Ispace loses communication with Hakuto-R lunar lander, ending a mission that began more than four months agoA Japanese startup attempting the first private landing on the moon has lost communication with its spacecraft and said that it assumes the lunar mission had failed.Ispace said that it could not establish communication with the uncrewed Hakuto-R lunar lander after its expected landing time, a frustrating end to a mission that began with a launch from the US more than four months ago. Continue reading...
Authors say scientist’s role was acknowledged at the time of discovery – contrary to popular narrativeIn the story of how Francis Crick and James Watson discovered the structure of DNA, the popular narrative is one of skullduggery and deceit. But now researchers say there is a twist in the tale of the double helix.It has long been held that Rosalind Franklin’s X-ray diffraction image known as Photo 51 was illicitly shown to Watson, revealing to him that DNA has a double helix and allowing him and his colleague Crick to deduce the structure and claim the glory. Continue reading...
The enormous expense of these rockets could have been spent on addressing the many crises that we face on our fragile planetOne strong argument in favor of heavily taxing the super-rich is that billionaires so often seem to have profoundly misguided ideas about how to spend their money. They waste it on solid gold toilets, or – like the Sacklers and the Russian oligarchs supporting Putin’s war – they use it to do harm. Most commonly, they fund wildly expensive vanity projects that gratify their egos while solidifying their position as masters of the universe who are socially, economically and physically insulated from the rest of us.Among the most ambitious and widely publicized of these programs is the spaceport, SpaceX, that Elon Musk has built in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley, not far from the Mexican border. Musk founded Space Exploration technologies in 2002. His stated aim is to produce rocket ships capable of transporting a hundred passengers and large amounts of supplies and equipment into outer space – to explore the moon and eventually, Musk hopes, to colonize Mars. The first Falcon 1 rockets were tested in 2006. Twenty-six rockets have been launched in 2023 alone.Francine Prose is a former president of Pen American Center and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences Continue reading...
Rather than board the injection bandwagon, Britain should be taxing unhealthy food and clamping down on marketingHumankind has been freed from the threat of disease by some wonderful, transformative inventions, from smallpox injections to the Covid vaccinations. With all due respect, I don’t think the so-called skinny jab is one of them.A boom in injectable weight-loss drugs, such as Wegovy from the Danish pharmaceutical giant Novo Nordisk, a biological type 2 diabetes medication containing semaglutide, has promised to revolutionise obesity treatment in recent months. For some people with serious obesity-related health conditions, these appetite suppressants will indeed be a life-saver. Trials show Wegovy can help people lose 15% of their body weight, and the drug has been approved by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (Nice) for use in the NHS. That’s good news for people whose health is already suffering.Sarah Boseley is the Guardian’s former health editor Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Andrew Gregory, on (#6B49E)
Experts and campaigners have been pointing out the racial disparities in maternal healthcare for years. The latest report to highlight the issue comes from the UK government’s women and equalities committee. MPs behind the report have condemned the government’s failure to address the gulf in outcomes. So why are black and Asian women still more at risk from childbirth? Madeleine Finlay hears what it can be like to navigate the maternity system as a woman of colour, and speaks to Guardian health editor Andrew Gregory and Prof Shakila Thangaratinam about what lies behind the statistics and what can be doneRead Andrew Gregory and Mabel Banfield-Nwachi’s reporting here.Read the Guardian view on race and maternal health here. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6B43W)
Study suggests antimicrobial used to promote livestock growth breeds bacteria more resistant to our natural defencesThe blanket use of antibiotics in farming has led to the emergence of bacteria that are more resistant to the human immune system, scientists have warned.The research suggests that the antimicrobial colistin, which was used for decades as a growth promoter on pig and chicken farms in China, resulted in the emergence of E coli strains that are more likely to evade our immune system’s first line of defence. Continue reading...
Everyone is susceptible to misinformation or being led astray online. Here’s how to know when to follow your intuition or look for more factsCast your mind back to 2008, and you may remember the imminent end of the world. According to various doomsayers, the opening of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) in Cern was set to create a black hole that would destroy the Earth and everyone on it.We are still standing today – but this fact has not stopped continued speculation about other dark deeds in those subterranean tunnels. In the stranger corners of the internet, you can find reports that the institute is riddled with Satanists, who are set to blast open a multi-dimensional portal into hell – rumours that have been fuelled by a video purporting to reveal a human sacrifice. Continue reading...
