Archaeologist Alan Endacott says area may have been site of henge monument similar to earlier phase of Stonehenge'Two neolithic stone circles have been discovered on Dartmoor, adding credibility to the theory that a sacred arc" of monuments was built in the heart of the wild Devon uplands.One of the circles appears to have similar features to Stonehenge, while the second sits slightly outside the sweep of the arc and could have served as a gateway used by pilgrims travelling to the area. Continue reading...

The Scottish film-maker on bringing humour to his look at male emotional repression, being compared to Louis Theroux, and his problems with reality TVSilence is golden - at least where men are concerned. The strong, silent type" endures as an aspirational archetype, whether you are a man yourself, or simply someone who interacts with them. In popular fiction, the Jack Reacher action novels have sold about100m copies. The big man's catchphrase is, tellingly, not a phrase at all, rather, it's an anti-phrase: Reacher said nothing." In film, one ofthe ultimate images of machismo isArnold Schwarzenegger in The Terminator: leather jacket, motorcycle and, famously, only 17 lines of dialogue in the whole of the first film.And at the frillier end of cultural representations of men, the likes of Heathcliff in Emily Bronte's Wuthering Heights depend more on their ability to smoulder a lady to a crisp with a glance than on their emotional articulacy.It might work in fiction but, in reality, the boys don't cry" approach can be dangerous if it leads to men bottling things up or trying to shoulder their worries alone. Suicideisstill the biggest killer of menunder50 in the UK, with men making up about three-quarters of deaths bysuicide. Continue reading...

Eight of the 43 macaques that escaped from facility breeding primates for medical research are still at largeEight monkeys that escaped from a research facility in South Carolina are still at large as of Friday morning, while 35 have been recaptured, officials say.It's been more than a week since 43 monkeys escaped from the Alpha Genesis research facility near Yemassee, South Carolina, after a caretaker failed to secure the door after feeding the monkeys and cleaning their enclosure. Continue reading...

A wonderful but thoroughly conventional celebration of the science of evolutionAll things must pass, but some leave legacies. That is the story of life on Earth. Fossilised remains of organisms represent just one of the various treasure troves of information about how life used to be, one set of clues to why it is the way it is today. In the early 20th century, genes entered the storehouse of evidence forevolution, first as theoretical particles, later as the unit of selection, and today with molecular precision. Some 165 years after Darwin's Origin of Species, evolution by natural selection is incontrovertible, the proofof it irrefutable and bounteous.Richard Dawkins has done the lord's work in sharing this radical idea for more than a third of that time, partly through research, but with wider impact in his general writing. This book, one of nearly a dozen he has written about evolution, looks set to behis last (he has called a tour tosupport it The Final Bow). Continue reading...

Handle depicting secutor gladiator found on edge of empire' to go on displayA rare and pristine example of gladiator memorabilia found in the River Tyne is to go on display, shining light on a 2,000-year-old culture of celebrity and sex appeal.English Heritage said the copper alloy figurine would have been a decorative handle on a folding knife. Found near Corbridge, Northumberland, it provides proof that the superstar status of gladiators extended to the far edges of the Roman empire. Continue reading...

A new legal framework for talking therapies would take careful work. But better signposting could happen nowHundreds of thousands of people each year in the UK seek help from counsellors and psychotherapists. But the case earlier this year of Ella Janneh, who was awarded 217,000 in damages after suing a sex therapist for personal injury and negligence, has reignited calls for statutory regulation.This was considered by the last Labour government, is backed by a number of MPs, and is certain to be on the agenda of the all-party parliamentary group on mental health. What campaigners want is for psychotherapist" and counsellor" to become legally protected titles. Among other things, this would enable people found guilty of professional misconduct to be struck off. MsJanneh is rightly appalled by the prospect that the man who abused her, Michael Lousada, could do the same thing to someone else. Currently, there is no law to stop anyone from setting themselves up in business as a therapist or counsellor without qualifications - even if they have faced sanctions before. Continue reading...

