Science | The Guardian

There is nothing quite like the spectacle of a tech bro with vast financial resources failing to grapple with his own mortalityThere are a lot of details to enjoy in the story of Bryan Johnson, the middle-aged almost-billionaire spending $2m (£1.6m) a year pursuing eternal youth. As described in the Times this week, Johnson has received “plasma infusions” from his 17-year-old son, had “33,537 images of his bowels” taken, and tried experimental treatments previously only tested on mice. But the one I like best, I think, revolves around his meal plan. As a man who made $800m (£646m) from the sale of his company to eBay, he enjoys a diet of “brown sludge” made of pureed vegetables – baby food, in other words. From the photos, these measures certainly seem to be working: the 45-year-old tech entrepreneur looks approximately 43.It is, of course, a source of reliable entertainment to study how the very wealthy set about ruining their lives. If excess is the quickest and most conventional route to self-destruction, self-denial is the more rewarding approach for the idle observer. There is nothing quite like the spectacle of a man with huge resources failing to grapple with his own mortality and spending what precious time he has left in joyless pursuit of a goal that is doomed to fail.Emma Brockes is a Guardian columnist Continue reading...

Since it was introduced to the UK in 1850, Japanese knotweed has gone from novel ornamental plant to rampant invasive species. Madeleine Finlay speaks to journalist Samanth Subramanian about the huge costs associated with finding it on a property, and Dr Sophie Hocking explains what the plant, and our attempts to control it, might be doing to the environment. Continue reading...

A man who was paralysed in a cycling accident in 2011 has been able to stand and walk with an aid after doctors implanted a device that reads brainwaves and sends instructions to the spine to activate the right muscles.Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, was told he would never walk again after breaking his neck in a traffic accident in China, but has climbed stairs and walked for more than 100 meres at a time since having the operation. The 'digital bridge' is the latest from a team of neuroscientists in Switzerland who have a longstanding programme to develop brain-machine interfaces to overcome paralysis

Exclusive: Archaeologist says 5th-century BC wine vase with modern decoration widely regarded as fakeDays after Greece announced the recovery of hundreds of antiquities from a disgraced British dealer, its ministry of culture faces the accusation that one of those artefacts, a vase of the early 5th-century BC, bears a decoration that is in fact a “modern forgery” created in the 1990s.Christos Tsirogiannis, an archaeologist based in Cambridge, expressed astonishment that the ministry had included the olpe – a vase for wine – among treasured ancient objects that will be coming home. Continue reading...

Pioneering research could help development of miniaturised devices for stroke patients and paralysed peopleA man who was paralysed in a cycling accident in 2011 has been able to stand and walk with an aid after doctors implanted a device that reads his brain waves and sends instructions to his spine to move the right muscles.Gert-Jan Oskam, 40, was told he would never walk again after breaking his neck in a traffic accident in China, but has climbed stairs and walked for more than 100 metres at a time since having the operation. Continue reading...

Hurtling down trails on two wheels might not be the most obvious way to cope with a life-changing news but for Tracey Croke it helped her find inner peaceIt wasn’t the news my doctor expected from the scan. I could tell by the look on his face. Most partial hearing loss episodes are caused by infections. I was that rare, one-in-whatever-thousand case in which they’d discovered a squatter – which I now call “the thing” – was hanging out in my head.“It’s a brain tumour,” he said. Continue reading...

Citations of Chinese research have risen because of sequencing of Covid-19 genomeChina has overtaken the US to become the biggest contributor to nature-science journals, in a sign of the country’s growing influence in the world of academic research.The Nature Index, which tracks data on author affiliations in 82 high quality journals, found that authors affiliated with Chinese institutions are more prolific than their US counterparts in physical sciences, chemistry, Earth and environmental sciences. The only category in which the US is still in the lead is life sciences. Continue reading...

Research on gulls in Brighton found birds can work out which scraps are worth snaffling by watching what humans are eatingIt will take more than a bunch of signs declaring “do not feed the birds” to deter gulls from swooping down to pinch people’s snacks, a study has suggested.Research on herring gulls at Brighton beach found that the birds can work out which kinds of scraps are worth snaffling by watching what humans are tucking into themselves. Continue reading...

