by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6MJ13)
Ethereal scenes of flowing super-heated material may help explain why atmosphere is hotter than surfaceThe sun's otherworldly landscape, including coronal moss, solar rain and 6,000-mile-tall spires of gas, is revealed in footage from the Solar Orbiter spacecraft.The observations, beamed back by the European Space Agency probe, reveal feathery, hair-like structures made of plasma and also capture eruptions and showers of relatively cooler material falling to the surface. Continue reading...
Genetic analysis of Winchester samples shows similar strains of disease and supports theory that fur trade played role in spreadLeprosy passed between humans and red squirrels in medieval England, research suggests, supporting the theory that the fur trade could have played a role in the spread of the disease.Leprosy is one of the oldest infectious diseases recorded in humans and is typically caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. Continue reading...
China has launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon in a world first, part of its goal to land a human on the lunar surface by 2030. A rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang space launch centre in Hainan province. The mission has drawn concern from China's major rival, the US, over Beijing's geopolitical intentions amid what the head of Nasa has called a new 'space race'
The launch of the uncrewed Chang'e-6 is part of China's effort to put a human on the lunar surface by 2030China has launched a probe to collect samples from the far side of the moon - in a world first - as part of its goal to land a human on the lunar surface by 2030.A rocket carrying the Chang'e-6 lunar probe blasted off from the Wenchang Space Launch Center in southern China's Hainan province just before 5.30 pm (0930 GMT). Continue reading...
As humans enter what has been termed the third space age', it's private companies - not governments - leading the chargeIf the 20th-century space race was about political power, this century's will be about money. But for those who dream of sending humans back to the moon and possibly Mars, it's an exciting time to be alive whether it's presidents or billionaires paying the fare.Space flight is having a renaissance moment, bringing a fresh energy not seen since the days of the Apollo programme and, for the first time, with private companies rather than governments leading the charge. Continue reading...
Sumatran ape applied sap and leaves to open cut after suspected fight with another male, say scientistsThe high intelligence levels of orangutans have long been recognised, partly due to their practical skills such as using tools to retrieve seeds and forage for insects. But new research suggests the primate has another handy skill in its repertoire: applying medicinal herbs.Researchers say they have observed a male Sumatran orangutan treating an open facial wound with sap and chewed leaves from a plant known to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6MGMC)
Glioblastomas are an extremely aggressive type of brain tumour, which is why the news this week of a vaccine that has shown promise in fighting them is so exciting. And this comes right off the back of the announcement of another trial of the world's first personalised mRNA vaccine for melanoma, a kind of skin cancer. Ian Sample talks to Prof Alan Melcher of the Institute of Cancer Research about how these vaccines work and whether they could one day be used to target cancer before it is even detectable on scansClips: BBCRead more about the personalised cancer vaccine for melanoma Continue reading...
US astrophysicist whose discovery of the cosmic microwave radiation resulting from the big bang brought him the Nobel prizeThe American astrophysicist and Nobel laureate Arno Penzias, who has died aged 90, was responsible for one of the biggest cosmological revelations of the 20th century - the discovery of cosmic microwave background, the leftover radiation from the big bang.He first demonstrated its existence in 1965 with his collaborator Robert Wilson, and then, five years later - with Wilson and another astrophysicist, Keith Jefferts - went on to detect the presence of interstellar carbon monoxide, launching the field of molecular line astronomy. Continue reading...
MP says trade in remains is gross violation of human dignity', as skulls from Pitt Rivers collection removedAn auction house has withdrawn 18 ancient Egyptian human skulls from sale after an MP said selling them would perpetuate the atrocities of colonialism.Bell Ribeiro-Addy, the chair of the all-party parliamentary group on Afrikan reparations, believes the sale of human remains for any purposes should be outlawed, adding that the trade was a gross violation of human dignity". Continue reading...
While some cyanobacteria are among the deadliest organisms in the world, others help us flourishBlue-green algae, or cyanobacteria, come in many forms and have generally got a bad press, mainly because five of the 2,000 identified species can produce some of the deadliest toxins known to science.At the same time, they are among the oldest organisms in the world, dating back 2.1bn years, and we owe them a debt of gratitude. Continue reading...
Researchers suggest cylinder to prevent astronauts losing muscle mass in low gravity environmentAs humans prepare to return to the moon after an absence of more than half a century, researchers have hit on a radical approach to keeping astronauts fit as they potter around the ball of rock.To prevent lunar explorers from becoming weak and feeble in the low gravity environment, scientists suggest astronauts go for a run. But, this being space, it's not just any kind of run - researchers have advised astronauts run several times a day around a lunar Wall of Death". Continue reading...
