Studies show active ingredient semaglutide can reduce the risk of heart attack, improve fertility and help treat diabetesIt is a drug that has dominated headlines, first as a medication for type 2 diabetes, then as a weight-loss aid. Now it seems semaglutide - often called by its brand names Ozempic or Wegovy - could bring benefits in myriad areas of healthcare, from addiction to dementia. Continue reading...
Jim Fleming notes that the European Space Agency can wake up a satellite but his power supplier cannot wake up his smart meters. Plus letters from Andrew Warren and David RedshawRe your article (British Gas boss says all UK households should be forced to fit smart meters, 8 May), after being harassed by email, text, telephone, letters and finally doorstepping, and being told that we had to get smart meters for safety reasons, we relented and spent a fun day at home with the fitter. The smart meters don't work; they never worked. Apparently they don't work in our type of house.The European Space Agency might be able to wake up the satellite Rosetta 673m kilometres away, but our power supplier cannot wake up our smart meters. Sorry, I have to rush, they want another meter reading. You see, they are experiencing a high level of calls sono one can answer the phone.
Medical problems blamed on weight, motherhood, menopause or teenage mood swings, say womenWomen who were infected with hepatitis C as a result of the infected blood scandal say their medical problems were dismissed by doctors as being related to motherhood, the menopause or teenage mood swings.Three women who spoke to the Guardian said they struggled to get doctors to take them seriously or test them for hepatitis C, and had to suffer unexplained health problems for decades while the virus, known as the silent killer", was causing damage to their bodies.
As the trauma of apartheid, crime and violence continue to ripple through society, a counselling initiative by Tree of Life creator Ncazelo Ncube-Mlilo is helping ease the painRed curtains and ceiling drapes create a pink-tinged glow inside the run-down community centre, an hour south of Johannesburg, where Palesa Hlohlolo tells her neighbours about her experiences of domestic violence.I'm not a punching bag and I'll never be one. For anyone," she says, grabbing a tissue from a rapidly emptying box. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6MSDB)
Hospital to take unprecedented step after drug firm pulled out despite successful trial of treatmentWhen Great Ormond Street hospital (Gosh) published the results of its gene therapy trial for bubble baby" syndrome it was hailed as a medical breakthrough. The treatment had a more than 95% success rate for treating the life-threatening disorder in which children have no immune system. But less than a year later, the therapy had been dropped by the pharmaceutical company that planned to bring it to market.Now, Gosh is taking the unprecedented step of attempting to license the therapy itself on a non-profit basis and without industry involvement, in order to make it more widely available to babies and children worldwide. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample; produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6MSCB)
As AI systems have grown in sophistication, so has their capacity for deception, according to a new analysis from researchers at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). Dr Peter Park, an AI existential safety researcher at MIT and author of the research, tells Ian Sample about the different examples of deception he uncovered, and why they will be so difficult to tackle as long as AI remains a black boxListen to the Guardian's Black Box series all about humans and artificial intelligenceRead Hannah Devlin's article about the MIT study Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent on (#6MS7W)
Researchers say semaglutide, the active ingredient in Wegovy and Ozempic, could be biggest medical breakthrough since statinsA weight loss injection could reduce the risk of heart attacks and benefit the cardiovascular health of millions of adults across the UK, in what could be the largest medical breakthrough since statins, according to a study.It found that participants taking the medication semaglutide, the active ingredient in brands including Wegovy and Ozempic, had a 20% lower risk of heart attack, stroke, or death due to cardiovascular disease. Continue reading...
Spector said mouse study provided reason to stop using SPF 50 all year round, in post attacked as frighteningly inaccurate'The health expert Prof Tim Spector has come under fire from fellow scientists after he suggested people should stop using factor 50 sunscreen all year round.Spector cited a recent mouse study that suggests vitamin D levels may be an important factor in cancer immunity and immunotherapy success, saying the research is another reason to stop using SPF 50 all year round which blocks our natural defences". Continue reading...
