To be frozen out by family, friends or online can feel as bad as physical pain. We speak to those on the receiving end - and those who mete it outLaura, a 43-year-old architect, had always had a tricky relationship with her younger sister, Carla. However, things hit a low point when Carla was setting up a new business and asked Laura to invest in it. She asked me for 10,000, I'm sure because she knew my husband had recently inherited a large sum of money. For various reasons, including the fact that I knew the online boutique she was launching was doomed to fail, I said no. Her reaction was explosive. She called me every name under the sun. She told me I was unsupportive and smug."After the storm came the big freeze. Laura hasn't spoken to her sister for three years. It's not like we don't see each other. She lives nearby and we still attend some shared family events. I tried to talk to her, but she would look the other way when I tried to catch her eye." For a while, Laura says, it was all-consuming, trying to re-establish communication. Now, I just walk around her like an awkward piece of furniture. If we must speak, it's done through our kids, which can't be setting a good example." Continue reading...

Ian Sample meets Ed Yong, who recently won 2023's Royal Society book prize for An Immense World, which delves into the incredible world of animal senses. From colours and sounds beyond our perception, to the weird and wonderful ways that animals grow new ears and experience smell, Ed explains why understanding how animals perceive the world can transform our own experience of life on Earth Continue reading...

The Tory splits over lockdown were shallower and less treacherous than on immigration. But ominously they run along similar linesIn the past decade, Nigel Farage has traumatised the Conservative party and transformed it for the worse. His suggestion that he could return to politics after his stint on reality TV will trigger paroxysms of Tory despair. The prospect of the former Brexit party leader's comeback only emphasises that Rishi Sunak is fightingfor his political life after his party's civil war restarted over immigration. The prime minister's appearance at the Covid inquiry is unlikely to help much. His flagship scheme to boost the restaurant industry after the first lockdown was known in Whitehall as eat out to help out the virus".The Tory splits over shutting down the country wereshallower and less treacherous than on immigration, which has replaced Europe as the party's great division. But they run along similar lines, with each side having their own facts. Tory MPs are restive because they were elected as Brexiters who have proved incompetent at exercising the control over immigration that they sought. For some, Mr Sunak's proposed law goes too far in limiting migrants' rights to challenge deportation, while for others it does not go far enough. The return of Mr Farage in such circumstances torments Conservatives. Continue reading...

The solutions to today's puzzlesEarlier today I set you these problems from the Mathigon puzzle advent calendar. Here they are again with solutions.1. The knights are drawing in. Continue reading...

US research finds that people who decline an invitation regularly overestimate negative consequencesIf you'd rather spend an evening in your pyjamas than go to the office Christmas party, you can breath a sigh of relief: researchers say hosts tend to be more understanding about rejections than anticipated.Researchers in the US have found that while people are often concerned that turning down an invitation will upset the host, and lead to fewer invitations in the future, their fears tend to be exaggerated. Continue reading...

A Christmas stocking of stumpersUPDATE: The solutions can be read hereIn the recreational maths world, puzzle advent calendars are a thing. One of my favourites is produced by Mathigon, a beautiful free website for students, teachers and self-learners, and from which I have selected today's puzzles. Merry solving, everyone!1. The knights are drawing in. Continue reading...

One of the most active and reliable meteor showers, the Geminids regularly present about 120 meteors an hourIt is time for the last major meteor shower of the year. One of the most active and reliable meteor showers, the Geminids regularly present about 120 meteors an hour when observed from a dark site.And although they are visible from 4 to 20 December, they reach their peak on the night of 14 December. Continue reading...

Trees flattened and roof ripped off in Leitrim village as Storm Fergus brings yellow warnings for windHomes and cars in an Irish village have been seriously damaged after a possible tornado hit the area.Emergency services were called to Leitrim village on Sunday afternoon after high winds flattened trees, ripped a roof off a building and left debris scattered on a street. Continue reading...

Good Law Project finds items were priced up to four times higher by companies referred through scheme by UK ministersPPE was on average 80% more expensive when the government bought it from firms referred through a special VIP lane" by Conservative ministers, MPs and officials, new information has revealed.The Good Law Project, which has long been investigating PPE deals during the Covid pandemic, said internal government documents showed that the unit price paid for items under VIP lane contracts was up to four times higher than average. Continue reading...