As a child I was ‘away with the fairies’, as an adult I ran for miles. Now I use that energy to make my son’s life amazingI was once on a list of two people who lost their work passes at the Guardian more than anyone else. I am chronically chaotic: my wardrobe includes unfolded jumpers and items thrown on top of each other. I am driven by what I can only describe as an inner motor that wants to be doing new things at all times.Given all these symptoms, it’s surprising that it took me until the age of 34 to get a diagnosis of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and it came alongside the birth of my first child. When I was pregnant, it was suggested I might have the condition. As I struggled with the physical and hormonal changes of carrying a child, my mental health plummeted. I was referred to the perinatal mental health team. There, I listed the many symptoms that had plagued my life. ADHD is a lot more than being forgetful. I have had bouts of insomnia so bad that I thought I would never sleep again. My life was driven by impulsiveness that left me ruining relationships and struggling to maintain certain friendships. I was constantly trying to numb an overactive mind. Continue reading...
For most of us, the key to boosting sexual interest is to find what works your accelerator and what slams on the brakes. Could a new hormone treatment play a part in improving sex lives? Plus debunking the most common low libido mythsPeter had never felt particularly interested in sex. Although he’d had various opportunities throughout his adult life, he had always been surprised at how lacklustre his attitude to these sexual encounters was. Maybe he was tired, he’d drunk too much alcohol, or he was worried about his performance – whatever it was, it hadn’t been a major worry until he met his current partner four years ago.“For her, that physical connection with men had always been a big thing,” he says. “I wasn’t interested in it to the same level, and this still creates issues in terms of what the other perceives should be the right amount.” Continue reading...
Research supports the benefits of ‘expressive writing’ – but what makes it so cathartic?Like many anguished teens, I often felt that my best friend was my diary. I would enter my bedroom in a terrible mood, but as the sentences took shape on the page, whatever was troubling me no longer felt like quite as much of a catastrophe. I wasn’t able to extinguish every sadness, but often felt calmer, as if a physical pressure had lifted from my chest.These moments always brought to mind a scene in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in which the headteacher at Hogwarts, Albus Dumbledore, extracts upsetting memories with his magic wand and places them in a shallow bowl, called the “pensieve”, which allows him to view things more dispassionately. Writing, for me, provided the same relief. Continue reading...
Study using modern forecasting to analyse paper records shows severity of event – and how much worse consequences would be todayIt was a storm sufficiently severe to rip up thousands of trees, leave several people dead and to warrant a mention in James Joyce’s novel Ulysses – subsequently taking its name from there.However, it is not until now that researchers have been able to say that the 1903 tempest whipped up winds of a force seen less than once a century – making Storm Ulysses one of the worst ever seen. Continue reading...
Driven by a revamped drug portfolio, AstraZeneca is expected to report revenues of $10.7bn in its latest quarterly resultsNearly a decade after AstraZeneca fended off a hostile takeover approach from US rival Pfizer, the British drug firm has overtaken the Viagra maker in terms of market value, marking a significant moment in its turnaround – and for UK plc.In a week when AstraZeneca and Britain’s second-biggest pharma firm GSK release their latest quarterly results and the main industry body, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry holds its annual conference, all eyes will be on what pharma executives say about the UK as a place to operate and invest in. Continue reading...
How much tongue is too much? Linger or go straight in? Somatic sexologist – and kissing coach – Stella Anna Sonnenbaum gives us a beginner’s guideYour first kiss can be a daunting experience – mine was also my worst, so bad in fact that I broke it off and pretended I needed the plot of Terminator II, which was playing in the background, explaining. A bad first kiss is not unusual, of course. So what are some common mistakes made by rookie kissers, and can veteran snoggers improve?Somatic sexologist Stella Anna Sonnenbaum points to moments “when it’s expected but we don’t really feel like it; that ‘oh my god they’re kind of leaning in, I should do something’” feeling. Continue reading...