Radar imagery collected during Nasa’s Magellan mission in 1990s used to develop volcano databaseOur planet has more than 1,500 volcanoes – but if you think that’s a lot then take a look at Venus. A new map, created from radar imagery collected during Nasa’s Magellan mission in the 1990s, catalogues more than 85,000 volcanoes on Venus, 99% of which are less than 5km in diameter.“Our new database will enable scientists to think about where else to search for evidence of recent geological activity [on Venus],” says Paul Byrne from Washington University in St Louis. Continue reading...

California-based company will fold after selling off its assets and filing for bankruptcy in the USVirgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by British billionaire Richard Branson, will permanently cease operations, just months after a major mission failure.The California-based firm, which had already filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the United States in early April, has auctioned off its main assets, recovering just over $36m. That figure is barely 1% of the value the company reached in late 2021 on Wall Street, when it was valued at $3.5 billion. Continue reading...

Archaeologists begin excavation of two 500-year-old vessels filled with porcelain and timberTwo 500-year-old shipwrecks in the South China Sea, filled with Ming-era porcelain and stacked timber, provide significant clues about the maritime Silk Road trade routes, Chinese archaeologists have said.The two shipwrecks were discovered in October, and cultural and archaeological authorities have now begun a year-long process of deep-sea exploration and excavation, government officials announced. Continue reading...

My friend Mike Bruford, who has died aged 59 after a protracted illness, dedicated his career to unravelling the genetic consequences of biodiversity loss and was a professor of conservation genetics at Cardiff University.Respected by governments and researchers worldwide, Mike was determined and driven, and communicated science in a compelling manner. When asked, after a talk in 2022: “Can we afford to make all these changes to protect biodiversity?” his response was simple: “We cannot afford not to.” Continue reading...

Karelian bear dogs are being used to scare wild bears from human settlements and reduce human-wildlife conflictThe dog is moving through the grasses of the open meadow, closely followed by bear biologist Carrie Hunt, who is observing his reactions as he sees the grizzly bear carcass for the first time. “Find it,” says Hunt, encouraging the two-month-old puppy. The puppy’s ears and tail are up as he approaches the bear cautiously, but with the confidence that Hunt is looking for in a bear conflict dog.This is a Karelian bear dog, a hardy breed from Finland known to be fearless and capable of standing up to large mammals such as brown bears and moose. People once used the dogs to hunt big game in regions that now are part of Russia and Finland. Today, in Montana, Hunt is using the dogs to keep bears alive. Continue reading...

How a mind-altering, addictive substance was used as a weapon by one empire to subdue anotherHumans are an exquisitely intelligent and capable species of ape. Our physiology has been fine-tuned for efficient long-distance running; our hands are elegantly dextrous for manipulating and making; and our throats and mouths give us astonishing control over the sounds we make. We are virtuoso communicators, able to convey everything from physical instructions to abstract concepts, and to coordinate ourselves in teams and communities. We learn from each other, from our parents and peers, so new generations don’t have to start from scratch. But we’re also deeply flawed, physically and mentally. In many ways, humans just don’t work well.We’re also riddled with defects in our biochemistry and DNA – data-corrupted genes that no longer work – which means, for instance, that we must eat a diet more varied than almost any other animal to obtain the nutrients we need to survive. And our brains, far from being perfectly rational thinking machines, are full of cognitive glitches and bugs. We’re also prone to addictions that drive compulsive behaviour, sometimes along self-destructive paths. Continue reading...

Ministers to close loophole in 2018 Ivory Act that means animals other than elephants can be targetedIvory imports from hippopotamuses, orcas and walruses will be banned under new legislation to protect the endangered species from poaching.The Ivory Act, passed in 2018, targeted materials from elephants, but a loophole meant that animals other than elephants, including hippos, were being targeted for their ivory. Continue reading...