Exclusive: astronomers surprised at size of 13bn-year-old object, which raises new questions about where black holes came fromAstronomers have detected the oldest black hole ever observed, dating back more than 13bn years to the dawn of the universe.The observations, by the James Webb space telescope (JWST), reveal it to be at the heart of a galaxy 440m years after the big bang. At around a million times the mass of the sun, it is surprisingly big for a baby black hole, raising the question of how it grew so big so quickly. Continue reading...

Researchers find turning to fatty and other unhealthy foods for solace reduces vascular function and raises risk of heart diseaseUsing fatty foods to comfort eat during times of stress can impair the body's recovery from the pressure, research suggests.Many people turn to unhealthy foods such as chocolate or crisps when they are feeling the strain, but researchers have found that this can reduce blood flow to the brain and cause poorer vascular function - which in turn can have a negative effect on mental health and cognitive function, and increase the risk of heart disease. Continue reading...

As a progressive, queer, Asian-American, I held stereotypical views about people on the other side'. My tour helped me realise that curiosity is a potent force for understandingOddly enough, it was an overwhelming amount of hate that set me off on a cross-country road trip across America. I wasn't taking a sabbatical to go into nature or working remotely in mountain-top forests. Instead, I spent 12 months living out of my retrofitted Prius, showering at Planet Fitness and meeting people who seemed different to me. Venturing out of the liberal stronghold of San Francisco, my journey on the road took me to places like a Trump rally in Minnesota and a convent with Catholic nuns and millennials.I'm a progressive, queer, Asian-American guy who often dresses flamboyantly - my favourite outfit is a colourful floral jumpsuit. So you can imagine that when some of my friends heard about my plans, they said they were concerned for my safety. They asked me if I was going to bring a knife or pepper spray for protection. I'd be meeting people they deemed as the enemy", after all. Continue reading...

There are many pitfalls to buying presents, from seeking an instant reaction to a fear of sentimentality. But a few simple psychological principles can help you make better choicesDecember can often feel like a never-ending ordeal, as we try to find the perfect gifts for our nearest and dearest. No matter how well we know someone, we struggle to discern their hidden wishes and desires. Each decision can feel like a test of our relationship. This is a natural consequence of the brain's workings. Humans may be unique in our advanced ability to consider others' viewpoints, but perspective-taking is enormously taxing for our little grey cells.It takes a lot of mental energy," says Prof Julian Givi at West Virginia University. As a result, our choices of gifts are extremely prone to error. Researchers such as Givi have now identified a host of cognitive biases that lead our judgments astray, so that we waste our money and miss opportunities for greater social connection. Continue reading...

Professor tells of his teenage grief and how it drove a new approach to research at York UniversityIan Hitchcock's first encounter with cancer was as a schoolboy in Bedford. He played rugby there and became good friends with a team-mate.He was a lovely guy. Smart, pleasant and a talented sports person. He really was one of the most popular kids in the year," says Hitchcock, who recently oversaw the creation of York University's new centre for blood research. Continue reading...

Volunteers wielding trowels in Greenwich are among many exploring sites as community digs boom across the UKHis boots deep in winter mud, Greenwich Park community archaeologist Andrew Mayfield runs through the finds from the latest of the park's volunteer digs. We've found a swallow brooch, loads of clay pipes and coins, the lens of a sextant and, strangely, a Sony mobile that was buried pretty deep," he says.Mayfield gestures at the volunteers, who range in age from 20s to 70-something, up to their waists in earthen trenches and armed with trowels and brushes. Continue reading...

A bold genomic process is being harnessed to eliminate decades of interbreeding with domestic moggiesScientists are preparing plans to restore the fortunes of Scotland's threatened Highland wildcats - by identifying and removing DNA they have acquired from domestic cats.Researchers have warned that the Highland tiger, as the wildcat is also known, is critically endangered because it has bred so much with domestic moggies. All animals now bear evidence of interbreeding, and many have little wild" left in them. Continue reading...

