Countdown at Kennedy Space Center was halted with just 13 seconds remaining over a ‘slightly odd’ thrust control problem, delaying launch until SundaySpaceX scrubbed a planned launch on Saturday from Kennedy Space Center, citing a “slightly odd” thrust control problem and delaying the return to service for a historic launchpad at the Florida spaceport.“All systems go, except the movement trace of an upper stage engine steering hydraulic piston was slightly odd,” CEO Elon Musk said on Twitter. “If this is the only issue, flight would be fine, but need to make sure that it isn’t symptomatic of a more significant upstream root cause.” Continue reading...

Microsoft founder and philanthropist tells Munich security conference genetic engineering could be terrorist weaponA chilling warning that tens of millions of people could be killed by bio-terrorism was delivered at the Munich security conference by the world’s richest man, Bill GatesGates, who has spent much of the last 20 years funding a global health campaign, said: “We ignore the link between health security and international security at our peril.”

The bizarre, ancient microbes and viruses found living in crystals in extremely punishing conditions deep in an abandoned lead and zinc mineIn a Mexican cave system so beautiful and hot that it is called both fairyland and hell, scientists have discovered life trapped in crystals that could be 50,000 years old.The bizarre and ancient microbes were found dormant in caves in Naica, in Mexico’s northern Chihuahua state, and were able to exist by living on minerals such as iron and manganese, said Penelope Boston, head of Nasa’s Astrobiology Institute. Continue reading...

In future, sensor networks could interpret movement data and contact relatives or support staff when a person is at riskRobotic movement sensing systems in the homes of elderly people can predict with a high level of accuracy when a person is at high risk of having a fall and send warnings to support workers or relatives, say researchersThe US study, carried out in a senior housing centre in Missouri, found that telltale signs, including a sudden decline in walking speed, were linked to an 86% chance of having a fall within the next three weeks. Elderly residents who were monitored by the system, which allowed clinicians to intervene before injuries occurred, were able to live independently for 1.8 years longer than those without the technology. Continue reading...

Radical plan to maintain diversity of gene pool proposes use of genetically modified chickens as surrogate mothersThe Rumpless Game is squawky and, as its name suggests, lacks a tail, while the Burmese Bantam, has fantastically flared leg feathers and a head like a feather duster. But the true value of rare chicken breeds, according to a team of scientists working to save them from obsolescence, is not their decorative crests and plumage, but the diversity they bring to the chicken gene pool.In a radical plan to preserve rare varieties such as the Nankin, Scots Dumpy and Sicilian Buttercup, scientists at the the University of Edinburgh’s Roslin Institute have bred genetically modified chickens designed to act as surrogates that would be capable of laying eggs from any rare breed. Continue reading...

Yes it’s a big story in more ways than one – a team of Harvard scientists say that scientists say they are on the brink of being able to create a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo. There are lots of technical and ethical concerns to address before we actually have real, live mammoths (or mammophants, as they’re being called by some) but the idea of “de-extinctifying” something that’s been gone for 4,000 years is pretty exciting. This isn’t the only genetic engineering story in town this week, though, as a major US report out this week has prepared ground for genetic modification of human embryos, eggs and sperm to prevent people passing serious medical conditions to their children. Again, there’s along way to go, but as gene editing technology is moving fast, it’s vital that we have these ethical discussions now. A man who certainly was pondering vital questions ahead of his time was Winston Churchill, a copy of whose essay Are We Alone in the Universe? was recently unearthed in a US college. Pondering the possibility of alien life, Churchill shows the keen grasp of science that was one of the hallmarks of his premiership. Also looking to the future were two pieces of neuroscience research out this week. The first is a trial of a portable brain-scanning helmet, which could benefit stroke victims and those felled by head injuries on the sports pitch or battlefield by providing a rapid assessment of their condition. The second is a study which suggests that brain scans could identify babies most at risk of developing autism, raising hopes for earlier care and interventions for those affected. And finally, appendix removal is the most common emergency surgery in children, but researchers say that antibiotics might offer a less-invasive alternative. It wouldn’t be right in all cases, and more studies need to be done to assess safety, but it’s a future possibility that might help some children avoid the risks and trauma of surgery. Continue reading...

Scientists have discovered the river reef is far bigger, and more important, than first thought – a biodiversity hotspot on a par with the Great Barrier Reef. Now they face a race to protect it from big oilThere is a flickering, bright glimmer of sky as the two-person submarine descends beneath the muddy equatorial waters to a place no human has ever seen – a vast, complex coral reef at the mouth of the world’s greatest river.Thirty metres under the murky plume of the sediment-heavy Amazon, the sub enters a darker, richer world. A school of curious remora fish approaches the two-tonne machine. Crabs and starfish loom in its eerie lights. A metre-long amberjack swims past, then a two-metre ray. Continue reading...

