Soaking fabrics in a commonly used insect repellent is a simple and effective tool as mosquito bites become more common during daytime, study showsFrom Africa to Latin America to Asia, babies have been carried in cloth wraps on their mothers' backs for centuries. Now, the practice of generations of women could become a lifesaving tool in the fight against malaria.Researchers in Uganda have found that treating wraps with the insect repellent permethrin cut rates of malaria in the infants carried in them by two-thirds. Continue reading...

Even low levels of widely used agricultural chemicals were linked to accelerated ageing, research suggestsThe lifespan of fish appears to be drastically reduced by pesticides, a study has found.Even low levels of common agricultural pesticides can stunt the long-term lifespan of fish, according to research led by Jason Rohr, a biologist at the University of Notre Dame in Indiana. Continue reading...

Environment minister says attacks on social media affect perceptions of meteorology and denigrate researchers' workSpain's environment minister has written to prosecutors to warn of an alarming increase" in hate speech and social media attacks directed against climate science communicators, meteorologists and researchers.In a letter sent to hate crimes prosecutors on Wednesday, Sara Aagesen said a number of recent reports examined by the ministry had detected a significant increase" in the hostile language that climate experts are subjected to on digital platforms. Continue reading...

Researcher calls for guidelines for diagnosing prolonged grief disorder to be expanded to cover people who lose petsGrief over the death of a pet could be as chronic as that for a human family member, research has shown, confirming what many people already know about their bond with their furry friends.People grieving the loss of a pet can suffer from prolonged grief disorder (PGD), a mental health condition brought about by the death of a loved one, a survey published in the academic journal PLOS One has found. Continue reading...

This is the moment a SpaceX capsule left the International Space Station on an emergency return flight to Earth prompted by a medical issue afflicting one of the astronauts. It is Nasa's first medical evacuation, with the mission being cut a month short. Onboard were American astronauts Mike Fincke and Zena Cardman, a Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov, and a Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui. Computer modelling predicted a medical evacuation from the space station every three years but Nasa has not had one before in its 65 years of human spaceflight

Four astronauts emerge from capsule after Pacific landing, including crew member in stable' conditionFour astronauts from the International Space Station have returned to Earth a month earlier than planned after one developed a serious medical condition onboard the orbiting outpost.Nasa confirmed that the SpaceX Dragon spacecraft carrying the US astronauts Zena Cardman and Mike Fincke, the Japanese astronaut Kimiya Yui and the Russian cosmonaut Oleg Platonov splashed down off the coast of San Diego at 12.41am local time (8.41am UK time). Continue reading...

Ian Sample puts listeners' questions on dreams and nightmares to Dr Michelle Carr, director of the Dream Engineering Laboratory in Montreal's Centre for Advanced Research in Sleep Medicine, and author of the new book Into the Dream Lab. They look at why we dream, what we can learn by examining our dreams, and what we can do when dreams turn to nightmares. Dr Carr gives her top tips for taking charge of our dreams and trying to influence their contentSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepodOrder Into the Dream Lab by Dr Michelle Carr via the Guardian Bookshop Continue reading...

Tests showed horses that smelled body odour from people watching scary films startled more easilyHorses can smell fear, or at least whether you have scared yourself witless watching a horror movie, according to researchers who say the effect has consequences for riders, trainers and others who work with the animals.In a series of tests, horses that smelled body odour from people watching scary films startled more easily, had higher heart rates and approached their handlers less often than when the odour came from people watching more joyful scenes. Continue reading...

Decoded genome of meat in pup's stomach helps scientists build picture of what caused extinction of speciesResearchers have shed light on the final centuries of the woolly rhinoceros after studying a hairy lump of meat from the stomach of an ancient wolf cub that became mummified in the Siberian permafrost.The beautifully preserved remains of a two-month-old female wolf cub were discovered in 2011 near the village of Tumat in northeastern Siberia. The animal is thought to have died 14,400 years ago when a landslide collapsed its den, trapping the cub and others inside. Continue reading...

