Science | The Guardian

The moon will pass directly in front of the sun, exposing ghostly traces of the sun's atmosphere

China's He Jiankui, who used Crispr to edit genome, says he is working on genetic diseases and suggests human embryo gene editing will one day be acceptedA Chinese scientist who was imprisoned for his role in creating the world's first genetically edited babies says he has returned to his laboratory to work on the treatment of Alzheimer's and other genetic diseases.In an interview with a Japanese newspaper, He Jiankui said he had resumed research on human embryo genome editing, despite the controversy over the ethics of artificially rewriting genes, which some critics predicted would lead to demand for designer babies". Continue reading...

Conversations about menopause have matured but the question of when and how to treat perimenopausal symptoms remains confusing - even to a science journalistThere's a meme featuring a confident, suave, smiling Henry Cavill - the actor best known for playing Superman - posing for photographers on the red carpet. Sneaking up behind him is wild-looking, maniacally gleeful co-star Jason Momoa.To me, this is the perfect metaphor for perimenopause. Cavill is at the peak of his career, he looks great, clearly feels great, exudes confidence, strength and self-possession. And he's about to get crash-tackled by a capricious and unpredictable force. Continue reading...

Cognitive neuroscientist professor Joel Pearson tells Jane Lee when to trust your gut (and when not to)You can support the Guardian at theguardian.com/fullstorysupportRead more: Continue reading...

Tests that can identify early changes in cells would give doctors more time to offer treatment, say Cambridge researchersScientists at a recently opened cancer institute at Cambridge University have begun work that is pinpointing changes in cells many years before they develop into tumours. The research should help design radically new ways to treat cancer, they say.The Early Cancer Institute - which has just received 11m from an anonymous donor - is focused on finding ways to tackle tumours before they produce symptoms. The research will exploit recent discoveries which have shown that many people develop precancerous conditions that lie in abeyance for long periods. Continue reading...

Researchers have found fresh evidence that may connect the mysterious Denisovans to the early human species Homo longiThey remain one of the most elusive groups of humans to have walked on earth. Evidence from the DNA traces left by Denisovans shows they lived on the Tibetan plateau, probably travelled to the Philippines and Laos in south Asia and might have made their way to northern China more than 100,000 years ago. They also interbred with modern humans.What Denisovans looked like or how they lived has remained a mystery, however. Only a jaw fragment, a few bits of bone and oneor two teeth provide any evidence of their physical characteristics. Continue reading...

Researchers say dual approach could quickly detect patients most at risk of severe complicationsDoctors say combining a simple blood test with artificial intelligence could help diagnose sepsis faster and identify patients at the highest risk of severe complications.Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body fails to respond properly to infection. It can progress to septic shock, which can damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs. When the damage is severe, it can lead to death, with an estimated 11 million sepsis-related deaths worldwide each year. Continue reading...

Mechanism unpicked that allows black-capped chickadees to stash and relocate huge quantities of foodWhile adults might be spending the weekend trying to remember where they have hidden a hoard of Easter eggs, the black-capped chickadee has no trouble recalling where its treats are stashed. Now researchers have discovered why: the diminutive birds create a barcode-like memory each time they stash food.Black-capped chickadees are known for tucking food away during the warmer months - with some estimates suggesting a single bird can hide up to 500,000 food itemsa year. But more remarkable still is their reliability in finding the morsels again. Continue reading...

Looking at the mass of information, there is only one conclusion: we are running out of timeThere is so much information on the newly launched Copernicus Climate Change Service atlas that my laptop started to overheat trying to process it all. As well as all the past data, it predicts where the climate is going and how soon we will breach the 1.5C limit", and then 2C. You can call up the region where you live, so it is specific to what is happening to you and your family - and all the more disturbing for that.A separate part called Climate Pulse intended particularly for journalists is easier to operate. The refreshing bit is that the maps, charts and timelines from 1850 to the present day on the main atlas are entirely factual measurements, so there can be no argument on the trends. It then follows those trends into the likely scenarios for the next few years. Examining current temperature increases, it seemed to this observer that scientists have been underestimating for some time how quickly the situation is deteriorating. Continue reading...

Researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across several genres from 1980 to 2020You're not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive, according to a study published on Thursday.Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music fans everywhere. Continue reading...

Swedish researchers say inflammation caused by obesity is likely to increase risk of developing conditions such as MSChildren who are obese may face more than double the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as adults, a study suggests.MS can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a range of potential symptoms including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It is a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability. Continue reading...

