace the sugar in chocolate, according to a report published in Nature Food. Continue reading...

DNA test, which takes seconds to collect, can detect men at high risk and spare others unnecessary treatmentScientists have developed a spit test that could turn the tide" on prostate cancer worldwide by spotting the disease earlier, detecting where men are at high risk and sparing others unnecessary treatment.The number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer worldwide is projected to double to 2.9 million a year by 2040, with annual deaths predicted to rise by 85%. It is already the most common form of male cancer in more than 100 countries. Continue reading...

Cat Bohannon tells Hay festival audience it is not known why men go through life smuggling two little death nuggets'Whether it is the fountain of youth or the elixir of life, men have travelled the world looking for the key to increasing their longevity.They should be looking a bit closer to home, according to one leading researcher - although after they do, they might end up taking the years God intended for them. Continue reading...

If satellites get taken out during war, defence forces will need personnel trained to switch from digital back to analog tools

Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus will be visible but viewers may need some equipment to see them clearlyStargazers are in with a chance of a celestial treat on Monday with six planets appearing in alignment.Mercury, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Neptune and Uranus will take part in the parade - which occurs when planets gather on the same side of the sun. Continue reading...

Unexpected brightness of JADES-GS-z14-0 means telescope could capture images of galaxies even further awayThe most distant known galaxy has been captured in a record-breaking image by the James Webb space telescope.The galaxy, called JADES-GS-z14-0, is revealed as it was just 290m years after the big bang, at the dawn of the universe. The telescope's previous record holder was a galaxy seen at 325m years after the big bang, which happened nearly 14bn years ago. Continue reading...

More than half of patients with advanced forms of disease who took lorlatinib were still alive after five years with no progressionDoctors are hailing off the chart" trial results that show a new drug stopped lung cancer advancing for longer than any other treatment in medical history.Lung cancer is the world's leading cause of cancer death, accounting for about 1.8m deaths every year. Survival rates in those with advanced forms of the disease, where tumours have spread, are particularly poor. Continue reading...

RHS fears non-native fungi could alter microbiology of soil when grown in gardens or disposed of in compost heapsA boom in the popularity of mushroom-growing at home could lead to a biodiversity disaster, UK garden experts have warned.There has been a rise in the number of people growing mushrooms in their gardens, and this year, the RHS Chelsea flower show's plant of the year award included a mushroom - the tarragon oyster mushroom, thought to be found only in the British Isles - in its shortlist for the first time, despite it being a fungus, not a plant. Continue reading...

Vitamin D levels, sanitation, diet and migration patterns are all thought to play a role. But there are trials under way to develop new strategies to prevent food allergiesAustralia has often been called the allergy capital of the world".An estimated one in 10 Australian children develop a food allergy in their first 12 months of life. Research has previously suggested food allergies are more common in infants in Australia than infants living in Europe, the United States or Asia. Continue reading...

The NHS in England is recruiting for the first large-scale trial of its kind, with hopes high that the personalised jabs could be a gamechanger

Jab personalised for individual's tumours hailed as gamechanger' amid high hopes of stopping disease returning

AI expected to help researchers unlock two-way communication, say team that includes Tel Aviv UniversityIn the Dr Dolittle books and films, the ability to talk to the animals" captured the imagination. Now scientists are being offered a $10m prize to create real conversations.The Coller Dolittle Challenge for Interspecies Two-Way Communication has been launched by the Jeremy Coller Foundation and Tel Aviv University. While the use of AI is not obligatory, the team say the technology can boost almost all proposals. Continue reading...

Revolutionary ancient DNA evidence indicates that Homo sapiens finished off Neanderthals through deadly infectious diseasesLess than a decade ago, the American anthropologist James C Scott described infectious diseases as the loudest silence" in the prehistoric archaeological record. Epidemics must have devastated human societies in the distant past and changed the course of history, but, Scott lamented, the artefacts left behind reveal nothing about them.Over the last few years, the silence has been shattered by pioneering research that analyses microbial DNA extracted from very old human skeletons. The latest example of this is a groundbreaking study that identified three viruses in 50,000-year-old Neanderthal bones. These pathogens still afflict modern humans: adenovirus, herpesvirus and papillomavirus cause the common cold, cold sores, and genital warts and cancer, respectively. The discovery may help us resolve the greatest mystery of the Palaeolithic era: what caused the extinction of Neanderthals.Jonathan Kennedy teaches politics and global health at Queen Mary University of London and is the author of Pathogenesis: How Germs Made History Continue reading...

