Things took a turn for the mythological this week with the creation of a human-pig hybrid, or chimera. It marks the first time that embryos combining two large, distantly-related species have been produced and is a big step towards being able to generate human hearts, livers and kidneys for transplant. And as if pig-humans (or human-pigs, or ... whatever) weren’t enough, researchers have modified E coli microbes to carry an expanded genetic code. Apparently this will ultimately allow them to be programmed, but also paves the way for the creation and exploitation of entirely new life forms. Given that human interactions with other species tend to go the way of the Cern weasel, this might not be great for whatever emerges, but still. Yay science. Definitely good news for everyone is the possibility that a radical therapy involving the tranquiliser ketamine could treat alcohol addiction by “erasing” drink-related memories. It’s extremely exciting that we’re starting to unpick how drugs interact with the brain. Another study this week, into LSD, has revealed why acid trips last so long – adding to our understanding of the brain’s serotonin receptors. Perhaps the only piece of science news this week that didn’t add to our understanding was the furore over the “dangers” of roast potatoes and burnt toast. Time to read some actual facts about acrylamide and ponder our own reactions to “scientific” pronouncements. Continue reading...

Stone marten, which met its fate at the Large Hadron Collider, to become part of Rotterdam museum’s exhibition on ill-fated human-animal interactionsThe singed fur and charred feet are testament to the weasel’s last stand: an encounter with the world’s most powerful machine that was never going to end well.Now an exhibit at the Rotterdam Natural History Museum, the stone marten met its fate when it hopped over a substation fence at the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) near Geneva and was instantly electrocuted by an 18,000 volt transformer.

In December we challenged you to solve the annual statistical brainteasers. Now it’s time to find out how you didIf you lost sleep over the festive season due to the famously fiendish Royal Statistical Society Christmas quiz then good news: today we publish the results of the annual brain twister.

It’s vital to improve public trust in science and expertise. But science is increasingly complex, and getting harder to explain. Things need to changeSelf-scrutiny is hard, but a crisis is looming and we scientists need to get out the mirror. A casual observer, viewing the landscape of science, sees a place of lofty achievement: soaring towers built on our understanding of genetics, the effortless sophistication of modern electronics, and astonishing fountains of knowledge on every topic imaginable. But all this rests on the foundations that connect science to society, and this is where the problem lurks.On the surface, science is more democratic than ever – a rapidly increasing proportion of all scientific papers are freely available online, university websites overflow with information about current research, and scientists are increasingly visible to the rest of society. But modern science is full of convoluted complexities, because the world is complicated. And so explaining our science is getting harder. Continue reading...

Science had been doing it tough for years but this was different. It knew it had to get out if it was going to survive

Study highlights how children as young as six can be influenced by stereotypes such as the idea that brilliance or giftedness is more common in menGirls as young as six years old believe that brilliance is a male trait, according research into gender stereotypes.The US-based study also found that, unlike boys, girls do not believe that achieving good grades in school is related to innate abilities. Continue reading...

China’s most ambitious moonshot to date will use one of the most powerful launchers in the worldChina will launch its next lunar mission in November this year. Chang’e-5 will attempt to retrieve samples of moon rock and return them to Earth. If the mission succeeds it will be the first lunar sample return since the Soviet Union’s Luna-24 in 1976.The mission will be China’s most ambitious moonshot to date. Weighing in at 8.2 tonnes, the spacecraft will be launched by China’s Long March 5 rocket. This heavy-lift vehicle is one of the most powerful launchers in the world. Its maiden flight took place on 3 November 2016. Continue reading...

President Trump’s election win alongside wider geopolitical turbulence causes the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists to move the Doomsday Clock 30 seconds closer to midnight. Rachel Bronson, from the organisation, cited Trump’s rejection of climate change science and his ‘reckless’ language around nuclear weapons as factors in the decision

Forensic scientist who shattered glass ceilings to become the last controller of the service in England and WalesMargaret Pereira, who has died aged 88, was a distinguished forensic scientist with an international reputation. Early in her career, she developed a highly sensitive method of investigating minute bloodstains to determine the ABO blood type of an individual. It was adopted worldwide as the Nicholls and Pereira (or N&P) method, Lewis Nicholls being her laboratory director.The Metropolitan Police Forensic Science Laboratory, which Margaret joined in 1947, would become an important centre for research into the rapidly expanding sciences devoted to the investigation of crime. Offences against the person involve biologists in the study of all body fluids – saliva and semen as well as blood. In order to pursue these studies, scientists at the laboratory, in common with researchers everywhere, routinely used themselves as guinea pigs, and Margaret was heard to remark that “in this job you don’t have an orifice to call your own”. Continue reading...