On 28 March it's the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discovered in association with a rare type of cancer located in Africa, but is now understood to be implicated in 1% of cancers, as well as the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, among others. Ian Sample meets Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, to hear the story of this virus, and how understanding it might help us prevent and treat cancer and other illnesses. Continue reading...

Patients taking certain progestogens as a contraceptive or for gynaecological conditions may be more likely to develop growths, researchers sayMillions of women around the world who use certain hormone drugs for contraception and to manage conditions such as endometriosis may have a raised risk of rare, usually benign, brain tumours, researchers say.Scientists found that prolonged use of certain progestogen medications was linked to a greater risk of meningioma, which are tumours (usually noncancerous) that form in tissues around the brain. Continue reading...

Trying to learn about menopause has been disorienting, but Angela Garbes has also experienced a softening, an openness'In my 20s and 30s, I went hard, driven by a desire to live life fully. I wanted to stay up all night having heated conversations, collect experiences and adventures, make art and meaning from everything that happened. Somewhere in the far-off distance I pictured myself making it to age 40, but never thought further than that: I would turn 40 ... and then I'd be 65?My naivete died three years ago in the middle of the night. I woke up drenched in perspiration, shivering. It was shocking to find myself suddenly so cold and in the dark. Within a month, I was waking at least twice a week - three, four or even five times a night. Continue reading...

Researchers studying satellite data show slope near village of Hoseynabad-e Kalpush moved after reservoir began to be filledIn recent decades there has been a dramatic rise in the number of dams being built, to keep pace with demand for water or to provide power. Concerns have been raised about increased landslide activity near new dams, and now a study has demonstrated a conclusive link in at least one incident.In March 2019 a landslide tore apart Hoseynabad-e Kalpush village in north-central Iran, damaging 300 houses and severing the road to the nearby dam. Local authorities blamed the landslide on heavy rainfall and insisted that the dam did not play a role. Continue reading...

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: Now is its time to shine, and having no leaves yet, it is purest black and white, spines and starsWhile the magnolia's decidedly middle-class flowering dominates everyone's attention, I prefer the hidden, grubbier events of spring, the kind I know we'll find down the muddy path that runs between the industrial units and the strip of boggy wetland on our old housing estate.It is a beautiful day. The sky is blue, the breeze fresh. There's litter here, sure - piles of it - and the loud whine of machinery, but my senses soon return me to the mouthy, joyful cascade of wren song. First we pass hawthorn holding its clean, new leaves in quiet readiness. But it isn't its turn just yet: right now it's the blackthorn's turn to take spring's stage. Continue reading...

Beyond simply feeling decrepit, perception of being older can affect health by encouraging unhealthy eating and reducing exerciseTwo nights of broken sleep are enough to make people feel years older, according to researchers, who said consistent, restful slumber was a key factor in helping to stave off feeling one's true age.Psychologists in Sweden found that, on average, volunteers felt more than four years older when they were restricted to only four hours of sleep for two consecutive nights, with some claiming the sleepiness made them feel decades older. Continue reading...

Researchers in Belgium use artificial intelligence to improve taste, but say the skill of the brewer remains vitalWhether you prefer a fruity lambic or a complex Trappist, Belgian beers have long been famed for their variety, quality and heritage. Now, researchers say they have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to make brews even better.Prof Kevin Verstrepen, of KU Leuven university, who led the research, said AI could help tease apart the complex relationships involved in human aroma perception. Continue reading...

Pharmacy to offer Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those not eligible for NHS booster shot from next weekBoots is to offer Covid vaccinations for almost 100 a shot, making it the latest provider to sell the jabs to those not eligible for a booster through the NHS.The company has confirmed it will offer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to healthy customers in England aged 12 and over from next week, at a cost of 98.95 a jab. Continue reading...

The sun is currently ramping up to hit the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. In the past few days, powerful solar eruptions have sent a stream of particles towards Earth which are set to produce spectacular auroras in both hemispheres. But these kinds of geomagnetic storms can also have less appealing consequences. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Lisa Upton, a solar scientist at the Southwest Research Institute, about how the mysterious inner workings of the sun create space weather, how solar events can significantly disrupt Earth's infrastructure, and whether we are prepared for the worst-case scenarioRead more about the Northern lights here Continue reading...