Melting snow and ice has revealed footprints of reptiles and amphibians, dating back 280 million yearsA hiker in the northern Italian Alps has stumbled across the first trace of what scientists believe to be an entire prehistoric ecosystem, including the well-preserved footprints of reptiles and amphibians, brought to light by the melting of snow and ice induced by the climate crisis.The discovery in the Valtellina Orobie mountain range in Lombardy dates back 280 million years to the Permian period, the age immediately prior to dinosaurs, scientists say. Continue reading...

Oxford University research finds ethnic background and social circumstances' are crucial factors in cancer riskBritish Bangladeshi men have the highest rates of lung cancer in England, according to a study that reveals clear patterns in how the disease affects different communities in the country.Disparities that go beyond smoking have been revealed by the University of Oxford researchers' analysis of 17.5 million people's health records and 84,000 lung cancer cases. Continue reading...

Taken at 28,000km/h and costing billions of dollars, the first ever photos taken by astronauts are on show at Paris Photo. For Nasa print dealer Daniel Blau, they are proof that nothing is impossible when nations collaborateIt was one of history's monumental moments - but if John Glenn hadn't popped into the supermarket to pick up a Contax camera and a roll of 35mm film on his way to board the Friendship 7, there may have been no visual document of it. The photographs the American astronaut took from the window of his capsule as he orbited Earth on 20 February 1962 gave an unprecedented testimony of the Mercury Project's first orbital mission. The Soviet Union might have beaten the Americans in the race to human spaceflight - but the Americans had now shot the first galactic colour photographs.The pictures are also, German gallerist Daniel Blau points out, the most expensive photographs ever taken. Billions of dollars were spent to get them." Blau exhibited an original print of Glenn's first picture taken in space at this year's Paris Photo, alongside a cache of rare Nasa photographic prints - many of them never publicly seen before, most of them by unknown scientists and astronauts. Continue reading...

People who use abbreviations were less likely to receive responses, analysis by psychologists foundReducing your texts to a flurry of abbreviations could have unintended consequences, according to researchers who found that wordless exchanges were more likely to convey idrc" than ily".Psychologists analysed messages from more than 5,000 people across eight studies and found that those who used abbreviations were deemed less sincere and were less likely to receive responses as a result. Continue reading...

Signs of resistance to artemisinin in tenth of children with severe malaria similar to situation in Asia, say researchersResearchers have found troubling" evidence for the first time that a lifesaving malaria drug is becoming less effective in young African children with serious infections.A study of children being treated in hospital for malaria in Uganda, presented at a major conference on Thursday, found signs of resistance to artemisinin in one patient in 10. Continue reading...

At a moment when the world feels like a particularly unsettling place, Science Weekly is asking what it is that makes humans happy - and how we can bring more happiness into our lives.In episode two, Ian Sample asks which happiness strategies are backed up by science. He hears from Elizabeth Dunn, a professor of psychology at the University of British Columbia, who recently scrutinised a whole lot of happiness research to work out which recommendations are most reliableClips: 9NEWSListen to part 1: what makes a country happy? Continue reading...

She won the top prize with a time-distorted novel set on the International Space Station. Yet, the writer reveals, Orbital is actually a celebration of Earth's beauty with a pang of loss' - fuelled by her anxiety-induced insomniaSamantha Harvey very nearly gave up on her novel Orbital, which last night won this year's Booker prize. Set on the International Space Station (ISS) 250 miles from Earth, Orbital follows the day-to-day lives of four astronauts and two cosmonauts as they hurtle through the universe at 17,500mph. She was a few thousand words in and suddenly lost her nerve. She felt she was trespassing in space. I am so spectacularly not an astronaut," she laughs, when we meet for coffee the morning after the Booker ceremony. I'm so unadventurous, so unaudacious, so impractical, cowardly, anxious. I would be terrible."After a few months of dabbling with other ideas, she opened the abandoned word document on her computer by mistake. When she read it she found it had an integrity and pulse that drew her more than any of the other projects she was working on. I thought, I shouldn't be afraid of this. If I can do it in a way that's different to the way astronauts write about their time in space, then maybe there's something here." So she climbed back in and achieved lift-off. Continue reading...