Research is first to demonstrate precisely how the compound lysergic acid diethylamide attaches to serotonin receptors in the brain“You can hear the Universal Symphony with God singing solo and Holy Ghost on drums,” was how Hunter S. Thompson described the experience, while the Beatles famously sang about “tangerine trees and marmalade skies”.Related: LSD's impact on the brain revealed in groundbreaking images Continue reading...

Prospect of growing human organs for transplantation raised by creation of first ever embryos combining two large, distantly related speciesScientists have created a human-pig hybrid in a milestone study that raises the prospect of being able to grow human organs inside animals for use in transplants.It marks the first time that embryos combining two large, distantly-related species have been produced. The creation of this so-called chimera – named after the cross-species beast of Greek mythology – has been hailed as a significant first step towards generating human hearts, livers and kidneys from scratch. Continue reading...

British astronaut Tim Peake announces his plan to return to the International Space Station with the European Space Agency. Speaking at the Science Museum in London on Thursday, Peake says it is ‘only natural’ to want to return for a second time with his classmates from 2009 for a second mission

The universe is expanding faster than we thought, causing problems for cosmologists. It could even mean Einstein’s theory of relativity needs revisingIts like a game of cat and mouse. Every time astronomers think they are getting close to understanding the universe, mother nature throws them another curveball to contend with.Today’s googly comes from the H0LiCOW collaboration and takes the form of a faster than expected expansion rate for the universe. Based on new observations taken with the Hubble Space Telescope, it confirms that a serious discrepancy lies at the heart of our astronomical understanding. Continue reading...

Neuroscientist who provided fresh insights into our development as individualsWhat is the origin of the unique and complex behaviours that our species are capable of? Is it nature or nurture? How is human cognition – our memory, language, numerical abilities – organised? How do developmental disorders occur? These age-old questions have puzzled – and deeply divided – scientists for hundreds of years. Over the course of more than four decades, research by the developmental neuroscientist Annette Karmiloff-Smith, who has died aged 78, provided key insights that challenged the traditional answers, and led to a new understanding of how genetic and environmental factors interact to give rise to different outcomes in individuals.She argued that developmental disorders should not be understood as “normal minus something broken”, but as developmental trajectories that take very different paths from the typical. When one sees what appears to be the same behaviour in both typical and atypical populations, that behaviour may actually be supported by processes that are quite different in each population. Annette’s work in this area involved individuals with Down’s syndrome, Fragile X syndrome and Williams syndrome, among others. Continue reading...

In the wake of Donald Trump’s claim that torture ‘absolutely’ works, comedian Lee Hurst has tweeted a terrorism scenario. Here’s why it’s wrong“Your baby is tied to a timebomb,” suggests comedian Lee Hurst. “You have the terrorist. He tells you you have one hour. Do you torture him to find your baby or let it die?”My answer, along with I suspect most of the Anglo-American intelligence community, would be ‘no’. What Hurst describes is a classic reiteration of the age-old ‘ticking bomb’ scenario, and it’s superficially appealing until you start to dig into the assumptions lurking behind it. Continue reading...

Doctors saved a Canadian woman’s life by removing her lungs for six days while she waited for a double lung transplant. In what is believed to be the first procedure of its kind in the world, Melissa Benoit arrived at Toronto hospital with just hours to live when staff and her family decided to take the unprecedented procedure

Gloucestershire historian unearths photographs of John Daniel, lowland gorilla adopted by village of Uley in 1918John Daniel was no ordinary gorilla. For starters, he was called John Daniel. And he had his own bedroom, drank tea and cider, and could purportedly do his own washing up.The extraordinary tale of the village that adopted its very own gorilla a century ago is told in a new local history book by a Gloucestershire historian. Continue reading...