After almost five years with taxidermists in New York, Lonesome George has returned home. He may be dead, but his legacy is very much aliveLonesome George is back in Galapagos.

Climate change threatens the financial system and companies should no longer view it as a future problem, regulator warnsAustralia’s financial regulator has warned that climate change poses a material risk to the entire financial system, and has urged companies to start adapting.Geoff Summerhayes, from the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority, says it is unsafe for companies to ignore the risks of climate change just because there is some uncertainty, or “even some controversy”, about the policy outlook. Continue reading...

Appendix removal is the most common emergency surgery in children, but researchers say that antibiotics might offer a less-invasive alternativeAntibiotics could be an effective alternative to surgery for treating children with appendicitis, research suggests.According to the NHS, appendicitis affects an estimated one in 13 people at some point in their life, with appendix removal the most common reason for emergency surgery in children.

The landmass – about two-thirds the size of Australia – of which 94% is under water, is a step closer to being recognised, scientists sayZealandia – a new continent submerged in the southwest Pacific – is a step closer to being recognised, the authors of a new scientific paper claim.A paper published in GSA Today, the journal of the Geological Society of America, contends that the vast, continuous expanse of continental crust, which centres on New Zealand, is distinct enough to constitute a separate continent. Continue reading...

If the winds are strong enough and sustained, the spring can deliver ice shove or ice heave at the edge of lakes in the north of the globeIn late February, the winter ice may start to melt. When that happens, frozen lakes can send spectacular slow-motion waves of crushed ice cascading over the shoreline onto the land. These waves are sometimes called “ice tsunamis” but, to meteorologists, they are “ice shove” or “ice heave”.Specific conditions are needed to produce ice heave. There must be large cracks in the lake ice, which must be separated from the shore, so that it becomes several free-floating sheets. This only occurs when a thaw starts. Then there needs to be a powerful wind blowing in the direction of the shore for at least 12 hours. Continue reading...

Stroke victims and those felled by head injuries on the sports pitch or battlefield could benefit from a new wearable scanner currently being testedA transportable brain-scanning helmet that could be used for rapid brain injury assessments of stroke victims and those felled on the sports pitch or battlefield is being tested by US scientists.The wearable device, known as the PET helmet, is a miniaturised version of the hospital positron emission tomography (PET) scanner, a doughnut-shaped machine which occupies the volume of a small room. Continue reading...

‘Oppressive’ approach to federal agency communications could result in misinformation on climate change, former presidential science advisers saidTwo former US science advisers have warned against restrictions on scientists’ freedom to speak out on contentious issues like climate change, which they say could result in laws being made on the basis of false evidence.Related: Trump's likely science adviser calls climate scientists 'glassy-eyed cult' Continue reading...

Scientist leading ‘de-extinction’ effort says Harvard team could create hybrid mammoth-elephant embryo in two yearsThe woolly mammoth vanished from the Earth 4,000 years ago, but now scientists say they are on the brink of resurrecting the ancient beast in a revised form, through an ambitious feat of genetic engineering.

Examination of a fossilised turtle suggests the way modern animals withdraw both head and neck into their shells might be linked to capturing preyIt sounds like a tale worthy of Kipling, but how the turtle got its neck is a mystery that might have been solved by science.Researchers say fresh examination of a fossilised turtle, thought to have lived around 150 million years ago, suggests that ability of turtles to withdraw their neck and head into their shells might have evolved as it allowed them to rapidly shoot their head forward to snap up prey.

Chemical TATP, which was used in Paris attacks, was unintentionally formed in routine procedure by a PhD studentA university building was evacuated after a student accidentally made the same explosive that was used in the Paris terror attacks.The University of Bristol said triacetone triperoxide (TATP) was “unintentionally formed” in its chemistry laboratory on 3 February. Continue reading...

From alien life to foreseeing the nuclear age, Churchill’s essays reveal a dazzling scope of inquiry that would be unimaginable on the part of western leaders todaySurprising stories about Winston Churchill just keep on coming. He has long been praised for his courage, wisdom, eloquence and many other qualities, but people have been amazed to learn this week that he was also a scientific visionary.The revelation comes from the US National Churchill Museum in Missouri, where the astrophysicist Mario Livio uncovered Churchill’s “lost” 1939 essay about the possible existence of alien life, titled Are We Alone in the Universe? It demonstrates a remarkably high level of scientific literacy and far-sightedness, Livio points out. Yet this is only part of a much bigger story, too long neglected. Churchill had a long career as a topical science writer and he appreciated the importance of new breakthroughs to the development of civilisation better than any other leading western political leader of the past century. Continue reading...

