It is the size of a bedsheet, an outward display of our mood, age and identity and replaces itself completely every month - here's the lowdown on the skin you're inThe Ancient Egyptians knew all about skincare. Scrolls dating back 3,500 years describe elaborate routines to keep the face soft and smooth, the body gently perfumed. If disease and imperfections threatened to spoil the day - and they certainly did in 1550BC - there were treatments on hand for most common ailments: wrinkles and moles, eczema and itches, boils, stings and bites.How helpful the ancient therapies were is hard to ascertain. But as with the peddling of modern skincare products, it's not clear how much that mattered. Wax, olive oil and fresh milk would swiftly banish wrinkles, one scroll asserts, with the afflicted instructed to See to it!" Unsightly mole? Try berries, grain, honey and leaves crushed in water that has been used to wash the phallus. An itchy neck? A smear of chopped-up bat will heal it at once". But what about that annoying crocodile bite? Slap a lump of meat on it, declares the Ebers papyrus, one of the world's oldest known medical works. Continue reading...

A NSW man recently jailed after filming up skirts had his prison sentence overturned, prompting questions about the little-known disorder

I watched my father lose some of his faculties. Now any signs of my own memory loss make me a bit paranoidWe've been witnessing a burgeoning obsession in the US lately with the effect ageing has on the human brain. This came to mind again when I was reading about the latest woes of Dianne Feinstein, who may have what's politely called cognitive decline". And of course every time Joe Biden misspeaks, his critics seize on it as a symptom of dementia.I'm younger than Feinstein and Biden, but I'm also older than, gulp, almost 90% of Americans. As I plow into my 60s, I find myself awash in the boomer preoccupation over whether one has, or will eventually get, dementia. If you are in my demographic and not routinely self-examining for signs of dementia, that probably means you already have it. Otherwise, it's an introspective compulsion that, once unsealed, will soak into any aspect of everyday life. Continue reading...

From June to August 2023, a series of extreme weather events exacerbated by climate breakdown caused death and destruction across the globeAs the world sweltered through the hottest three month spell in human history this summer, extreme weather disasters took more than 18,000 lives, drove at least 150,000 people from their homes, affected hundreds of millions of others and caused billions of dollars of damage.That is a conservative tally from the most widely covered disasters between early June and early September, which have been compiled in the timeline below as a reminder of how tough this period has been and what might lie ahead. Continue reading...

MMR vaccination levels at lowest since 2010-11, figures show, with uptake of other key jabs also too lowParents are being urged to get their children vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) after a worrying" drop in uptake of key vaccines.Figures from NHS England and the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) show 92.5% of children had had the first dose of the MMR jab at five years old by 2022-23, the lowest since 2010-11. Continue reading...

The humble creatures - which break down organic matter and aerate soils - contribute to as much as 6.5% of the world's grain harvestsEarthworms' contribution to the world's grain harvest matches that of Russia, according to a study documenting their enormous role in food production.This amounts to 140 millions of tonnes of food a year, researchers said, which would make earthworms the fourth largest global producer if they were a country. Russia produced 150m tonnes in 2022 and expects to produce 120m tonnes this year. Continue reading...

Higher levels of poor mental health in England could be linked to worries about money and academic achievement, findings suggestUniversity students are more at risk of depression and anxiety than their peers who go straight into work, according to a study, suggesting mental health may deteriorate due to the financial strain of higher education.The research is the first to find evidence of slightly higher levels of depression and anxiety among students, and challenges earlier work suggesting that the mental health of students is the same as or better than their peers. Continue reading...

Exclusive: three out of five at briefing playing down concerns over UPFs have ties to makers of such foodsThree out of five scientists on an expert panel that suggested ultra-processed foods (UPFs) are being unfairly demonised have ties to the world's largest manufacturers of the products, the Guardian can reveal.Recent studies have linked UPFs such as ice-cream, fizzy drinks and ready meals to poor health, including an increased risk of cancer, weight gain and heart disease. Global consumption of the products is soaring and UPFs now make up more than half the average diet in the UK and US. Continue reading...