Blue-white Regulus and red Algeiba stars will be visible around world in conjunction with moonWe return to Leo, the lion, for our last Starwatch of April. This time it is to see the moon coast between two bright stars in the lion’s body.The chart shows the view looking south south-west from London on 29 April. The moon will be in the second week of the current lunation, having passed the first quarter, and it will now have 67% of its visible surface illuminated by sunlight. Continue reading...
It turns out that within moderation, stress can even be good for youI’m sitting in the back of the plane when the pilot announces we’ve reached maximum altitude. One of the crew gets up and – somewhat theatrically – slides open the side of the plane. In ones and twos, we shuffle towards the open door. When it comes to my turn, standing on the edge of a two-mile vertical drop, I’m more terrified than I’ve ever been.Thankfully, as a first-time jumper, I’m strapped to an experienced parachutist who will guide us down. I don’t even have to take the next step. But my brain is screaming at me not to go through with it. Behind me, my instructor gently pulls my head back so I can hear his reassuring words over the roaring wind. I grit my teeth, take a deep breath, and we tumble forward into the fresh rushing air. Continue reading...
Under the watchful and resourceful eye of award-winning conservationist Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Uganda’s threatened mountain gorilla population has made an impressive recovery – as has the local communityThe Bwindi Impenetrable Forest is tucked away in a remote corner of south-west Uganda. Meaning “place of darkness” in the Runyakitara language, this dense, mist-swathed rainforest makes for a good hiding place for half of the world’s remaining mountain gorillas. The other half, which the American primatologist Dian Fossey so famously befriended, live in Rwanda’s Volcanoes national park.These majestic but shy creatures – whose existence now generates about 60% of Uganda’s tourism revenue – like to hide, especially when they know veterinary intervention is afoot. The gorillas are always outsmarting the humans – if they see someone carrying a dart gun (for sedation, vaccinations, medicine, etc), they’ll walk backwards so as not to expose their backs, where the dart needs to land. They also like to mock-charge at humans, stopping suddenly to indicate they mean no harm, yet leaving no doubt as to who holds the power. And if they’re really not feeling the presence of humans, they’ll outright charge at you. Continue reading...
Learning to feel OK with unpredictability can bring great rewards. Just ask the world’s scientists and artists who embrace doubts and the unknownWe are experiencing now the greatest uncertainty humanity has ever known.” Nine years ago, this statement by Yuval Harari provoked explosive laughter from my teenage daughter. She whispered to me, “what about the blitz? The Black Death? Come on …” I was torn between embarrassment, as heads scowled at a young woman who clearly didn’t know her place, and pride in her critical thinking. That instinctive rejection of Harari’s generational narcissism was valid then and more than justified today: 2014 was a cakewalk compared to 2022.Uncertainty is a mental state brought on when we know we don’t know something about the future. So it’s different from ignorance because, when we feel uncertain, we have enough information to glean how much more we are missing. We know climate change is real but not in enough detail to decide whether to buy sandbags or move house. Epidemiologists are fully confident there will be future epidemics but not when or what the pathogen will be. There is no shortage of data, there’s too much! And it’s ambiguous, susceptible to a wide range of interpretations. The defining characteristic of uncertainty is that, unlike risk, it is unquantifiable. Probability can’t capture its ambiguity or complexity. What we do know, for certain, is that this leaves us deeply uncomfortable. Continue reading...
The psychotherapist on body hatred, what’s changed since she wrote Fat Is a Feminist Issue – and the smell of her clientsSusie Orbach’s first book, Fat Is a Feminist Issue, a pioneering exploration of women’s relationship with eating and body image, became an instant classic when it was published in 1978. Orbach is one of the world’s best-known psychotherapists, lecturing internationally, advising organisations ranging from the NHS to the World Bank, and helping patients who have included Diana, Princess of Wales. The daughter of an American teacher and a Labour MP, Orbach grew up in London, where she still lives and works.What do you remember about writing Fat Is a Feminist Issue?