The answers to today's wordplay challengesEarlier today I set you these problems from the National Puzzlers' League, the world's oldest association of word puzzle aficionados, active since 1883. Here they are again with answers.The puzzles are flats", a genre unique to the NPL, which are small pieces of light verse with some missing words. Here's an explanation of the puzzles for those who missed the original story. For those who did, please skip ahead. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6MRHZ)
Finding that clearance of fluid in mice brains is lower in sleep and anaesthesia runs counter to dominant view in neuroscienceThe restorative effect of a good night's rest is widely recognised and the popular scientific explanation has been that the brain washes out toxins during sleep.However, new findings suggest this theory, which has become a dominant view in neuroscience, could be wrong. The study found that the clearance and movement of fluid in the brains of mice was, in fact, markedly reduced during sleep and anaesthesia. Continue reading...
Aurora australis lit up skies across southern Australia days after four coronal mass ejections from the sun. While much of New South Wales missed out on the spectacle due to heavy cloud and rain, the light show was bigger than anything seen in Australia in decades. Geomagnetic solar storms occur when highly charged plasma erupts from the sun and is streamed into space. When those charged particles, known as the solar wind, hit the Earth's magnetic field, they create the stunning visual displays known as aurorasSubscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
Wacky wordplay from the pioneers of puzzledomUPDATE: Read the answers hereThe National Puzzlers' League is the world's oldest association of word puzzle aficionados. Active in the US more or less continuously since 1883, its output includes these wonderful anagrams, which obey the constraint that the anagrams must be apposite to the original word(s):greyhound / hey, dog run! (1898) Continue reading...
Do you find it hard to budget or, conversely, difficult to spend? Vicky Reynal reveals what our financial choices reveal about our psyches - and what can be done to ease our money worriesI am a generous tipper. I've always thought, to the extent that I have thought about it at all, that this is a positive trait. Recently, however, I've begun to wonder. Is it normal to feel a deep sense of anxiety after ordering a takeaway pizza, then realising there is no change in the house? Does everyone spend their spare time searching Google to find out if one should tip the Waitrose delivery driver - or whether to do so might cause offence? Are hotel stays meant to be such a stressful experience, requiring constant calculations to determine the appropriate amount of cash to reward every personal interaction?These are the kinds of questions that arise while I'm reading Money on Your Mind: The Psychology Behind Your Financial Habits. Written by Vicky Reynal, Britain's first self-styled financial psychotherapist", the book outlines a wide range of unhelpful financial behaviours, offering something that will resonate with almost every reader, and makes a convincing case that these are rooted in our emotions - driven by fears and desires - and influenced by past experiences. Perhaps we struggle to spend money on ourselves or others. What do we fear might happen if we do? Some of us are incapable of budgeting. What do we gain from our overspending? We may see our colleagues rewarded with salary increases while we languish on the same pay grade. Why do we struggle to ask for a raise? Are we battling with doubts about our self-worth? Continue reading...
Try to steer your focus to what you want rather than what you think you should beThe question At 36, I find myself in a stable phase of life, contrasting my earlier years of nomadic renting and dead-end jobs as an artist, a passion I've abandoned. My dog is my sole source of joy, yet even that pleasure feels dulled lately. I struggle to feel real or connected, lacking focus and interest. Despite overcoming anorexia and surviving a long, violent relationship, I still battle the emotional blunting and PTSD that I've had therapy for and thought I'd conquered. I yearn for a more purposeful existence, especially considering my privileged, educated position - I should have achieved this by now.My childhood was chaotic and now, as an adult, I can see there was neglect in a household of five children, as well as addiction and instability. My father, now sober, was always drunk - we lost everything when he became bankrupt. He also had many affairs. I dread becoming like my parents and strive to reconnect with my own body and others. I used to find meaning and flow when I made art and wrote fiction, but it all feels pointless now. I wasn't good enough. Continue reading...
No indication that Richard Rick' Slayman's receipt of genetically modified kidney caused his death, says Massachusetts transplant teamThe first recipient of a genetically modified pig kidney transplant has died about two months later, with the hospital that performed the surgery saying it did not have any indication the transplant was the cause.Richard Rick" Slayman had the transplant at Massachusetts general hospital in March at the age of 62. Surgeons said they believed the pig kidney would last for at least two years. On Saturday, his family and the hospital that performed the surgery confirmed Slayman's death.Associated Press contributed reporting Continue reading...