We now know that global temperatures are likely to temporarily rise by more than 1.5C above pre-industrial levels in the next five years. Breaching this crucial threshold will give humanity an insight into what the next few decades could bring. It will undoubtedly have serious consequences in all aspects of our lives, including what we eat.In the second of our special series of episodes looking at what a future world might look like, science editor Ian Sample explores how our diets could change as the Earth heats up. Ian talks to Kew’s kitchen gardener Helena Dove about climate-resilient vegetables, visits Tiziana di Costanzo’s insect farm to try mealworms and crickets, and hears from Solar Food’s CEO, Pasi Vainikka, about making food from bacteria, electricity and airClips: ITV, BBC, SkyListen to episode one of our series of future-focused episodes: can cities help us fight climate change? Continue reading...

Discovery of ‘objective biomarker’ raises hopes for new treatments for people living with intractable painBrain signals that reveal how much pain a person is in have been discovered by scientists who say the work is a step towards radical new treatments for people living with debilitating chronic pain.It is the first time researchers have decoded the brain activity underlying chronic pain in patients, raising hopes that brain stimulation therapies already used for Parkinson’s and major depression can help those who have run out of other options. Continue reading...

Far from being the preserve of weirdos, fandoms offer a model of community and wellbeingOf the many films that dramatise the deranged behaviour of celebrity fans, one of the most popular is Der Fan, a German production from 1982 about a teenage girl obsessed with a pop singer. It begins predictably enough – she writes him dozens of letters – but the ending is a little less orthodox. When he doesn’t reply she intercepts him outside one of his gigs, hangs out in his dressing room, has sex with him, kills him with a statue, chops him up and puts the dismembered body parts in a freezer. Unsurprisingly, it has become a cult classic.Like most works of its genre, Der Fan taps into a stereotype that fans have had to endure since the emergence of popular culture. Characterised as hysterics, fantasists, psychopaths, geeks, misfits or mindless consumers, they are feared either as obsessive loners who spend their lives fretting in their bedrooms (like the protagonists of most fan movies) or as members of a frenzied mob (screaming teenagers at a Harry Styles gig). The word is still associated with “fanatic” in the public consciousness. We assume that anyone with a consuming interest in a celebrity or fictional universe is this way inclined (unless they are a sports fan, in which case their behaviour is likely to be applauded). Continue reading...

After years in the police, Scott Walker became a ‘response consultant’, handling everything from abductions to piracy and cyber-attacks. The skills he used can help you get a pay rise, lower your rent, defuse a family crisis …Somewhere in Europe, a man is taken at gunpoint from his BMW. He is a successful businessman, worth an estimated €200m; from the burnt-out wreckage of his car, it’s clear this is a professional operation.In London, 48 hours later, Scott Walker is part of the team brought in to secure the man’s release. A hostage negotiator with more than a decade’s experience, Walker prepares himself for a long haul: it could be weeks before the kidnappers make contact with their demands. But the immediate negotiation is not with them – it’s with the hostage’s younger brother. Continue reading...

Castor and Pollux mark the heads of celestial siblings preparing to slip from view with the twilightThere is an absolutely beautiful cluster of celestial objects this week to look out for. The crescent moon will find itself close to the planets Venus and Mars, and the stars Castor and Pollux.The chart shows the view looking west from London on the evening of Tuesday, 23 May, at 22.00 BST. The constellation of Gemini, the twins, will be upright and preparing to sink below the horizon, disappearing from view along with the twilight. Venus and the moon will be in between the body of the twins, which are marked at the heads by the stars of Castor and Pollux. Mars will be sitting off to the left of the constellation, glowing with its characteristic ruddy light. In contrast, Venus and the moon will be shining bright white. Castor and Pollux will be yellowish and blueish respectively. Continue reading...

Darren Hawkes, garden designer and Samaritans helpline volunteer, has created a space full of empathy at the Chelsea Flower ShowDarren Hawkes knows exactly why he wanted to create a garden for Chelsea Flower Show that acknowledges life is full of fear and pain and loneliness: “When we are in despair, what’s common is, we all feel alone. We feel as if that despair is not a shared experience – it’s a personal one. And so, by putting the experience into three dimensions in a public space, there’s a chance it may remind someone that they are not alone. That there are other people who have experienced that.”Hawkes, an award-winning garden designer, gives up his free time to quietly confront this fact on a regular basis. He has lost friends to suicide and is a listening volunteer for the helpline of the suicide prevention charity, Samaritans, to whom he has dedicated his show garden. “It’s not a real garden. I wouldn’t create this garden for a Samaritans centre. But if, as a show garden, it helps to communicate some of the lived experiences of people who reach out and call Samaritans, that starts a dialogue.” Continue reading...