British minister Dehenna Davison recently resigned from government, explaining that chronic migraines were making it impossible for her to do her job. Her announcement coincided with a new drug for acute migraines being recommended for use in the NHS. Madeleine Finlay meets Prof Peter Goadsby, whose pioneering research underpins the new drug, to find out about the advances we've made in understanding migraines, and whether we might one day be able to wave goodbye to migraines for goodClips: TalkTV, ITVRead more Guardian reporting on migraine treatments Continue reading...

Durham University researchers also found novelty backgrounds lowered perceptions of trust and competencyPeople who curate the backdrop of their video calls to appear well-read may be vindicated for their trouble, as research has found that bookshelves or plants make the best impression in an online meeting.In contrast, anyone wanting to spice things up with a novelty background should think again, as researchers from Durham University's psychology department have found this makes people less likely to think those they are watching are trustworthy or competent. Continue reading...

The winners of the Nikon Small World in Motion video competition have been announced, with Dr Alexandre Dumoulin's timelapse of developing neurons in a chick embryo taking the top prize.'By studying [chick and mouse embryos], I aim to enhance our comprehension of how the nervous system functions and identify potential factors contributing to neurodevelopmental disorders,' Dumoulin said Continue reading...

The concept of satellites beaming power down to Earth is gaining traction but challenges remainThe British astronaut Tim Peake is backing the idea of solar farms in space, using satellites to capture solar energy and beam it down as microwaves to ground stations. A satellite in geostationary orbit about 36,000km (22,700 miles) above Earth could generate solar power almost all day, every day, whatever the weather, as well as collecting sunlight more intense than on the Earth's surface.The microwaves beamed down would be unhindered by clouds, although the beam would need to be restricted to avoid harming anything that got in the way, before being collected by large receivers that would convert the microwaves into electricity. Continue reading...

Online project draws on 700-year-old records of coroners' inquests in London, Oxford and YorkEarly on a Sunday evening in April 1299, a young scholar led Margery de Hereford inside a house in Oxford. What began with lust ended in murder: when Margery, a sex worker, demanded to be paid, the unnamed man drew a knife, struck her near the left breast and fled.Margery may have never received justice but her story is to feature in a collection of interactive maps that use 700-year-old records of coroners' inquests to locate and detail homicides across three UK cities. Continue reading...

Nasa astronaut Frank Rubio and cosmonauts Sergey Prokopyev and Dmitri Petelin landed in Kazakhstan in a Soyuz capsule that replaced the original ride, which was damaged by space junk while docked to the International Space Station. This meant that a mission that should have taken 180 days turned into a 371-day stay

Trio had to stay longer on International Space Station after their original return capsule was hit by space junkA Nasa astronaut and two Russian cosmonauts returned to Earth on Wednesday after being stuck in space for just over a year. American Frank Rubio set a record for the longest US spaceflight - a result of the extended stay.The trio landed in a remote area of Kazakhstan, descending in a Soyuz capsule that was rushed up as a replacement after their original ride was hit by space junk and lost all its coolant while docked to the International Space Station. Continue reading...

Region at centre of Messier 87 galaxy captured by the Event Horizon Telescope in motionAstronomers have captured the first direct evidence of a black hole spinning, providing new insights into the universe's most enigmatic objects.The observations focus on the supermassive black hole at the centre of the neighbouring Messier 87 galaxy, whose shadow was imaged by the Event Horizon Telescope. Like many supermassive black holes, M87 features powerful jets that are launched from the poles at close to the speed of light into intergalactic space. Continue reading...

Tests at Cern refute suggestion that antigravity might apply to antimatter, showing instead it also falls downwardsGalileo put gravitational theory to the test by dropping balls from the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Four hundred years on, scientists have performed a higher tech version of the experiment to demonstrate for the first time that antimatter also falls downwards.The study, by scientists at Cern, showed conclusively that gravity pulls antihydrogen downwards and that, at least for antimatter, antigravity does not exist. Continue reading...