The molecules that cover our cells have interacted over the ages with our environment and the diseases that plague us - and in the process shaped our progressAccording to the latest estimates, Covid-19 may be responsible for more than 18 million deaths worldwide. While infectious diseases like this have devastated humanity, it may be wrong to assume they are always antithetical to our survival and flourishing as a species. Otherwise, why would ancient pathogens such as malaria (of the falciparum type), cholera, typhoid, measles and influenza A persist as human-only diseases - and why have we not evolved immunity to them?That is a question professors Ajit and Nissi Varki (a husband and wife team) and colleagues at their lab at the University of California, San Diego, have been asking for several decades. The answer, they believe, lies in the complex array of sugar chains called glycans that decorate the surfaces of cells, and the sugar molecules known as sialic acids that cap most of these chains. These terminal sugar chains are involved in everything from the regulation of immune responses to adaptations that may have played a key role in human evolution, such as the ability of our early hominin ancestors to run for longer without becoming fatigued - an advantage when pursuing prey. Continue reading...

Overemphasis on innovation and carbon removal risks distracting from main goal of stopping use of fossil fuels, say scientistsMachines to magic carbon out of the air, artificial intelligence, indoor vertical farms to grow food for our escape to Mars, and even solar-powered responsible" yachts: the Cop28 climate summit in Dubai has been festooned with the promise of technological fixes for worsening global heating and ecological breakdown.The UN climate talks have drawn a record number of delegates to a sprawling, freshly built metropolis, which has as its centrepiece an enormous dome that emits sounds and lights up in different colours at night. The two-week programme is laden with talks, events and demonstrations of the need for humanity to innovate its way out of the climate crisis. Continue reading...

But Nasa and space jocks alike haven't explained either the mysterious disappearance or reappearance of space-grown fruitIt might have remained one of the greatest mysteries of the universe, destined never to be solved until a freak recent discovery by the crew of the International Space Station (ISS).The subject? A tomato grown from seed in microgravity by US astronaut Francisco Frank" Rubio as part of an agricultural experiment. Continue reading...

PM likely to be asked about WhatsApp messages from pandemic that he says are irretrievable, despite reports number accessedFresh questions are being raised over whether Rishi Sunak has handed over all relevant material to the Covid inquiry, after reports that pranksters have been able to access an old phone number he used during his time as chancellor.The prime minister will face a day of questioning at the inquiry on Monday, where he is expected to be questioned about his claims that scientists had too much power. He will also be asked detailed questions about the eat out to help out" scheme that many experts believe allowed the virus to spread. Continue reading...

Blood disorder that can lead to premature death affects estimated 100,000 people in the United States, most of whom are BlackThe US Food and Drug Administration has approved a pair of gene therapies for sickle cell disease, including the first treatment based on the breakthrough Crispr gene-editing technology, opening up two transformative therapy" avenues for some patients.The FDA approved Lyfgenia from Bluebird Bio, and a separate treatment called Casgevy by partners Vertex Pharmaceuticals and Crispr Therapeutics. Both therapies are made from the patients' own blood stem cells and were approved for people aged 12 and older. Continue reading...

Rare preserved stomach contents show young dinosaur feasted on drumsticks of speedy turkey-sized creatureA remarkable fossil preserving the last meal of a young tyrannosaur has been discovered in Canada, revealing the dinosaur had a taste for prehistoric fast food.While tyrannosaurs were some of the most fearsome dinosaurs to roam the planet, with adults boasting massive bodies, huge heads and bone-crushing bites, juveniles were rather more puny, with long, skinny legs, blade-like teeth and narrow skulls. Continue reading...

My friend and colleague Kate Robertson, who has died of pancreatic cancer aged 65, was a child and adolescent psychotherapist who became head of child psychotherapy at the London borough of Hammersmith and Fulham and chair of the Association of Child Psychotherapists (ACP). She was a passionate advocate for widening access to the child psychotherapy profession and helped to extend government funding for NHS child psychotherapy training.Kate was born in Theydon Bois in Essex, the second daughter of Beryl (nee Jenkins), a secretary, and Bob Robertson, a company director. When she was 17 her mother died suddenly, and she went to live with her older sister, Hazel, who supported her while she continued her A-levels at Penwortham school in Preston, Lancashire. She went on to the University of Sussex, where she graduated with a degree in philosophy. Continue reading...