Astronaut makes announcement at the Science Museum, London, as the Soyuz capsule that brought him back to Earth in June goes on display for first timeTim Peake has announced he will return to the International Space Station for a second mission with the European Space Agency.The British astronaut unveiled his plans to revisit the space station at the Science Museum in London, where the charred Soyuz capsule that brought him and two spacefaring companions back to Earth in June has gone on display for the first time.

Large properties just inside city walls, identified using radar, would have been equivalent to homes worth millions todayFoundations of three large Roman houses preserved for almost 2,000 years have been discovered in a park in the centre of Chichester.James Kenny, an archaeologist at Chichester district council, believes that when fully excavated they will prove to be some of the best Roman houses found in a city centre in Britain. Continue reading...

The prime minister, Malcolm Turnbull, announces Alan Mackay-Sim as the 2017 Australian of the Year for his work with stem cells and the regeneration of the nervous system. ‘I hope that it stimulates people to think about science, stimulates young people to get into science,’ Mackay-Sim says after receiving the award. ‘It’s a great thing for biomedical science particularly; neuroscience, stem cell science.’ Mackay-Sim says he wants to work towards a long-term, bipartisan plan for science funding in Australia. ‘All the way round the world, budgets are going out of medical science,’ he says. ‘I don’t want to be party political about it but I want to talk about the long-term view and the long-term requirements of science.’• Australian of the Year named as biomedical scientist Alan Mackay-Sim Continue reading...

Little black dress uses ‘wonder material’ to translate wearer’s heartbeat into power for built-in LED lightsIt is the super-thin “wonder material” scientists think could revolutionise every aspect of human life.Now graphene – which is just one atom thick and a million times thinner than human hair – looks set to storm the catwalks of Paris, New York and Milan in a hi-tech twist on the little black dress. Continue reading...

The Western world is in a dark place right now. It may be Simon Cowell’s fault. No, honestly – just consider the psychological impact of reality TVDid Simon Cowell bring about the end of Western civilisation as we know it? Well, first some caveats to clarify this unhinged-sounding question. Firstly, Western civilisation clearly hasn’t ended entirely. The fact that you’re reading this is proof of that. If civilisation collapses, surreal Guardian blogs will probably be the first thing to go, along with excessively-frothy coffees and designer clothes for miniature dogs. But it’s looking a lot shakier than it has done in some time, so who knows where we’ll end up?Secondly, this isn’t some character assassination of Simon Cowell. I certainly don’t believe that he is some terrifying tyrant who set out to destroy our way of life. He may not even be that bad a person, he certainly has his empathic, philanthropic side. I don’t know the guy, so can’t comment really. I suspect he’s just a keen businessman who found a format and a shtick that worked, and went with it as far as he could. It’s just that that schtick may have lead to the end of the world as we know it. Continue reading...

How prevalent is narcissism in science? Has this changed over time? And how could it threaten the fundamental pillars of science?Subscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & AcastWhen it comes to scientists, the stereotype of a socially-reclusive and tortured genius is one that, arguably, still remains. But in a new book Swiss immunologist Professor Bruno Lemaitre challenges this assumption, instead pointing to the recent rise of the narcissistic scientist. But is there anything specifically about modern science that may have encouraged this trend? Or is the supposed increase just a reflection of society as a whole? Continue reading...

It’s a popular holiday destination for many, but few know that the region’s ancient history extends well beyond churches and ruinsWith the sparkle of the holiday season now a distant memory, the fifty shades of January have many of us longing for the sun-soaked days of summer. The Mediterranean islands, rich in history and culture, fringed by sandy beaches and surrounded by deep blue waters, are a popular holiday destination. But few know that the earth below that picturesque tavern or idyllic beach holds exciting palaeontological discoveries.

Countering the ‘post-truth’ mentality with facts is great, but to truly engage with people, scientists and other experts need to be part of popular cultureThe uneasy tide of untruths has been rising, so subtly that we are up to our chins without being sure how it ever got to that point.The recent jaw-dropping performance of Donald Trump and his cronies, firing off random statements without even bothering to check whether they are true, is not as disturbing as the fact that they seem to be getting away with it. It is no longer enough for a reputable press outlet to cry foul – the corrections are shrugged off as partisan conspiracy theorists, and the exposé no longer leads to shame, or the mending of ways. Say something loud enough and often enough, and it starts to sound true. Get away with it enough, and it becomes a viable strategy. Continue reading...