Research finds no evidence heavier social media use or more gaming increases symptoms of anxiety or depressionScreen time spent gaming or on social media does not cause mental health problems in teenagers, according to a large-scale study.With ministers in the UK considering whether to follow Australia's example by banning social media use for under-16s, the findings challenge concerns that long periods spent gaming or scrolling TikTok or Instagram are driving an increase in teenagers' depression, anxiety and other mental health conditions. Continue reading...

Society should only eject fellows for fraud or other defects in their research, says Paul NurseThe president of the Royal Society has reignited a row over Elon Musk's association with the body by arguing that fellows should only be ejected for fraud or other defects in their research.In an interview with the Guardian, Paul Nurse defended the academy's decision not to take action against Musk - who was elected a fellow in 2018 - despite claims the tech billionaire had violated its code of conduct, including by his role in slashing US research funding as part of the US department of government efficiency". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Some scientists say many detections are most likely error, with one high-profile study called a joke'High-profile studies reporting the presence of microplastics throughout the human body have been thrown into doubt by scientists who say the discoveries are probably the result of contamination and false positives. One chemist called the concerns a bombshell".Studies claiming to have revealed micro and nanoplastics in the brain, testes, placentas, arteries and elsewhere were reported by media across the world, including the Guardian. There is no doubt that plastic pollution of the natural world is ubiquitous, and present in the food and drink we consume and the air we breathe. But the health damage potentially caused by microplastics and the chemicals they contain is unclear, and an explosion of research has taken off in this area in recent years. Continue reading...

Ian Sample puts listeners' questions on sleep to Dr Allie Hare, consultant physician in respiratory and sleep medicine at Guy's and St Thomas' hospitals and president of the British Sleep Society. They cover why women experience sleep disturbance during the menopause, why sleep paralysis affects some people more than others, and what scientists know about the link between sleep and dementia. Hare also gives her top tips for getting better sleep in 2026Support the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

It is the most essential thing we do - yet many of us arguably breathe badly. The author of Breath explains how that can be changedIn the last stages of writing his book, Breath, James Nestor was stressed. Which was ironic when writing a book about breathing patterns and mellowing out," he says. The book was late; he'd spent his advance and was haemorrhaging even more money on extra research that was taking him off in new, potentially interesting, directions - was it really necessary, he wondered, to go to Paris to look at old skulls buried in catacombs beneath the city? (It was.)Then a couple of months before the book's May 2020 publication date, the Covid pandemic hit, and Nestor was advised to wait it out. He couldn't afford to. One of the main motivations for releasing it at that time was to get that [on-publication] advance," he says. But I'll be honest, I didn't want to release it. I said: How are you going to promote a book that can't be sold in stores, that I can't tour for?'" He expected, he says, absolutely zero to happen". Continue reading...

A deadly fungus has already wiped out 90 species and threatens 500 more but Anthony Waddle is hoping gene replacement could be their salvationStanding ankle-deep in water between two bare cottonwood trees on a hot spring day, eight-year-old Anthony Waddle was in his element. His attention was entirely absorbed by the attempt to net tadpoles swimming in a reservoir in the vast Mojave desert.It was one of the perfect moments in my childhood", he says. Continue reading...

Behaviour among non-human species could help keep groups together in face of social challenges, says studySame-sex sexual behaviour among non-human primates may arise as a way to reinforce bonds and keep societies together in the face of environmental or social challenges, researchers have suggested.Prof Vincent Savolainen, a co-author of the paper from Imperial College London, added that while the work focused on our living evolutionary cousins, early human species probably experienced similar challenges, raising the likelihood they, too, showed such behaviour. Continue reading...

Recorded in cave drawings as far back as 1000BC, this is one of the oldest zodiacal constellations to be recognised in its modern formTaurus, the bull, is our focus this week. One of the oldest constellations to be recognised in its modern form, it was recorded as the bull of heaven in Babylonian records from about 1000BC, but cave drawings from Lascaux, France, suggest that humans may already have associated the stars with a bull approximately 14,000 years earlier.Taurus sits on the ecliptic, the path that the Sun follows around the sky throughout the year, so it is known as a zodiacal constellation. The brightest star in the constellation is the red giant star Aldebaran. In Arabic, its name means eye of the bull". Continue reading...