Called ‘humanity’s crew’, the four-person team comprises the first woman and the first person of color on a lunar assignmentAt a press conference on 5 July 1969, 11 days before the launch of Apollo 11, Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins sat on stage in a plastic box with blowers making sure they did not inhale airborne germs from the sizeable gathering of journalists.Asked about the risk of getting stranded on the moon, Armstrong replied: “Well, that’s an unpleasant thing to think about.” Continue reading...

Footage captured from Cairns on the east coast to Normanton on the Gulf of Carpentaria shows growing fireball exploding with a loud boom

Research sheds light on how endotoxins play role in increasing risk of obesity and type 2 diabetesFragments of bacteria leaking into the body from the gut are damaging fat cells and driving weight gain, research suggests.Scientists at Nottingham Trent University have found that these microbe fragments, known as endotoxins, are able to enter the bloodstream and directly affect how well fat cells function. Continue reading...

Conquering diseases that appear among elderly people will eventually make life better for everyoneWhen members of the Hårga – Ari Aster’s Swedish cult in Midsommar – reach the age of 72, they are instructed to jump off a very high cliff. “They have reached the end of their life cycle,” the Hårga explain, Swedishly, to their dumbfounded American guests.As horror films go, it’s an unexpected twist – all the more so because it bucks what might be described as the genre’s most unrelenting theme, which is that the elderly are almost always villains, not victims. Throughout the long history of horror, the old have waited, jealously, to feast on the young, either in over-friendly cabals (Get Out, Rosemary’s Baby, Hereditary), or alone (X, Saw). All versions, perhaps, of horror’s longest-lived baddie: the vampire.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a letter of up to 250 words to be considered for publication, email it to us at observer.letters@observer.co.uk Continue reading...

The only mammals that fly are not affected by coronaviruses. Scientists are trying to work out whyWidely depicted as evil spirits or blood-sucking demons, bats have had a poor press over the years. No vampire film, from Dracula to Buffy, has been complete without an entrance of one of these harbingers of death.But these grim portrayals demean the bat. We have much to learn from them, insist researchers who now believe bats could be crucial in helping us cope with future pandemics. Continue reading...

AI can fight the climate crisis and fuel a renewable-energy revolution. It could also kill countless jobs or incite nuclear warThe last few months have been by far the most exciting of my 17 years working on artificial intelligence. Among many other advances, OpenAI’s ChatGPT – a type of AI known as a large language model – smashed records in January to become the fastest-growing consumer application of all time, achieving 100 million users in two months.No one knows for certain what’s going to happen next with AI. There’s too much going on, on too many fronts, behind too many closed doors. However, we do know that AI is now in the hands of the world, and, as a consequence, the world seems likely to be transformed.Michael Osborne is a professor of machine learning at the University of Oxford, and a co-founder of Mind Foundry Continue reading...

Experts predict US-approved fezolinetant can be a ‘blockbuster’ for thousands of women in the UKMenopause treatments will be revolutionised by a drug that acts directly on the brain to prevent hot flushes, leading doctors have predicted.Speaking after the US approved the first non-hormonal menopause drug, made by Astellas Pharma, experts said the treatment could be transformative for the hundreds of thousands of women in the UK for whom hormone replacement drugs (HRT) are not suitable. The drug, fezolinetant, was licensed in the US on 12 May and could be approved for use in the UK by the end of the year. Continue reading...

Researchers identify differences in bacteria that colonise the gut in adults living with obesityThe gut bacteria of a toddler can predict whether they will be overweight later in life, research suggests.The study, led by Gaël Toubon from the Université Sorbonne Paris, looked at the data from 512 infants who were part of a study that tracked the lives of 18,000 children born in France. Continue reading...