Florida scientists use AI and virtual reality to create 3D renderings of brain formations of mice, whose neuron types are like humans'Neuroscientists at a Florida university have pioneered a technologically advanced method of brain mapping they believe can help demystify Alzheimer's disease, autism and related disorders, and offer hope of more effective treatments for traumatic brain injuries.A team at the University of South Florida's (USF) auditory development and connectomics laboratory is using virtual reality (VR) and artificial intelligence to create a high-definition visual timeline of the journey of billions of neurons in the developing brains of newborn mice. Continue reading...

John Belgrave, 60, uncovered rare sword, axe head and bangle in Dorset after becoming separated from groupAn amateur detectorist has described how he unearthed a bronze age hoard, including a rare sword, after getting lost during a treasure hunters' rally.John Belgrave, 60, became separated from the main group of detectorists and headed to higher ground to try to spot them when he made what he has called the find of a lifetime. Continue reading...

It's been a busy week in the world of artificial intelligence. OpenAI found itself in hot water with Scarlett Johansson after launching its new chatbot, Sky, drawing comparisons to the Hollywood star's character in the sci-fi film Her. In South Korea, the second global AI summit took place, and a report from the Alan Turing Institute explored how AI could influence elections. The Guardian's UK technology editor, Alex Hern, tells Madeleine Finlay about what's been happeningClips: Today, BBC News Continue reading...

Squeals and growls tend to occur in groups, finds study of infants aged up to 13 monthsIt might sound like a stream of jolly nonsense, but the peculiar sounds babies produce could be an attempt to practise the vocal control necessary for speech, researchers have suggested.A study analysing the sounds made by infants during their first year of life has found squeals and growls tend to occur in groups. Continue reading...

The 11ft tall and 20ft long fossil, nicknamed Apex, could fetch up to $6m as it's celebrated as one of the best unearthed'The largest and most complete Stegosaurus fossil ever found is expected to fetch up to $6m (4.7m) when it is sold as the star lot in Sotheby's geek week" auction this summer.At 11ft (3.4 metres) tall and more than 20ft long the virtually complete" fossil, which has been nicknamed Apex", is more than 30% larger than Sophie", the previously most intact stegosaurus specimen which was on display in London's Natural History Museum. Continue reading...

Allen's husband decides the apps she is allowed to use and she decides his. It's one of many approaches people are taking to try to ditch social media and unbreak their brainsAn annoying thing about being a parent is that you have to consistently model good behaviour. You can't just shove crisps in your mouth and stare at your phone when you need a break.I've always spent an unhealthy amount of time staring at my phone, but I didn't worry about my habit until I had a toddler. The thing with toddlers is that they have more sophisticated surveillance techniques than Facebook. Even when you think they're completely absorbed in emptying the contents of your cupboards on to the living room floor, they know when you're looking at your phone and not at them. And, according to various alarming studies, this guarantees a lifetime of therapy bills. One 2023 study, for example, found parental phone use is associated with still face". This means that you look like a depressed robot while scrolling - and it can affect a child's emotionaldevelopment. Continue reading...

Archaeologists trying to determine whether animals were killed in battle or buried as part of a ritualFrench archaeologists have uncovered nine large graves containing the remains of horses from up to 2,000 years ago, in a find described as extraordinary".The 28 stallions, all around six years old, had been buried shortly after they died, each placed in pits on their right side with their head facing south. Nearby a grave contained the remains of two dogs, heads facing west. Continue reading...

Charcoal graffiti believed to have been sketched by children uncovered at ancient Roman cityDrawings of gladiators believed to have been made by children inspired by watching battles at Pompeii's amphitheatre are among the latest discoveries in the ruins of the ancient Roman city.The charcoal drawings were found during excavations at I'Insula dei Casti Amanti, a cluster of homes in Pompeii's archaeological park that opened to the public for the first time on Tuesday. Continue reading...