Neuroscientist Ben Rein is on a mission to show that being around others not only feels good, but can even improve recovery from strokes, cancer and heart attacks. So why are so many of us isolated and glued to our phones?I hate it." I've asked the neuroscientist Ben Rein how he feels about the online sea of junk neuroscience we swim in - the dopamine fasts", serotonin boosts" and people regulating" their nervous system" - and this is his kneejerk response. He was up early with his newborn daughter at his home in Buffalo, New York, but he's fresh-faced and full of beans on a video call, swiftly qualifying that heartfelt statement. Let me clarify my position: I don't hate it when it's accurate, but it's rarely accurate."He draws my attention to a reel he saw recently on social media of a man explaining that reframing pain as neurofeedback, not punishment" activates the anterior cingulate cortex (a part of the brain involved in registering pain). That's genuinely never been studied; you are just making this up," he says. He posted a pithy response on Instagram, pleading with content creators to leave neuroscience out of it". That's why I think it's especially important for real scientists to be on the internet," he says. We need to show the public what it looks like to speak responsibly and accurately about science." Continue reading...

Shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus recommended only for high-risk babies even as experts hail jabs' successAs US officials move to restrict vaccines, including the shots to prevent respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), more evidence is emerging to confirm how dramatically the jabs reduce hospitalizations.Announced last week as part of new restrictions on one-third of all routine childhood vaccines, RSV shots are now recommended only for high-risk babies, instead of all infants. The Trump administration announcement was led by prominent vaccine critic and health secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr. Continue reading...

The Nobel prize winner discusses claims of a boys' club', Elon Musk's fellowship and rightwing attacks on sciencePaul Nurse is a turn up for the books. A Nobel prize-winning geneticist, former director of the Francis Crick Institute and erstwhile head of Rockefeller University in the US, his CV marks him out as one of this generation's most eminent scientific figures.But his presidency of the Royal Society, a position he has taken up for a second time, makes him rarer still. No other scientist in centuries has had a second term at the head of the academy. Continue reading...

For those who have spent years trying to raise awareness, Wes Streeting's intervention is bittersweet'When former Little Mix star Jesy Nelson announced her twins had been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy type 1 (SMA1), a rare genetic condition that causes muscle wastage, the news quickly made front page news.The call for SMA to be added to newborn screening sprang to national attention and the health secretary, Wes Streeting, was quick to respond, saying Nelson was right to challenge and criticise how long it takes to get a diagnosis". Continue reading...

Space agency said crew of four will leave ISS next week with goal of touching down in California on 15 JanuaryNasa has announced when it will commence its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station after an astronaut fell ill with a serious" but undisclosed issue.The US space agency announced on social media on Friday night that it will aim to have the crew leave the station no earlier than 5pm EST on Wednesday, 14 January, with the goal of them landing near California early on Thursday morning, 15 January, depending on weather and recovery conditions". Continue reading...

Experts and community trying to untangle mystery of outburst that saw water travel almost 10km overland into a bigger lakeManoel Dixon had just finished dinner one night last May when a phone dinged nearby with a Facebook message.Dixon, 26, was at his family's hunting camp near their northern Quebec home town of Waswanipi. They knew the fellow hunter who was messaging Dixon's father, but what he wrote didn't make sense. Continue reading...

Ynys Mon (Anglesey): The wolf moon is spectacular enough, but look east and you'll see a celestial titan the size of a pinprickAs unmissable as new year's fireworks, the wolf moon held theheavens for the first few nights of January, casting an unearthly radiance over everything, night almost as bright as day. Now, as that moon wanes, prepare to be wowed by a true planetary A-lister: Jupiter.Named after the king of the sky gods in Roman mythology, Jupiter rises each evening in the east, unmatched by any star save Sirius. Tonight, however, it will be at its biggest and brightest, having reached opposition", meaning we on Earth are directly between Jupiter and the sun. If you have never tried star" gazing before, tonight's the night to start. Continue reading...

