Science | The Guardian

The Sky at Night presenter on science, school and Star TrekBorn in London in 1968 toNigerian parents, Maggie Aderin-Pocock isa scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night. She trained as aphysicist - graduating from Imperial College London with a PhD in 1994, and working for the Ministry of Defence on landmine detection and missile warning systems. She has since designed a host of space instruments, become the first Black woman to win a gold medal in the Physics News Award and in 2013 took over from Patrick Moore as a co-host of the BBC's long-running astronomy show. Aderin-Pocock is one of the panellists for the National Trust's Time + Space Award, anew initiative to give 16- to 25-year-olds the resources to explore ideas.This was my Nigerian passport photo. I was quite excited to have my picture taken and my sister was, too. We were wearing Ladybird dresses from Woolworths. Mine was green with acollar and hers was red. I remember Iwas quite envious of hers. Continue reading...

Some believe global anomalies are in line with predictions but others are more concerned by speed of changeRecord temperatures in 2024 on land and at sea have prompted scientists to question whether these anomalies are in line with predicted global heating patterns or if they represent a concerning acceleration of climate breakdown.Heat above the oceans remains persistently, freakishly high, despite a weakening of El Nino, which has been one of the major drivers of record global temperatures over the past year. Continue reading...

We all deserve better from healthcare providers who sell false promise to some, while shutting down options for othersYou can't have missed the conversations about the rise of freezing eggs for non-medical or social" reasons in recent years, which forms part of an explosion in the use of fertility treatments, all with the promise of giving more options to prospective parents. The starting point is often the question of whether someone, almost always a wealthy, straight, white woman, should freeze her eggs as insurance against her biological clock", career development and/or the risk of not finding a partner in time with whom to start a family.Having noticed the trend, I began to see that the same detail was missing from piece after piece: the statistical likelihood of these frozen eggs leading to live births. With notable exceptions, the focus is on affordability and the social factors that are causing so many more people to opt for this treatment, rather than discussion of what happens when someone actually uses the eggs to try to conceive. Frozen eggs are being marketed and spoken about as fertility nest eggs" - even as more and more evidence about low success rates have emerged. Continue reading...

Should you blame yourself for your bad habits? (1m53s); author and teacher, Michael Donkor, on the dilemma of whether to come out to his pupils (7m50s); and missed connections: four extraordinary stories of couples who found love via small ads (26m05s) Continue reading...

Readers respond to George Monbiot's article on the treatment and attitude of the medical profession to the debilitating conditionI am writing to express my appreciation of George Monbiot's perceptive article (You don't want to get better': the outdated treatment of ME/CFS patients is a national scandal, 12 March). I have lived with severe fatigue for more than three years, following a mild Covid infection. It is difficult to describe what it is like and it is not surprising that it is not well understood. My experience is that it is necessary to overcome my instincts to push myself, since running out of energy results in even more limited stamina over weeks or months.It must appear to others that I am neither constantly exhausted nor pushing myself. But if I give in to the instinct to do more, I push myself back into a state of self-perpetuating exhaustion, where my expectation of what I can manage lags behind my declining stamina. Continue reading...

Racism in politics | A propulsion problem | Joy in education | Salford's rugby winGary Younge's article on the universal hypocrisy in relation to racism being expressed by both of our main political parties is the most honest and ruthlessly coruscating essay I've read since James Baldwin (In Britain's degraded politics, fighting racism has become a cynical game, 15 March). It should be framed on the walls of every office used by journalists andpoliticians in the land.

Specimens collected on Voyage of the Beagle have been unearthed at Cambridge University archivePlant specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the voyage of the Beagle have been unearthed in an archive at Cambridge University.The rare specimens, which have been stored in the archives of the Cambridge University herbarium for nearly 200 years, were given by Darwin to his teacher and friend Prof John Stevens Henslow, the founder of Cambridge University Botanic Garden. Continue reading...

CDC data shows nearly 18m people could be living with long Covid even as health agency relaxes isolation recommendationsSome 6.8% of American adults are currently experiencing long Covid symptoms, according to a new survey from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), revealing an alarming" increase in recent months even as the health agency relaxes Covid isolation recommendations, experts say.That means an estimated 17.6 million Americans could now be living with long Covid. Continue reading...

Mosquitoes infected with Wolbachia bacteria that inhibit spread of disease to be introduced in six cities after successful pilot schemeA dengue-fighting strategy that involves releasing bacteria-infected mosquitoes will be rolled out to six Brazilian cities in the coming months as the country battles a severe outbreak of dengue fever, a viral disease transmitted by the Aedes aegypti mosquito.Factors such as hotter and wetter weather caused by the climate crisis and the circulation of previously absent subtypes of the virus are fuelling an explosion of dengue in Brazil, which has recorded 1.6m probable cases since January - the same number reported for all of last year - and 491 deaths, with a further 889 deaths under investigation, as of 14 March. Continue reading...

