Given the right (or wrong) situation, each of us might become anyoneWhat turns good people bad? The road to depravity and corruption, we tend to assume, is a slippery slope: a few small immoral acts, then things snowball, and before you know it, the floodgates have opened. (To clarify, this slippery slope is near a hydroelectric power plant, hence the floodgates. Also, it’s snowing.)But according to a recent Dutch study, a more appropriate metaphor might be stepping off a cliff. Participants were invited to roleplay a business negotiation, and got various options for bribing a public official: gradually, with various small inducements; with one big bribe; or not at all. The short version: they were far likelier to become corrupt when presented with a single “golden opportunity” than a series of incremental moral compromises. They didn’t slide into wickedness. They plummeted. Continue reading...

Annual physics jamboree Rencontres de Moriond has a history of revealing exciting results from colliders, and this year new theories and evidence aboundI’m here again at the Rencontres de Moriond conference in Italy. Some of you might remember an update from last year from the same conference on a signal in data taken during 2015 at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), hinting at a new particle that weighed as much as 750 protons and decayed into two particles of light. This signal wasn’t present in fresh data last year, so it was dismissed - we suppose that it was just a chance fluctuation.This conference has a history of releasing some exciting experimental results from colliders, so I’ve been eagerly awaiting the experimental analyses of the searches for new physics. While there are – disappointingly – no significant direct signals of new particles from the collisions, evidence is mounting in the decays of some composite particles that have bottom quarks stuck together with another quark (or anti-quark): “bottom mesons”. Continue reading...

The potential for a massive shakeup of the dinosaur family tree (including a possible common ancestor from Scotland) was mooted this week – will a new classification come in and overturn over a century of evolutionary assumptions? Stay tuned, dino-lovers. In the meanwhile, I may have to reverse my personal policy on our eight-legged friends with the news that and ingredient in funnel web spider venom can protect cells from being destroyed by a stroke. Alongside this is the news that a new test can predict age when Alzheimer’s disease will appear. It’s based on 31 genetic markers could be used to calculate any individual’s yearly risk for onset of disease. So all this is great news, but I’ve saved the best ‘til last: we might even be en route to understanding how to undo the ravages of time, as a new study has show that purging the body of ‘retired’, or senescent, cells could reverse ageing. Mice today, me tomorrow? I don’t know how long we could expect to live if they perfect the technique, but chances are that none of us will look as good after 700 years as the Cambridge man whose face has been brought to life in a detailed reconstruction. It’s part of a research project aimed at gaining insights into the anonymous poor of the medieval city. And finally, a low-cost but high-tech breakthrough could mean that fertility testing for men could become as simple and affordable as home pregnancy testing. A gadget designed to clip onto a smartphone has been shown to detect abnormal sperm samples with 98% accuracy in trials. Great news for those struggling to conceive but nervous or embarrassed by clinics. Continue reading...

Meteorologists have consulted the International Cloud Atlas since the 19th century – now, updated with crowd-sourced images and newly categorised formations such as wave-like asperitas, it’s going online. Readers have been sharing their images via GuardianWitness

Research programme will send aerosol injections into the earth’s upper atmosphere to study the risks and benefits of a future solar tech-fix for climate changeUS scientists are set to send aerosol injections 20km up into the earth’s stratosphere in the world’s biggest solar geoengineering programme to date, to study the potential of a future tech-fix for global warming. Continue reading...

To its critics, it is dangerous pseudoscience. To its supporters, it offers unique insights. What is the future of this controversial psychological test?

The Zoological Society of London zoo is home to more than 650 animal species. Photographer Linda Nylind was given exclusive access to spend time with the keepers and find out more about their daily routinesLondon zoo was established in 1828 and is the world’s oldest scientific zoo. Created as a collection for the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the animals from the Tower of London’s menagerie were transferred there in 1832 and it opened to the public in 1847. Today it houses more than 20,000 animals and almost 700 species.ZSL is not funded by the state – it relies on memberships and fellowships, entrance fees and sponsorship to generate income. Continue reading...