Witness from Porton Down laboratory says many lethal doses' of nerve agent were applied to Sergei Skripal's doorA minuscule" amount of the nerve agent used in the attempted assassination of Sergei Skripal - as small as a sixth of a grain of salt - could have been enough to prove fatal, a government scientist has told an inquiry.The scientist, an expert in chemical and biological weapons, said many lethal doses" of novichok were daubed on the handle of the former Russian spy's front door in Salisbury and it was so pure that it must have been manufactured by a sophisticated laboratory. Continue reading...

About 10-15% of adults have temporomandibular disorder, a condition connected with TMJ - here's what to knowIt seems like all of my friends are having jaw pain.As we trudged deeper into our 30s, I was prepared to hear about bad backs and tricky knees. But the mouth stuff was unexpected. Some were grinding their teeth at night and needed mouthguards. Others had doctors inject botulinum toxin, commonly referred to as Botox, into aching jaws. And we are all now extremely familiar with a new body part: the TMJ, or temporomandibular joint, which connects the jawbone to the skull. Continue reading...

Gene-edited versions of large, domesticated varieties of tomato grew to be sweet like those from wild plantsIt is a common complaint in the produce aisle: tomatoes today might be big, but they are tasteless. Now researchers say they can remedy the problem by tweaking genes that affect sugar levels in the fruit.While their wild relatives produce small, sweet fruit, domesticated tomatoes grown industrially have been bred for high yields, resulting in varieties that are 10-100 times bigger. Continue reading...

Company says it will cut about 200 employees as value plummets in aftermath of huge data breachThe genetic testing firm 23andMe said on Monday it would cut about 40%, or 200 employees, from its workforce and discontinue further development of all its therapies as part of a restructuring program.We are taking these difficult but necessary actions as we restructure 23andMe and focus on the long-term success of our core consumer business and research partnerships," said the company's CEO, Anne Wojcicki. Continue reading...

At a moment when the world feels like a particularly unsettling place, Science Weekly is asking what it is that makes humans happy - and how can we bring more happiness into our lives?In episode one, Ian Sample asks what makes a country happy? Johannes Eichstaedt, assistant professor of psychology and human-centred AI at Stanford University, explains why the Nordic countries often rank highly in the annual World Happiness Report, and what we can learn if we look beyond themClips: Good Morning America, France 24Listen to part 2: the happiness hacks backed up by science Continue reading...

Experts say once-a-day varenicline tablet reduces nicotine cravings and side-effects from cutting out tobaccoHundreds of thousands of smokers will be given a pill that increases people's chances of quitting, in a move that NHS bosses believe will save thousands of lives.About 85,000 people a year in England will be offered the chance to use varenicline, a once-a-day tablet that experts say is as effective as vapes at helping people to kick the habit. Continue reading...

Working long hours can lead to people having issues moderating behaviour due to ego depletion', research showsIf a hard day in the office leaves you crabby and uncooperative, you may have an excuse: scientists say exercising self-restraint can exhaust parts of the brain related to decision-making and impulse control, leaving you less able to manage your behaviour towards others.The researchers say their results tie into the theory of ego depletion" - a controversial idea in psychology that willpower is a limited resource that gets used up by effort. Continue reading...

Condition appears to affect episodic memory but researchers did not assess how it caused deficitsChildren who have asthma can experience memory problems, according to research in the USthat is the first to link the two conditions.The research also found that the earlier a child developed asthma, the greater the damage to their memory. The findings highlight the need to view asthma as a potential source of cognitive difficulty in children, the study's lead author said. Continue reading...

The answer to today's Inca-nundrumEarlier today I set you a puzzle about a khipu', the Incan method of recording numbers with knots on string that features in Paddington in Peru. Here it is again with the answer.Incans used khipus to record dates, taxes and measurements, among other things. Knowledge of how khipus represented numbers was lost after the Spanish conquest, until a high school maths teacher in Brooklyn worked it out in 1912. Today's puzzle asked you you to repeat his decipherment. Continue reading...

Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys finds lighting disrupts ability of predators to see silhouettes against sunlight aboveUsing LED lighting on the underside of surfboards or kayaks could deter great white shark attacks, new research suggests.In an Australian-led study using seal-shaped decoys, underside lighting disrupted the ability of great whites to see silhouettes against the sunlight above, reducing the rates at which the sharks followed and attacked the artificial prey. The brighter the lights, the more effective the deterrent was. Continue reading...

