Shropshire county council narrowly approves road handing death sentence to tree Darwin may have climbed as a boyAs an eight-year-old, Charles Darwin may have sat in the shade beneath its boughs and climbed its branches. Two hundred years later, Darwin's oak" has been handed a death sentence to make way for a new road to bypass Shrewsbury.Along with eight other veteran trees, the 550-year-old, open-grown oak tree, which has a girth of 7 metres (23ft), stands in the path of the planned Shrewsbury North West Relief Road (NWRR), an 80m bypass linking the northern and western parts of the town. Continue reading...
Lawrence Faucette, who had terminal heart disease, received a pig heart genetically altered to be compatible with humansThe world's second recipient of a pig heart transplant died this week, nearly six weeks after the procedure.Lawrence Faucette, 58, was suffering from terminal heart disease and received a heart transplant from a genetically altered pig on 20 September. He died on 30 October. Continue reading...
US vice-president Kamala Harris rejected what she called the 'false choice' between advancing AI innovation and stopping its progress for public safety on Wednesday, calling for AI safety and reaffirming the US's commitment to work with partners to promote better AI safety frameworks globally. In a speech in London at the Global Summit on AI Safety, Harris acknowledged existential threats posed by AI but added that it was a moment of 'profound opportunity' and this was a chance to 'seize the moment'
New research proposes that impact melted most of both worlds and led to the formation of the moonMysterious blobs that lurk more than 1,000 miles underground may be remnants of a Mars-sized planet which slammed into Earth in the early solar system and produced a shower of debris that formed the moon, researchers say.According to scientists' leading theory, the moon was created about 4.5bn years ago when an ancient protoplanet named Theia thumped into the fledgling Earth. At the time, our home planet was still an infant and only about 85% of its size today. Continue reading...
Declassified spy images point to 396 undiscovered forts in Syria and Iraq, shifting understanding of Roman frontierDeclassified cold-war spy satellite images have thrown new light on the workings of the Roman empire by revealing hundreds of previously undiscovered forts, with dramatic implications for our understanding, experts have said.Archaeologists examining aerial photographs taken in the 1960s and 70s said they reveal 396 sites of unknown Roman forts in Syria and Iraq across the Syrian steppe. Continue reading...
Festival of Neolithic Ideas takes fresh look at how Stonehenge was built and the lives of neolithic peopleIt is often thought of as something not of this world, a magical, mystical place. But the Festival of Neolithic Ideas at Stonehenge will take a more scientific look at the great circle and the landscape it sits within.Academics, engineers and craftspeople are among the dozens of experts who will give an insight into the science that ancient people used to create the monument and also explain the modern techniques that give a glimpse to modern humankind of what was going on there in prehistoric times. Continue reading...
Researchers in UK say new tool could help ensure patients at high risk are identified promptlyArtificial intelligence is almost twice as accurate as a biopsy at judging the aggressiveness of some cancers, according to research that experts say could save the lives of thousands of patients.Cancer kills 10 million people globally every year, according to the World Health Organization. For millions more patients, the disease can be thwarted if detected promptly and dealt with quickly. A key challenge for health workers is to find patients with high-risk tumours and treat them early. Continue reading...
Researchers find the plants don't use conventional processes to follow the sun across the skyWith their bright yellow manes and sturdy stems, sunflowers might seem like a simple summer delight. But researchers say the plants are surprisingly enigmatic after discovering they don't use conventional processes to track the sun across the sky.Over the course of a day, sunflowers follow the path of the sun overhead - a process known as heliotropism - with their heads tilting progressively westwards as a result of cells elongating on the east side of the stem. Continue reading...
by Nadia Khomami Arts and culture correspondent on (#6G0QR)
London tube game Metro Memory is a surprise hit, with geography books also finding favour with readersIn a world where we get from A to B by following the shortest route on our phones or satnavs, are cartographers mapping their way back into our national psyche?Rather than ignoring what is around us, we appear to be increasingly fascinated with locations and their significance, whether it is through a viral tube map game, YouTube videos or books about geopolitics. Continue reading...