Transform project has potential to reduce deaths from the disease by 40%, savings thousands of lives a year in UKMethods of screening men for prostate cancer will be trialled in an attempt to save thousands of lives in the UK each year, in what has been hailed as a pivotal moment" by experts.The 42m project, known as Transform, will compare various screening methods to current NHS diagnostic processes, which can include blood tests, physical examinations and biopsies. Continue reading...
by Helen Davidson in Taipei and Associated Press in S on (#6MEY4)
Zhang Yongzhen stages sit-in protest, as government attempts to avoid scrutiny over handling of outbreakThe first Chinese scientist to publish a genomic sequence of the Covid-19 virus, in defiance of government orders, staged a sit-in protest after claiming he was locked out of his laboratory over the weekend.Zhang Yongzhen, a virologist, said in an online post on Monday that he and his team had been given a sudden eviction notice from their lab, and guards had barred him from entering it over the weekend. The post, published on Weibo, was later deleted, Associated Press (AP) reported. Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Karen McVeigh, on (#6MESR)
Guardian Seascapes reporter Karen McVeigh tells Madeleine Finlay about a recent trip to the Galapagos Islands, where mounds of plastic waste are washing up and causing problems for endemic species. Tackling this kind of waste and the overproduction of plastic were the topics on the table in Ottawa this week, as countries met to negotiate a global plastics treaty. But is progress too slow to address this pervasive problem?Read more about Karen McVeigh's trip to the Galapagos IslandsFollow all the reporting from the Guardian's Seascapes team Continue reading...
Genetics alone can mean a 21% greater risk of early death, research finds, but people can improve their chancesA healthy lifestyle may offset the impact of genetics by more than 60% and add another five years to your life, according to the first study of its kind.It is well established that some people are genetically predisposed to a shorter lifespan. It is also well known that lifestyle factors, specifically smoking, alcohol consumption, diet and physical activity, can have an impact on longevity. Continue reading...
In a first, researchers were able to compare records of people who drank polluted water in Veneto, Italy, with neighbors who did notFor the first time, researchers have formally shown that exposure to toxic PFAS increases the likelihood of death by cardiovascular disease, adding a new level of concern to the controversial chemicals' wide use.The findings are especially significant because proving an association with death by chemical exposure is difficult, but researchers were able to establish it by reviewing death records from northern Italy's Veneto region, where many residents for decades drank water highly contaminated with PFAS, also called forever chemicals". Continue reading...
The answer to today's puzzleEarlier today I set you this puzzle, about the tiling of a 4x4 grid. It requires a swift preamble, so here we go again.Consider the image below, which highlights adjacent rows in the grid. Continue reading...
by Jessica Murray Midlands correspondent on (#6ME0S)
There are no known descriptions or drawings of object in Roman literature, making its purpose unclearThey are known as one of archaeology's great enigmas - hollow 12-sided objects from the Roman era with no known purpose or use.Only 33 of these mysterious dodecahedrons have ever been found in Britain and now one, unearthed during an amateur archaeology dig after 1,700 years underground, is going on public display in Lincoln as part of a history festival. Continue reading...
The tortured puzzlers departmentUPDATE: Read the solution hereApologies to any Antipodean Swifties arriving on this page. Today's puzzle is about tiles, and whether or not you can solve it swiftly.The puzzle concerns black and white tiles on a 4x4 grid. Consider the image below, which highlights adjacent rows in the grid. Continue reading...
Ursa Major covers a little more than 3% of the entire night sky, making it the third largest constellation by areaThe seven brightest stars in Ursa Major, the Great Bear, form the shape known as the Plough, or the Big Dipper, or by a number of other names in different cultures.The association with a bear dates to antiquity, when it was listed in Ptolemy's original 48 constellations from the second century AD. Now incorporated into the International Astronomical Union's list of 88 modern constellations, it covers a little more than 3% of the entire night sky, making it the third largest constellation by area. Continue reading...
by Written by Alex Blasdel and read by Parker Sawyers on (#6MDWS)
New research into the dying brain suggests the line between life and death may be less distinct than previously thought. By Alex Blasdel Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6MDKB)
Exclusive: Vaccinations rise amid national campaign, but reported measles cases have increased by 40% since MarchThe number of young people receiving their MMR jab is up nearly a quarter from last year, official figures show.A national campaign to boost uptake was launched in January amid concern over measles rates in England, when the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) declared a national incident after a major outbreak in the West Midlands. The growth in infections shows no sign of abating, with a 40% increase in reported cases in England since March. Continue reading...