With cases of scurvy appearing in Sydney and Zimbabwe, Jonathan Lamb looks at the history of a disease that was once thought to belong to the pastWhen doctors and patients realised that scurvy had reappeared, in separate outbreaks in Zimbabwe and Sydney recently, they were stunned. “I couldn’t believe it,” Penelope Jackson, one of the Sydney victims, recalled, “I thought, ‘Hang on a minute, scurvy hasn’t been around for centuries’.”Shame followed, as it often does with scurvy. “Does scurvy just affect developing countries?” asked Newsweek 24 of the Bulawayo emergency in Zimbabwe. “I couldn’t believe you could be obese and malnourished,” said Jackson. “We have sent a team to attend to it,” the Bulawayo city council curtly announced, by way of a plenary reply to such questions about the disease.

Rapid warming trend sees heat records in Australia outnumber cold records by 12 to one over the past decadeThe heatwave that engulfed southeastern Australia at the end of last week has seen heat records continue to tumble.

Move would also save NHS money, argue authors of major study that shows vitamin D can reduce risk of respiratory infectionsAdding vitamin D to food would significantly cut NHS costs, say the authors of a major global study that shows it can reduce the risk of colds, flu and other dangerous infections such as pneumonia.A government advisory committee on nutrition has already warned of the low levels of the so-called “sunshine vitamin” in the UK population and recommended food fortification as a possible course of action. In the US, for example, milk is fortified with vitamin D. Continue reading...

William Happer, an eminent Princeton University professor, is tipped to become Donald Trump’s science adviser. Happer is a respected scientist in the academic community, but many are concerned about his possible appointment because of his stance on climate change. Happer argues that the role of carbon dioxide (CO) in climate change has been largely exaggerated and argues that more CO is good for plant life and the planet

The Space Poop Challenge sought designs for a system that could collect human waste for up to six days, routing it away from the body without the use of handsAstronauts wear adult diapers under their suits in case they need to pee or poop on spacewalks, but what happens if there’s an emergency and they have to stay in their suit for several days? That was the question Nasa posed to members of the public in its Space Poop Challenge, and the winners of the contest have just been announced.Related: Black hole and distant sun locked in slow-motion dance of death Continue reading...

Winston Churchill’s essay Are We Alone in the Universe? was penned the year before he became prime minister, and reveals his keen interest in scienceIt might never have seen the light of day. Lost and long forgotten, the unpublished essay by Winston Churchill was penned a year before he became Britain’s prime minister. The matter to which he applied his great mind? Not politics, not the battlefield, but the existence of alien life.The 11-page article was probably intended for the now defunct Sunday newspaper the News of the World, but for reasons unknown the essay remained with his publisher and only recently resurfaced at the US National Churchill Museum at Westminster College in Missouri.

Images revealed which infants would go on to have an autism diagnosis, raising hopes for earlier care and interventions for those affectedBabies who are most at risk of developing autism as toddlers have been identified from brain scans in the first year of life.The images helped doctors spot which of a group of children who were already at risk because of autism in the family would later be diagnosed with the condition.

Nicola Davis sits down with Dr Kathryn Harkup to discuss a shared love of crime fiction and the chemistry contained within their poisonous plotsSubscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & Acast, and join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterThe long and brutal marriage between crime fiction and poison has taken a leading role in some of the world’s best loved whodunnits. But how much truth is there to these tales of arsenic, strychnine and other cunning concoctions? And why do so many the genre’s best-loved authors turn to poison for their plots? Continue reading...

William Happer, frontrunner for job of providing mainstream scientific opinion to officials, backs crackdown on federal scientists’ freedom to speak outThe man tipped as frontrunner for the role of science adviser to Donald Trump has described climate scientists as “a glassy-eyed cult” in the throes of a form of collective madness.William Happer, an eminent physicist at Princeton University, met Trump last month to discuss the post and says that if he were offered the job he would take it. Happer is highly regarded in the academic community, but many would view his appointment as a further blow to the prospects of concerted international action on climate change. Continue reading...

Indian PM Narendra Modi hails ‘exceptional achievement’ that overtakes Russian record of 37 in single launchIndia’s space agency has announced the successful launch of a record-breaking 104 nano satellites into orbit, all onboard a single rocket.The Indian Space Research Organisation (Isro) said the milestone launch, from the Sriharikota space centre in the country’s south, overtook the 2014 Russian record of 37 satellites in a single launch. Continue reading...