Proper English', received pronunciation, the king's English: whatever you call it, the accent is under threat - just like cockneyName: The king's English.Age: The first citation dates back to 1553. Continue reading...
The prime minister wants progress on this tech to be his legacy, but in truth he is failing to equip us for the challenges it bringsThe UK's AI safety summit opens at Bletchley Park this week, and is the passion project of Rishi Sunak: a prime minister desperate for a good news story as his government looks down the barrel of a crushing election defeat.Sunak appears to want progress on AI to become his lasting legacy. Last week, he delivered a speech about the risks of AI if weaponised by terrorists and cybercriminals, and published a series of documents on frontier AI", an industry term for generative AI tools such as ChatGPT and DALL-E. He even unveiled a UK AI safety institute.Chris Stokel-Walker is the author of How AI Ate the World, to be published in May 2024 Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Joshan Chana, on (#6G072)
Seeing a bright light, floating above your body, being guided by an angel. All of these are common elements of reported near-death experiences, but what's really going on? Ian Sample meets Sam Parnia, an intensive care doctor and associate professor at NYU Grossman school of medicine in New York City who has spent his career exploring the boundary between life and death. He tells Ian how he believes these experiences can be explained and what medicine can learn from them Continue reading...
The answers to today's puzzlesEarlier today I set you three Worzle" puzzles. The name is a portmanteau of Wordle + puzzle, and is essentially a combination of Wordle and Sudoku. It was devised by reader Alf Smith. Here are the puzzles again with their solutions.If you have been living under a rock for the last two years and are not familiar with Wordle, the puzzle will be very confusing! If, however, you have played Wordle at least once, then Worzle should be straightforward. Continue reading...
Texas A&M University researchers say findings suggest using negative emotions as tools can be effectiveThey say you catch more flies with honey than vinegar. But when it comes to tackling a tricky task, researchers have found that getting angry can also be a powerful motivator.The experiments suggest people who are angry perform better on a set of challenging tasks than those who are emotionally neutral. Continue reading...
Researchers ran simulations to explore the killing mechanisms' that wiped out 75% of speciesIn the end it was the dust that did it for the dinosaurs. At least that is the finding of computer simulations of the aftermath of the asteroid impact that reshaped life on Earth 66m years ago.The cataclysmic impact in what is now Chicxulub on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula wiped out 75% of species on Earth, including non-avian dinosaurs. But the precise nature of the deadly blow has kept scientists busy for decades, with soot-spewing wildfires, volcanic eruptions and vast quantities of sulphur all considered culprits. Continue reading...
In his latest brief but dazzling journey to the edges of understanding, the theoretical physicist takes us into the heart of a black hole and out the other sideI read Stephen Hawking's A Brief History of Time more than 30 years ago. It woke me up to the wonders of the universe in a way that nothing before ever had. And while I'm not sure I fully understood it then, or now, it certainly felt like an adventure. Carlo Rovelli's new book is a kind of non-linear sequel in which he introduces his theory of white holes", how they might form and why we have such trouble seeing them in the universe today.Black holes form from stars so massive that when they reach the end of their lives and all their fuel is spent, they collapse to form bizarre objects from which nothing can escape, not even light itself. Albert Einstein's theory of general relativity predicted their existence: entities within which space and time had to come to an end. Continue reading...
An exclusive new puzzleUPDATE: Read the solutions hereHappy birthday Wordle, two years old this month!Reader Alf Smith, a retired software engineer from Herefordshire, has devised what he calls Worzle", a portmanteau of Wordle + puzzle. You are shown a solved game of Wordle, with some letters hidden, and must fill in the missing letters. Continue reading...
This comparatively modern constellation can be found between Cassiopeia and Cygnus from this weekWe began the month with the faint constellation of Cepheus, and end the month with the even fainter constellation of Lacerta, the Lizard.Whereas Cepheus was one of the original 48 constellations defined by Ptolemy in the second century AD, Lacerta is comparatively modern, having been defined in 1687 by the Polish astronomer Johannes Hevelius. Both constellations are now part of the International Astronomical Union's 88 modern constellations. Continue reading...