Patrick Ruane had targeted individuals online including chief medical officerA Covid denier who suggested whacking" Prof Sir Chris Whitty with a rounders bat has been jailed for five years after being convicted of encouraging terrorism.Messages posted by Patrick Ruane on social media were described by a judge who sentenced him at the Old Bailey as extremely dangerous" during a volatile time. Continue reading...

Deciphering an ancient number systemUPDATE: Read the solution hereIn the film Paddington in Peru, which opened this weekend, the plot revolves around a string bracelet that is said to contain mystical secrets.The bracelet is supposed to be a khipu', which was the Incan way of recording numbers. Knots were made on string, and these pieces of string were attached together in a big bundle. The Incans used khipus to record dates, taxes and measurements, among other things. Continue reading...

A fresh and feminist study of the pioneering Nobel laureate reveals her impact on the women she mentored and set on the path to prominenceMarie Curie carried out some of her most pathbreaking work under an actual glass ceiling and the toxic particles that swirled beneath it eventually killed her. What Dava Sobel wants to convey to us in this unabashedly feminist account of the great woman's life is that the metaphorical glass ceiling was just as toxic to the society over which it was clamped.Each occasion the two-time Nobel laureate had a new advance to announce to the world, she had to beg a male colleague to present it to France's scientific academy, which barred women from its ranks. This iron-clad rule outlived Curie, hobbling her daughter Irene - another Nobel laureate - in her turn, and by the time a woman was finally granted full membership, in 1979, not only were both Marie and Irene more famous than most of the men who had blocked them, but that first female member gave her affiliation as the Pierre and Marie Curie University", Paris. Continue reading...

Producing something living, fresh and green' for astronauts to eat on the moon and Mars among ultimate aims but first test is whether plants can survive

If it is clear, head outside and your patience will be rewarded - with the peak expected on 17 NovemberThe Leonids have a reputation for being a reliable meteor shower with fast, bright meteors that can number up to 15 an hour. The dust grains that we see burning up to form the Leonids have come from the tail of comet 55P/Tempel-Tuttle, which can strike our planet's atmosphere with speeds of up to 70km per second (43.5 miles per second), and leave bright, lingering trails.Roughly every 33 years, the Leonids produce exceptional outbursts called meteor storms, giving observers the chance to witness thousands or more meteors an hour. Such storms were reported in 1833, 1866, 1966, and 1999. Unfortunately, the next storm is not expected until 2032. Continue reading...

Resveratrol, which is also found in blueberries and peanuts, has been found to slow tumour growth in miceRed wine was once heralded as a boon for health that could protect the heart and even extend life expectancy. But while scientists have debunked this claim, they believe that at least one red wine ingredient - a compound called resveratrol - may hold genuine health benefits.A trial launched this week will assess whether a low dose of the chemical, also found in red grapes, blueberries and peanuts, could help keep bowel cancer at bay. The study, one of the largest to date testing drugs for cancer prevention, will recruit patients who are at risk of the disease. Continue reading...

Research into psychology of people in US and UK suggests it is better to submit work on time rather than perfecting it through procrastinationIs there a job you're putting off finishing so you can read this story? Well, if new research into procrastination is anything to go by, you'd better get back to it.Scientists studying the psychology of people who leave things to the last minute have found that work that is submitted late tends to be judged more harshly than when a deadline is met. Continue reading...

Long favoured by bodybuilders and other athletes, this supplement is breaking out into the mainstream, as study after study suggests a host of benefits for our minds as well as our bodies. Are there any caveats?Until relatively recently, if you were mixing a scoop of powdered creatine into a glass of water each day, it probably meant you were a bodybuilder or training for an athletic event. Although creatine is a compound that occurs naturally in the body, its role in producing quick bursts of energy meant that, if you took extra, it was assumed to be in order to (legally) enhance your performance - to help you squat a fractionally heavier weight or run a bit faster.But evidence has been mounting that creatine may play an important role in cognitive function and improving brain health - and could be more beneficial to women than it is to gym bros. So, should we all take it - or at least try to get more of it from food? Continue reading...