A bakery where enslaved people were imprisoned and exploited to produce bread has been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in what has been described as the most shocking example of slavery in the ancient Roman city. The cramped bakery with small windows barred with iron was part of a home that emerged during excavations in the Regio IX area of the Pompeii archaeological park in southern Italy.The discovery provides more evidence on the daily life of Pompeii's enslaved people, often forgotten by historical sources but who made up the majority of the population and whose hard labour propped up the city's economy as well as the culture and fabric of Roman civilisation.The home is believed to have been undergoing renovations when it was destroyed by the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in AD79. But the remains of three victims were found in one of the bakery's rooms in recent months, indicating the home still had occupants at the time.

Cramped bakery with barred windows believed to be where enslaved people were forced to workA bakery where enslaved people were imprisoned and exploited to produce bread has been discovered in the ruins of Pompeii in what has been described as the most shocking example of slavery in the ancient Roman city.The cramped bakery with small windows barred with iron was part of a home that emerged during excavations in the Regio IX area of the Pompeii archaeological park in southern Italy. Continue reading...

Fleeting spectacle should be visible to millions as Leona asteroid to travel in front of Betelgeuse star early next weekOne of the biggest and brightest stars in the night sky will momentarily vanish as an asteroid passes in front of it to produce a one-of-a-kind eclipse.The rare and fleeting spectacle, late on Monday into early Tuesday, should be visible to millions of people along a narrow path stretching from Tajikistan and Armenia, across Turkey, Greece, Italy and Spain, to Miami and the Florida Keys and finally, to parts of Mexico. Continue reading...

Peregrine first in series involving private spacecraft as conflict between scientific and commercial lunar interests loomsTo the casual observer, the preparations under way at Cape Canaveral in Florida point to nothing more than a routine launch of another spacecraft to the latest destination in the solar system.But the mission, scheduled for take-off on Christmas Eve, marks a turning point in space exploration. Rather than running the show, Nasa is handing over control: it has paid a private company, Astrobotic, to design a spacecraft and handle its launch and landing. Continue reading...

From simmering frustration at minor annoyances to boiling rage at the state of the world, many of us are angry at the moment. Experts offer tips and techniques on how to manage itFrom planes and supermarkets to traffic jams and, of course, online, it feels as if everyone is angry. Is it any wonder? Politics has become more polarised and bad-tempered than at any time in living memory, wars are top of the news agenda, and we're in a cost-of-living crisis. It's no surprise people are on edge.Anger itself isn't necessarily negative. Anger is a hardwired emotion that is our defence to a threat," says Dr Nadja Heym, associate professor in personality psychology and psychopathology at Nottingham Trent University. It's normal, healthy and evolutionarily important." Continue reading...

Celeb documentaries | Sellafield safety | Wobbly physics | Shrink the golf courses | Sock darningNaomi May's concerns about balance in celebrity documentaries are the wrong way round (FromBeyonce to Beckham: the worrying rise of one-sided celeb documentaries, 6 December). The subjects she mentions have been brutalised in the media. The attacks on them, from the Mirror's David Beckham dartboard to the Mail's description of Meghan Markle as (almost) straight outta Compton", will be in the public domain for ever. Is it so unreasonable that they should puttheir own truth on record?

Re-examination finds what were taken to be veins of leaves are actually bone growth patternsTwo small, oval fossils thought to be prehistoric plants are actually the remains of baby marine turtles, researchers have revealed.The fossils, found in rocks dating to between 132 and 113 million years ago, were discovered in Colombia in the middle of the 20th century by Padre Gustavo Huerta, a priest with a penchant for fossil plants. Continue reading...

African-led trial ended a year early as researchers conclude there is little or no chance' new combination vaccines cut HIV riskThe first trial in Africa of two combination vaccines to prevent HIV has been halted after researchers concluded it was not working.The vaccines (part of the PrEPVacc study) were being tested on 1,500 people aged between 18 and 40 in Uganda, Tanzania and South Africa. Continue reading...

Exclusive: Five IPCC report authors say scientists should be allowed to make policy prescriptions and potentially oversee implementationSenior climate experts are calling for an overhaul of the structure and powers of the UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in despair at the slow pace of climate action.Five lead authors of IPCC reports told the Guardian that scientists should be given the right to make policy prescriptions and, potentially, to oversee their implementation by the 195 states signed up to the UN framework convention on climate change (UNFCCC). Continue reading...

