Early and enduring adoption of Freudian psychoanalysis puts paid to view of it being a European practiceThe famously Freudian Dr Frasier Crane may have brought psychoanalysis over the airwaves to the masses in the seminal 1990s comedy in which he constantly spars with his Jungian brother, Niles. But half a century before him, a real-life Brazilian Frasier was doing much the same.Sigmund Freud's influence in Latin America, a region the founder of psychoanalysis never visited, was so profound it spawned a 1940s hit radio show in Brazil, The World of Dreams, presented by the Freud devotee and psychiatrist Gastao Pereira da Silva. Continue reading...

It's often overlooked and left to its own devices, but should you listen to your gut more, or is it listening to you? Here's what the science saysUntil fairly recently, the idea of listening to your gut was mostly metaphorical. The heart, lungs and liver are important to keep in good shape. But the stomach, intestines and colon? Surely they just keep chugging along, processing whatever you put into them, occasionally objecting, but basically doing their job.Well, not quite. Over the last five years or so, evidence has been piling up that the huge community of microorganisms - bacteria, viruses and fungi - that live in the gut affect everything from the immune system to mental health. We have learned that there are roughly 500m neurons in the human gut, alongside the 100bn in the brain, and research around the gut-brain axis" - the biochemical signalling system that links your gastrointestinal tract and your central nervous system - suggests that signals go both ways between the two. Professional athletes, for instance, have more diverse gut microbiota than regular people, but it is becoming increasingly clear that the relationship is bidirectional - they might be better runners because they have more efficient gut bacteria, but doing more exercise is probably helping to keep the little chaps happy. Continue reading...

For years, Ginger Johnson imagined life as a tragedy playing out - until she decided to reframe it as a comedyThere was a hula-hooper, a juggler, a mime and a comic on our 2015 Christmas cabaret tour, and a striptease, too. Mine was known as the hotdog act". Each night, in full drag, I'd totter on to a stage in a room full of total strangers with a jar of 10-inch hotdogs, and shove them up my nose, down my throat, into the air, to music. I was apeing the burlesque style, turning what could seem sensual into something totally grotesque. You'll struggle to believe me, but during this period of my life I took myself - and my work - debilitatingly seriously.There was a lot of baggage on that tour bus: cases full of costumes, yes, but also the emotional variety. Each of us was going through the wringer - breakups, breakdowns, crises galore. I know, how festive. My mental health was in the pits and it had been six or seven months since I'd spoken to my family. I was in self-destruct mode. Through our collective pain, we bonded as a cast. When you live and work together on the road, there's no escaping. Pre-show, our dressing room became a group therapy space. And, after a gig, high on adrenaline, we'd sit around sharing problems and too much merlot. One of the other artists was reading a book that argued that being born is traumatic and to heal you must re-enact it. We talked logistics, but I never quite got round to reliving my own delivery. Continue reading...

Two dementia medicines set for approval in Britain are first to improve patients' lives directly - but condition must be diagnosedPeople in Britain could benefit from a key medical breakthrough next year. They may be given access to the first drugs ever developed to slow the impact of Alzheimer's disease.The first of these medicines - lecanemab - was recently approved in the US and Japan, where treatments using it have already been launched. A second drug, donanemab, is expected to follow soon, and next year it is anticipated that the UK medical authorities will consider both of them for approval in Britain. Continue reading...

The aristocracy and celebrities are in thrall to medical quackery that while useless can be far from harmlessWhen I hear someone extolling the virtues of homeopathy, I am often reminded of a quotation from the TV show 30 Rock. There are many kinds of intelligence," Jack Donaghy tells a particularly stupid employee. Practical, emotional ... and then there is actual intelligence, which is what I'm talking about." Similar, and perhaps correlating, are the many kinds of medicine. Natural, complementary, alternative, homeopathic, herbal, traditional. And then there is actual medicine, which works.It is strange that homeopaths can still find employment in 2023, but somehow they do. In 1853, Queen Victoria's doctor was already calling the practice an outrage to human reason". In the following 170 years it has been debunked repeatedly and comprehensively. After all, its principles run in complete opposition to science, based as they are on curing like with like" - an extract of raw onion, say, to treat watery eyes - strengthening" by process of dilution, and shaking it all up to promote quantum entanglement". Continue reading...