Prehistoric Planet’s intimate, moving CGI footage is revolutionising natural history – and it’s presented by a national treasure. We meet the creators of a unique TV seriesJurassic Park was released 30 years ago, but in those three decades our perception of dinosaurs has largely remained static. In the public consciousness, they were giant, scaly beasts with huge claws and teeth who spent their days chasing down victims and ripping them apart in brutal fashion. Think dinosaur and you will probably picture a primal, primitive force of unbelievable fury.And then along comes the new series of Prehistoric Planet (Apple TV+), which, in a single instant, undoes almost everything we thought we knew. The instant in question concerns the Hatzegopteryx: a vast, vicious-looking, giraffe-sized pterosaur. Had the Hatzegopteryx been depicted on screen at any point until now, it would undoubtedly have been to swoop down like a monster and gobble up its prey. Continue reading...

Wylam, Northumberland: Why would a rare mountain flower be found here? The answer lies in the soilThis lowland pastoral landscape around Northumberland Wildlife Trust’s Close House Riverside reserve, on the north bank of the Tyne, is an unlikely place to find a mountain wild flower, the nationally scarce alpine pennycress. But in spring, an area of grassland about the size of a football pitch is enlivened by its blunt-ended white flower spikes, tinged mauve when they first open.Percy Thrower, whose TV gardening shows earned him celebrity status in the 1960s and 70s, would surely have had a theory as to why this montane member of the cabbage family thrives here. He often prefaced answers to botanical conundrums with the phrase “the answer lies in the soil”, and that indeed explains why Noccaea caerulescens is abundant on the reserve. This is calaminarian grassland, a rare habitat contaminated with centuries of accumulated heavy metal deposits, washed downriver from mine spoil tips in the high Pennines – arguably one of the happier outcomes of pollution, for this species at least. Continue reading...

PM sounds a more cautious note after calls from tech experts and business leaders for moratoriumThe UK will lead on limiting the dangers of artificial intelligence, Rishi Sunak has said, after calls from some tech experts and business leaders for a moratorium.Sunak said AI could bring benefits and prove transformative for society, but it had to be introduced “safely and securely with guard rails in place”. Continue reading...

My friend Keith Neal, who has died aged 84, taught biology at Manchester grammar school (MGS) for 23 years, turning it from an elite, esoteric A-level to one of the most popular subjects at GCSE.As head of department, and ardent environmentalist, he enthused his students through his knowledge and adventurous field trips. He was an internationalist, taking students to India in 1988 and 1993, and on a groundbreaking trip to China in the late 1990s. Continue reading...

Evidence suggests ancient Mesopotamians kissed and practice could be more culturally universal than previously thoughtHumanity’s earliest record of kissing dates back about 4,500 years in the ancient Middle East, 1,000 years earlier than previously thought, according to researchers.Scientists have highlighted evidence that suggests kissing was practised in some of the earliest Mesopotamian societies and documented in ancient texts from 2500BC that have been largely overlooked. Continue reading...

Limits on numbers at Paris summit mean some of those ‘most needing to be heard’ will not be in attendanceScientists and NGOs have accused the UN’s environment programme (Unep) of locking out those “most needing to be heard” from upcoming negotiations in Paris aimed at halting plastic waste.Last-minute restrictions to the numbers of NGOs attending what the head of Unep described as the “most important multilateral environmental deal” in a decade will exclude people from communities in developing countries harmed by dumping and burning of plastic waste as well as marginalised waste pickers, who are crucial to recycling, from fully participating, they said. Continue reading...

From self-cannibalism to spilling tomato sauce down my wedding dress, my nightmares are trying to keep me realJust what is the function of a recurring nightmare? Why am I forever doomed to be nude in different workplaces? Are these fantasies constructed to rehearse for the play of your life? Or are they, as I suspect, a way for your brain to chop down the tall poppy of your psyche?Maybe my brain worms are just trying to get me to keep it real. Continue reading...