Numbers living with or dying from disorders such as stroke rises dramatically to 3.4bn people - 43% of global populationNeurological conditions ranging from migraine to stroke, Parkinson's disease and dementia, are now the leading cause of ill-health worldwide, causing 11.1 million deaths in 2021, research has revealed.The number of people living with or dying from disorders of the nervous system has risen dramatically over the past three decades, with 43% of the world's population - 3.4 billion people - affected in 2021, according to a study published in the Lancet. Continue reading...

Spacecraft's cruise vessel flew around globe for first time, but lost contact in final stages before planned splashdownSpaceX's Starship, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, was destroyed during its return to Earth after nearly completing its third test flight.The 120-metre system, which weighs about 5,000 tonnes when fully fuelled, took off from SpaceX's spaceport, named Starbase, on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Chica, Texas. SpaceX aims to use the spacecraft to one day carry astronauts to the moon and Mars. Continue reading...

SpaceX launched the third test flight of its Starship spacecraft, the largest and most powerful rocket ever built, which aims to carry astronauts to the moon and, eventually, to Mars. It took off from SpaceX's spaceport, named Starbase, on the Gulf of Mexico in Boca Chica, Texas, entering space several minutes later. After 50 minutes, it lost contact with the spacecraft and the live feed cut to the control room. SpaceX were never intending to recover the parts after take-off. Two previous attempts ended in the explosion of the spacecraft's engine booster and the cruise vessel, which is designed to eventually carry up to 100 astronauts. The first attempt lasted four minutes and the second lasted eight.The company says frequent flight testing will provide valuable data that will help it design and develop a more robust rocket

Location, extent and strength of recent freshwater events suggest an unusually warm and dry summer over southern Europe this yearLong-range weather predictions are notoriously difficult, but a new paper in the journal Weather and Climate Dynamics suggests that the melt rate of the Greenland ice sheet can predict the next summer's weather in Europe.The chain of events is complex and other factors may interfere. But according to Dr Marilena Oltmanns of the UK National Oceanography Centre, lead author of the study, it goes roughly as follows: Continue reading...

Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss some of the science stories that have made headlines this week, from a new theory challenging the existence of dark matter to an alarming study about the possible impact of microplastics on our health and a glimpse of a waterworld with a boiling ocean' deep in space Continue reading...

Arthur Schubarth, 80, pleads guilty to trafficking in audacious' and unlawful scheme to cross-breed sheep for lucrative saleA Montana rancher illegally used tissue and testicles from wild sheep killed by hunters in central Asia and the US to breed giant" hybrid sheep for sale to private hunting preserves in Texas, according to court documents and federal prosecutors.Arthur Jack" Schubarth, 80, of Vaughn, Montana, pleaded guilty to felony charges of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic wildlife during an appearance Tuesday before a federal judge in Great Falls. Continue reading...

Improved screening and treatment means fewer middle-aged people dying of disease despite rise in casesMore middle-aged people are getting cancer but fewer of them are dying from it thanks to improved detection and better treatment, research has found.The findings are positive and reassuring" for those aged 35 to 69, according to cancer experts quoted in the British Medical Journal, which published the paper. Continue reading...

DNA My Dog received human genetic sample and identified it as a malamute, shar-pei and labrador, according to news stationA pet company has twice sent back dog breed results for human swab samples, prompting doubts surrounding the accuracy of dog breed tests.On Wednesday, WBZ News reported its investigations team receiving dog breed results from the company DNA My Dog after one of its reporters sent in a swab sample - from her own cheek. Continue reading...

Adrenaline release thought to dampen inflammation, but experts say method not without risks'Whether plunging themselves into ice baths or deliberately hyperventilating and then holding their breath, devotees of The Iceman" Wim Hof are evangelical about the physical and mental benefits these practices bring. A new study suggests they may indeed reduce levels of inflammation in the body. However, experts stress that practising the Wim Hof method is not without risk.Hof is a Dutch athlete, best known for record-breaking feats such as swimming under ice and running barefoot on ice and snow. More recently, he has built a business empire on the techniques he uses - which focus on a commitment to mastering conscious breathing and cold exposure - with courses available around the world. Continue reading...