Results of research offer hope to older women - but it will be several years at least before technique is approved

Agency says US-Japanese-Russian crew of four will return to Earth in the coming days, earlier than plannedNasa has ordered its first medical evacuation from the International Space Station in its 25-year history after an astronaut in the orbital laboratory fell ill with a serious" but undisclosed issue.The US space agency said in a press conference that the crew of four led by the US commander Zena Cardman would return to Earth in the coming days, earlier than planned. Continue reading...

Scientists at UCL say drug developers should focus on two risk-raising variants of the Apoe geneNew therapies for Alzheimer's disease should target a particular gene linked to the condition, according to researchers who said most cases would never arise if its harmful effects were neutralised.The call to action follows the arrival of the first wave of drugs that aim to treat Alzheimer's patients by removing toxic proteins from the brain. While the drugs slow the disease down, the benefits are minor, and they have been rejected for widespread use by the UK's National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Continue reading...

Experts are urging guideline changes on what health professionals should wear to protect against flu-like illnesses including CovidSurgical face masks provide inadequate protection against flu-like illnesses including Covid, and should be replaced by respirator-level masks - worn every time doctors and nurses are face to face with a patient, according to a group of experts urging changes to World Health Organization guidelines.There is no rational justification remaining for prioritising or using" the surgical masks that are ubiquitous in hospitals and clinics globally, given their inadequate protection against airborne pathogens", they said in a letter to WHO chief Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Research suggests supplementing eggs with a key protein reduces age-related defects, raising hopes of improved IVF for older women

Certain canines can learn using cues from people's gaze, gestures, attention and voices, researchers findWhether it is a piece of food or a four-letter expletive, words can be learned by young children overhearing adults - but now researchers have found certain dogs can do something similar.Scientists have discovered canines with the unusual ability to learn the names of myriad objects can pick up such labels by eavesdropping on conversations. Continue reading...

Nieuwe Instituut, Rotterdam

Astronaut aboard the International Space Station is in stable condition, Nasa said, and a spacewalk was canceledNasa is considering a rare early return of its crew from the International Space Station (ISS) over an unspecified medical issue involving one of the astronauts, after cancelling a planned spacewalk that had been scheduled for Thursday, the agency said.A Nasa spokesperson said the astronaut with the medical concern, whom she did not identify, was in a stable condition on the orbiting laboratory. Continue reading...

We must not let geoengineering be shaped behind closed doors. Climate justice demands an inclusive approachAs the world faces the challenges of the climate crisis and critical threshold levels or tipping points may be reached soon, a disputable idea is gaining momentum as a potential solution: solar geoengineering - the deliberate reflection of sunlight to cool the planet. Advocates argue it could buy us time. Critics warn of unknown risks. Some see it as a possible emergency break if temperatures spiral out of control. Others call it a dangerous distraction that undermines meaningful climate action.Research into solar geoengineering is advancing, including exploration of techniques such as stratospheric aerosol injection, which would involve spraying tiny reflective particles into the upper atmosphere to mimic the cooling effect of volcanic eruptions, and marine cloud brightening, which aims to enhance the reflectivity of low-lying marine clouds. While stratospheric aerosol injection is not being conducted, these technologies are being studied with increasing urgency in the global north. In the global south, however, they remain largely invisible to public discourse and policymaking. Continue reading...

Of 17 preservatives studied, higher consumption of 12 of them linked with increased risk of type 2 diabetesHigher consumption of some food preservatives is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes and cancer, two studies suggest.The findings, published in the medical journals Nature Communications and the BMJ, may have important public health implications given the ubiquitous use of these additives globally, researchers said. Continue reading...

Last year was full of unexpected science news, from the discovery of a new colour, to the interstellar visitor 3I/Atlas passing by our solar system, and a world-first treatment with a personalised gene editing therapy. So what will this year bring? Ian Sample and science correspondent Hannah Devlin discuss the big stories likely to hit the headlines and share their predictions for 2026Clips: MSNBC, KHOU11, KHON2, NBC News, Today, CBS Mornings, CNN, ABC News, CNBCSupport the Guardian: theguardian.com/sciencepod Continue reading...