Expert called for child to go to live with father against girl's wishesA family court judge has accepted the recommendation of an unregulated expert and ruled that a child should be removed from her mother's care after finding the mother made an entirely false allegation" about the child's father.The woman will initially have only supervised contact with her daughter, who will be transferred to live with her father against the girl's wishes. The decision follows findings about the mother's attitude" towards him and the adverse impact of that on the girl of secondary school age. Continue reading...

The Belgian physicist and industrial musician on replacing maths with pictures, why he's now working in industry - and why we all need to understand subatomic physicsBelgian physicist and musician Prof Bob Coecke, 55, wants to teach quantum physics to a mass audience. The paradox-filled theory that describes the microscopic realm has become a staple of science fiction, from Marvel's Ant-Man to the multiple Oscar-winning Everything Everywhere All at Once. It's famously bizarre and, in the UK, the subject is mostly reserved for undergraduates specialising in physics because it requires grappling with complicated maths. But Coecke, a former Oxford professor, has devised a maths-free framework using diagrams for total beginners, outlined in Quantum in Pictures, his book with Dr Stefano Gogioso that was published earlier this year. Over the summer, they ran an education experiment, teaching the pictorial method to UK schoolchildren - who then beat the average exam scores of Oxford University's postgraduate physics students.Quantum physics is notoriously esoteric. Why should most people even want to study it?

Sensational report that Indonesia's Gunung Padang site is 25,000 years old is dismissed by archaeologists around the worldIt was one of the most sensational science stories of 2023. Researchers claimed last month that the Gunung Padang site in West Java, Indonesia, is the world's most ancient pyramid and could be more than 25,000 years old.Such antiquity would be unprecedented. Stonehenge and the oldest major pyramids of Egypt are only a few thousand years old, while the previous record holder, Turkey's Gobekli Tepe stone monuments, are thought to be about 11,000 years old. Continue reading...

Animals' eyes change colour as colder months approach to enhance UV sight, helping them spot lichen vital for their survivalRudolph does not need to use his famous red nose to guide his fellow reindeer as the animals have a special form of night vision that they use to forage for food, scientists have concluded.Researchers looked into why the species are the only mammals whose eyes change colour depending on the season, from golden-orange in summer to a blue hue in the winter months. Continue reading...

Fiery flash on sun's surface 93m miles away was an X-class flare of highest intensity, with potential to affect radio communicationsNasa has released images of what it says is the most powerful solar flare in six years, a fiery flash on the sun's surface 93m miles away that knocked out some radio communication on Earth for a short time on Thursday.The agency captured the brightly colored imagery of the phenomenon known as a coronal mass ejection (CME) from its solar dynamics observatory, a spacecraft launched in 2010 that constantly monitors the sun's activity. Continue reading...

Carols and choirs are enjoying a boom in popularity, and science is showing how they improve livesFor the Columbia Road carol service in Bethnal Green, east London, the power of TikTok proved too much. After footage of December's first singalong went viral, thousands turned up to ding dong merrily, forcing organisers to scrap the events over fears for public safety.The cobbled street's Victorian charm has always drawn the crowds, but the carol service has become an extraordinary seasonal hit. The success mirrors the nation's newfound enthusiasm for group singing, a trend that follows the rise of the TV choirmaster Gareth Malone and the increasing popularity of rock choir and pop choir. Continue reading...

Like Covid, flu carries significant risk of ongoing disability and disease, researchers sayPeople who have been hospitalised with flu are at an increased risk of longer-term health problems, similar to those with long Covid, data suggests.While the symptoms associated with such long flu" appear to be more focused on the lungs than ongoing Covid symptoms, in both cases the risk of death and disability was greater in the months after infection than in the first 30 days. Continue reading...

Analysis of 3D images reveals the organ's bumps and grooves are as personal as fingerprintsWhether they are long and slimy, wide and bumpy, fissured, furry or tied - our tongues may be even more unique than we give them credit for.An analysis of 3D images of human tongues suggests that each of us may have a unique tongue print" just as we have individual fingerprints. The research could help to shed new light on why people's food preferences can be so varied, and assist in the design of healthier, yet delicious, alternatives to fatty or sugary foods. Continue reading...