You may think that a smuggler in the Tunisian desert has nothing to do with your trip to the supermarket. You’re wrongAs I talk to him, Ahmed pulls his chair into his store to escape the hot Tunisian sun. He is a retired teacher – the years of screaming children can be counted in the rings framing his eyes. Behind him is his merchandise. To make up for a small pension, Ahmed is selling kitchenware in a market near the Libyan border, over four hundred tiny concrete garages surround him, goods piled high: clothes, bags, microwaves. It looks like any other market, but note an invisible detail: everything sold here is illegal. Every good in this market has been smuggled into Tunisia. Ahmed, though he may not look the part, is a smuggler.Related: Supply chain audits fail to detect abuses, says report Continue reading...

Collection will help scientists piece together a large branch of insects’ family tree and be a resource for scientists who study natural controls on the environmentIn two rooms of Charles and Lois O’Brien’s modest home in Tucson, Arizona, more than a million insects – a collection worth an estimated $10m – rest in tombs of glass and homemade shelving. They come from every continent and corner of the world, gathered over almost six decades; a bug story that began as a love story.This week, the O’Briens, both octogenarians, announced that they would donate their collection, one of the world’s largest private holdings, to Arizona State University. Continue reading...

‘We’ve travelled two-thirds of the way to the south pole, seen an incredible display and were home for breakfast,’ says organiserThe first commercial flight to view the Aurora Australis landed in New Zealand early on Friday, with 130 star-struck passengers sharing the experience on social media.The eight-hour charter flight took off from the South Island on Thursday and flew to a latitude of 62 degrees south, where organisers said passengers were guaranteed a view of the aurora.

Small alterations to routing, which would add about 1% to airlines’ operating costs, could have significant resultsSmall tweaks to flight paths could reduce the effects that aircraft have on climate by as much as 10%, a new study shows. For a roughly 1% increase in operating costs, airlines could make significant climate change cuts by optimising their routes according to the weather, time of day and time of year.Aircraft affect Earth’s climate by emitting greenhouse gases, and creating contrails, which alter the way radiation is reflected back to space. An estimated 5% of manmade climate change is caused by global aviation, and this number is expected to rise. But Keith Shine, a meteorologist at the University of Reading, and his colleagues show this could be reduced if flights were routed to avoid the regions where their emissions have the greatest effect on climate. Continue reading...

The creation of synthetic yeast chromosomes is a breathtaking feat by scientists – but the whole of society needs to engage with the implications of such researchDNA is often described as a long string of letters, each representing a particular chemical. The metaphor is about to become much more powerful: scientists are reaching the point where they can arrange these chemical letters with as much precision as ordinary letters in a word processor. They will be able to spell out any protein that they might want a cell to build, a power which will change the world profoundly.Researchers say they have designed and built six completely synthetic chromosomes for brewers’ yeast, an organism with 16 natural ones. There are now strains in which artificial and natural chromosomes work together; in a few years, there will be yeasts whose genome has been entirely designed and built. This work is breathtaking in both ambition and bioengineering achievement. Not content to sequence naturally occurring DNA and reconstruct it artificially, the scientists have cleaned up and reordered it as if it were merely a complex and shoddily maintained computer program. They hope in time to rewrite chromosomes so that their physical structure and logical functions correspond and the chains of different proteins that act together are all made from adjacent stretches of DNA. Software and genetic engineering are coming together to design living organisms the way that the God of creationists is imagined to work. Continue reading...

Findings raise possibility that a future therapy that rids the body of senescent cells might protect against the ravages of old agePurging retired cells from the body has been shown to undo the ravages of old age in a study that raises the prospect of new life-extending treatments .When mice were treated with a substance designed to sweep away cells that have entered a dormant state due to DNA damage their fur regrew, kidney function improved and they were able to run twice as far as untreated elderly animals. Continue reading...

Reports of research that shows that satnavs “switch off” parts of the brain are a perfect example of how the media distorts science, often unintentionallyThere’s a famous cliché which says “If you like sausage, you should never see one being made”. Well, earlier this week I saw how a science news story occurred, from experiment to media coverage, and I think the same applies here.A UCL study titled “Hippocampal and prefrontal processing of network topology to simulate the future” was published in Nature Communications earlier this week. The human brain’s capacity for spatial navigation is fairly formidable, even if we’re not aware of it (riders of the beer taxi will appreciate this). But how does it do this? The study investigated this by presenting subjects undergoing fMRI with simulated versions of London streets and locations, and having them navigate their way around. Some subjects were guided, others were made to work out routes to their destinations. Corresponding brain activity was recorded. Continue reading...