The ISS is destined to be sent spiralling into the Pacific Ocean in 2031, yet the controversy over the 120bn behemoth continuesThe International Space Station is about to pass a remarkable milestone. In November, the giant spacecraft will have been in orbit around our planet for a quarter of a century.For the past 25 years, hundreds of astronauts have made temporary homes there while other visitors have included frogs, worms, shellfish and butterflies: each has been the subject of experiments aimed at uncovering the effects of weightlessness, radiation and other extraterrestrial phenomena on living creatures. In addition, astronauts have carried out studies of dark matter, cosmic rays and Earth's ozone layers. Continue reading...
The long-running series in which readers answer other readers' questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsHow do we know every fingerprint is unique? Rachel Burton, LiverpoolPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published next Sunday. Continue reading...
Middle age can be a bit rubbish. But if this is what your 70s and 80s look like, at least there's something to look forward toHave you seen Maggie Smith's advertising campaign for the fashion house Loewe? I can't stop looking; I'm rapt. The styling, clothes and bags in Juergen Teller's pictures are perfect. Whether she is snuggled in a huge brown, shaggy coat or reclining regally on a sofa in a black-and-white ruffled dress, Smith looks as if she is loving every second.Crucially, she also looks her 88-year-old self - magnificently, imperiously, but relatably so. She is like your most glamorous aunt, the one people talk about in hushed, slightly scandalised tones. As someone online said, you can just imagine she is about to unclip the exquisite handbag she is clutching and hand you a crisp 20. I imagine she would smell of Sobranies and Rive Gauche and drink brandy and ginger. (I don't think she actually does, but each to their own fantasy aunt.) Continue reading...
The boom in sales of mushroom products has led to many claims for their wellbeing and curative properties, but is there any scientific evidence to back them up?Veteran broadcaster Sheila Dillon, who was diagnosed with cancer of the bone marrow in 2011, shared some personal information while presenting a recent episode of BBC Radio 4's The Food Programme. She began taking mushroom supplements after discovering that patients in Japan were given them to help deal with the effects of radiotherapy and chemotherapy, and that there was, she told listeners, a good deal of evidence" that they did. The last time she saw her oncologist, he told her she was in danger of becoming a super-responder".Dillon said she did not know if there was a link between the supplements and her successful treatment. She is, nonetheless, far from alone in being open to the idea that fungi could have far more potential to treat health conditions than is acknowledged in mainstream western medicine. One market research company estimates the global functional mushroom market will grow from $8bn in 2020 to $19.3bn in 2030. High-street chain Holland & Barrett stocks 17 different fungi supplement products. In the last two months, we've seen a 70% increase in the quantity of mushroom products purchased," says Rachel Chatterton, head of food at the company, and we don't expect the shroom boom' to slow any time soon." Continue reading...
My friends came to a silent supper with their dead friends and relatives so that we could grieve our loved ones togetherI don't normally feel worried about having my friends over for dinner. Usually, I'll be covered in splashes of soup and partially dressed when they arrive, but tonight I feel nervous.Figuring out who to invite was complicated. Not only did they have to be available at short notice, but they had to be up for it, open to something different. Because this evening everyone has been asked to bring a plus-one ... someone who has died. Continue reading...
Anxiety is an obvious response to world events. But what if fear is actually a motivational emotion driving change? Here, author Robert Peckham reveals why the history of fear is the history of hopeOn 22 January 1988, hordes of Pashtun mourners made the journey from Peshawar in Pakistan to Jalalabad in Afghanistan for the funeral of Bacha Khan, a political leader who campaigned against British colonial rule. Among them was Robert Peckham, a British student who was backpacking around the region. He hopped in a van with some friends, journalists and the editor of the Frontier Post and travelled along the winding Khyber Pass, a road punctuated by overtones of the Soviet-Afghan war: tanks, checkpoints and soldiers. A ceasefire had been negotiated and crowds flowed peacefully into Jalalabad to gather around Khan's family home, where he wished to be buried.It was then, with the ceremony under way, that the first bomb went off. Peckham felt its force jolt through the crowd, which, he recalls, sustained its form momentarily before a second explosion sent people scattering. Buses that had transported mourners to the city were destroyed, the parking lot a scene of chaos. Fifteen people were killed, it would later emerge, and dozens were wounded. As he recounts in his book, Fear: An Alternative History of the World, a crowd that had been unified in grief" was suddenly fragmented as people kicked and elbowed in a desperate scrabble for safety. People were dazed, wondering how they would get home," writes Peckham. Some were sobbing. Fights broke out and guns were pointed." As he and his group raced back along the Khyber Pass for the safety of Peshawar, stranded mourners attempted to hitch a ride, but their driver, cursing, sped past without stopping. Panic," Peckham recounts, which made us human, also made us cruel." Continue reading...