Analysis finds those who stopped using medication saw weight return four times faster compared with other weight loss plansPeople who stop taking weight loss jabs regain all the weight originally lost in under two years, significantly faster than those on any other weight loss plan, according to a landmark study.Weight loss medications, known as GLP-1 agonists, were originally developed as treatment for diabetes and work by mimicking the glucagon-like peptide (GLP) 1 hormone which helps people feel full. Continue reading...

The cost of medication was too high for thousands of CF sufferers around the world. Now a Bangladeshi company is making a generic version that will change livesSeven-year-old Grant Leitch had an important question for his mother. He asked if his little brother, Brett, who has cystic fibrosis (CF), was going to die.The South African family, like tens of thousands around the world, have been priced out of access to modern cystic fibrosis therapies, and if Grant had asked at the start of 2025, he might have received a less optimistic answer. Continue reading...

Bronze instrument or carnyx dug up in Norfolk in area inhabited by Celtic tribe led by warrior who fought RomansAn extraordinary" iron age war trumpet that may have links to the Celtic tribe led by Boudicca in the period they were battling the invading Roman army has been discovered by archaeologists in Norfolk.The bronze trumpet or carnyx is only the third ever found in Britain, and the most complete example discovered anywhere in the world. Fashioned in the shape of a snarling wild animal, the object would have been mounted on a long mouthpiece high above the heads of warriors, allowing it to be sounded to intimidate the enemy in battle. Continue reading...

Reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight to reduce global heating is not a new idea. It is time to safely experimentThe world is warming fast - and our options to avoid catastrophic harm are narrowing. 2024 was the first full year more than 1.5C hotter than the 19th-century average. Emissions are still rising, with fossil fuel use expected to hit a new high in 2025. Permanent carbon removal technologies - often cited as a fix - are removing just tens of thousands of tonnes annually, almost nothing relative to the 5-10bn tonnes needed. Cutting emissions and scaling carbon removal remain essential. But they may not be enough.As suffering grows and ecosystems unravel, more people will ask: is there anything we can do to prevent these harms? The idea of reflecting a small fraction of incoming sunlight to reduce warming is not a new idea. In 1965, Lyndon B Johnson's science advisers proposed it as the only way to cool the planet. Earth already reflects about 30% of incoming sunlight; raising that fraction slightly - say, to 31% - could strengthen the planet's natural heat shield. But how? Continue reading...

Senior insider says limbo' at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory has hit morale and disrupted vital researchA shake-up of the government's defence science powerhouse at Porton Down has severely damaged morale and harmed work on critical science that supports national security, a senior whistleblower has told the Guardian.The whistleblower said they were raising concerns in the public interest that the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), based largely at Porton Down in Wiltshire, had been left in a paralysing limbo because of the changes. Continue reading...

The US capture of Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, on Saturday left many people wondering why? Donald Trump hinted at an answer when he claimed the Venezuelan regime had stolen US oil rights and that American oil companies would help to run Venezuela going forward.Jillian Ambrose, the Guardian energy correspondent, explains to Ian Sample the appeal of Venezuelan oil to the US, how easy it is to extract and what the latest action tells us about Trump's energy strategyClips: CBC, DW, USA TodayWhat role could the US play in Venezuela's bust' oil industry? Continue reading...

The solution to today's puzzleEarlier today I set the following puzzle, a pre-commemoration of World Logic Day on January 14. Here it is again with the solution.Middle management Continue reading...