Roll clouds and wave-like asperitas are among the additions to the new digital International Cloud Atlas, that dates back to the 19th century. It features hundreds of images captured by meteorologists and cloud lovers from around the world

Rise of multi-drug resistant strains of tuberculosis could derail global efforts to eradicate the disease, according to a new report

Toilets are a source of interaction, social structures, organisation, norms and values. So why aren’t sociologists discussing them more?It may be a turn of the stomach, a nervous flutter, a morning coffee or a sudden, unpredictable rush. You may look for a sign, if you are lucky enough to live in a society where they are readily available. There may or may not be a queue, often depending on the room of your gender. You may look for disabled access, whether you are in a wheelchair or have an invisible illness. You may select a space based on who is there, or your perception of its cleanliness. For some, it is an unwritten rule that one cannot go next to another person relieving themselves. What are you looking for?

Drinking in moderation helps protect heart, with study finding it lowers risk of many conditions compared with not drinkingModerate drinking can lower the risk of several heart conditions, according to a study that will further fuel the debate about the health implications of alcohol consumption.The study of 1.93 million people in the UK aged over 30 found that drinking in moderation – defined as consuming no more than 14 units of alcohol a week – had a protective effect on the heart compared with not drinking. Continue reading...

Positive outcome of trials in Niger fuels hope that vaccine can protect children in sub-Saharan Africa and beyond from infection that causes often fatal diarrhoeaA vaccine capable of enduring scorching temperatures for months at a time could strike a decisive blow in the fight against rotavirus, preventing nearly half a million children around the world from dying of diarrhoea each year.Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) has hailed successful trials of the BRV-PV vaccine in Niger as a “game changer” in tackling rotavirus infection, which is the leading cause of severe diarrhoea globally and claims the lives of an estimated 1,300 children daily, most of them in sub-Saharan Africa. Continue reading...

Gadget designed to clip onto a smartphone able to detect abnormal sperm samples with 98% accuracy in trialsMen may soon be able to measure their own sperm count and quality at home, using a smartphone app developed by scientists.In early tests the gadget, designed to clip onto a smartphone, detected abnormal sperm samples with an accuracy of 98%. Continue reading...

Cat-sized Scottish fossil proposed as candidate for common dinosaur ancestor in controversial study that could overthrow a century of dinosaur classificationThe most radical shakeup of the dinosaur family tree in a century has led scientists to propose an unlikely origin for the prehistoric beasts: an obscure cat-sized creature found in Scotland.The analysis, which has already sparked controversy in the academic world, suggests that the two basic groups into which dinosaurs have been classified for more than a century need a fundamental rethink. If proved correct, the revised version of the family tree would overthrow some of the most basic assumptions about this chapter of evolutionary history, including what the common ancestor of all dinosaurs looked like and where it came from. Continue reading...

A 430m-year-old fossilised shrimp from Herefordshire has become the latest species to be named after the broadcaster, joining the pygmy locust, semi-slug, rubber frog, Amazonian butterfly ...When he was a boy, Sir David Attenborough supposedly had an impressive collection of fossils. These days, the 90-year-old naturalist and broadcaster could probably demand a corner of the Natural History Museum devoted solely to the fossils named after him.As of this week, those include the Cascolus ravitis, a 430m-year-old fossilised shrimp from Herefordshire. (“Cascolus” is the Latin version of the Old English equivalent of “Attenborough”.) “The biggest compliment that a biologist or palaeontologist can pay to another one is to name a fossil in his honour,” Sir David told the BBC. Continue reading...

Hannah Devlin looks at recent advances in the field of cryopreservation and asks how close we are to applying these technologies to whole organs

We’re still a long way from from being able to provide timely treatment to everyone who needs it, but we could be on the brink of change thanks to VRFew tech topics are hotter right now than virtual reality (VR). Though it’s been around for decades, VR has at last entered the world of consumer electronics via devices like the Oculus Rift and HTC Vive and, increasingly, headsets that can be used in conjunction with our mobile phones. But VR isn’t just a technological game-changer: it could transform the way we tackle mental health problems.Not so long ago, talking about psychological problems was taboo. Now the scale of these disorders is no longer a secret. We know, for example, that one in four people will experience mental health issues at some point in their life. The ramifications from this ocean of distress aren’t merely personal; the socio-economic consequences are profound. Nearly half of all ill health in working age adults in the UK is psychological. Mental illness costs the UK economy £28 billion every year — and that’s excluding NHS costs.