We often have as much in common with strangers as our relatives, according to studies - so why do we still love to say our children are like us?How alike are parents and kids? Quite, right? Surely we all play that game. I, for example, am competitive like my dad (but without a shred of his energy); my sister got my mother's compassion and I got her lust for crispy potato products and staying in bed. My husband and his mum, meanwhile, share a lively debating style (I'm choosing my words carefully); it's why their conversations get so ... animated.It's an assumption that transcends geography: there are the apple doesn't fall far from the tree" equivalents worldwide - mostly tree-related, although I like the Portuguese a fish's child knows how to swim". Continue reading...
Often misused by politicians, nostalgia is a positive emotion that could do with a makeoverI have always been prone to homesickness. As a child, I didn't really enjoy holidays, I dreaded going away on school trips and I hated sleepovers. At the beginning of 2021, when I first started thinking about the history of nostalgia, and in the midst of the pandemic, I moved across the Atlantic from London to Montreal, Canada, for work. Far from home and away from my family and friends, I felt a kind of grief whenever I thought about the life I'd left behind. There was so much to love about my new life but I felt anxious, worrying constantly about the safety and wellbeing of my parents, siblings and friends. What if, due to the time difference, I missed an urgent call or woke up to terrible news? These fears were, of course, unfounded, and they were also ridiculous, childish even. Grownups - married 30-year-olds with mortgages and full-time jobs - shouldn't miss their mums.I also tend to be homesick in a weirder, more abstract way - homesick for somewhere I've never been. It's a feeling otherwise known as nostalgia. Melding fairytales with Horrible Histories, as a child I spent hours imagining myself transported back in time to invented and romanticised versions of the past. I was an avid reader of Enid Blyton's novels and, despite my homesick inclinations, begged my parents to divert me from my 1990s London primary school to a boarding school in 1950s Cornwall. My pleas went unanswered, so I went to my uniform-free state school every day in pleated skirts and white blouses, desperate to return to a world I'd never inhabited. Continue reading...
We can get into the habit of thinking about our sibling with judgment and criticismThe question Since our mother's death, my brother and I have had no contact. He lives more than 100 miles away. Our relationship has been very difficult for over 40 years. When we both had young children, things were better for a time. When our dad died, Mum's health deteriorated and she moved in with me and died 12 years later. During this time, my relationship with my brother was at its worst. Before retirement, we both worked in mental health, but neither of us understand why our family relationship has been so fractured.There is a family history: our grandfather did not get on with his sister, he and his wife kept secrets, and our dad fell out with his twin! Our childhood was difficult as our father had mental health issues. Continue reading...
Why has so little been done to make indoor spaces safer, to stop the spread of airborne viruses?Robin McKie's article rings alarm bells for global health and our failure to control airborne pathogens (What virus will cause the next pandemic? It's flu, say scientists").We are rightly looking with concern at the spread of H5N1 and the risk it poses to humans, but we have still not applied the hard-won lessons learned from Covid19. While all agencies and experts now (belatedly) admit to Covid's airbornespread, very little has been done to make indoor spaces safer forus all, and the clinically vulnerable in particular, for whom shops, workplaces, restaurants, and even clinical settings have become high-risk areas. Continue reading...
Documents examined by inquiry show officials knew people were being given infected blood products, but sanctioned their use Read more: government was warned of infected blood risks in 1970s; plus: My mum gave the injections that killed my brothers'On a former slave owner's cotton plantation in Arkansas, the sprawling Cummins state farm prison covers 6,700 hectares (16,500 acres) and can house nearly 1,900 inmates.It is a working farm with vegetable crops, a dairy and livestock, but for more than two decades its most lucrative product was the blood plasma harvested from the convicts. Continue reading...
Austrian astronomer Lisa Kaltenegger has spent her life hunting for signs of life in the universe. Here she talks about aliens, space exploration and why studying cosmology is like eating pizzaStaring into the abyss... Am I really reaching anyone out there?" Lisa Kaltenegger is laughing about the unsatisfactory experience of teaching astrophysics over Zoom during Covid lockdowns, but she could be talking about her vocation: trying to discover if there's life beyond our solar system.Kaltenegger founded the Carl Sagan Institute in 2015 to investigate just that. A burst of sunny energy and infectious enthusiasm on a grey day, she's speaking to me from the legendary extraterrestrial life researcher's old office, now hers, overlooking the leafy Cornell campus in upstate New York. The institute brings together researchers across a range of disciplines to work out what signs of life on other planets might look like from here, so that we recognise them if (or when) we find them. Continue reading...