The Sky at Night presenter's boundless enthusiasm has been lighting up our TV screens for years. Here, Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock talks about taking over from Sir Patrick Moore, building her first telescope - and why she wants us all to look up at the night skyCall me chief priestess for the moon goddess," says Dr Maggie Aderin-Pocock when I ask whether she prefers to be known as an astronomer, physicist or space scientist. She is, after all, entitled to all of them because before presenting The Sky at Night on the BBC she trained as a physicist, then an engineer and is now the nation's go-to woman for all things space. But it seems that she really has her eye on the job of a 4,300-year-old Sumerian religious leader.I was giving a talk in the Scottish parliament," she explains when we meet at a photographer's studio hidden in a blink-and-you'll-miss-it alleyway in east London, and I mentioned En Hedu'anna, the first female scientist who was known as chief priestess for the moon goddess of the city of Ur [in ancient Mesopotamia]." After the talk, the chair suggested they vote to bestow on Aderin-Pocock the title of chief priestess for the moon goddess of the city of Edinburgh. That's what I would like on my business card," she says with a delighted clap of the hands and the kind of irresistible enthusiasm that viewers of The Sky at Night will be familiar with. Continue reading...
Celebrity culture, the Zoom effect' and unrealistic beauty standards have contributed to the rise of the poorly understood dysmorphic conditionOn a typical day, Eve* would wake up and start prodding at her body while still in bed. She would avoid catching sight of herself while showering, or while trying to find an outfit to best hide her body.The day would usually be spent at work thinking about what to eat or not to eat and worrying about how I appeared to others, making sure I was holding in my stomach or standing or sitting behind something. I would check myself in every reflective surface I passed during my entire waking moments: shop windows, bathrooms, cars, mirrors." Continue reading...
The physicist and philosopher of science on the lessons the Roman empire holds for us today, the mystery of black holes, and his favourite beat poetBorn in Verona, Italy, in 1956, theoretical physicist Carlo Rovelli is known for his writing on the philosophy of science. His books include the bestselling Seven Brief Lessons on Physics, The Order of Time and Helgoland and have been translated into more than 40 languages. He heads the quantum gravity research group at Aix-Marseille University, France, and is adjunct professor at the University of Western Ontario's philosophy department, Canada. Carlo Rovelli's latest book, White Holes, is out now on Allen Lane. He will be in conversation with Dara O Briain for a Guardian Live event at London's Cadogan Hall on Monday 30 October. Continue reading...
Unlike many animals, humans can't see biofluorescence unaided - but with a UV torch, a night stroll looks very differentIt is a murky, dank night in the middle of the countryside, a tawny owl is calling, and I am in raptures, stroking a slug. From the nearby blackness, Jeremy Buxton, a farmer, exclaims: Oooh, an earthworm!. Oh, wow."The brown slug is emitting brilliant fluorescent yellow slime as I touch it; the earthworm is revealing twin tracks of turquoise on its belly. What might appear some kind of experiment with psychedelic mushrooms is actually a new way of seeing the world at night: shining ultraviolet torches to reveal the natural biofluorescence of animals, plants and fungi. Continue reading...
by Damian Carrington Environment editor on (#6FXC2)
Document used to target top EU officials over environmental and health policies but climate experts view it as propagandaA public statement signed by more than 1,000 scientists in support of meat production and consumption has numerous links to the livestock industry, the Guardian can reveal. The statement has been used to target top EU officials against environmental and health policies and has been endorsed by the EU agriculture commissioner.The Dublin Declaration of Scientists on the Societal Role of Livestock" says livestock are too precious to society to become the victim of simplification, reductionism or zealotry" and calls for a balanced view of the future of animal agriculture". One of the authors of the declaration is an economist who called veganism an eating disorder requiring psychological treatment". Continue reading...