Aurora australis has proven to be the weekend's must-see event, offering the most extreme' celestial display in two decades. While people flocked to viewing spots from Tasmania to Argentina to glimpse the out-of-this-world geomagnetic event, warnings came of some very real-world repercussions
Although dogged by controversy, the firm's coronavirus jab saved the lives of millions and helped avert humanitarian crises in nations unable to access costly alternativesLast week's announcement that AstraZeneca would no longer market its Covid vaccine brings an end to one of the century's most remarkable medical stories. Created within a year of the arrival of the pandemic, the AZ vaccine was cheap, easily stored and transported, and helped stave off humanitarian crises in Asia and Latin America, where many countries could not afford the more expensive mRNA vaccines that were being snapped up by rich western nations. It is estimated that it saved 6.3 million lives in 2021 alone.Yet from the start the vaccine - created by research teams led by Professor Andy Pollard and Professor Sarah Gilbert at the Oxford Vaccine Centre - was dogged by controversy. It was linked to blood clots, US observers criticised protocols for its trials, and French president Emmanuel Macron claimed it was quasi-ineffective" for people over 65. In fact, the vaccine is particularly effective for the elderly. Continue reading...
After one final dig, Ness of Brodgar is to be covered up to protect it for future generationsIn a few weeks, archaeologists will gather at the Ness of Brodgar in Orkney and for the next two months excavate at one of Europe's greatest prehistoric sites.For the last 20 summers, scientists and volunteers have dug here, revealing wonders that include 5,000-year-old remains of temples, hearths, a ceramic figurine, and elegant pottery. Continue reading...
Videos filmed across the northern hemisphere show skies illuminated by the aurora borealis.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in the US said the 'very rare event' was caused by a large sunspot cluster that has produced several moderate to strong solar flares since Wednesday morning. That meant the lights could be seen further south than usual
by Amy Hawkins Senior China correspondent on (#6MQP6)
Citizen journalist Zhang Zhan's search for the truth during the early days of the pandemic was seen as a threat by the authoritiesA Chinese citizen journalist who has been in prison for four years after reporting on the early days of the Covid-19 epidemic in Wuhan is due to be released on Monday.Zhang Zhan, a former lawyer, travelled to Wuhan in February 2020 to document the Chinese government's response to what became the start of a global pandemic. She shared her reports on X (then known as Twitter), YouTube and WeChat. She was one of the few independent Chinese reporters on the ground as Wuhan and the rest of China went into lockdown. Continue reading...
The H5N1 virus has been devastating bird populations, and is now infecting mammals too. Is human-to-human transmission next? And are we ready for another pandemic?Over the past four years, a silent pandemic has been raging. One in which the death toll is believed to number in the hundreds of millions, but which has received remarkably little attention until now.The pandemic in question is bird flu, the H5N1 strain of influenza, which since 2020 has moved far beyond the avian world and into mammals ranging from dairy cattle to domestic pets, and species that live on our doorsteps, such as foxes. The virus's presence has been detected on every continent, even Antarctica. While it has yet to evolve the capability of spreading between humans, alarm bells were raised last month after a dairy farm worker in Texas contracted H5N1, seemingly from cattle. Continue reading...
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration says geomagnetic storm could affect satellites and power gridA ferocious solar storm powerful enough to knock out or disrupt satellite and communications systems, the power grid and radio signals was raging on Friday, space weather researchers warned.The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa) issued a rare warning for extreme G5 geomagnetic storm conditions when a solar outburst reached Earth on Friday afternoon, hours sooner than anticipated. The effects were due to last through the weekend and possibly into next week. The last extreme G5 event was in 2003. Continue reading...
In a revolutionary approach, scientists are hoping that modifying the marsupial's genes to resist cane toads' toxin will save it from extinctionIn a laboratory in the University of Melbourne earlier this year, PhD student Pierre Ibri was running an experiment that could prove to be a critical step in an audacious plan to save Australia's endangered northern quoll.In plastic trays were groups of tissue cells of another Australian marsupial - the common and mouse-like fat-tailed dunnart - that he was subjecting to the toxin of the cane toad, an invasive amphibian that has cut a swathe through populations of native animals in Australia's north. Continue reading...