Scientific studies cannot agree on the relative importance of genes and environment on how we turn out as adultsThe eternal mystery of how much we are shaped by our parents - or how much we shape our children - was stirred again last week with the publication of a study that suggests that we are less like our parents than we had previously thought.Led by Rene Mottus of Edinburgh University's department of psychology, the study looked at more than 1,000 pairs of relatives to establish how likely children are to inherit what psychologists call the big five" or Ocean" personality traits: openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness and neuroticism. Continue reading...
Scientists hope studies into Boyajian's star could lead to enhanced techniques for identifying distant planetary civilisationsIt is our galaxy's strangest star, a flickering globe of light whose sporadic and unpredictable output has baffled astronomers for years. But now the study of Boyajian's star is being promoted as a research model that could help in one of the most intriguing of all scientific quests: finding intelligent life on other worlds.This is the argument that Oxford University astrophysicist Prof Chris Lintott will make at a public lecture - Is it Aliens? The Most Unusual Star in the Galaxy - at a Gresham College lecture in Conway Hall, central London on Monday. His prime target will be Boyajian's star, sometimes nicknamed Tabby's star after scientist Tabetha Boyajian, in the constellation Cygnus whose odd dimming and brightening has been the subject of intense study by space probes and observatories in recent years. Continue reading...
Staying close to friends isn't always easy. From calling out flakiness to singing together in a choir, experts share their advice on how to keep the spark aliveThere is no getting around it, you have to make time to be a good friend. According to Robin Dunbar, professor of evolutionary psychology at the University of Oxford and author of Friends: Understanding the Power of our Most Important Relationships, we need to spend the equivalent of nine minutes a day to maintain a healthy relationship with our closest network of friends, which he admits is barely time to raise your coffee cup to each other", so one meet-up a week is more realistic. If you fail to do that, the friendship starts to decay", says Dunbar. Continue reading...
Research finds hormone that indicates fertility at lower levels in vapers and tobacco smokersWomen should give up vaping if they are hoping to get pregnant, according to a study that suggests it may affect fertility.In the first research to demonstrate a link between fertility prospects and electronic cigarettes across a large population, analysis of blood samples from 8,340 women revealed that people who vape or smoke tobacco had lower levels of anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH), which indicates how many eggs women have left in their ovaries. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6MC6D)
Therapy has remarkable medical potential but experts say private clinics making far-reaching claims operate in regulatory grey zoneStem cells have become a favoured miracle treatment among the rich and famous, with Kim Kardashian reportedly a fan of stem cell facials and Cristiano Ronaldo turning to stem cell injections after a hamstring injury.The latest to extol their benefits is the Monty Python actor John Cleese, who suggests that stem cells could hold the secret to eternal youth - or, at least, buy him a few extra years". Continue reading...
Excitement among patients and researchers as custom-built jabs enter phase 3 trialDoctors have begun trialling in hundreds of patients the world's first personalised mRNA cancer vaccine for melanoma, as experts hailed its gamechanging" potential to permanently cure cancer.Melanoma affects about 132,000 people a year globally and is the biggest skin cancer killer. Currently, surgery is the main treatment although radiotherapy, medicines and chemotherapy are also sometimes used. Continue reading...
Global warming and international trade offering increasingly hospitable environmentSome are small and jumpy; others are large and intimidating - if you're a humble housefly. Exotic spiders are flourishing in Britain as international trade offers ample opportunities for spider travel and global heating provides an increasingly hospitable climate.A jumping spider new to science has been identified living on the Penryn campus in Cornwall, home to the University of Exeter and Falmouth University. The nearest known relative of the 3-4mm-long Anasaitis milesae is found in the Caribbean, making it highly likely that this tiny species - alongside 17 other non-native jumping spider species - found its way to Britain from distant climes. Continue reading...
DeBose's brilliant rookie astronaut navigates this moderately tense thriller about US and Russian crew fighting as Earth blazes belowAt first, the crew on board the International Space Station (ISS) mistake the tiny dot of fire on Earth for a volcano. But look: there's another, and another. In fact, these astronauts have got a bird's eye view of a nuclear tit-for-tat between the Russian and American governments that by the end of the movie turns the planet into a great glowing ball of fire. But for the six-person crew - three Americans and three Russians - nuclear Armageddon is only the start of their problems.A lowish-budget, slightly muted survival thriller - moderately tense, with too few ideas to qualify as actively cerebral - what the movie does have is a brilliant performance by West Side Story's Ariana DeBose as biologist and rookie astronaut Kira. Like all the characters here, she's a bit too thinly sketched, but DeBose brings real warmth and likability to the part, making Kira easy to root for. And there are some interesting moments as she adjusts to zero gravity. Continue reading...