Wright, whose films include Atonement and Anna Karenina, will take on Bertolt Brecht’s classic play Life of GalileoThe British director Joe Wright is returning to the theatre to direct an adaptation of Bertolt Brecht’s classic play Life of Galileo.Wright, whose films include Pride and Prejudice, Atonement and Anna Karenina, made his stage directorial debut in 2012 with Trelawny of the Wells at the Donmar Warehouse in London. Continue reading...

World-leading researcher honoured for a lifetime of work with stem cells and the regeneration of the nervous systemA biomolecular scientist whose groundbreaking research led to the first successful restoration of mobility in a quadriplegic man has been named 2017 Australian of the Year.Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim led the world’s first clinical trial using nasal cavity cells to treat spinal cord injuries. The findings from that trial led to world-first surgery on a paralysed man, Darek Fidyka, in 2014. Fidyka was able to walk again with the assistance of a frame after the procedure. Continue reading...

Atheists pride themselves on being rational and drawing their knowledge from the world of facts. But Dominic Johnson argues that even atheists display moral behaviour based on superstition. He says the feeling that we are being watched and judged has served an important evolutionary purpose

Suffering is difficult to describe and impossible to see. So how can doctors tell how much it hurts?One night in May, my wife sat up in bed and said, “I’ve got this awful pain just here.” She prodded her abdomen and made a face. “It feels like something’s really wrong.” Woozily noting that it was 2am, I asked what kind of pain it was. “Like something’s biting into me and won’t stop,” she said.“Hold on,” I said blearily, “help is at hand.” I brought her a couple of ibuprofen with some water, which she downed, clutching my hand and waiting for the ache to subside. Continue reading...

Campaigners hail ‘monumental leap forward’ in treatment of most lethal form of cancer, which kills 8,800 Britons each yearCancer campaigners are hailing a “monumental leap forward” in pancreatic cancer treatment after a new drug trial significantly extended survival from what is the most lethal form of the disease.The clinical trial found that 29% of patients given a combination of two chemotherapy drugs lived for at least five years compared with 16% who received the one chemotherapy drug that is still the NHS’s standard treatment. Continue reading...

Some lucky folk claim to never get a cold or take days off work. Can we become more like them?Every now and then one pops up at work, down the pub, in the park, outside the school gate, or in your own family’s mythology. The person who claims never to get sick. Colds brush past them without leaving so much as a sniffle. They laugh in the flushed face of flu, spray hand sanitiser in the rheumy eyes of infection, and never take a day off work. They appear to be superhuman, with the kind of kickass immune systems the rest of us mere ailing mortals can only dream about as we dissolve another 1,000mg vitamin C tablet and hope for the best. What are their secrets? Can we become more like them? Do they even exist?“I hardly ever get a cold, bug or infection,” says Lore Lucas, a 97-year-old Jewish refugee and Holocaust survivor who has lived in Glasgow since 1946. “I never drank or smoked, I sleep well and I like a little rest during the day, preferably in bed, or rather on the bed … just shoes off.” What about her diet? “I have been known to have a great dislike for cheese,” she replies, “and I really do not like the Scottish specialities mince, haggis, or porridge.” Continue reading...

We sort through some of the most persistent and pernicious myths surrounding cancer and its treatmentCancer is a topic with high emotional resonance – there is hardly a family in the world that has not been touched by this complex family of diseases. Yet cancer is still widely misunderstood. Given the sheer volume of information available on the internet and elsewhere it is often difficult to separate fact from fiction.This can leave patients, friends and family confused and vulnerable to dodgy information at best, and ready to undergo dangerous “treatments” and “cures” at worst. Just over three years ago, I tackled six common cancer myths; but as new myths arise and information moves on, it seemed a good idea to start the year off by debunking some new myths – as well as some that have refused to disappear.