Reconstruction is part of research project aimed at gaining insights into the anonymous poor of the medieval cityThe face of a Cambridge man who died more than 700 years ago has been reconstructed as part of a project to gain insights into the anonymous poor of the medieval city.The 13th-century man, known as Context 958 by researchers, was among hundreds whose remains were found in a graveyard under what is now the Old Divinity School of St John’s College. Continue reading...

Primodos: The Secret Drug Scandal, airs on Sky this week. Will this media intervention repeat history by helping campaigners get compensation?If the history of drug scandals teaches us anything, it is that fair compensation is typically achieved only through lengthy media campaigns and legal battles. Though lacking the direct powers of judges or policymakers, interventions by investigative journalists and broadcasters have sometimes proved decisive.Take thalidomide: between 1957 and 1961 the widely prescribed morning-sickness treatment caused miscarriages, and many thousands of babies around the world were born with severe limb malformations. In the UK, an adequate settlement was negotiated with the British distributor, Distillers Company (now part of Diageo), only after the Sunday Times took up the cause in 1972.

Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesThis has to be at the more abstract end of “things to ask the internet”. If you wanted a standard, hippy-humanist answer such as: “It’s right if it feels right, and wrong if it feels wrong”, you’d probably just ask a reasonably kind and thoughtful person. The fact that this question is addressed to a giant information network that knows absolutely nothing about you or your circumstances surely means it’s serious. That it’s also asked post factum suggests a mischievous approach to time and reality. Perhaps you’re hoping to be reminded that string theory argues for the idea of a multiverse in which parallel realities can co-exist.While you may fear that you married the wrong person, bought the wrong car, or shouldn’t have committed a crime, don’t worry because some physicists may argue that there are infinite versions of you out there in polyamorous, ambisexual relationships, driving very cheap or expensive vehicles while sometimes obeying the law. Meanwhile you can screw up as much as you like in the happy knowledge that one of you is bound to be getting everything right. Continue reading...

From hopping Cretaceous desert mammals, to muddy Scottish sauropods, fossil footprints reveal more than you might expect about extinct life

Test based on 31 genetic markers could be used to calculate any individual’s yearly risk for onset of diseaseScientists have developed a new genetic test for Alzheimer’s risk that can be used to predict the age at which a person will develop the disease.A high score on the test, which is based on 31 genetic markers, can translate to being diagnosed many years earlier than those with a low-risk genetic profile, the study found. Those ranked in the top 10% in terms of risk were more than three times as likely to develop Alzheimer’s during the course of the study, and did so more than a decade before those who ranked in the lowest 10%. Continue reading...

Researchers are scrambling for ways to get the strong, light material out of landfill and make it ready for recycling and reuseCarbon fibre is increasingly celebrated as a wonder material for the clean economy. Its unique combination of high strength and low weight has helped drive the wind power revolution and make planes more fuel efficient.

Czech zoo takes saw to the horns of its 21 rhinoceroses in response to deadly attack at Paris wildlife park this monthA Czech zoo has started to remove the horns from its 21 rhinos as a precaution after the recent killing of a rhinoceros at a wildlife park in France by assailants who stole the animal’s horn.With rhino horns considered a wonder cure in Asia – for everything from cancer, colds and fevers to high blood pressure, hangovers, impotence and other ailments – poachers have killed thousands of the animals in Africa and elsewhere. Continue reading...

Every increase of 0.1 units in the ratio between waist and hip raises the risk of developing the disease by 21%, researchers sayWomen who have a higher waist to hip ratio could have an increased risk of womb cancer, a study suggests.Researchers writing in the British Medical Journal (BMJ) found that for every increase of 0.1 units in the ratio between waist and hip, the risk of developing the disease increased by 21%. Continue reading...