Spectacular aurora borealis caused by geomagnetic storms on sun's surface may be visible in North America as far south as the midwest

The 100-day challenge, to be able to contain a virus while a vaccine is approved, manufactured and delivered, looks ever more remoteFour years on from the first Covid lockdown, life feels to be largely back to normal, although legacies of the pandemic remain. Collective amnesia seems to have set in. Politicians seem eager to move forward and not relive the decisions, delays and deaths that characterised public policy and press briefings. Yet we can't forget such a brutal event, when Covid is estimated to have killed nearly 16 million people worldwide in 2020 and 2021, and caused life expectancy to decline in 84% of countries, including Britain. Pandemics aren't a one-off event. There's still a risk of another happening within our lifetimes.Fortunately, what to do about the next pandemic is still very much at the top of the global health agenda. In 2021, I was asked to co-chair the US National Academy of Sciences' committee on advancing pandemic and seasonal influenza vaccine preparedness and response. This group was sponsored by the US government to provide recommendations on how to improve preparedness for influenza, which is seen as one of the most likely candidates for the next pandemic. I was also involved with the Lancet Covid-19 taskforce, which brought together global experts to look at how to improve on the Covid response, and what challenges there were going forward. These groups represent some of the world's best thinkers on global health and pandemic preparedness. Here's what I learned.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...

Nodding syndrome is a distressing disease that stunts growth, harms brains and sparks convulsions. Though its cause is still unknown, there is now hope that epilepsy drugs can help afflicted childrenThe other children move away, frightened, when the convulsions start. Tabo takes a long, guttural breath before slumping on to the ground unconscious, her entire body shaking. The 17-year-old's mother, Penina Monyo Gulu Biro, gently holds the girl while the attack lasts.A minute or two later, Tabo (pictured above) sits up again, tears rolling down her cheeks. She cries because she's sad to be like this," says Biro.An aerial view of the Dombolo River, near Mvolo town, in South Sudan's Western Equatoria state Continue reading...

National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme aims to understand why population has declinedArtificial intelligence will be used for the first time to track hedgehog populations as part of a pioneering project aimed at understanding how many of them are left in the UK and why they have suffered a decline.Images of the prickly mammals snuffling around urban parks, private gardens, woodlands and farmland will be captured by cameras and filtered by AI trained to differentiate between wildlife and humans. Continue reading...

Southern lights may be visible in Tasmania, along Victoria's coastline and on Western Australia's south-west coast

Fears raised that prime lunar locations for universe-unravelling instruments are in danger from imminent wave of human activity Bases, experiments, mining: race to protect surface of moonAstronomers are calling for the urgent protection of sites on the moon that are rated the best spots in the solar system for advanced instruments designed to unveil the secrets of the universe.The prime locations are free from ground vibration, shielded from Earth's noisy broadcast signals or profoundly cold - making them uniquely well-suited for sensitive equipment that could make observations impossible from elsewhere. Continue reading...

Early diagnosis and better awareness mean tumours can be caught early - and when disease is found, under-45s can often tolerate chemotherapy betterProf Andrew Beggs of Birmingham University runs a special clinic for young people with cancer and has noted, as have other experts, that more and more people under the age of 45 are being diagnosed with some form of the condition.There are a number of reasons for this rise," he told the Observer. For one thing, we are simply getting better at spotting cancer at earlier and earlier stages. In addition, special awareness is involved. Young people are much more perceptive about their health than previous generations and so they are more willing to seek help at an early stage when their symptoms have first appeared." Continue reading...

Excavations of bronze age graves have found battle-scarred female archers, says the historian Bettany HughesIn Greek legends, the Amazons were feared and formidable women warriors who lived on the edge of the known world. Hercules had to obtain the magic girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyte in one of his 12labours, and Achilles killed another queen, Penthesilea, only to fall in love with her as her beautiful face emerged from her helmet.These horseback-riding, bow-wielding nomads, who fought and hunted just like men, have long been shrouded in myth, but archaeologists are discovering increasing evidence that they really did exist. Continue reading...

The benefits of drugs such as donanemab, aducanumab and lecanemab are proving harder to quantify than potential harms, experts sayIt was heralded in news articles as a breakthrough", a turning point" and a gamechanger" for Alzheimer's disease. Some experts went so far as to call the drug, donanemab, the beginning of the end" for the debilitating condition.Pharmaceutical company Eli Lilly in May 2023 released data from a clinical trial they said showed donanemab slowed cognitive and functional decline in people with early symptomatic Alzheimer's disease by 35% over 18 months. Continue reading...