There are now two impressive possible treatments for this form of dementia. But concerns remain over cost and potential side-effectsCould a new treatment developed by the US pharmaceutical company Lilley mean “the beginning of the end” of Alzheimer’s? Could we even cure the disease some day? These are the types of headlines and questions swirling around after news of a new drug, called donanemab, showed promising results in phase-3 trials at slowing down the decline in cognitive functions and reducing the deterioration in the ability to undertake daily tasks independently.Alzheimer’s is the most common cause of dementia, accounting for 60-70% of cases. It is not a normal part of ageing, even though it largely affects those over 65. It’s a degenerative disease where symptoms worsen over years, starting with mild memory loss and moving towards the complete loss of ability to recognise loved ones and caregivers, confusion and disorientation between the past and present, and the inability to live independently. It can be heartbreaking for families to watch the deterioration of loved ones who almost become like a different person, with extreme mood and behavioural changes.Prof Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...

Prehistoric hearths found near Madrid date back about 250,000 years, with nearby tools showing food tracesPrehistoric humans in Europe might have been sitting round campfires built to toast snacks as early as 250,000 years ago – 50,000 years earlier than originally thought, researchers have suggested.Human species have a long association with fire, with some sites suggesting its controlled use dates back more than 700,000 years in Africa and the Middle East and at least 400,000 years in Europe. Continue reading...

Indian drug company to make cheaper generic version of CAB-LA, potentially protecting millions of people in Africa from the virusAn affordable version of a groundbreaking HIV-prevention drug will be made in South Africa for the first time, potentially giving millions of people at risk of HIV infection in Africa access to a two-monthly jab that can almost eliminate their chances of contracting the virus.The Indian drug company Cipla confirmed that a generic version of the prophylaxis, long-acting cabotegravir (CAB-LA), would be manufactured at its plants in Benoni, near Johannesburg, or Durban. Continue reading...

A first-of-its-kind non-hormonal drug to treat hot flushes has been approved in the US. Targeting connections in the brain that change during menopause, the drug, called fezolinetant, could provide relief for those who aren’t able to take hormonal replacement therapy. Madeleine Finlay speaks to endocrinologist and menopause specialist Prof Annice Mukherjee to find out what we know about the mechanism that causes hot flushes, how this new drug works, and what it might mean for those experiencing menopause in the future. Continue reading...

Researchers seeking alternative to cutting or burning away affected cells turn to device used on verrucasA medical device that uses microwaves to destroy verrucas could provide a less invasive way of treating pre-cancers and cancers caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), as well as genital warts.Almost all cervical cancers and most cancers of the vagina, vulva, penis and anus are caused by HPV. Certain variants of the virus cause genital warts, a sexually transmitted infection that affects 3-4% of British adults. Continue reading...

Scientists find antibodies for widespread Epstein-Barr virus can misfire and attach to protein in brain and spinal cordScientists have uncovered how a common childhood virus could trigger multiple sclerosis (MS), in findings that could pave the way for new treatments for the devastating condition.The research suggests that the body’s immune response to the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a normally harmless infection, can misfire and mistakenly target a crucial protein in the brain and spinal cord. Continue reading...

Nestled in Arkansas, the Buddhist center is remote and summers are sweltering. I spent a week shadowing practitioners to learn whether it changed them in the ways they had hopedAni Wangmo and I are being tailgated. We’re in a white pickup truck, and the man behind us is driving a mid-size silver Pontiac. There’s real risk: deer and armadillo are splattered all over the narrow, cliffside Ozark road. If we need to stop suddenly, there’s nowhere for the Pontiac to swerve. The car will drive into us, the oncoming lane, or off the cliff.We’re on the six-hour grocery run that Wangmo makes twice a month for the practitioners who are in retreat at the Katog Rit’hröd Buddhist center in Parthenon, Arkansas. These practitioners cannot go into town: they’re immersed in a three-year, off-grid retreat to intensively practice and study Nyingma Tibetan Buddhism. Continue reading...