Ex-PM says he had assumed Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance were briefed and denied UK locked down too late in 2020Boris Johnson has told the Covid inquiry that he assumed Rishi Sunak's eat out to help out" hospitality scheme had been cleared by government scientists and was surprised to learn later that it had not.In evidence that could pose notable difficulties for Sunak when he appears before the inquiry on Monday, Johnson said it would have been normal" for advisers such as Chris Whitty and Patrick Vallance to have been briefed, and he had assumed this was the case. Continue reading...

Madeleine Finlay hears from the biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield, who is reporting for the Guardian from Cop28 in Dubai. He describes the rollercoaster first week of highs and lows, which included an important agreement on loss and damage and a tetchy press conference from the summit president, Sultan Al Jaber. He also sets out what is still on the table as the second week of negotiations gets under way This episode was amended on 7 December to reflect the fact that Sheikh Ahmed did not want to be interviewed Continue reading...

US researchers say findings may also enable doctors to predict progression of Alzheimer's diseaseUsing a blood test to determine the biological age of a person's organs could help treat them before they get sick, as well as predict the progression of conditions such as Alzheimer's disease, researchers have suggested.A study by academics in the US found people whose organs were ageing faster than the rest of their body had a higher risk of developing diseases in that particular organ within 15 years. Continue reading...

Problems such as back pain, incontinence and depression cause widespread suffering but are underrecognised, global review findsMore than 40 million women a year experience lasting health issues after childbirth, a global review has found, prompting calls for greater recognition of common postnatal problems.The sweeping analysis of maternal health worldwide shows a very high burden of long-term conditions that last for months and even years after giving birth. One in three new mothers worldwide are affected. Continue reading...

Immigration minister quits saying small boats crisis doing untold damage' to the countryHugo Keith KC is questioning Johnson.He asks if Johnson's approach has been to give all relevant material to the inquiry.I understand the feelings of these victims and their families and I am deeply sorry for the pain and the loss and suffering of those victims and their families. Continue reading...

Researchers say dash of water added to beans before they are ground creates more consistent, tastier coffeeThe key to making a perfect espresso has been argued over by generations of coffee snobs. Now a group of scientists say they have the answer and have singled out the secret ingredient - and it comes before the grind even begins.Researchers have discovered that a dash of water added to coffee beans before the grinding process creates a more consistent and tastier espresso, which they say will help baristas and industrial coffee brewers overcome a major hurdle. Continue reading...

Scientists complain after sheer waste' of human embryos discarded despite patients' wishesLeading scientists are calling for a change in the law to help IVF patients donate unused embryos to biomedical research after a collapse in donations over the past 15 years.The increasing commercialisation of IVF, overstretched NHS clinics and cumbersome paperwork are blamed for a 25-fold decrease in the number of donated embryos. Scientists described some patients going to extraordinary lengths" to ensure their embryos could be used for research rather than discarded, with many private clinics failing to routinely offer donation as an option. Continue reading...

Collyweston Palace, home of Henry VII's mother, uncovered despite no money, no expertise, no plans'When a group of amateur archaeologists set out to find the buried remains of a Tudor palace in their Northamptonshire village five years ago, they knew the odds were against them.Many of us were brought up in the village, and you hear about this lost palace, and wonder whether it's a myth or real. So we just wanted to find it," said Chris Close, the chair of the Collyweston Historical and Preservation Society (Chaps) which made the discovery of the Palace of Collyweston in a back garden this year. Continue reading...

Lightroom, Kings Cross, London

The microscopic world hidden within an autumn leaf has won the Royal Society Publishing photography competition 2023. Overall winner Irina Petrova Adamatzky researches the electrical activity of fungi, slime moulds and other micro-organisms, at Unconventional Computing Lab, UWE Bristol.I unintentionally captured this scene while collecting samples of slime moulds in a field near my home in Somerset, noticed them the evening before and had intended to gather samples to measure their electrical activity for our research. However, my attention was diverted by a simple autumn leaf that, although seemingly ordinary, held something intriguing within. I gathered it, along with my samples, and the following day I was amazed to discover what appeared to be another world within the confines of that unassuming leaf' Continue reading...