The US president’s aggressive ‘yank-shakes’ are like his political pronouncements – unpredictable and self-servingWhen Donald Trump shakes hands he frequently pats the other person on the top of their hand. One couldn’t help noticing this when he met Shinzo Abe, because during the 19 seconds that they were shaking hands, Trump managed to pat the Japanese prime minister’s hand no less than six times. Patting someone’s hand in this way pretends to be an affectionate gesture of approval, but its real purpose is to remind the other person who’s actually in charge. It’s what psychologists call a “status reminder”.Related: Mike Flynn might be done – but Trump's nightmare has just begun | Richard Wolffe Continue reading...

India breaks a new record launching 104 satellites into orbit on a single rocket. It is the most number of satellites to be launched by a country in a single mission. Russia previously held the record launching 37 in 2014. The satellites were taken into orbit aboard the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle which took off from Satish Dhawan Space Centre in India’s eastern Andhra Pradesh region Continue reading...

Within five years nanotechnology will examine bodily fluids for tiny bioparticles that reveal signs of cancer – helping to stop disease before it progressesThe sooner a disease is diagnosed, the more likely it is to be well managed or cured. The challenge to finding a disease early is that most of us don’t seek treatment until we have symptoms, which means the disease has already progressed.

Every day millions of internet users ask Google life’s most difficult questions, big and small. Our writers answer some of the commonest queriesMost of us can probably recall a time when we’ve either been ignored or have been the ignorer. In the second instance, perhaps we’ve avoided replying to someone because we’re cross with them and can’t be bothered to “get into it”. Perhaps we’ve forgotten to reply for so long that it feels too weird. In a romantic situation, perhaps we’ve decided that we want to break up with someone, but haven’t worked out how to do it (otherwise known as being a coward). Perhaps we felt pressured – and felt like the other person was demanding too much from us.Related: Breaking up is hard to do. But procrastinating doesn't make it easier | Zach Stafford Continue reading...

A new study shows many dinosaurs may have taken many months to hatch from their eggs, leaving them vulnerable to sudden environmental changesCut a tree trunk in half and you can count the rings to reveal the age. Slower growth in winter (when conditions are poor) means a thin and relatively dark line appears and this marks the end of a season. You might be surprised to know that we can do something similar with the bones of many animals including dinosaurs. Cut a big bone from the thigh in half and there are similar rings to count, laid down for the same reason (growth slowing) and that can also, give or take, mark down the number of years the animal has been alive. This is all well and good, but of little help when the owner is less than a year old, and clearly impossible to apply to embryos. Incredibly however, there is an even more specific and detailed measure for single days that is laid down in the teeth.These tiny indicators are called Von Ebner lines and they actually reflect daily growth and changes in mineralisation of teeth as they develop. We can see these in modern reptiles like crocodiles but also in dinosaurs. Although very rare, we do have fossil embryos of a number of dinosaurs and a new study by Erickson et al., has cut into the tiny teeth of these specimens and looked at the Von Ebner lines to count the number of days that they were in the egg (coupled with an estimate of when teeth first start growing) with some remarkable findings.

The National Parks Dark Skies Festival (18-26 February) is an ideal opportunity to try stargazing in some of the UK’s wildest areas. But here, we’ve also selected stellar sites that are good throughout the year

Fish-eating reptile Dinocephalosaurus, which lived about 245m years ago, gave birth to live babies rather than laying eggsAn extraordinary fossil unearthed in southwestern China shows a pregnant long-necked marine reptile that lived millions of years before the dinosaurs with its developing embryo, indicating the creature gave birth to live babies rather than laying eggs.

Findings show potential link between repeated sub-concussive head impacts and degenerative disease, although no clear link to football establishedYears of heading balls and colliding with other players could be damaging footballers’ brains and putting players at risk of developing dementia, scientists have suggested.The claim comes from the researchers behind a small study which examined the brains of six footballers who developed dementia after long careers in the sport. Continue reading...

Study finds strong link between weight gain from age 20 and increased risk of oesophageal and stomach cancer – both of which have very poor survival ratesPeople who are overweight in their 20s and then become obese later in life may be three times more likely to develop oesophageal or stomach cancer, according to new research.The research from the United States, published in the British Journal of Cancer, suggests that putting on weight over the years can be a particularly strong risk factor for two cancers that have very poor survival rates. Only a quarter (26%) of those diagnosed with cancer of the oesophagus or cancer of the upper stomach survive for five years. Continue reading...

Devised as a method of psychiatric assessment over a century ago, the reason people see so many shapes and figures in the blots may finally be explainedThey were made to delve into the depths of the mind and reveal its darkest secrets through the dancers, butterflies and occasional blood-soaked carcass that people saw when they looked at the patterns.Related: Testing times for Wikipedia after doctor posts secrets of the Rorschach inkblots Continue reading...