New research findings are contrary to what had previously been thought about pandemic's effect on children's wellbeingTeenage boys were hit hardest by the Covid lockdowns, with their mental health failing to recover despite the return to normality, according to the most comprehensive academic study of its kind.Early research into how lockdown affected children indicated that girls had suffered more significant mental health problems than boys. Continue reading...

Museum's funding by Indian energy group sparks controversy - with activists calling for boycott of tainted' partnership but others in full supportIt is intended to be an exploration of humanity's past and future efforts to decarbonise the way we live. Historical objects mixed with interactive displays will show how environmentally friendly energy systems are shaped by imagination and innovation.But the new Science Museum gallery, Energy Revolution, the Adani Green Energy Gallery, has gone down badly - with environmentalists. Continue reading...

Anti-abortion researchers exaggerate' and obfuscate' in their scientific papers - but by the time they're published, it's too late

Heritage orchard at RHS Rosemoor to be sampled this spring as part of search for previously unrecorded survivor' cultivarsGardeners are searching for lost apple varieties by sequencing the genetics of trees in ancient orchards, in the hope they hold traits that can help the fruit survive climate breakdown.Heritage apple trees at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden Rosemoor will be sampled this spring with the aim of finding species of apple enjoyed by people hundreds of years ago. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Scientists say people with disease who drink two to four cups a day are less likely to see it returnPeople with bowel cancer who drink two to four cups of coffee a day are much less likely to see their disease come back, research has found.People with the illness who consume that amount are also much less likely to die from any cause, the study shows, which suggests coffee helps those diagnosed with the UK's second biggest cancer killer. Continue reading...

Study confirms our canine companions can grasp more than simple commands - or at least for items they care aboutDogs understand what certain words stand for, according to researchers who monitored the brain activity of willing pooches while they were shown balls, slippers, leashes and other highlights of the domestic canine world.The finding suggests that the dog brain can reach beyond commands such as sit" and fetch", and the frenzy-inducing walkies", to grasp the essence of nouns, or at least those that refer to items the animals care about. Continue reading...

Critics say it is a missed chance to recognise that the planet irrevocably left its natural state in the mid-20th centuryThe guardians of the world's official geological timescale have firmly rejected a proposal to declare an Anthropocene epoch, after an epic academic row.The proposal would have designated the period from 1952 as the Anthropocene to reflect the planet-changing impact of humanity. It would have ended the Holocene epoch, the 11,700 years of stable climate since the last ice age and during which human civilisation arose. Continue reading...

Research into children's body odours also found babies smell of flowers and soap, eliciting parental affectionPuberty makes teenagers' armpits smell of cheese, goat and even urine, scientists in Germany have discovered.The particular chemical compounds that make up pubescent body odour have been singled out, should anyone want to bottle eau du teenager". Continue reading...

We give things up when we believe we can change; we give up when we believe we can't. By Adam Phillips Continue reading...

Four in 10 UK patients do not find a match and those from non-white backgrounds find it more difficultPete McCleave first heard about stem cells during his sciences degree in the 1990s. I knew about them, I just didn't know what they could be used for," he says. It all sounded very pie in the sky." It wasn't until two decades later when McCleave was diagnosed with myeloma blood cancer that he came across stem cells again. This time, he needed them to save his life.I was told that really the only chance I have, the best chance I have in seeing beyond the seven years I was given [to live] was finding a stem cell donor match," he explains. His doctor reassured him that it would be easy to find a match because of his white-European background. But almost eight years later, he is still searching. Continue reading...

Kermitops gratus are thought to be among first true amphibians and a key step in transition of life from water to landAfter achieving worldwide fame through numerous hit films and TV shows, leading to a star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame, Kermit the Frog has another accolade: a 270m-year-old fossil named after him.Scientists have discovered a species of an ancient amphibian ancestor, which they have named Kermitops gratus because of its resemblance to the bright green star of The Muppet Show. Continue reading...

The mass deaths were puzzling scientists around the world - there were no signs of viruses or parasites. Then we looked closely at their skinIt was while we were sitting and talking in a hotel bar at the first global congress of herpetology that the world's amphibian experts realised there was a problem: frogs, toads, salamanders and newts were disappearing in their thousands around the world and nobody understood why.Not a single talk at the 1989 congress at the University of Kent had discussed the strange disappearance of the world's amphibians. But scientist after scientist had the same story: from Central America to Australia, they were vanishing. Continue reading...