Parasitic larvae discovered after unexplained weekly migraines failed to respond to medicationParasitic tapeworm larvae have been found in a man's brain following weeks of worsening migraines, which researchers believe were caused by his consumption of undercooked bacon.In a report released last week, the American Journal of Case Reports documented an unidentified 52-year-old American man who was experiencing weekly migraines that were unresponsive to medication. Continue reading...

Coral larvae more likely to settle on degraded reefs bathed in marine soundscapes, Caribbean study showsUnderwater speakers that broadcast the hustle and bustle of thriving coral could bring life back to more damaged and degraded reefs that are in danger of becoming ocean graveyards, researchers say.Scientists working off the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean found that coral larvae were up to seven times more likely to settle at a struggling reef where they played recordings of the snaps, groans, grunts and scratches that form the symphony of a healthy ecosystem. Continue reading...

First attempt with private Kairos rocket was intended to test viability of homegrown commercial launch businessA rocket made by a Japanese company has exploded seconds after it was launched with the goal of putting a satellite into orbit.Tokyo-based Space One's 18-metre Kairos rocket blasted off from the company's launch pad in the Wakayama region of western Japan, carrying a small government test satellite, on Wednesday. Continue reading...

I thought becoming an author meant I could avoid ever addressing a crowd again. Then I was invited to a writers' festivalWhen I was younger I was so terrified of public speaking that I went out of my way to avoid it. If I was forced to address a crowd, I didn't sleep for days before because I would loop disaster scenarios over and over in my head. When it came to the actual event, my hands would be clammy, my breathing would be erratic and I'd speed through my speech in a desperate need just to be done.At university, I chose subjects merely because they did not involve class presentations. I never applied for jobs that meant addressing a crowd. And when my best friend asked me to speak at her 21st birthday, I drank so much cheap wine that I slurred a sentence or two and then fled outside in shame. Continue reading...

Study finds reception-age girls with obesity 67% more likely to see doctor about musculoskeletal issues than those at healthy weightGirls aged between four and 11 who are overweight or obese are more likely to see a GP at least once about musculoskeletal problems than their healthy weight peers, research suggests.Pupils in reception year who had a body mass index considered overweight were 24% more likely to see a doctor at least once for a musculoskeletal issue while their peers who were living with obesity were 67% more likely to do so than girls with a healthy weight, the study found. Continue reading...

Researchers say jabs substantially reduce for up to a year the chances of serious cardiovascular complicationsCovid vaccinations substantially reduce the risk of heart failure and potentially dangerous blood clots linked to the infection for up to a year, according to a large study.Researchers analysed health records from more than 20 million people across the UK, Spain and Estonia and found consistent evidence that the jabs protected against serious cardiovascular complications of the disease. Continue reading...

Hackney MP says she feels more vulnerable after Tory donor said looking at her makes you want to hate all black women'

From harmful therapies' to social services referrals, the notion that this illness is psychosomatic is having devastating effectsIt's the greatest medical scandal of the 21st century. For decades, patients with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) have been told they can make themselves better by changing their attitudes. This devastating condition, which afflicts about 250,000 people in the UK, was psychologised by many doctors and scientists, adding to the burden of a terrible physiological illness.Long after this approach was debunked in scientific literature, clinicians who championed it have refused to let go. They continue to influence healthcare systems, governments and health insurers. And patients still suffer as a result. Continue reading...

Important collection rediscovered during house-clearing includes numerous rare speciesAn internationally important collection of shells, including specimens from Captain Cook's final voyage, has been rediscovered 40 years after it was thought to have been thrown into a skip.More than 200 shells have been returned to English Heritage, which will put some of them on display in Northumberland this week. Continue reading...

For some people, going bald or experiencing thinning hair can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing and self confidence. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Rudi Zygadlo about how it affected him and what he eventually did about it, and to consultant dermatologist and hair specialist Dr Sharon Wong about what exactly is going on when our hair thins, which treatments are available to help, and what we can expect from new technologies in the pipelineRead Rudi Zygadlo's description of his hair transplantSign up to the TechScape newsletter to read Alex Hern's weekly look at how technology is shaping our lives Continue reading...

Halley-type comet that orbits once every 71.3 years will be easier to spot as it passes by bright stars, say astronomersA comet that is larger than Mount Everest could become visible to the naked eye in the coming weeks as it continues its first visit to the inner solar system in more than 70 years, say astronomers.The icy body is a Halley-type comet - meaning it will turn up once, or possibly twice, in a lifetime. Indeed 12P/Pons-Brooks, as it is known, completes its orbit once every 71.3 years, and is due to make its closest approach to the sun on 21 April. Continue reading...