How a schoolteacher and a dog educator became crucial to the global fight against coronavirusAt the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic, the fight against the disease was described by heads of government and public health bosses on primetime television.Countries would receive daily updates collated from data that had been analysed by the world-leading virologists and academics. Continue reading...

Tiny crustaceans described as the bioequivalent of a Dyson vacuum cleaner for wastewater'Tiny water fleas could play a big role in filtering out drugs, pesticides and industrial chemicals from wastewater to make it safe, according to scientists.We've developed our bioequivalent of a Dyson vacuum cleaner for wastewater, which is very, very exciting," said study co-author Karl Dearn, a professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Birmingham. Continue reading...

Einstein Tower has undergone extensive renovations to preserve it for future generationsA solar observatory built to substantiate Albert Einstein's theory of relativity has been reopened near the German capital after a renovation project to preserve it for future generations.The Einsteinturm (Einstein Tower) on Telegraph Hill in Potsdam, 16 miles (25km) south-west of Berlin, spent a year under scaffolding while work was carried out using modern techniques to seal its many thousands of cracks, cure it of extensive dampness, and to save its domed zinc roof, while retaining its authenticity. Continue reading...

Exclusive: archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis accuses Manhattan DA's office of abusing intellectual propertySince 2017, when the Manhattan district attorney's office announced the formation of its first antiquities trafficking unit, it has recovered nearly 4,500 artefacts stolen from 29 countries, with a combined value of more than $375m (307m).It is an impressive track record, made possible by specialists such as the Cambridge-based Greek archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis, a leading expert in looted antiquities and trafficking networks. Continue reading...

On 2 September, the Vikram lander and Pragyan rover were put into sleep mode' to protect their electrical components during the brutal two-week nightHopes are fading for the re-awakening" of India's moon lander after Indian scientists were unable to make communication with the spacecraft since it went into shutdown mode to survive the freezing lunar night conditions.India's Chandrayaan-3 mission made a historic landing on the south pole of the moon in August, after a 40-day journey, and the rover had spent over a week collecting data from the lunar surface. Continue reading...

There's a sensation many of us might have experienced: when something routine or recognisable suddenly feels strange and unfamiliar. It's known as jamais vu, or never seen'. Research into this odd feeling recently won an Ig Nobel prize, which is awarded to science that makes you laugh, then think. Ian Sample speaks to Ig Nobel recipient Dr Akira O'Connor about why he wanted to study jamais vu, what he thinks is happening in our brains, and what it could teach us about memory going right, and wrongRead Nicola Davis' report on the Ig Nobel prizes here Continue reading...

Researchers hope to analyse materials from Mars using program that can detect biosignatures' of other life formsIt is the cloud that overshadows the search for alien life: for all the spacecraft sent to faraway worlds, researchers do not really know what to look for when it comes to evidence of life elsewhere.Now, scientists are claiming progress with the puzzle after training a computer program to distinguish chemical mixtures made by living organisms from those created in more prosaic processes, such as reactions between sunlight and rocks. Continue reading...

Study finds evidence virus can survive treatment with molnupiravir, leading to mutated versions that sometimes spreadAn antiviral drug used to treat patients with Covid-19 may be causing mutations in the virus and fuelling the evolution of new variants, scientists have said.Molnupiravir, which is also sold under the brand name Lagevrio, is designed to mutate coronavirus to destruction, but researchers found evidence that the virus can sometimes survive the treatment, leading to mutated versions that occasionally spread to other people. Continue reading...

Extreme temperatures, radiation and collapse of food supply created by merging of continents would cause mass extinctionThe formation of a supercontinent on Earth could wipe out humans and any other mammals that are still around in 250m years, according to a study.The mass extinction would be caused primarily by heat stress as a result of greater volcanic activity that would put twice as much carbon dioxide into the atmosphere as current levels, an older sun that would emit more radiation and the extent of inland deserts in the tropics. Continue reading...