A lack of equal male partners, rather than career or educational ambitions, is why more women are trying to prolong their fertilitySelfish career-driven women. Gullible dupes of the fertility industry. Victims of the patriarchy. When leading anthropologist Marcia C Inhorn first embarked on her decade-long study of why women freeze their eggs, the popular narrative was largely one of derision.“There was a lot of either blaming women or saying that they’re naïve, stupid and so forth,” says the Yale professor, from a red armchair in her home in New Haven, Connecticut. Continue reading...
Lincolnshire locals are up in arms at an ‘illogical’ order by the council – and even Banksy is thought to be helping them outThe vast sands of Cleethorpes beach can stretch into the horizon at low tide, revealing all kinds of interesting things previously hidden by the sea. It’s the perfect spot for metal detectorists to discover artefacts such as musket balls and ancient coins among the marine debris.Yet the local authority has introduced a ban with the threat of £100 fines for anyone using a metal detector in the area, causing uproar among local people who have combed the beach for decades. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6B1D1)
US study got owners to train their pets to contact other birds using a touchscreen tabletPet parrots that are allowed to make video calls to other birds show signs of feeling less isolated, according to scientists.The study, which involved giving the birds a tablet that they could use to make video calls, found that they began to engage in more social behaviour including preening, singing and play. The birds were given a choice of which “friend” to call on a touchscreen tablet and the study revealed that the parrots that called other birds most often were the most popular choices. Continue reading...
My father, Michel Treisman, who has died aged 93, was a polymath with a store of knowledge and wise advice for every eventuality. He spent most of his career as a lecturer and researcher at Oxford University, where his work on experimental psychology focused primarily on our perception of time.He was best known for proposing a model for the brain’s internal clock and devising methods to measure the rate at which it ticks. However, his interests extended to other fields, including evolutionary biology. For instance, he proposed a novel explanation for motion sickness: he suggested that, when you’re riding in a car, the mismatch between the motion you see and the movement you’re actively making produces an effect similar to that caused by ingesting toxins – a situation in which vomiting can save your life. Continue reading...
Canadian project plans to strengthen understanding of Arctic environment by drawing on Indigenous knowledgeAlexandre Langlois was surprised to learn that snow that has stayed on the ground for a couple days in the Arctic can be heard even before it is felt.Margaret Kanayok, an Inuk elder from Ulukhaktok, an Inuit community in the neighbouring Northwest Territories, had come to speak to a group of scientists who had gathered to attend the world’s first Arctic snow school, being held in Nunavut, Canada. Continue reading...
Artefacts believed to date back to 980s found by girl metal-detecting in cornfield last autumnNearly 300 silver coins believed to be more than 1,000 years old have been discovered near a Viking fortress site in north-west Denmark, a museum has said.The trove – lying in two spots not far apart – was unearthed by a girl who was metal-detecting in a cornfield last autumn. Continue reading...
Research claims to show link between cancer and lye-containing products largely used by black womenCampaigners are calling on the cosmetics company L’Oréal to withdraw its hair-straightening products that are largely used by black women after research linked it to an increased risk of cancer.In an open letter, coordinated by the UK feminist group Level Up, campaigners also ask the company to invest in research on the long-term use of chemical relaxers, which make hair easier to straighten. Continue reading...
Certificate at Exeter to include teaching about existing therapies and research in psychology, psychiatry and neuroscienceA UK university is launching one of the world’s first postgraduate qualifications on psychedelics to teach healthcare workers about using psilocybin, LSD, MDMA and other psychoactive drugs in therapeutic work.The certificate from Exeter University cements psychedelics as an area of scientific importance in the UK. It could help pave the way for clinical therapies becoming available within the next five years, with some treatments being in the final stages of clinical trials. Continue reading...
by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent on (#6B08R)
Marine mammals typically sleep in 10-minute bursts during deep, 30-minute dives to avoid predators, scientists believeSeals dozing on the beach may appear to be enjoying the ultimate life of leisure. However, groundbreaking research has revealed that for most of their lives elephant seals sleep just two hours daily in a series of short naps while performing deep dives.The findings, revealed in the first study to record brain activity in a free-ranging, wild marine mammal, show that during the months they spend at sea, elephant seals rival the record for the least sleep among all mammals, currently held by African elephants. The seals were found to typically sleep in 10-minute bursts during deep, 30-minute dives, often spiralling downwards while dreaming, and occasionally lying down for a nap on the seafloor. Continue reading...