Stark new projections suggest annual admissions will rise to 151,000, costing the NHS and economy 75bnThe number of people in the UK experiencing a stroke will increase more than 50% to 151,000 a year by 2035, costing the NHS and the economy 75bn in healthcare and lost productivity, stark new projections suggest.Worsening physical health, rising alcohol consumption and low exercise levels among an ageing population as well as a failure by ministers and the health service to do more to prevent ill health are blamed for the predicted spike in strokes. Continue reading...
Researchers also find zebra finches 20% less likely to hatch from eggs if exposed to noise pollutionNoise pollution from traffic stunts growth in baby birds, even while inside the egg, research has found.Unhatched birds and hatchlings that are exposed to noise from city traffic experience long-term negative effects on their health, growth and reproduction, the study found. Continue reading...
My grandfather, Brian Haywood, who has died aged 91, spent his career working as a nuclear physicist, mainly at the UK Atomic Energy Authority at Harwell in Oxfordshire.He was born in Birmingham to Vi and Hal, who ran a haberdashery shop. An only child, Brian lived through much of the blitz and spent the evenings in an air-raid shelter. He attended Bearwood Road school, then obtained a scholarship to King Edward VI Five Ways grammar school, and in his first year was evacuated to Monmouth with his classmates. He stayed here for a year. Continue reading...
Many report symptoms lasting two years or longer and about 1.5m say disease affects day-to-day activitiesAbout 2 million people in England and Scotland say they are experiencing long Covid, figures reveal, with many reporting their symptoms have lasted two years or longer.The findings were released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) and cover the period from November 2023 to March 2024, revealing of those who reported having long Covid, about 1.5 million people - about three-quarters- felt their day-to-day activities were affected, while 381,000 people - about a fifth - said their ability to undertake such activities had been limited a lot". Continue reading...
by Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Fin on (#6MB1A)
As bird flu is confirmed in 33 cattle herds across eight US states, Ian Sample talks to virologist Dr Ed Hutchinson of Glasgow University about why this development has taken scientists by surprise, and how prepared we are for the possibility it might start spreading among humansRead more Guardian reporting on this topic Continue reading...
by Anna Bawden Health and social affairs corresponden on (#6MAWJ)
Cambridge study finds those from poorest areas have 35% higher risk of second non-breast cancerFemale survivors of breast cancer living in the most deprived areas have a 35% higher risk of developing second, unrelated cancers, compared with those from the most affluent areas, research shows.Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK, with about 56,000 people being told they have it each year. Improved diagnosis and treatments mean that five-year survival rates are now 86% in England. Continue reading...
by Denis Campbell Health policy editor on (#6MAP1)
Industry's sugar substitute E961 can have toxic effect on health', says study finding sweetener capable of damaging intestinal bacteriaA sweetener used in cakes, soft drinks and chewing gum can seriously damage people's health by weakening the gut, a new study has found.Consumption of even a small amount of the sweetener neotame can lead to someone starting to suffer irritable bowel syndrome, insulin resistance, and even sepsis, a condition that kills about 40,000 in Britain a year. Continue reading...
Study reveals repurposing of ecologically vital land for homes or agriculture is happening particularly rapidly in AsiaEstuaries - the place where a river meets the ocean - are often called the nurseries of the sea". They are home to many of the fish we eat and support vast numbers of birds, while the surrounding salt marsh helps to stabilise shorelines and absorb floods.However, a new study shows that nearly half of the world's estuaries have been altered by humans, and 20% of this estuary loss has occurred in the past 35 years. Continue reading...
Dabrafenib with trametinib can halt growth of some tumours for more than three times as long as standard chemotherapy, study showsThe NHS is to offer children with brain tumours in England a groundbreaking new targeted drug therapy to tackle the disease - a development charities are hailing as the biggest breakthrough in decades.Gliomas are the most common type of brain cancer in children but experts say the standard treatment of chemotherapy can be brutal and gruelling, and also carries the risk of side-effects such as weight loss, seizures and headaches. Continue reading...
Full and part skeletons found in Mexico reveal body shape and anatomy of Ptychodus as well as its likely dietFossil experts say they have gained unprecedented insights into a type of enormous prehistoric shark, after finding complete skeletons of the creatures.The specimens, discovered in small quarries in north-eastern Mexico within the last decade, belong to Ptychodus - a creature that roamed the seas from around 105m to 75m years ago. Continue reading...