Figure is 42% higher than previous estimates and would pose enormous threat' to healthcare systemsDementia poses an enormous threat" to healthcare systems and the general public in England and Wales, experts have warned, as data suggests 1.7 million people will have the condition by 2040.It is already known to be among the most serious health and social care threats and a new analysis shows the total number affected could be 42% higher than previously estimated. Continue reading...
Scientists say it is first evidence of non-human primates living substantial post-reproductive lifeFemale chimpanzees in the wild undergo the menopause and live for a lengthy period afterwards, researchers have found, suggesting the phenomenon is more widespread than previously thought.Quite why some female mammals have a long period of life once reproduction is off the table has long puzzled experts: not only was it previously thought to be confined to humans and five species of whale, but its purpose has also been highly debated. Continue reading...
The breakthrough has come just in time: malaria has re-emerged in my home state of Florida, and will spread further thanks to climate changeWant to guess the most dangerous animal in the world? When my team asked children in Edinburgh during a public outreach event with schools, they said sharks, alligators, spiders and lions. All good guesses, but none on target. The deadliest animal is the mighty mosquito, which kills more than 1 million people a year. Almost 700 million people contract a mosquito-borne illness each year. Mosquitoes carry serious diseases like malaria, dengue fever, West Nile virus, Zika virus and chikungunya that not only kill, but also result in pain, disability and prolonged illness.Among mosquito-borne diseases, malaria is the most deadly. Scientists believe it has killed more people than any other disease spread by the insects in history. And it remains stubbornly present in the modern world: there were 619,000 deaths and 247m cases of malaria in 2021. African children are the main victims: 96% of deaths to malaria are in Africa, and children under five make up roughly 80% of the victims. Within that region, deaths are mainly concentrated in four countries: Nigeria, DRC, Tanzania and Niger.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6FW88)
Ian Sample meets the Italian physicist Carlo Rovelli to find out about his cutting-edge research into white holes. A white hole is essentially a time-reversed black hole: a region of spacetime where matter spontaneously appears and explodes outwards. At the moment they are hypothetical objects, so Rovelli explains why he thinks they are worth exploring and reveals how they could explain one of the greatest mysteries of physics Continue reading...
Researchers say surprising result points to level of self-awareness that has implications for animal rights and welfareWith their colourful plumage and prominent combs, roosters might be forgiven for sneaking the odd glance in the mirror - particular as research now suggests the birds may be able to recognise their own reflection.The ability to recognise oneself in the mirror has so far been found in a handful of animals, including elephants, dolphins, great apes and certain fish and birds. Continue reading...
Space telescope used to monitor event 1bn light years away that sheds light on how unusual elements are formedAstronomers have witnessed the creation of rare heavy elements in the aftermath of a violent collision between two neutron stars that were booted out of their home galaxy about 1bn light years away.The cataclysmic explosion unleashed a burst of gamma rays more than 1m times brighter than the Milky Way and blasted material into space that formed the rare element tellurium and others known as actinides and lanthanides. The more common elements iodine and thorium are also thought to have been forged in the event. Continue reading...
Heman Bekele was inspired by Ethiopian workers laboring under the sun, and wanted to help as many people as possible'A middle-school teen has been named America's top young scientist" after developing a bar of soap that could be useful in the treatment of melanoma, a skin cancer that is diagnosed in about 100,000 people in the US each year and kills approximately 8,000.Heman Bekele, a 14-year-old ninth grader from Annandale, Virginia, won the award after beating out nine other finalists. Continue reading...
In 2020, 350 elephants mysteriously died in Botswana, with a further 35 dying in similar circumstances in Zimbabwe. Now scientists think they may have found the reason whyIn May and June 2020, the death of 350 elephants in Botswana's Okavango delta baffled conservationists and sparked global speculation about what had caused it. Elephants of all ages and both sexes were affected, with many walking in circles before dying suddenly, collapsing on their faces. Two months later, 35 more elephants died in north-western Zimbabwe.At the time, the deaths in Botswana were attributed to an unspecified cyanobacterial toxin, government officials said, and no further details were published. Continue reading...