Worms soaked in cannabinoid found to have stronger preference than usual for higher-calorie foodsIt is not just humans that get the munchies: worms also display the same craving for their favourite snacks after consuming cannabis, new research has found.In the study, published in the journal Current Biology, researchers managed to simulate worms getting stoned by soaking them in cannabinoid. Continue reading...
The first feature film shot in space has opened in Russian cinemas, with Moscow celebrating beating a rival Hollywood project. The Challenge is about a surgeon who is sent to the International Space Station to save an injured cosmonaut. Russia sent an actor and a film director to the ISS for 12 days in October 2021 to film scenes onboard the orbiting laboratory. A Hollywood project was announced in 2020 by Tom Cruise in collaboration with Nasa and Elon Musk’s SpaceX Continue reading...
The largest and most powerful rocket ever built blasted off from Texas but blew up within minutes, in a test flight that its makers, SpaceX, hope will be the first step on a human journey to Mars. After a cancelled launch earlier this week due to a pressurisation issue, the 120-metre Starship rocket system took off at 8.33am local time on Thursday. It gathered speed but then started to spin at altitude before exploding about four minutes after leaving the ground. It appeared that the two sections of the rocket system – the booster and cruise vessel – were unable to separate properly after takeoff, possibly causing the spacecraft to fail
Largest and most powerful rocket ever built blasts off on test flight that is hoped to be step on human journey to MarsThe largest and most powerful rocket ever built has blasted off from Texas but blew up within minutes in a test flight that its makers, SpaceX, hope will be the first step on a human journey to Mars.After a cancelled launch earlier this week because of a pressurisation issue, the 120-metre Starship rocket system took off at 8.33am local time (2.33pm in the UK) on Thursday. It gathered speed, but then started to spin at altitude before exploding about four minutes after leaving the ground. Continue reading...
Commonwealth Games medallists since 1930 shown to have greater longevity than general populationTop-level sportspeople can live more than five years longer than the rest of the population, a study has found.Using Commonwealth Games competitor records from since the inaugural event in 1930, the International Longevity Centre UK found large differences in the longevity of medal winners compared with people in the general population born in the same year. Continue reading...
Vladimir Putin hails achievement that beat Hollywood project announced by Tom Cruise, Nasa and Elon Musk’s SpaceXThe first feature film shot in space has premiered in Russian cinemas, with Moscow celebrating beating a rival Hollywood project amid a confrontation with the west.The Challenge is about a surgeon dispatched to the International Space Station to save an injured cosmonaut. Russia sent an actor and a film director for a 12-day stint on the ISS in October 2021 to film scenes onboard the orbiting laboratory. Continue reading...
by Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Chris van Tulle on (#6AZGX)
Sliced supermarket bread, ham, cheese, crisps, a fruit-flavoured yoghurt and a fizzy drink. If this sounds like a standard lunch, you’re not alone. The average person in the UK gets more than 50% of their calories from ultra-processed foods – otherwise known as ‘industrially produced edible substances’. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Chris van Tulleken about what ultra-processed foods are really made of, how they have become a major part of our diets, and the impact they are having on our health Continue reading...
Ukraine had said a satellite reentering the atmosphere was the cause of the phenomenon, but the space agency has denied thisA flash in the sky over the Ukrainian capital prompted confusion and alarm as city authorities said it was caused by a Nasa satellite reentering the atmosphere, while the US space agency denied involvement.A “bright glow” was observed over Kyiv around 10pm local time, the head of Kyiv’s military administration Sergiy Popko wrote on Telegram. Continue reading...
The solar eclipse is seen through telescopes at the Perth Observatory and Learmonth Solar Observatory, south of Exmouth on the west coast of Australia. A total solar eclipse will visible in some parts of the world on April 20, 2023. These include Exmouth and Barrow Island in the Ningaloo region of Western Australia, eastern regions of Timor-Leste and West Papua in Indonesia► Subscribe to Guardian Australia on YouTube
Results of stem cell research could lead to treatment that halts or reverses the processScientists believe they have discovered the mechanism for hair turning grey, which could help develop treatment to alter cells in order to reverse or halt the process.A new study suggests stem cells may get stuck as hair ages and lose their ability to mature and maintain hair colour. Continue reading...