Researchers find the fat and protein in yoghurt bind the odour-producing compounds in garlic if eaten directly afterwardsIf you've ever skipped the garlic for fear of romantic rejection, take note: You can have your date and eat garlic - provided you follow up with a spoonful of yoghurt. Research suggests that the fat and protein that yoghurt contains prevents almost all of the smelly volatile compounds in garlic from escaping into the air.Manpreet Kaur and Prof Sheryl Barringer at the Ohio State University in Columbus, US, tested the capacity of yoghurt - and the water, fat and protein in it - to neutralise the sulphurous compounds that give raw and cooked garlic its characteristic odour. Continue reading...

Tech companies see big benefits in making drugs, harvesting stem cells and growing crystals in off-Earth' conditionsSo far, the public faces of the new space race have been billionaires like Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson joyriding around in rockets, having maybe the most expensive midlife crises ever. But behind the scenes, big tech is thinking more seriously about the first non-Earth production lines.For some startups, the most pressing questions in manufacturing right now are: how do you build computer parts, harvest stem cells or produce pharmaceuticals while in space? Continue reading...

Faint smudges represent combined light from thousands of distant starsEarlier this month, we looked at Andromeda, who as part of the Greek myth, was chained to a rock for the sea monster Cetus to devour but was rescued by the hero Perseus.This week we shift our attention to the constellation of Perseus, and specifically to a deep-sky object that can be seen under good conditions with the naked eye. The Double Cluster is a pair of adjacent star clusters that sit to the north of the main constellation. Continue reading...

Researchers explore whether the animals adapt their behaviour in response to people's happiness, sadness or angerThey are known for living in packs and being sociable animals. Now meerkats are being investigated to see if they can also pick up on human emotions.Researchers and psychologists from Nottingham Trent University are studying meerkats in zoos to see if they can detect emotions such as happiness, sadness or anger from people, and whether they then adapt their behaviour accordingly. Continue reading...

The blog is now closed, but you can read the full story about the successful Osiris-Rex sample touchdown hereAnother hope is that by studying the samples from Bennu, scientists can compare their results against the data they obtained from instruments on board the spacecraft.This ground-truthing' means they can then calibrate the latter, allowing them to more accurately explore differences in composition across the surface of Bennu. Remember - the samples that are heading from Earth only came from one small crater on the asteroid. Continue reading...

Return of the largest asteroid sample ever to be recovered marks the culmination of a seven-year journeySitting isolated in the arid landscape of the Utah desert, its orange and white parachute cast aside, the Osiris-Rex capsule was a picture of stillness. Yet all around, scientists were swinging into action, rushing to recover its precious cargo: 4.6bn-year-old chunks of space rock.Racing towards the scene were four helicopters bearing scientists, engineers and military safety personnel. Their mission: to recover the capsule as quickly as possible to prevent samples of asteroid Bennu from becoming contaminated by planet Earth. Continue reading...

Every year from the age of 20 my mother, Jean Combes, who has died aged 96, recorded the time of year that four tree species - oak, ash, horse chestnut and lime - came into leaf. What started in 1947 as a personal project, driven by a simple love of nature, turned out to demonstrate with textbook clarity that the long-term trend in Britain has been for spring to start much earlier than it used to. Her 76-year dataset has been used by scientists in climate change modelling, and earned her national recognition in 2008 with appointment as an OBE for services to phenology, the study of periodic events in biological life cycles.Jean's data first came to the attention of scientists in 1995, when she read about the work of the Coventry University climate expert Tim Sparks, and contacted him about what she had been doing. Tim later described her records as probably unique in phenological recording and, as far as we know, the longest recording by a single person anywhere in the world". Continue reading...

Exclusive: Fears findings will represent only white population if too few people of colour take partA major study into the effects of cannabis on the human brain is at risk of being partially thwarted because too few black users have agreed to take part.White people have come forward in large numbers offering to get involved in King's College London's 2.5m study of how the drug may contribute to paranoia and psychosis in some users but not others. It is hoped the project will pave the way for wider medicinal use and make illegal recreational use safer. Continue reading...