Experts say action needed as report finds minority ethnic people, women and those from deprived backgrounds at risk of poorer healthcareMinority ethnic people, women and people from deprived communities are at risk of poorer healthcare because of biases within medical tools and devices, a report has revealed.Among other findings, the Equity in Medical Devices: Independent Review has raised concerns over devices that use artificial intelligence (AI), as well as those that measure oxygen levels. The team behind the review said urgent action was needed. Continue reading...

The two species of pygmy squid the size of a fingernail live on Japanese coral reefs. Spotting them is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, say scientistsIn Japan, stories have been told of forest-dwelling magical spirits called kodama since ancient times. Over the centuries, they've adopted many guises: sometimes they're invisible, sometimes they look like trees. The Studio Ghibli animated movie Princess Mononoke portrayed kodama as rotund little humanoids with rotating bobble heads. Now, a genus of miniature squid has been named in honour of the kodama and their role as nature's guardians.If you see them, it's a sign that the ecosystem is healthy," says Jeff Jolly from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology, referring to Kodama jujutsu, the pygmy squid that he and a team of scientists and underwater photographers found on coral reefs in Japan and described in a 2023 paper. Continue reading...

Employees say there is a trend of limited diversity among the senior scientific leadership at the London centre for AIStaff at the UK's national institute for artificial intelligence and data science have expressed serious concerns" about the organisation's approach to diversity after it appointed four men to senior roles.A letter addressed to the leadership of the Alan Turing Institute (ATI) said the appointments showed a continuing trend of limited diversity within the institute's senior scientific leadership". Continue reading...

Submersibles allow us to witness the wonders of the depths of our planet like nothing else. But after the OceanGate disaster, how safe are they? Cal Flyn goes aboard...When we climb on board the ship, the submersible is waiting for us on deck. It is sleek and gleaming and slightly comic, like a tiny spaceship. It has a banana-yellow deck and a huge, Jetsons-style cockpit contained within a transparent bubble: an acrylic globe that is perfectly clear and spherical, temporarily shrouded in a thick grey cover to protect the interior from super-heating in the Bahamian sun.It is at once impossibly futuristic and yet intriguingly solid - like no vehicle I have ever seen before. And it feels oddly in keeping with my present surroundings, which are, admittedly, perplexing. I don't spend much of my time on superyachts, so this all seems strange to me. There's a bridge full of glittering equipment and flatscreens of data. There's a gleaming white kitchen filled with food. Capable, suntanned young staff buzz around, busy with ropes and fenders, knives strapped to their ankles, offering to whip us up margaritas at a moment's notice. Continue reading...

In emotional pain, Jessica Hepburn decided to climb to the top of the world and listen to every single available episode of Desert Island DiscsIt is hard for Jessica Hepburn to pinpoint the exact moment she decided to climb to the top of the world as well as to listen to every single available episode of Desert Island Discs.They've become so inextricably linked in my mind," says the author, adventurer and self-described unlikely athlete" who, in 2022, at the age of 51, successfully summited Mount Everest. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Paper by UCL professor says wobbly' space-time could instead explain expansion of universe and galactic rotationDark matter is supposed to account for 85% of the mass in the universe, according to conventional scientific wisdom. But proponents of a radical new theory of gravity, in which space-time is wobbly", say their approach could render the elusive substance obsolete.

Procedure could overcome common forms of infertility and help people have children who share their DNAScientists are a step closer to making IVF eggs from patients' skin cells after adapting the procedure that created Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, more than two decades ago.The work raises the prospect of older women being able to have children who share their DNA, and to overcome common forms of infertility caused by a woman's eggs becoming damaged by disease or cancer treatment. Continue reading...

Ottoline Leyser of UKRI says people in public eye should be able to debate better, with less polarisation and blameThe head of the UK government science body at the centre of a libel scandal has called for creative disagreement" and a higher standard of public discourse, with less polarisation and blame between scientists and politicians.Ottoline Leyser, the chief executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said that with so much at stake for the planet and given the need for science to propel a transition to a low-carbon economy, it was imperative for policymakers, scientists and the public to be able to communicate. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Significant discovery, made by James Webb telescope, provokes disagreement over conditions on planet's surfaceAstronomers have observed a distant planet that could be entirely covered in a deep water ocean, in findings that advance the search for habitable conditions beyond Earth.The observations, by Nasa's James Webb space telescope (JWST), revealed water vapour and chemical signatures of methane and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere of the exoplanet, which is twice Earth's radius and about 70 light years away. This chemical mix is consistent with a water world where the ocean would span the entire surface, and a hydrogen-rich atmosphere, according to researchers from the University of Cambridge, although they do not envisage a balmy, inviting seascape. Continue reading...