Doctors spread the story of man who had lucky escape in Scotland after trying to stifle a sneeze while drivingWhen you feel a sneeze coming on, it's best to let it out. Otherwise you could end up tearing a hole in your throat.That's the advice being issued by doctors after a man in his 30s experienced a spontaneous tracheal perforation - a potentially deadly condition - as he tried to stifle a sneeze while driving. Continue reading...

Breakthrough suggests technology behind ChatGPT and Bard can generate information that goes beyond human knowledgeArtificial intelligence researchers claim to have made the world's first scientific discovery using a large language model, a breakthrough that suggests the technology behind ChatGPT and similar programs can generate information that goes beyond human knowledge.The finding emerged from Google DeepMind, where scientists are investigating whether large language models, which underpin modern chatbots such as OpenAI's ChatGPT and Google's Bard, can do more than repackage information learned in training and come up with new insights. Continue reading...

94% of owners say cat sets the rules, only fetching specific objects for certain peopleThey may have a reputation for being independent and aloof, but a surprising number of cats play fetch, scientists have found.A survey of owners found the vast majority reported their cat fetched objects, normally without having been trained. However, cats tended to set the rules of engagement, often only fetching specific objects for specific people. Continue reading...

Time, quantum mechanics, and the nature of reality are woven together in a mind-bending journey to the edge of realityBlack Holes: The End of the Universe? by John Taylor was the first book I bought with myown hard-earned cash from a poorly paid paper round. It was 1974,Iwas 11. It was the subtitle thatgrabbed my attention, since I'd neverheard of black holes. At the time these mysterious cosmic objects were merely a theoretical possibility, but ahalf-century later we have ample evidence that they really do exist. After writing bestsellers about quantum mechanics, time, and the nature of reality, Italian physicist CarloRovelli weaves all three togetherin his latest book, taking us on a journey deep inside a black hole. An accomplished storyteller, Rovelli begins this mind-boggling ride by explaining how they form.Sooner or later, stars run out of fueland stop shining. At that point, their own gravity causes them to become compressed. Our sun will endup as a so-called white dwarf, itsmass squeezed until it's the size ofthe Earth. However, some stars areso massive, with such strong gravity, that the collapse continues until they're squeezed to a point known as asingularity. That's where the known laws of physics break down. A black hole is a singularity surrounded by its event horizon, a one-way boundary shielding it from the rest of the universe. Anything thatgets too closewill be unable to escape, draggedinto the hole and crushed out of existence. This is the conventional view, one that Rovelli challenges in his short, utterly engaging and densely packed narrative that you may have to readmore than once. Continue reading...

Elon Musk has pledged to settle the red planet. Is it really worth the bother?Unless it is stopped," tweeted Elon Musk, the woke mind virus will destroy civilisation and humanity will never reached Mars." A compelling point, even if it does show that genius boy needs grammar lessons. Would the 18th-century pioneers have managed to ethnically cleanse the indigenous population, exterminate all those buffalo and pave the way for that stupid dome in Las Vegas if they were a bunch of pearl-clutching wuss bags? Think about it.The basic argument is that the human race is doomed if it doesn't revive that frontier spirit, and will remain confined to this increasingly useless planet. If we don't boldly go, then we must surely stagnate. As Carl Sagan wrote: Even after 400 generations in villages and cities, we haven't forgotten. The open road still softly calls, like a nearly forgotten song of childhood." We need to chisel our jaws and put on space boots. Continue reading...

Scientists find genes inherited from our prehistoric cousins increase tendency to rise early - useful in regions with short winter daysPeople who are early to bed and early to rise may have their ancient ancestors to thank for the habit - or at least the Neanderthals with whom their forebears procreated, scientists say.DNA inherited from our thick-browed cousins may contribute to the tendency of some people to be larks, researchers found, making them more comfortable at getting up and going to bed earlier than others. Continue reading...

Rife deforestation 500 years ago aligns with western barbastelle slump, finds study of bat DNAThe examples of flora and fauna disappearing because of human excesses over the past 50 years are manifold, but research has found that the decline of a characterful bat began in the UK when its trees were felled for shipbuilding 500 years ago.Experts from the University of Exeter and the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT) have concluded that a 99% drop in Britain's western barbastelle bat populations began when trees were chopped down in the early days of Britain's empire building. Continue reading...