As a child, I wanted to belong, but didn't see brown girls like me in culture. I'd like space for our stories to be told, tooEvery Sunday, Jaspreet Kaur's mother would rub oil into her daughter's scalp and comb it through her hair while sharing stories of their family's history. The oiling of the hair was a precious time when women caught up and connected to their roots in the stories we were told, the songs we'd sing," Kaur says. The award-winning spoken-word artist, writer and teacher explains that the Sanskrit word sneha not only means to oil" but also to love".When Kaur started secondary school, at the age of 11, the oil in her hair along with the fragrant scent of tarka (spice-infused oil) on her blazer that no amount of Impulse body spray could mask attracted negative attention from other girls who ridiculed her and made comments such as stinks of curry" and greasy hair". From that day, she made the decision to no longer have her hair oiled. Continue reading...

From exercise and eating tips to brain health and balance challenges: this is what you need to knowForget lifespan: increasingly, healthspan - the years that we feel healthy and active - has become the holy grail among gerontologists. You only need to watch the Veteran Games to understand the capacity of the human body to age well," says physiotherapist Bhanu Ramaswamy.While there's no denying the fact of ageing, It is important to distinguish between what is a natural part of the process, and less natural ageing, with increasing disability." The slow change in our bodies won't necessarily render us frail or immobile if we take care of ourselves, and there's plenty we can do to help. Here's where to start. Continue reading...

Tucker Carlson, Greta Thunberg, Covid sceptics, military historians, the royal family ... What would my time immersed in the Twitter/X owner's feed reveal about the richest man in the world?What's it like to be Elon Musk? On almost every level it is impossible to imagine - he's just too much. Musk is the hands-on head of three mega-companies, one (Tesla) wildly successful, one (SpaceX) madly aspirational, one (Twitter/X) a shambles. He has plenty of other businesses on the side, including The Boring Company (which makes hi-tech tunnels), Neuralink (which makes brain-computer interfaces), and his current pet favourite xAI (mission: To understand the true nature of the universe"). He is the on-again, off-again richest human being on the planet, his personal net worth sometimes fluctuating by more than $10bn a day as the highly volatile Tesla share price lurches up and down. He is the father of 11 children - one of whom died as an infant, and from one of whom he is currently estranged - with three different women, which to his own mind at least seems to make him some kind of family man. He has 155 million followers on Twitter/X (we'll call it Twitter from now on for simplicity's sake), which is more than anyone else. Only a very few people - Barack Obama (132 million), Justin Bieber (111 million) - can have any idea of what that is like.However, unlike Obama, who follows 550,000 accounts on Twitter, Musk follows only 415. That anyone can copy (or at least they could, before the platform recently changed its code so you can now only see a small handful of users' followers rather than the full list). So that's what I did, spending this past summer following the exact same accounts Musk follows and no one else, to see what the world looks like from inside his personal Twitter bubble. I wanted to be a fly on the wall in the room with the people who are shaping the thoughts of one of the most influential, and unpredictable, individuals on the planet. I should add that I've never followed anyone else on Twitter before - I've never even had a Twitter account - so it was all new to me. What can I say? It's pretty mind-blowing. Continue reading...

World faces malaria emergency' from resistance to insecticides, waning efficacy of drugs, funding shortfalls and climate changeAfrican leaders have warned that the world is facing the biggest malaria emergency" of the past two decades.Heads of state and experts came together in a show of unity to call for urgent action on malaria at the UN general assembly on Friday, saying progress on eradicating the disease faced serious setbacks from mosquitoes' growing resistance to insecticides, and the decreased effectiveness of antimalarial drugs and diagnostic tests. Continue reading...

Adjustment of behaviour shown in study suggests learning is integral function of neuronsJellyfish change their behaviour based on past experiences, researchers have revealed, in a study that suggests learning could be a fundamental property of the way nerve cells work.Unlike humans, jellyfish do not have a central brain. However, box jellyfish have clusters of neurons associated with the creatures' eye-like structures, known as rhopalia, with this system - known as rhopalia - acting as visual information processing centres. Continue reading...