‘Digital twin’ of ship created by deep-sea mapping firm may help shed new light on 1912 sinkingThe Titanic has been depicted in unprecedented detail in the first full-sized digital scan of the wreck.The unique 3D view of the entire vessel, seen as if the water has been drained away, could reveal fresh clues about how she came to sink on her maiden voyage in 1912. The scans also preserve a “digital twin” of the ship, which is rapidly being destroyed by iron-eating bacteria, salt corrosion and deep ocean currents. Continue reading...

The ink blots have been used as a diagnostic tool for 100 years, but the making of new ones, every five years, has been a closely guarded secret – until nowFor images that have been reproduced for more than a century and looked at, quite intently, by millions of people, there is a great deal of secrecy surrounding the Rorschach ink blots. These famous cards – both intensely guarded and instantly recognisable – continue to be used for psychological diagnosis around the world. New copies are only printed every five years or so, and no one has ever been allowed to document the process. So when I asked the publisher recently if I might do so, I had not expected them to say yes. There were conditions, of course: the most perplexing of which was that if I were to document the printing of the Rorschach ink blots, I must do so without revealing any information about the printing of the Rorschach ink blots. It seemed a test as exquisitely elegant as the one for which the cards themselves are used.The ink blots are named after Hermann Rorschach, a Swiss psychologist who died so young that he only makes it halfway through his biography. One Sunday in late March 1922 he is taking his wife Olga to see Peer Gynt at the theatre and a week – five pages – later he’s dead. He had been born in Zürich 37 years earlier, the first of three children – two boys and a girl – to Philippine and Ulrich. His father was an extremely skilled artist and wrote a 100-page treatise titled Outline of a Theory of Form in which he considered many aspects of visual perception, asking: “Who among us has not often and with pleasure turned our eyes and imagination to the ever-changing shapes and movements of the clouds and the mist?”. Hermann became a gifted student and joined the elite academic Gymnasium in Schaffhausen, northern Switzerland. His skill as an artist was perhaps his defining characteristic, however, and led to his admiringly mocking nickname of Klex, a shortening of klexen or klecksen, which means something like “to daub”. Klex also means ink blot. Continue reading...

Here before the dinosaurs, plants now face extinction due to illegal trade and vanishing tropical forestsCycads are the most threatened group of plants in the world. These ancient plants date back about 280m years, before the age of the dinosaurs, and they look primeval, with a rugged chunky trunk rising into a crown of stiff feathery leaves.They are disappearing as their tropical forest habitats are rapidly vanishing, and they also face extinction from an illegal multimillion-pound global trade in wild cycads. The rarer they become, the more their value increases, with some individual specimens selling for millions of pounds each. Continue reading...

Decades-long study involving over 250,000 Swedish men establishes strong link to risk of fatal prostate cancerMen who put on 2st (12.7kg) before turning 30 are 27% more likely to die from prostate cancer in old age than those who maintain their teenage weight, early research suggests.A decades-long study into more than 250,000 Swedish men indicated there was a strong link between men gaining weight across their healthiest years and developing prostate cancer. Continue reading...

Paediatrician and geneticist determined to save the lives of children in countries where malaria is endemicMalaria kills more than half a million people every year, mostly children under the age of five in Africa. Saving the lives of those children was the lifelong mission of Dominic Kwiatkowski, who has died suddenly aged 69.Allied to that ambition was his vision that genetic sequencing – a technology that was beginning to be affordable on a large scale in the 2000s – could answer questions about why some children died and others survived. Continue reading...

Chinese and Australian researchers have identified that a dye used in medical imaging can block the toxic effects

We have the tools to prepare, but post-Covid fatigue and a lack of political will mean they aren’t being usedLast month a pet dog in Canada died of H5N1, also known as bird flu, after eating a wild goose. Worryingly this follows a pattern, with an increasing number of bird flu cases appearing in mammals who come into contact with an infected bird, dead or alive.When you see a wild bird such as a duck or seagull, think bird flu. Because it’s actually more likely than not they’re infected with the virus. And many species of wild birds are asymptomatic, meaning that they don’t show any symptoms. The risk of transmission to pets is low, but they can get sick from chewing or eating an infected bird, whether it’s dead or alive.Devi Sridhar is chair of global public health at the University of Edinburgh Continue reading...