Brain activity linked to simulating possible journeys appears to be absent when a person is following directions rather than independently planning a route

Images reveal dramatic collapse of a 100 metre-long cliff on comet 67P/Churyumov–GerasimenkoA landslide on a comet has been documented by astronomers for the first time in images that reveal the dramatic collapse of a 100 metre-long cliff.The observations by the Rosetta spacecraft of the comet 67P/Churyumov–Gerasimenko, provide before and after snapshots, which show how the dusty avalanche has left a large patch of pristine ice from the comet’s interior exposed. Continue reading...

Donald Trump has rejected global leadership on the issue, so now it’s down to us as individuals to plan, and push through new policies change where we canA little girl sits outside on her front stoop, watching the cars go by and the people trot to work in the early hours of the morning. She wears a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and sneakers. Nothing is particularly shocking about this image, except the fact that it’s December in New York City (or Detroit, or London). In a “traditional” year, this girl would be wearing her winter coat, a hat that covers nearly her entire head, and potentially snow boots. But not in 2016. Or 2015. Or 2014. It’s simply too warm for all those clothes.Related: Record-breaking climate change pushes world into ‘uncharted territory’ Continue reading...

Frenchman wins prestigious prize for theory that links maths, information technology and computer scienceFrench mathematician Yves Meyer was today awarded the 2017 Abel Prize for his work on wavelets, a mathematical theory with applications in data compression, medical imaging and the detection of gravitational waves.Meyer, 77, will receive 6 million Norwegian krone (about £600,000) for the prize, which recognises outstanding contributions to mathematics and is awarded by the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters. Continue reading...

Earth is a planet in upheaval, say scientists, as the World Meteorological Organisation publishes analysis of recent heat highs and ice lowsThe record-breaking heat that made 2016 the hottest year ever recorded has continued into 2017, pushing the world into “truly uncharted territory”, according to the World Meteorological Organisation.The WMO’s assessment of the climate in 2016, published on Tuesday, reports unprecedented heat across the globe, exceptionally low ice at both poles and surging sea-level rise. Continue reading...

Ingredient in funnel web spider venom can protect cells from being destroyed by a stroke, even when given hours after the event, study showsDoctors have stumbled on an unlikely source for a drug to ward off brain damage caused by strokes: the venom of one of the deadliest spiders in the world.A bite from an Australian funnel web spider can kill a human in 15 minutes, but a harmless ingredient found in the venom can protect brain cells from being destroyed by a stroke, even when given hours after the event, scientists say.

With childhood cancer being a controlling factor in tackling daily life, and having been forced to defy a very poor prognosis myself, I feel a need to respond to your letter about Brexit’s impact on children with cancer (14 March). Glenis Wilmott MEP states that 1,700 children are diagnosed with cancer, of which over 250 die, annually in the UK, and that their only chance of survival may lie with being on a clinical trial, due to lack of treatments.Cancer treatment is dreaded by adults, but is much worse for a child, with the consequences of treatment often casting a shadow for the rest of their lives. With a 40% increase in child cancer in less than 20 years, surely we have to refocus and ask politicians at all levels to take responsibility for their decisions in allowing industries which increase risks and known causes of cancer, such as air pollution. The unborn child can be 1,000 times more vulnerable than a grown man to environmental pollutants, and yet recently activists against fracking have been deemed irresponsible. Continue reading...

Vladimir Yevdokimov, an executive at Roscosmos convicted in embezzlement case, died from ‘gaping stab wound to the neck’, reports said on MondayRussian authorities are investigating the murder of a senior space official in a Moscow prison cell as reports emerged that he died from a deep stab wound to the throat.Vladimir Yevdokimov, a 55-year-old executive director at the Russian state space agency, died while in detention on fraud charges over his previous role at the MiG aircraft company, which makes fighter jets. Continue reading...

HarperCollins signs ‘historic’ deal with Shanghai publishers amid hopes it will boost British students’ performanceBritish students may soon study mathematics with Chinese textbooks after a “historic” deal between HarperCollins and a Shanghai publishing house in which books will be translated for use in UK schools.

Stephen Hawking says he fears he may not be welcome in the United States since the election of Donald Trump as president. Speaking on ITV’s Good Morning Britain on Monday, the eminent physicist says a hard Brexit would leave the UK isolated and inward–looking

TeamIndus is one of four teams competing to win Google’s Lunar XPrize for the first ever private moon landing, worth $20mTo this day, Rahul Narayan doesn’t know why he said yes, except that it was the very last day to sign up, and if he didn’t agree to it, then there would be no Indian teams in the running. He threw together a proposal and clicked submit.