British astronaut last flew to International Space Station in 2015 as European Space Agency astronautThe last British astronaut to go into space is to come out of retirement to lead the UK's first astronaut mission.Tim Peake, 51, who will be leading the mission, last flew to the International Space Station (ISS) as a European Space Agency astronaut in 2015. Continue reading...
Analysis of Burgess Shale-like rocks reveal certain types of clay increase chances of soft-bodied fossil preservationWhen did the first animals appear on Earth? If the fossil record is to be believed, the first animals evolved about 570m years ago and proliferated rapidly during the Cambrian explosion, approximately 539m to 485m years ago. But if you follow the molecular clock, which uses the rate at which genes accumulate mutations to extrapolate living animals back to their oldest common ancestor, animals probably first evolved about 800m years ago.Now researchers have taken a different approach and asked when were conditions right for preserving animal fossils? The first animals are thought to have lacked mineral-based shells or skeletons, and would have needed exceptional conditions to be fossilised, akin to the famous 500m-year-old Burgess Shale deposits in the Canadian Rockies. Continue reading...
Researchers in Canada found tracks that produce chills', such as tingling or goosebumps, were linked with lower pain intensityIf you are heading to the dentist, you may want to turn up a rousing Adele ballad. Researchers say our preferred tunes can not only prove to be powerful painkillers, but that moving music may be particularly potent.Music has long been found to relieve pain, with recent research suggesting the effect may even occur in babies and other studies revealing that people's preferred tunes could have a stronger painkilling effect than the relaxing music selected for them. Continue reading...
Human faces and other figures believed to be up to 2,000 years old exposed as Brazil river level hits record lowHuman faces and other figures etched in stone up to 2,000 years ago have been revealed on Amazon riverbanks as a historic drought in the Brazilian region has brought water levels to unprecedented lows.The petroglyphs, which include animals and other natural forms, have been revealed on the shores of the Rio Negro, at an archeological site known as the Ponto das Lajes, or Place of Slabs. Continue reading...
Hills and valleys carved by ancient rivers in area the size of Belgium has remained untouched for more than 34m yearsScientists have discovered a vast, hidden landscape of hills and valleys carved by ancient rivers that has been frozen in time" under the Antarctic ice for millions of years.This landscape, which is bigger than Belgium, has remained untouched for more than 34m years, but human-driven global warming could threaten to expose it, the British and American researchers warned. Continue reading...
As a trauma psychologist I understand the urge to pick a side and protect ourselves but we should try to acknowledge each other's painI've spent the past two weeks watching the news and my social media feed fill with horror, alarm and grief, and have listened to a range of voices to understand the historical context of this devastating conflict in the Middle East.We usually only turn to psychology during conflict when dealing with the aftermath - PTSD, depression, anxiety, and addiction - but psychology can also explain the current dynamics in the world, especially through trauma literature. When we experience complex, intergenerational traumas, we build schemas (or templates) around how we think about ourselves and the world. Israeli, Jewish, Palestinian, Arabic and Muslim people all carry severe historical traumas, and trauma-based reactions are thus magnified. Recognition of the trauma of one does not negate recognition of the other. These traumas mirror each other and involve being hated, persecuted, isolated, abandoned and dispossessed. Continue reading...
by Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay, with D on (#6FTBJ)
Madeleine Finlay hears from environment editor Damian Carrington about a new study by the British Antarctic Survey, which shows Antarctic ice may be melting even faster than we thought. He also reflects on the life and career of former environment editor John Vidal, whose death was announced last weekClips: NBC, BBC Continue reading...
Finnish researchers make liquid-like' outer layer from silicon that could revolutionise household tasksScientists have created the most water-resistant surface in the world, a development which could banish household tasks and revolutionise industry.A research team in Finland, led by Robin Ras, from Aalto University, and aided by researchers from the University of Jyvaskyla, has developed a mechanism to make water droplets slip off surfaces with unprecedented efficacy. Continue reading...
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