Experts says findings of dots tests are down to information processing not yet being fully developedBabies really do see the world differently, researchers have found, after revealing that those under six months old do not fall for a visual illusion that can trick older children and adults.Experts say that is because information processing in the tots' brains is not yet fully developed, which means they make different assumptions about what they see. Continue reading...

In a world of chatbots and influencers, Merriam-Webster, Cambridge and Collins are in rare agreementThe moment we've all breathlessly waited for is finally here: dictionaries are announcing their words of the year. Last week, the US's most esteemed lexicon, Merriam-Webster, revealed its choice: authentic".In its announcement, the dictionary said the word had seen a big jump in searches this year, thanks to discussions about AI, celebrity culture, identity, and social media". It makes a lot of sense - the concept of authenticity does, to use another buzzy phrase, sit at the intersection of so much of what's been on our collective minds. Continue reading...

Most of those tested lack nutrients crucial for healthy foetal development as found in abundance in meat and dairy productsMore than 90% of women who are trying for a baby may have marginal or low levels of vitamins that are essential for a healthy pregnancy, according to researchers, who say the problem is likely to worsen as vegetarian diets become more popular.Tests on more than 1,700 women in the UK, New Zealand and Singapore who planned to conceive revealed that most were lacking nutrients found in abundance in meat and dairy products, many of which are crucial for healthy foetal development. Continue reading...

Patients are facing shorter lives as drug companies are demanding prices that health services here and in other countries cannot payCystic fibrosis is a distressing disease, clogging the lungs of children who have to fight to breathe, and shortening lives. Parents - and young adults who also suffer from it - have been on a rollercoaster ride in the last few years. They have been taken to the giddy heights of hope by the invention of drugs that for the first time work on the underlying causes of the illness where previous treatment just alleviated symptoms. And they have been plunged to the depths when those new drugs have been denied thembecauseoftheircost.The drugs that have caused such a stir are made by the US biotech company Vertex. Its groundbreaking Kalydeco drug was licensed in Europe in 2012 and useful at first to only a small percentage of sufferers. Then came Orkambi in 2015 and Symkevi in 2018 - both two-drug combinations. Since 2020, there has been Kaftrio, which is a triple combination. Hopes rose in the UK as the combination drugs were shown to target more genetic mutations and help more people, only to be dashed by the verdict of the cost-effectiveness watchdog body, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice). Kaftrio is the latesttobelabelled unaffordable foracash-strappedNHS. Continue reading...

Aristocrat introduced smallpox inoculation to Britain, saving many lives, yet remains largely unknownIt is a monument that celebrates the achievements of someone who would, her supporters say, be far better known if she had been a man.But now a 300-year-old obelisk is being given one of England's highest listings because of the remarkable story it tells of an overlooked medical pioneer. Continue reading...

As the pill becomes available over the counter and free of charge in England, Madeleine Finlay talks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about the problems women in the UK face in getting access to appropriate contraception, and how unwanted side-effects and lack of support have led to a rise in the popularity of fertility awareness-based methods. She also hears from Katie about her own journey trying to find the right contraception for her body Continue reading...

Samples have been taken of huge iceberg known as A23a, which calved off Antarctica 40 years ago and measures 4,000 sq kmAntarctic scientists have been able to get an incredibly lucky" inspection of the world's largest iceberg - about three times the size of New York City - which calved off the icy continent nearly 40 years ago.The huge iceberg, known as A23a, was once attached to an ice shelf in West Antarctica, south of Chile, but separated in 1986. Since then, the iceberg has been stranded in the Weddell Sea, stuck to the ocean floor. Continue reading...

Venting can help us bond, but it can also leave a sour taste in your mouth - where is the line, and why do we love doing it?It's a rush to realize you dislike the same person as someone else. There's a delicate, intoxicating dance: throwing out oblique criticisms and prowling around the edges until one person takes the leap and bravely says: Honestly, they kind of suck."Soaking up the golden rays of your rightness and another's wrongness can feel exhilarating. Then, sometimes, there's a comedown. It hits a little later, or even while you're making a snarky comment: a sour taste in your mouth that makes you wonder if you went too far. Continue reading...