George Monbiot's conversation with Jason Liosatos got Patrick Cosgrove and Alison Carter thinkingLike George Monbiot, I am puzzled by the contradiction of likeable, otherwise rational people who promote conspiracy fantasies (You're going to call me a Holocaust denier now, are you?': George Monbiot comes face to face with his local conspiracy theorist, 4 May). George's explanation that they lack rigour in trying to make sense of the world is a good one, but on its own insufficient for such a varied community".There are probably many overlapping reasons. My favourite, ironically, is that there is a real, but probably diffuse conspiracy by rightwing activists to sow the seeds of distrust, fear and division at a time of political upheaval in order to garner support for populist solutions. In recruiting those who lack rigour" to this worldview, they also convince them that they are special, almost anointed (there is a frequent cross-over with fundamental Christianity). Continue reading...
A fifth of female climate scientists who responded to Guardian survey said they had opted to have no or fewer childrenI had the hormonal urges," said Prof Camille Parmesan, a leading climate scientist based in France. Oh my gosh, it was very strong. But it was: Do I really want to bring a child into this world that we're creating?' Even 30 years ago, it was very clear the world was going to hell in a handbasket. I'm 62 now and I'm actually really glad I did not have children."Parmesan is not alone. An exclusive Guardian survey has found that almost a fifth of the female climate experts who responded have chosen to have no children, or fewer children, due to the environmental crises afflicting the world. Continue reading...
by Tobi Thomas Health and Inequalities Correspondent on (#6MPMF)
Accessible screening tool piloted by NHS England includes braille instructions and a better guide for stool sampleThousands of blind or partly sighted people could find it easier to participate in bowel cancer screening from home owing to a new NHS tool aiding accessibility.The standard test used to screen for bowel cancer requires an at-home stool sample in a tube, which is sent off and examined for any possible cancer signs. Continue reading...
Harvard researchers teamed up with Google to analyse the makeup of the brain, much of which is not yet understoodScientists have reconstructed a wiring diagram for a piece of human brain in unprecedented detail, revealing fresh quirks and complexities in what many regard as the most sophisticated object in the known universe.Harvard researchers teamed up with experts in machine learning at Google to map out the neural circuitry, connections, supporting cells and blood supply in a speck of healthy tissue removed from the cortex of a 45-year-old woman who had had surgery for epilepsy. Continue reading...
Fighting spirit helped us achieve the Paris accords in 2015 - and we need it now the world is on course to overshoot 1.5C Hopeless and broken': why the world's top climate scientists are in despair Christiana Figueres was the head of the UN climate change convention from 2010 to 2016Hopeless and broken": that is how a top scientist interviewed by the Guardian described feeling as she and hundreds of other climate experts shared harrowing predictions of the future of the planet this week.I resonate with her feelings of despair. Even as the former head of the UN climate change convention that achieved the Paris agreement in 2015, I, like many, can succumb to believing in the worst possible outcome. Just after I assumed the role of UN climate chief in 2010, I said to a room full of reporters that I didn't believe a global agreement on climate would be possible in my lifetime. Continue reading...
Joy is all around us, according to the bestselling South Korean author. Here's what he has learned from a long and often hard lifeIn nearly 90 years, Rhee Kun Hoo has learned a lot about surviving and thriving. The South Korean psychiatrist turned writer lived through typhoid, war, family bankruptcy and poverty before he was into his teens. In his 20s he was jailed for his role in pro-democracy protests. Throughout his medical career, he helped transform South Korea's treatment of mental health, while raising four children. He and his wife now live among their children and grandchildren in a communal building in Seoul.He is at home there when we talk over Zoom, with the help of a translator and an aide who repeats every question to him because his hearing is not what it was. Every so often a cat walks past the window in the garden behind him. Continue reading...
Researchers say reducing emissions and biodiversity loss and preventing invasive species could control diseaseBiodiversity loss is the biggest environmental driver of infectious disease outbreaks, making them more dangerous and widespread, a study has found.New infectious diseases are on the rise and they often originate in wildlife. In meta-analysis published in the journal Nature, researchers found that of all the global change drivers" that are destroying ecosystems, loss of species was the greatest in increasing the risk of outbreaks. Biodiversity loss was followed by climate change and introduction of non-native species. Continue reading...