A one-off dose of the drug could help alcohol addicts reduce their intake by ‘erasing’ drink-related memories, say psychologists testing treatmentScientists believe that a radical treatment involving the tranquilliser ketamine could help overcome alcohol addiction by “erasing” drink-related memories.Psychologists based at University College London are testing whether a one-off dose of the drug could help hazardous drinkers who are trying to reduce their alcohol intake. Alcohol addiction is notoriously difficult to treat, and there are few effective therapies available. Continue reading...

E coli microbes have been modified to carry an expanded genetic code which researchers say will ultimately allow them to be programmedFrom the moment life gained a foothold on Earth its story has been written in a DNA code of four letters. With G, T, C and A - the molecules that pair up in the DNA helix - the lines between humans and all life on Earth are spelled out.Now, the first living organisms to thrive with an expanded genetic code have been made by researchers in work that paves the way for the creation and exploitation of entirely new life forms. Continue reading...

Any new partnership is a challenge, but at Sparks medical research charity, we know we need to change to create bigger pots for research grantsAt one of our flagship fundraising events a few months ago, Heather and Andrew shared the story of Tom, their son who died three years previously, aged just 17 month, from the cruel and rare disease Krabbe.When Tom received his diagnosis, the family was told there was no treatment available that could stop, or even slow down, the disease. Our event fell on the anniversary of them finding out he had just days left to live. Continue reading...

Siamogale melilutra, which grew up to 2 metres long, frolicked in the country’s south-western wetlands about 6.2m years agoScientists have unearthed fossils of an otter as big as a wolf that frolicked in rivers and lakes in a lush, warm and humid wetlands region in south-western China about 6.2m years ago.

Collaboration between police from 18 countries leads to recovery of 3,561 stolen ancient artefacts and 75 arrestsPolice from 18 countries have recovered more than 3,500 stolen works of art and ancient artefacts of “great cultural importance” in an operation last year, according to the European police agency.

We may be entering the ‘alternative facts’ era – but psychologists have been studying how we develop an understanding of false beliefs for decadesFor decades, developmental psychologists have been fascinated with the question of how children develop theory of mind – in other words, how we come to understand that other people can have different types of thoughts, beliefs and knowledge to ourselves. A key milestone in this journey involves developing a notion of false belief; sometimes, the things that people believe about the world are very different from the reality of the situation, and this will have important consequences for how people act. But how do you measure something so seemingly esoteric? Continue reading...

The Changbaishan eruption, one of the most violent of the last two millennnia, has been dated to within three months of the winter of 946 ADThe fossilised remains of a tree killed more than 1,000 years ago when a volcano blew a four-kilometre-wide hole in the landscape, on the border between China and North Korea, have helped an international team of scientists date one of the most violent eruptions of the last two millennnia to within three months of the winter of 946 AD.The date matches a vivid description in a chronicle from a temple in Japan, far from any of that country’s active volcanoes, and 1,000 kilometres from the Changbaishan volcano. The monks recorded “white ash falling like snow” on 3 November 946AD. Another ancient record from 470km away, close enough to be within the sound of the eruption, said that in that year “the sky rumbled and cried out,” and recorded that there was an amnesty – presumably because it was taken as a dire omen – which led to prisoners being freed. Continue reading...

Roman British skeleton found buried face down in Northamptonshire has tongue mutilation seemingly unique for the periodA gruesome and seemingly unique mutilation has emerged from a Roman Britain burial site in Northamptonshire – the skeleton of a man whose tongue had apparently been amputated and replaced with a flat stone wedged into his mouth.The man had been interred face down, perhaps amid fears that his corpse would rise to threaten people once again, archaeologists believe. Continue reading...

‘Science’ appears to say a lot of things. But in this post-truth ‘alternative facts’ world, constantly implying that all of science agrees can only be harmfulToday, British watchdogs have warned people that roast potatoes can cause cancer. The rationale seems to be that roast/burnt foods contain acrylamide, which is believed to be a carcinogen. Makes sense. But the actual science hasn’t found any link between typical levels of acrylamide in the diet and cancer. And it’s not for want of looking.Related: What is the real cancer risk from eating roast potatoes or toast? Continue reading...

The Food Standards Agency has warned that overcooked starchy foods can contain acrylamide, a chemical liked to cancer. But should you be worried?The Food Standards Agency has warned that eating overcooked potatoes or burnt toast could increase the risk of cancer. They are urging people to reduce their intake of overcooked foods through a public health campaign, dubbed “Go for Gold” – essentially advising people to turn off the heat once your toast, potatoes or other starchy foods are lightly browned. Continue reading...