Capsule will contain some of oldest materials formed in solar systemOn Sunday morning, somewhere above the Utah desert, a parachute will open and a capsule containing about 250g of rubble will float to the ground. As it descends, four helicopters bearing scientists, engineers and military safety personnel will race across the arid landscape to recover the precious cargo.Because this is not just any old dirt: these are 4.6bn-year-old chunks of space rock that could not only shed light on how planets formed but how life itself began. Continue reading...

WHO says China facing sustained community transmission' of virus first detected as imported case last yearChina is fuelling a global surge in mpox cases, accounting for the majority of new cases reported in September, according to the World Health Organization.The number of weekly cases reported globally increased by 328% in the week to 10 September, data shows. Most of that rise came from China, where more than 500 new cases were reported in August. The WHO said China was experiencing sustained community transmission" of the virus, which was first detected as an imported case in September last year. Continue reading...

Aditi Shankar, eight, has pioneering treatment resulting in her body accepting donor kidney as its ownAn eight-year-old girl has been spared from taking lifelong drugs to stop her body rejecting her kidney transplant thanks to a UK-first treatment.Aditi Shankar's immune system was reprogrammed" after a stem cell transplant, resulting in her body accepting a donor kidney as its own, clinicians said. Continue reading...

Discovery adds weight to view that Europa's ocean could be most promising place in solar system to look for alien lifeThe vast subterranean ocean of Europa, one of Jupiter's many moons, contains carbon, one of the crucial ingredients for life, scientists have discovered.The observations, by the James Webb space telescope, indicate that carbon dioxide ice on the moon's surface originated from the salty ocean that lies beneath a 10-mile thick crust of ice. Although the findings do not answer the question of whether alien life is lurking in the cold, gloomy depths, they add weight to the view that Europa's ocean could be the most promising place in the solar system to go looking for it. Continue reading...

First comparative research of its kind finds those with lots of social interaction and supportive family coped betterSecondary school pupils in the UK experienced significantly higher rates of depression, social, emotional and behavioural difficulties, and overall worse mental wellbeing during the Covid pandemic, research shows.Cases of depression among secondary school pupils aged 11 to 13 rose by 8.5% during the pandemic compared with a 0.3% increase for the same cohort prior to Covid, according to a comparative study by researchers at the University of Oxford's psychiatry department. Continue reading...

Award for work on shapes of proteins raises prospect of AI research earning a Nobel for first timeResearchers behind Google DeepMind's AlphaFold program have landed one of the most prestigious prizes in science for solving a grand challenge in biology that stood for half a century.Demis Hassabis and John Jumper, who led the development of AlphaFold, an artificial intelligence program, share the $250,000 Lasker basic medical research award for their revolutionary technology" to predict the 3D shapes of proteins. Continue reading...

Ian Sample hears from the Guardian's Europe environment correspondent, Ajit Niranjan, about the reporting he has been doing for the launch of our new Europe edition. He talks about Osijek, a Croatian city that has the highest heat mortality rate in Europe ... but no one knows whyVisit the new European digital edition, to find the best of our original journalism about Europe along with the most relevant of our global news and views Continue reading...

Sweden is leading in a battle to be the first European space base outside Russia to launch a satellite into orbitFirst place is nice but it's not necessary", says Stefan Gustafsson, a senior official at the Sweden Space Corporation (SSC), with a telling chortle. Other actors are more aiming to be first. Naturally, I think we will be."It was an unconvincing show of magnanimity. There is a space race on, a British rival has already spectacularly fallen by the wayside, and the Swedes have every intention of winning. Continue reading...

UK not a serious player in global race for green growth, says Greenpeace, while Oxfam says move is betrayal'

Scientists find continuous crying by mouse pups triggers release of oxytocin, which controls milk-release responseThe brain circuit that causes the sound of a newborn crying to trigger the release of breast milk in mothers has been uncovered by scientists.The study, in mice, gives fresh insights into sophisticated changes that occur in the brain during pregnancy and parenthood. It found that 30 seconds of continuous crying by mouse pups triggered the release of oxytocin, the brain chemical that controls the breast-milk release response in mothers. Continue reading...

Exclusive: National Muscle Disease Bio-databank will store blood test and skin biopsy samples from children with diseases such as muscular dystrophy