Orangutan diplomacy' strategy aims to ease concern over environmental impact of palm oil production, says ministerMalaysia plans to give orangutans as gifts to countries that buy its palm oil as part of an orangutan diplomacy" strategy to ease concerns over the environmental impact of the commodity.The south-east Asian country is the world's second biggest producer of palm oil, which is found in more than half of supermarket packaged goods - from pizza and biscuits, to lipstick and shampoos. Global demand for palm oil has been blamed for driving deforestation in Malaysia and neighbouring Indonesia. Continue reading...
by Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay, sound on (#6MNXA)
Sales of cottage cheese are booming thanks to a boost from protein-hungry social media influencers. But do we really need all this extra protein? Madeleine Finlay speaks to Joanne Slavin, a professor of food science and nutrition at the University of Minnesota, to find out what exactly protein is doing in our bodies, and what happens to it when we consume it in excessRead more from the Guardian about proteinRead more about the cottage cheese trend Continue reading...
Opal Sandy can hear almost perfectly after groundbreaking surgery that took just 16 minutesA British toddler has had her hearing restored after becoming the first person in the world to take part in a pioneering gene therapy trial, in a development that doctors say marks a new era in treating deafness.Opal Sandy was born unable to hear anything due to auditory neuropathy, a condition that disrupts nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain and can be caused by a faulty gene. Continue reading...
Earth's greatest living structure is dying. But the humanity of reef scientists is as beautiful as any coral I've ever seenFrom the dry lab on One Tree Island research station - about 100km off the coast from Gladstone and in the southern region of the Great Barrier Reef - I watch a steady procession of scientists walk to their next encounter with what has become the biggest palliative care unit on the planet.These scientists head out to the reef like doctors heading to a hospital with no control over saving their patients. They head to a hospital where there is no medicine they can administer to alleviate the pain or to make death easier. Continue reading...
Paul Marshall's claim on thousands of WW2 silver bars successfully challenged by South African governmentThe joint owner of GB News has lost a legal battle with the South African government over 34m of silver secretly salvaged from a second world war shipwreck.Paul Marshall, who is lining up a bid for the Daily Telegraph, had claimed ownership of 2,364 silver bars his company had recovered from the bottom of the Indian Ocean. Continue reading...
AlphaFold breakthrough may bolster work in fields from antibiotics and cancer therapy to resilient cropsResearchers have hailed another leap forward" for artificial intelligence after Google DeepMind unveiled the latest version of its AlphaFold program, which can predict how proteins behave in the complex symphony of life.The breakthrough promises to shed fresh light on the biological machinery that underpins living organisms and drive breakthroughs in fields from antibiotics and cancer therapy to new materials and resilient crops. Continue reading...
Ordnance Survey's Vernacular Names Tool contains unofficial names - many created by local people - of 9,000 locationsFrom Stinky Bay to Sausage Island, local nicknames for UK landmarks have long been a source of amusement. But in an emergency, the last thing rescuers need to grapple with is how to find Crazy Mary's Hole.Fortunately Ordnance Survey (OS) has added thousands of these unofficial names for cliffs, caves, sandbanks, coastal car parks and buildings to a database for the emergency services. Continue reading...
Exclusive: Sandstone rock featuring language markings created 1,600 years ago to go on display at museumA geography teacher was tidying his overgrown garden at his home in Coventry when he stumbled across a rock with mysterious incisions. Intrigued, he sent photographs to a local archaeologist and was taken aback to learn that the markings were created more than 1,600 years ago and that the artefact was worthy of a museum.The rectangular sandstone rock that Graham Senior had discovered was inscribed in ogham, an alphabet used in the early medieval period primarily for writing in the Irish language. Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6MN8H)
AI analysis of 180 vape flavours finds that products contain 127 acutely toxic' chemicals, 153 health hazards' and 225 irritants'Chemicals used to produce vapes could be acutely toxic when heated and inhaled, according to research.Vaping devices heat the liquid flavouring to high temperatures to form an aerosol that is then inhaled. They contain chemicals including vegetable glycerin, propylene glycol, nicotine and flavourings, blended in various amounts. Continue reading...
Life-transforming' trial giving children and young people with milk or peanut allergy small doses to train their bodies to tolerate itChildren have been able to enjoy foods that previously would have triggered potentially life-threatening allergic reactions after they took part in a life-transforming" NHS clinical trial, doctors have reported.A pioneering 2.5m study is using daily doses of everyday food products, taken under strict medical supervision, rather than drugs to train the bodies of children as young as two to tolerate an allergen. Continue reading...
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