She was labelled a baby killer but advocates say she has suffered one of the country's gravest injustices

A deal has been announced at Cop28 in Dubai, and depending who you talk to, it's either a historic achievement or a weak and ineffectual agreement full of loopholes. Ian Sample speaks to the Guardian environment editor Damian Carrington, who explains what the deal on fossil fuels will mean in practice, how small island states have responded, and whether it will help us stay within the crucial limit of 1.5C of global heating Continue reading...

A study shows the more positive person is dragged down' by an unhappier partner - but relationships are still beneficial overallWhen I meet a friend's new partner for the first time, I desperately want to like them. I hope they're generally pleasant to be around - not just for my sake, but for my friend's. When people date someone who is miserable, it can rub off on them. Maybe you have had that happy-go-lucky, upbeat friend who starts dating a grump, and gradually, they become an Eeyore too.Research shows that people often become similar to who they spend a lot of time with. Even strangers tend to mimic each other's movements and expressions, and studies have shown that friends, strangers and lovers' heartbeats or brain waves often sync up. In romantic couples, a number of studies have shown that they have similar wellbeing, both when they first start dating and also over time. Continue reading...

Hormone produced by foetus is trigger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, study findsScientists have uncovered why many women experience morning sickness during pregnancy, raising the prospects of a cure for the condition.The study revealed that a hormone produced by the foetus is the trigger for nausea and vomiting in pregnancy, which in extreme cases can require hospital treatment. Crucially, women who have naturally low levels of the hormone prior to pregnancy tend to be more sensitive to the surge of the hormone, called GDF15, in the first trimester, the research suggests. Continue reading...

In a vast majority of cases the drugs are prescribed for conditions other than those they were intended for

Do you yearn to set strong boundaries, but are scuppered by a lifelong tendency to people-please? Here is how to stop nowYou probably don't need to be told that your life would improve if you could learn to say no". Take a look at your to-do list. Take a look at your diary. How much of that could someone else be doing while you took a bath in epsom salts and listened to a podcast about ghosts? How much resentment and chagrin could you have sloughed off as you rolled around in your acres of uncontaminated me-time?Natalie Lue, the author of The Joy of Saying No, spent almost the first 30 years of her life saying yes". How did that work out for her? It led to being ill, feeling frustrated and resentful with family, at work, even with friends." Continue reading...

Scientists observe Goffin's cockatoos dipping hard foodstuffs in bowl of water, most likely to improve its textureHumans are not the only beings who sometimes like a soggy snack: researchers have discovered some cockatoos also dunk their food before eating.The team say they first noticed captive Goffin's cockatoos dunking their grub during a lunchtime feed, much like some people dip biscuits in their tea, and decided to explore further. Continue reading...

Britain's biggest drugmaker acquires Seattle-based firm Icosavax, expanding vaccine and immune therapy businessAstraZeneca is buying its first vaccine company in a $1.1bn deal that will expand the vaccine and immune therapy business it set up during the Covid pandemic.Britain's biggest drugmaker has agreed to take over the Seattle-based company Icosavax, which is developing a potential vaccine for two common respiratory diseases. Continue reading...

Cognitive behavioural therapy | Cutting down on mental maths | A break from gambling ads | Wound up in WinchesterSo, the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence is suggesting offering women cognitive behavioural therapy as a treatment for menopause symptoms (Report, 11December). Next it will be recommending it for erectile dysfunction inlieuofViagra.

If we are to be prepared for the next pandemic, we need competent leaders, functional testing and trust in the scienceI don't envy Heather Hallett, the chair of the Covid-19 inquiry. Over the months, she has patiently listened to witness after witness, and reviewed thousands of statements, emails, policy notes, diaries and WhatsApp messages. It would be easy to get lost in the details, especially when many are focused on the political blame game and in-fighting in No 10. But we can't lose sight of the main objectives of this process: accountability to the public for decisions taken during the pandemic, and learning lessons for the next one so the UK is better prepared.Here's my take on where we have got to in the second module. It is clear the UK could have handled the pandemic better. This is not compared with some idealised handling of 2020 with the benefit of hindsight, but with other similar nations. Our excess mortality is second highest in western Europe, and far higher than Norway, Finland and Denmark, as well as east Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...

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...