In late 2016, US officials in Cuba's capital began experiencing a mysterious and often debilitating set of symptoms that came to be known as Havana syndrome. As two new studies into the condition are published, Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian's world affairs editor, Julian Borger, who has been following the story, and to the consultant neurologist Prof Jon Stone, about what could be behind the conditionFollow all of Julian Borger's reporting here Continue reading...

Trials in UK, France and the Netherlands indicate tool can predict if patient will experience problems from surgery and radiotherapyDoctors have developed an artificial intelligence tool that can predict which breast cancer patients are more at risk of side-effects after treatment.Worldwide, 2 million women are diagnosed every year with the disease, which is the most common cancer in females in most countries. Continue reading...

Fossil of giant river dolphin found in Peru, whose closest living relation is in South Asia, gives clues to future extinction threatsScientists have discovered the fossilised skull of a giant river dolphin, from a species thought to have fled the ocean and sought refuge in Peru's Amazonian rivers 16m years ago. The extinct species would have measured up to 3.5 metres long, making it the largest river dolphin ever found.The discovery of this new species, Pebanista yacuruna, highlights the looming risks to the world's remaining river dolphins, all of which face similar extinction threats in the next 20 to 40 years, according to the lead author of new research published in Science Advances today. Aldo Benites-Palomino said it belonged to the Platanistoidea family of dolphins commonly found in oceans between 24m and 16m years ago. Continue reading...

Incredibly tough plants can tolerate intense cold and prolonged darkness, but temperature has also been risingMosses are the plant superheroes of Antarctica, steadily colonising parts of the continent, building up into plump green cushions or even deep banks on bare ground, some of it newly exposed by melting ice and snow.These are incredibly tough plants that only grow slowly in the harsh Antarctic climate, tolerating intense cold, prolonged dryness, powerful ultraviolet light and prolonged winter darkness. They often survive for nine to 10 months dormant under winter snow, using their own antifreeze to prevent their cells icing up. In their brief growing season, the mosses thaw out, soak up water like sponges and spring back to life. They can even withstand being buried under glaciers for centuries. One moss was found to be 1,530 years old; trapped in ice, it resurrected itself after thawing out. Continue reading...

Settlement on stilts dropped into River Nene after a fire nearly 3,000 years ago and was preserved in siltA bronze age settlement built on stilts that dropped like a coffee plunger" into a river after a catastrophic fire has provided a window on our past lives, according to the archaeologist that led the investigation of the Cambridgeshire site.Must Farm, nicknamed the Pompeii of the Fens, offers exceptional clarity" because of a combination of charring and waterlogging, said Mark Knight, of Cambridge University's archaeological unit. Continue reading...

Pembrolizumab is used to treat triple-negative form of disease but researchers say it could be used more widelyThousands more women with breast cancer could benefit from a blockbuster immunotherapy drug than previously thought, research suggests.Pembrolizumab, sold under the brand name Keytruda, targets and blocks a specific protein on the surface of certain immune cells that then seek out and destroy the cancerous cells. Continue reading...

People with excessive flexibility 30% more likely to say they had not fully recovered from Covid, research findsPeople with excessively flexible joints may be at heightened risk of long Covid and persistent fatigue, research suggests.Hypermobility is where some or all of a person's joints have an unusually large range of movement due to differences in the structure of their connective tissues that support, protect and give structure to organs, joints and other tissues. Continue reading...

Engineers need to be sensitive to how exclusion occurs or they risk making health inequity worse, say Prof Steven Johnson and Prof Jonathan EnsorThe independent review on equity in medical devices once again highlights the multiple ways in which medical technology development can lead to solutions whereby the benefits are distributed inequitably across society, or can further exacerbate health inequalities (UK report reveals bias within medical tools and devices, 11 March). While the report is welcome, the challenge facing scientists and engineers is how to innovate medical devices differently to respond to longstanding societal biases and inequalities.This means doing two things. First, it is essential to move beyond a superficial engagement with patients. As the report emphasises, technology development cannot be based only on the expertise of engineers or the knowledge of healthcare professionals. It needs to respond to the different social, cultural and health experiences of diverse groups of people. To be effective, this means recognising differences and actively supporting marginalised groups to represent themselves. Continue reading...