Dr Stephen Wright’s widow considering legal action against AstraZeneca and governmentA doctor died from a rare reaction to the AstraZeneca Covid jab in one of the first rounds of vaccinations, a coroner has ruled.Dr Stephen Wright, 32, an NHS clinical psychologist and frontline health worker, suffered from a combination of a brainstem infarction, bleed on the brain and vaccine-induced thrombosis, an inquest at London’s Southwark coroner’s court heard. Continue reading...
In the 21st century, we are used to picking through the psychological pain and peril of all our fictional heroes. Perhaps we should stopYou never know art better than that which you’re forced to study as a teenager. For my O-level in music I had no choice but to listen in some detail to Malcolm Arnold’s Four Scottish Dances, Beethoven’s Pathétique piano sonata and Fauré’s Requiem. For a lad obsessed with the likes of Led Zeppelin, at the time this represented a traumatic listening experience. But it taught me a valuable lesson: if you’re exposed to any piece of art long enough, eventually it will move you. No pain, no gain, possibly. I’ve loved all three pieces ever since. OK, I failed the O-level, but I can hardly see it as a failure given it opened up a whole genre of music I might have missed. The Requiem has been particularly important to me. I listen to it driving home from the football whenever my team have lost. I listen to it often.As far as literature is concerned, Thomas Hardy’s The Mayor of Casterbridge was a different kettle of fish. I loved it from page one. The first three paragraphs alone still make me want to applaud with my hands above my head, like I do when my team take to the field. Exactly 40 years since my O-level English literature exam (passed, with a grade A, since you ask), I decided to re-read it. Some passages feel as familiar as my name and address, while others – concerning the plot, mainly – ring no bells at all. Weird. Continue reading...
It’s hoped that the skeleton, made up of the bones of three different Tyrannosaurus Rex, will remain on public displayA Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton called Trinity – made up of the bones of three different T-Rexes – has sold for US$6.1m in a rare auction in Switzerland.The skeleton, estimated to be 65m to 67m years old, had been expected to fetch a higher price after it was put up for sale by an anonymous US individual. It was bought by a private European collector of modern art and dinosaur relics at the Koller auction house in Zurich. Continue reading...
UK Biobank study suggests heart scans could help identify early damage and guide post-treatment carePeople who survive cancer may be at heightened risk of cardiovascular disease in subsequent years, data suggests.However, heart scans may identify early heart damage, potentially opening the door to more tailored follow-up care for cancer survivors. Continue reading...
Research adds to growing evidence that pandemic may be contributing to rapid rise in people with diabetesUp to one in 20 new diabetes cases could be related to Covid infection, data suggests.The research adds to mounting evidence the pandemic may be contributing to a rapidly escalating diabetes crisis, with individuals who have experienced more severe Covid at greatest risk. Continue reading...
Some organisms truck along slowly for aeons before suddenly surging into dominance – and something similar often happens with human inventions, too. But why?What are the most successful organisms on the planet? Some people might think of apex predators like lions and great white sharks. For others, insects or bacteria might come to mind. But few would mention a family of plants that we see around us every day: grasses.Grasses meet at least two criteria for spectacular success. The first is abundance. Grasses cover the North American prairies, the African savannahs and the Eurasian steppes, which span 5,000 miles from the Caucasus to the Pacific Ocean. A second criterion is the number and diversity of species. Since the time grasses originated, they have evolved into more than 10,000 species with an astonishing variety of forms, from centimetre-high tufts of hair grass adapted to the freezing cold of Antarctica to the towering grasses of northern India that can hide entire elephant herds, and to Asian bamboo forests, with “trees” that grow up to 30 metres tall. Continue reading...
by Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay with Li on (#6AX3H)
Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Linda Geddes about trying out a virtual reality game that challenges you to keep your heart-rate down while facing a terrifying monster, why it could help with tackling anxiety, and whether the gamification of coping strategies could be the best way to integrate them into our every day livesFind out more about Linda’s virtual reality experience hereClip: Hellblade (Ninja Theory) Continue reading...
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