US institutions cautiously endorse future use of gene editing procedures to prevent people passing serious medical conditions to their childrenPowerful gene editing procedures could one day be allowed to prevent people from passing on serious medical conditions to their children, according to a major report from senior US researchers.The cautious endorsement from two of the most prestigious US science institutions means that human embryos, sperm and eggs could all be genetically manipulated to mend faulty genes which are known to cause serious disease or disability, once research has shown it is safe to do so.

Responding to some of our listener’s emails, Dr Daniel Glaser ponders whether dogs have a Theory of Mind, the neuroscience behind bilingualism, and the value of introspectionSubscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & Acast, and join the discussion on Facebook and TwitterIn this mini podcast, Observer Magazine columnist and neuroscientist Dr Daniel Glaser answers listener’s emails in response to our A Neuroscientist Explains podcast on the need for ‘empathetic citizens’. Including an in-studio query from the Guardian’s own Head of Audio Jason Phipps. Continue reading...

A fifth of readers report characters from novels cropping up in their daily lives, hearing their voices even after putting books asideIt’s a cliche to claim that a novel can change your life, but a recent study suggests almost a fifth of readers report that fiction seeps into their daily existence.Researchers at Durham University conducted a survey of more than 1,500 readers, with about 400 providing detailed descriptions of their experiences with book. Nineteen per cent of those respondents said the voices of fictional characters stayed with them even when they weren’t reading, influencing the style and tone of their thoughts – or even speaking to them directly. For some participants it was as if a character “had started to narrate my world”, while others heard characters talking, or imagined them reacting to things going on in everyday life. Continue reading...

John Gray: ‘I grew up with five brothers and then became a monk – so women were from another planet’I was a monk in the 1970s, working as an assistant to the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. My world was meditation and yoga, but my brother was bipolar, and meditation didn’t work for him. So I studied psychology to try to help him, eventually becoming a therapist.

Butterflies in your stomach or neurotransmitters on overdrive – science suggests there’s more to romance than our Valentine’s cards would have us believe. So, what’s dopamine got to do with it? Continue reading...

As June 30th is annouced as Asteroid Day 2017, astronaut Hadfield explains why we should take the possibility of collisions with celestial rocks seriously

The answer to today’s Shakespearean logic puzzleEarlier today I set you the following Puzzle, from Raymond Smullyan’s What is the name of this book?Beautiful Portia has three caskets: one gold, one silver and one lead. Inside one of them is her portrait. Her father’s will has determined that any suitor must choose the casket with the portrait in order to win her hand in marriage. Continue reading...

California observatory spots dying star 10,000 times brighter than the sun before explosion in a spiral galaxy 160m light years from constellation of PegasusAstronomers have captured the early death throes of a massive star that was torn apart in a violent explosion in a galaxy far from Earth.

Climate change is threatening about 700 endangered species and policymakers must act urgently to lessen impactThe impact of climate change on threatened and endangered wildlife has been dramatically underreported, with scientists calling on policymakers to act urgently to slow its effects before entire species are lost for good.New analysis has found that nearly half (47%) of the mammals and nearly a quarter (24.4%) of the birds on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of threatened species are negatively impacted by climate change – a total of about 700 species. Previous assessments had said only 7% of listed mammals and 4% of birds were impacted. Continue reading...

A new exhibition shows how scientists have tried to understand the mayhem of volcanoes, and how artists have embraced their sheer terrorArt and science merge in a colossal mushroom cloud of ash in an illustration from William Hamilton’s 1779 supplement to his book Campi Phlegraei. We see a vast plume of white and grey dust hanging high above Mount Vesuvius in broad daylight. Blue sky and sea enclose the eruption in a frozen calm. The cloud suggests the solidity and weight of thousands of tons of incinerated stone, suspended impossibly in the air. Continue reading...

Studies reveal greater likelihood of attention disorders, shyness and anxiety in childhood and then adulthood for survivors with very low birth weight of 1kg

A new study says that up to six hours a day is perfectly normal, and unlikely to do any harm – as long as your child is doing fine at school and getting enough exerciseWhat parent hasn’t tried to wrestle their teenager’s phone away from them? For years, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended a maximum of two hours’ screen time a day. Any more, it warned, and your child could get obese, sleep deprived and depressed. Research has also linked screen time to increases in risky behaviour, poor GCSE results and aggression. No wonder that screens, particularly iPads and smartphones that can be held under the bedcovers, have become a family battleground. Continue reading...