There's nothing more uplifting than hearing about a world-shaking, life-enhancing new development. But science shouldn't overlook the small stuff, or stop looking for new species of cute, fluffy mammals ...People who greet the new year with hope, ambitious plans and optimised gut microbiomes might be obnoxiously apparent at the moment, but we all know they're a minority. Most of us lurched into 2026 catastrophically depleted and grey-faced, juggling deep Lemsip dependency with a deeper overdraft and a sense of ever-deepening global geopolitical foreboding. There is, however, one thing that fills me with buoyant optimism now and always: science. I don't understand it, but I'm delighted it's out there, making things better.I was booted out of my leaden year-end listlessness by The Atlantic's list of 55 Facts That Blew Our Minds in 2025. Did you know, for example, that scientists at UC Berkeley created a new colour? (It's called olo" and it's sort of teal.) Or that doctors treated a baby with a rare genetic disorder with custom gene editing? There were more wonders in the Smithsonian's list of last year's fascinating scientific discoveries: ichthyosaurs, extinct marine reptiles, had stealth flippers", snails can regrow eyes within a month, and flamingos form tornado-like vortices as they probe for prey", which is pure poetry (it looks pretty cool too, I watched one do it on YouTube). Still on an animal theme, entomologists discovered a bone collector" caterpillar that conceals itself in the body parts of its prey (I'm sure he's lovely when you get to know him). 2025 was also the year science made oyster mushrooms play keyboards (sort of), astronomers discovered more than 100 moons in our solar system and medical researchers created replica womb lining and made astonishing progress towards lab-grown teeth. Continue reading...

Raise an eyebrow for World Logic DayUPDATE: Solution can be read hereAll days of the year host an annual celebration.January 14 is a day of the year. Continue reading...

Solar system's biggest planet will be close enough to reveal its largest moons through a pair of modest binocularsThe giant planet Jupiter reaches its closest approach to the Earth in 2026 this week. It is extremely well placed for observation and so bright that it is impossible to miss.Jupiter - the largest planet in the solar system - will be unmistakable in Gemini, the twins, forming a lopsided triangle with the constellation's two brightest stars, Castor and Pollux. Its diameter is more than 11 times that of the Earth, and its cloud decks are highly reflective, making it the brightest planet in the night sky apart from Venus, despite it being so much further away. It will be visible from northern and southern hemispheres. Continue reading...

According to Nasa, a supermoon occurs when the moon, due to its proximity to Earth, appears up to 15% larger and 30% brighter than a regular full moon Continue reading...

With vaping now more common than smoking, experts explain addiction and what actually helps people quitMore socially acceptable than smoking - yet just as addictive - vaping has become the UK's default way of consuming nicotine.Figures published by the Office for National Statistics last month showed that the number of over-16s in Great Britain who use vapes or e-cigarettes has overtaken the number who smoke cigarettes for the first time, with 5.4 million adults now vaping daily or occasionally, compared with 4.9 million who smoke. Continue reading...

Three decades after its modest beginnings on Channel 4, the TV juggernaut now has its own channel and global subscribersThirty-two years ago, a small group of archaeologists gathered for a weekend in Somerset to make a TV programme about a field in Athelney, the site where once, 1,200 years ago, King Alfred the Great rallied resistance to the invading Viking army.There weren't many concessions to showbiz glitz. Instead, a group of blokes with unruly hair and a couple of women walked across a field, talked things over in the pub and, at one point, gathered around a dot matrix printer to watch it slowly disgorging some results. The most exciting artefact they found was a lump of iron slag. No soil was overturned. Continue reading...

Scientists argue ape-like Sahelanthropus tchadensis that lived in Africa 7m years ago is best contender but more fossils are neededIn the murky first chapters of the human story is an unknown ancestor that made the profound transition from walking on all fours to standing up tall, an act that came to define us.The odds of stumbling on the fossilised evidence of such an evolutionary prize are slim, but in new research, scientists argue that an ape-like animal that lived in Africa 7m years ago is the best contender yet. Continue reading...

After losing a year to havoc and job-slashing at Nasa, the pressure is on billionaire administrator Jared IsaacmanWith astronauts set to fly around the moon for the first time in more than half a century when Artemis 2 makes its long-awaited ascent some time this spring, 2026 was already destined to become a standout year in space.It is also likely to be one of the most pivotal, with new leadership at Nasa in billionaire private astronaut Jared Isaacman, and the tycoon-led private space industry assuming more than a mere supporting role to help win for the US its race with China back to the lunar surface. Continue reading...