Vote against formal geological recognition of age of the humans' is claimed to have violated committee rulesThe quest to declare the Anthropocene an official geological epoch has descended into an epic row, after the validity of a leaked vote that apparently killed the proposal was questioned.Supporters of the idea have been working on the proposal for 15 years. They say it would formalise the undeniable and irreversible changes that human activity has wreaked on the planet. It would mark the end of the Holocene epoch, the 11,700 years of stable global environment in which the whole of human civilisation developed. Continue reading...

I've built up a collection from a beach in Weymouth that could help to establish what biodiversity in the UK was like over the course of millions of years

Study suggests dogs with POMC gene mutation are hungrier between meals and burn fewer calories when at restWhen it comes to greedy canines, labradors take the biscuit. Now researchers have shed light on why the breed is prone to a portly form.Scientists previously revealed a mutation in a gene called POMC (proopiomelanocortin) predisposes dogs to obesity. The genetic variant is found in about a quarter of labrador retrievers and two-thirds of flat-coated retrievers, with the effect slightly larger in the former. Continue reading...

Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian's health editor, Andrew Gregory, about the worrying global rise in cancers in under-50s, and hears from Yin Cao, an associate professor in surgery and medicine at Washington University in St Louis, who is part of a team conducting a huge study into why young people are developing bowel cancer at record rates Continue reading...

As TV producers push boundaries, advisers called in to help safeguard participants' mental health face a complex taskThe risk to reality TV participants' mental health is increasing year on year as broadcasters and producers continue to push boundaries to make more interesting and enticing entertainment. But while psychologists are increasingly called upon to advise on such productions, experts say these aren't always appropriately qualified and their advice isn't necessarily followed up.Television and film companies are increasingly working to safeguard participants' mental health after allegations of manipulative and coercive treatment, and the suicide of contestants on Love Island, The Jeremy Kyle Show and other reality programmes. They are also under pressure to attract audiences amid growing competition and financial strains.In the UK and Ireland, Samaritans can be contacted on freephone 116 123, or email jo@samaritans.org or jo@samaritans.ie. In the US, you can call or text the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline on 988, chat on 988lifeline.org, or text HOME to 741741 to connect with a crisis counselor. In Australia, the crisis support service Lifeline is 13 11 14. Other international helplines can be found at befrienders.org. Continue reading...

Global average temperature for past 12 months highest on record at 1.56C above pre-industrial levels, data showsLast month was the warmest February on record globally, making it the ninth month in a row with record temperatures for the time of year, scientists have said.Global sea surface temperatures are also at their highest ever recorded, data from the EU's Copernicus Climate Change Service shows. Continue reading...

Scientists link tiny particles in blood vessels with substantially higher risk of deathDoctors have warned of potentially life-threatening effects from plastic pollution after finding a substantially raised risk of stroke, heart attack and earlier death in people whose blood vessels were contaminated with microscopic plastics.Researchers in Naples examined fatty plaques removed from the blood vessels of patients with arterial disease and found that more than half had deposits contaminated with tiny particles of polyethylene or polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Continue reading...

Deliberately fashioned chipped stones date back more than 1m years and may have been used by homo erectusAncient stone tools found in western Ukraine may offer the oldest known evidence of the presence of humans in Europe, according to new research.The chipped stones, deliberately fashioned from volcanic rock, were excavated from a quarry in Korolevo in the 1970s. Archaeologists used new methods to date the layers of sedimentary rock surrounding the tools to more than 1m years old. Continue reading...

Researchers in France believe subtle shift in facial attractiveness is down to changes in blood sugar and insulinIf you want to look your best in the morning, it may be worth swapping the ultra-processed pastries and fruit juice for wholemeal toast and tea without sugar.Researchers in France found that people who ate a breakfast rich in refined carbohydrates were rated less attractive than those who started the day with healthier unrefined carbs. Continue reading...

Workplace motivation | Michelle Donelan | Weight loss | Jaw-force units | Radio 4James Timpson makes a powerful case for seeing his employees as valuable human beings, not expendable units of production", by asking them to follow only two rules: put the money in the till and look the part (Journal, 5 March). I was reminded of the customer-service-focused Nordstrom stores in the US, whose employee mantra is:One rule: use good judgment in all situations." Simple and effective.

Khinjaria acuta was bigger than a great white shark, with blade-like teeth and awesome jaws. Just as well it died out 67m years agoName: Khinjaria acuta.Age: About 67m to 69m years old. Continue reading...