Other starchy foods such as crisps can contain acrylamide, a harmful chemical formed at high temperatures, says British food watchdogEating crisps, well-browned roast potatoes and toast that is more than lightly grilled can increase the risk of cancer, according to a public health campaign urging people to change their eating and cooking habits.The Food Standards Agency (FSA) says people are consuming too much acrylamide, a chemical produced naturally as a result of cooking starchy foods at high temperatures. Continue reading...

Our teams are involved with 70% of all NHS diagnoses but too few people understand what we do. I fear for the future

It’s something many people loathe and find awkward, but here’s how to do it well and make a good impressionThe idea of introducing themselves to a room of strangers fills many business owners with dread. They know networking is important for growing their business, however they loathe it all the same. But what is it that makes people feel so uncomfortable ?Paul Russell is the co-founder of training company Luxury Academy and has an MSc in occupational psychology. He says people get nervous before networking events because of a fear of rejection. The danger is that this fear can itself create an awkward situation. Continue reading...

The Glitoris is not only Amanda Palmer’s No 1 artwork in the fight against fascism, it’s also an educational tool, says Australian artist Alli Sebastian WolfOn Saturday night, Alli Sebastian Wolf delivered a sex-ed lesson in one of the world’s most famous performance venues. The Australian artist was pulled on to the stage of the Sydney Opera House’s Concert Hall at the request of the musician Amanda Palmer, who had seen Wolf’s recent piece “Glitoris” online.Can't resist @amandapalmer pic.twitter.com/pmItUSbF6N Continue reading...

Brian Neville, who has died aged 77, was a key figure in the development of paediatric neurology and neurodisability in Britiain. He was the first UK professor of paediatric neurology, appointed in 1989 at the Institute of Child Health, University College London, and Great Ormond Street hospital.Brian was born in Bexleyheath, south-east London, to Louie and George Neville. Brian and his mother moved out of London during the second world war, and his early years were spent in the idyllic setting of Brough, Cumbria. He later spoke fondly of the local women who taught him about farming life. Continue reading...

‘Nullius in verba’ is a fine ideal, but science is a little bit more complicated than that, as is the world in general‘Nullius in verba’ – roughly, ‘Take nobody’s word for it’ – is the motto of one of the world’s oldest scientific societies, the Royal Society. It neatly expresses the ideal that the credibility of information derives from evidence, observational or experimental, and not from the innate authority of the source. An important principle, for a Society with a royal patron, in a country which was still in the process evolving away from absolute monarchy.Despite instances of fraud, undue influence and genuine mistakes, good science still accumulates knowledge this way. Scientists can be just as venal, egotistical or biased as anyone else, and can argue indefinitely about the interpretation of data. (I have experienced this personally.) But arguments about the data themselves are finite. The experiment or observation can be checked and repeated, if there is the will. This usually settles matters. Continue reading...

Up to 50% of stroke diagnoses are inaccurate. What if a small biosensor could do the job precisely? Robert McCrum, who survived a ‘brain attack’ 22 years ago, traces one team’s long journey to a breakthroughStroke, or “brain attack”, is the third biggest killer in the western world, after cancer and heart failure. The life-changing effects associated with this simple, Anglo-Saxon word are readily explained: a stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is disrupted by a blood vessel either bursting or blocking, so that the part of the brain supplied by this blood vessel dies.The brain is a much more complex organ than the heart. While strokes are a common feature of everyday life, precisely how and why they occur is far from straightforward. Continue reading...

In the first episode of this new podcast, Dr Daniel Glaser asks what effect does music have on our brains? And how can it be harnessed for therapy?Subscribe & Review on iTunes, Soundcloud, Audioboom, Mixcloud & AcastIn the first episode of this new podcast, Observer Magazine columnist and neuroscientist Dr Daniel Glaser delves into the world of music, memory, and musical therapy. Helping him explore the neuroscience, Daniel meets old friend and collaborator Professor Lauren Stewart, a psychologist from Goldsmith’s University, and co-director of the Centre for Music in the Brain at Aarhus University, Denmark. Continue reading...