I have particularly unpleasant memories of my teens and 20s. And I'm not the only one ...If you're 34, watch out: Tom Hanks says 35 is the worst age. Why ask Hanks - delightful as he seems - as opposed to, say, the highly qualified global community of happiness psychologists and social scientists? Because he's got a film out, duh - Here, which required him to be rejuvenated to various ages, including his dread mid-30s. Your metabolism stops, gravity starts tearing you down, your bones start wearing off [and] you stand differently," Hanks told Entertainment Tonight. You no longer are able to spring up off a couch."This is such a movie star answer. Hanks' gripe is physical decline and yes, when your face, body and spring-off-a-couch-ability are how your worth is gauged, feeling that you're physically degenerating must open up an existential abyss. For civilians, he's wrong though: it's 47.2. That's when the US National Bureau of Economic Research concluded human unhappiness peaks. That finding in 2020 reinforced previous research on the U-shaped happiness curve": we start happy, wellbeing bottoms out at about 50, then we perk up again. The U-curve has been challenged, but seems robust; a 2021 review found remarkably strong and consistent evidence across countries" of U-shaped happiness trajectories.Emma Beddington is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Questions raised about potential for undue influence after appointment of Ruth Dempsey, formerly of Philip MorrisA former director at the tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) was handed a role on an influential expert committee advising the UK government on cancer risks, the Observer can reveal.Ruth Dempsey, the ex-director of scientific and regulatory affairs, spent 28 years at PMI before being appointed to the UK Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (CoC). Continue reading...

Australian researchers propose a new model to reduce mum shaming' over body size, which has negative health outcomes for mother and child

Bestselling author Paula Hawkins set her new book on a fictional tidal island. Here she examines the power and appeal of islandsThere is something about an island that stirs the imagination. Or, in any case, it seems to stir mine.A few years ago, on a trip to the Cote de Granit Rose in Brittany, I walked along seaweed-strewn sands towards one of the many tidal islands dotted along that coastline. As I approached I noticed that on the nearest island, there was a tiny house - a single cottage, all alone - and I felt a familiar prickle running up my spine, the shrinking of the scalp that tells me to pay attention, that there's something here: the beginning of a story. Continue reading...

Process for interpreting hair-strand tests can be misleading and carries a risk of racial bias, according to campaigners in England and WalesChildren are at risk of being wrongly removed from their parents' care by the family courts because drug tests are being misinterpreted, experts have warned.Life-changing decisions about whether a child should be placed in the care of a local authority can sometimes hinge on the outcome of hair-strand tests, designed to show whether a parent has consumed drugs or excessive alcohol. Continue reading...

From inappropriate behaviour to encouraging patients to stop medication, reckless therapists can cause real damage

Nasa still piecing things together' two weeks after return from ISS but crew members cite medical privacyThree Nasa astronauts who were taken to a Florida hospital after returning to Earth from the International Space Station two weeks ago told reporters on Friday that they were all in good health following the medical ordeal - and that the agency was still piecing things together" about what happened.Michael Barrett, pilot of the crew that splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico on 25 October after seven months in orbit, gave few further details at a press conference in Houston, citing medical privacy laws that he said prevented him from discussing the episode in detail. Continue reading...

Watching a pumpkin, crayons or a Furby get squashed isn't just fun - it can also serve as an emotional releaseThere are lots of ways to unwind. You can go on a walk, call a friend or read a book. But sometimes it rains, friends are busy or your book is boring. What then?I have a suggestion: watch random, unrelated objects get mercilessly crushed in the mechanical jaws of a hydraulic press. Continue reading...

An elephant at Berlin zoo used its trunk to interrupt flow of water from hose used by another elephantIf you get frustrated by the shower hog in your house you're not alone: research suggests such behaviour might even irritate elephants.Scientists say they have not only discovered an elephant with an astonishing ability to shower with a hose, but spotted another cutting off the flow of water - possibly in a deliberate act of sabotage. Continue reading...

CAR T-cell genetic therapy, typically used in cancer patients, could lead to cure for the disease, says expertDoctors are hailing a groundbreaking" new treatment for lupus that genetically modifies a patient's cells to fight the autoimmune disease and could end the need for lifelong medication.Lupus can range from mild to severe, with symptoms including joint pain, skin problems, fatigue and inflammation of major organs. Patients often have to take drugs their whole lives, ranging from ibuprofen to steroid tablets and injections, or other immunosuppressant or biological medicines. Continue reading...

Portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing was created by Ai-Da, one of the most advanced robots in the worldA portrait of English mathematician Alan Turing has become the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction, fetching US$1.08m (566,000, A$1.63m) in New York on Thursday.The 2.2 metre (7.5 feet) portrait, titled A.I. God. Portrait of Alan Turing, was created by Ai-Da, the world's first ultra-realistic robot artist. It smashed pre-sale expectations between $120,000 and $180,000 when it went under the hammer at Sotheby's, which confirmed that 27 bids were placed on the work. Continue reading...

Moderate exercise such as brisk walking may almost halve new mothers' risk of major depression, analysis suggestsDoing more than an hour of moderate intensity exercise each week may reduce the severity of baby blues" and almost halve the risk of new mothers developing major clinical depression, the largest analysis of evidence suggests.However, researchers behind the study acknowledged that finding the time amid so many new responsibilities and challenges would not be easy, and recovery from childbirth should be prioritised. Continue reading...

Scientists studying DNA find one person in scene of cowering family was a man and not a mother'It is a tragic moment, frozen in time: a family of four shelters beneath a staircase as ash and pumice rains down on Pompeii. But scientists studying DNA of the victims say this famous scene is not what it seems: the mother" of the group is actually a man.When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, the Roman town of Pompeii was destroyed, and its remaining inhabitants were buried beneath a thick blanket of ash and pumice. These victims were later immortalised by archaeologists who used plaster to fill the voids left by their bodies. Continue reading...

Pollution is affecting the climate, biodiversity, ecosystems, ocean acidification and human health, according to analysisPlastic pollution is changing the processes of the entire Earth system, exacerbating climate change, biodiversity loss, ocean acidification, and the use of freshwater and land, according to scientific analysis.Plastic must not be treated as a waste problem alone, the authors said, but as a product that poses harm to ecosystems and human health. Continue reading...

Original purpose of King Arthur's Hall is a mystery and archaeologists say it is unique in EuropeAn enigmatic stone and turf structure on Bodmin Moor that was previously thought to be a medieval animal pen has been found to be 4,000 years older - and unique in Europe.The rectangular monument was built not in the early medieval period to corral livestock, as recorded by Historic England, but rather in the middle Neolithic, between 5,000 and 5,500 years ago, archaeologists have discovered. Continue reading...

Physicist whose silicon devices helped to unlock the secrets of the earliest fractions of a second of our universeThe physicist Ian Shipsey, who has died suddenly aged 65, developed silicon devices of exquisite precision to study the debris from subatomic particle collisions and light from the edge of the universe. Using these devices, he played a major role in unlocking the secrets of the earliest fractions of a second of our universe.Silicon devices also played a vital part in his everyday life. Rendered profoundly deaf after treatment for leukaemia in 1989, he received a cochlear implant 12 years later that allowed him to develop strategies to overcome this disability, to the extent that it often went unnoticed to interlocutors. Continue reading...

Researchers say choosing to climb stairs or cycle to the shops is enough to have a positive effectDoing just five extra minutes of exercise a day could help lower blood pressure, a study suggests.High blood pressure affects 1.28 billion adults worldwide and is one of the biggest causes of premature death. It can lead to strokes, heart attacks, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems, and is often described as a silent killer due to its lack of symptoms. Continue reading...

My husband, Niall Logan, who has died aged 70 of pulmonary fibrosis, was an expert on bacillus, a genus of rod-shaped bacteria with more than 250 named species that has many uses, including as an industrial enzyme, in food production, the making of detergents and in DNA research.One of his main contributions to the field was to help with the scientific classification (taxonomy) of bacillus, work that helped with the development of testing systems that can identify the various species. Continue reading...

Madeleine Finlay talks to science editor and podcast co-host Ian Sample about how Donald Trump approached science when in office last time, and what his second term is likely to mean for the environment, health and scientific researchClips: Fox News, CSPAN, MSNBCTrump's queasy prescription to make America healthy again' takes shape Continue reading...