Leading British physicist and cosmologist tells Good Morning Britain he is concerned about US president’s environmental policyStephen Hawking, the leading British physicist and cosmologist, has said he no longer feels welcome in the US under Donald Trump.Prof Hawking is a recipient of the prestigious US Franklin medal for science and received the presidential medal of freedom from Barack Obama in 2009. Now he has spoken out about his fears for the country’s “definite swing to a rightwing, more authoritarian approach”. Continue reading...

Watchdog to examine new files found by campaigners while Primodos maker Bayer denies it caused abnormalitiesThe UK drugs regulator is to examine new evidence about a pregnancy test used in the 1960s and 70s which hundreds of parents believe caused serious deformities in their children, often leading to early death.A 7,000-page cache of files discovered by a victims’ campaign group includes papers suggesting the British government knew in 1975 that the hormonal drug Primodos increased the risk of a child being born with malformations. The drug was withdrawn in 1978. Continue reading...

What does the bombardment of food imagery do to our brains and bodies? The ‘gastrophysicist’ who has worked with Heston Blumenthal explains all in an extract from his new bookYour brain is your body’s most blood-thirsty organ, using around 25% of total blood flow (or energy) – despite the fact that it accounts for only 2% of body mass. Given that our brains have evolved to find food, it should perhaps come as little surprise to discover that some of the largest increases in cerebral blood flow occur when a hungry brain is exposed to images of desirable foods. Adding delicious food aromas makes this effect even more pronounced. Within little more than the blink of an eye, our brains make a judgment call about how much we like the foods we see and how nutritious they might be. And so you might be starting to get the idea behind gastroporn.No doubt we have all heard our stomachs rumbling when we contemplate a tasty meal. Viewing food porn can induce salivation, not to mention the release of digestive juices as the gut prepares for what is about to come. Simply reading about delicious food can have much the same effect. In terms of the brain’s response to images of palatable or highly desirable foods (food porn, in other words), research shows widespread activation of a host of brain areas, including the taste and reward areas. The magnitude of this increase in neural activity, not to mention the enhanced connectivity between brain areas, typically depends on how hungry the viewer is, whether they are dieting (ie, whether they are a restrained eater or not) and whether they are obese. (The latter, for instance, tend to show a more pronounced brain response to food images even when full.) Continue reading...

Space physicist Dr Carrie Nugent talks about the chances of Earth being hit by a giant asteroid – and why she owes her job to a Bruce Willis movieDr Carrie Nugent is a 32-year-old geo- and space physicist who specialises in asteroids. Her new book Asteroid Hunters – published by TED Books and accompanied by a talk – answers all our questions on these small, mysterious objects that travel between the planets. Her day job is spotting and tracking asteroids as part of a Nasa-funded research team at the Infrared Processing and Analysis Center at Caltech in Pasadena. She is also the host of a weekly podcast called Spacepod, in which she interviews a space explorer about our universe.Our team has named a couple of asteroids: one after Malala Yousafzai and one after Rosa Parks Continue reading...

Foisting unnecessary fears on to our children can severely limit their futuresFor 20 years I’ve sat in my therapy room and listened to people. I’ve heard hundreds of stories from childhood that have led to lives of pain and limitation. Some are what you’d expect – abuse, trauma and deprivation – but many are much more mundane. Can a bad first day at school really lead to a fear of failure? Can a single moment of rejection lead to serial relationship disasters? It certainly seems so.Yet for every childhood sufferer of trauma who still bears the scars as an adult, there’s an adult for whom trauma has led to a life of meaning and achievement. Until its sad demise I worked as a therapist with Kids Company, a charity that helped vulnerable young people. As a consequence, I’ve often seen young people dragging themselves out of a routine of deprivation to pursue a better life with a resilience that left me breathless. Continue reading...

Try our quiz to find out the relationship between the size and cost of your wedding and its likely successDoes the size and cost of your wedding predict the success of your marriage? Answer these two questions to find out.1) How many people came to your wedding? (a) Just the two of us (b) 11-50 (c) 51-100 (d) 101-200 (e) 201 or more. Continue reading...