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40,083 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

The virus that infects almost everyone, and its link to cancer and MS – podcast

On 28 March it is the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discovered in association with a rare type of cancer located in Africa, but is now understood to be implicated in 1% of cancers, as well as the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, among others. Ian Sample meets Lawrence Young, professor of molecular...

Daniel Kahneman, renowned psychologist and Nobel prize winner, dies at 90

The Israeli-American’s first book, Thinking, Fast and Slow, was a worldwide bestseller with revolutionary ideas about human error and biasDaniel Kahneman, a psychologist who pioneered theories in behavioural economics that heavily influenced the discipline, and won him a Nobel prize, has died at age 90.Kahneman, who wrote bestselling book Thinking, Fast and Slow, argued against the notion that...


WEDNESDAY 27. MARCH 2024


Hormone medication could increase risk of brain tumours, study finds

Patients taking certain progestogens as a contraceptive or for gynaecological conditions may be more likely to develop growths, researchers sayMillions of women around the world who use certain hormone drugs for contraception and to manage conditions such as endometriosis may have a raised risk of rare, usually benign, brain tumours, researchers say.Scientists found that prolonged use of certain...

Perimenopause has brought chaos to my life - but also peace

Trying to learn about menopause has been disorienting, but Angela Garbes has also experienced ‘a softening, an openness’In my 20s and 30s, I went hard, driven by a desire to live life fully. I wanted to stay up all night having heated conversations, collect experiences and adventures, make art and meaning from everything that happened. Somewhere in the far-off distance I pictured myself making...

Scientists link 2019 Iranian landslide to building of dam

Researchers studying satellite data show slope near village of Hoseynabad-e Kalpush moved after reservoir began to be filledIn recent decades there has been a dramatic rise in the number of dams being built, to keep pace with demand for water or to provide power. Concerns have been raised about increased landslide activity near new dams, and now a study has demonstrated a conclusive link in at...

Country diary: The flowering blackthorn is a plant of glorious contrasts | Josie George

Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire: Now is its time to shine, and having no leaves yet, it is purest black and white, spines and starsWhile the magnolia’s decidedly middle-class flowering dominates everyone’s attention, I prefer the hidden, grubbier events of spring, the kind I know we’ll find down the muddy path that runs between the industrial units and the strip of boggy wetland on our old...

Two nights of broken sleep can make people feel years older, finds study

Beyond simply feeling decrepit, perception of being older can affect health by encouraging unhealthy eating and reducing exerciseTwo nights of broken sleep are enough to make people feel years older, according to researchers, who said consistent, restful slumber was a key factor in helping to stave off feeling one’s true age.Psychologists in Sweden found that, on average, volunteers felt more...


TUESDAY 26. MARCH 2024


Scientists turn to AI to make beer taste even better

Researchers in Belgium use artificial intelligence to improve taste, but say the skill of the brewer remains vitalWhether you prefer a fruity lambic or a complex Trappist, Belgian beers have long been famed for their variety, quality and heritage. Now, researchers say they have harnessed the power of artificial intelligence to make brews even better.Prof Kevin Verstrepen, of KU Leuven university,...

Boots to offer Covid vaccines in England for nearly £100 a jab

Pharmacy to offer Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to those not eligible for NHS booster shot from next weekBoots is to offer Covid vaccinations for almost £100 a shot, making it the latest provider to sell the jabs to those not eligible for a booster through the NHS.The company has confirmed it will offer the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine to healthy customers in England aged 12 and over from next week, at a...

What could a severe solar storm do to Earth, and are we prepared? – podcast

The sun is currently ramping up to hit the peak of its 11-year activity cycle. In the past few days, powerful solar eruptions have sent a stream of particles towards Earth which are set to produce spectacular auroras in both hemispheres. But these kinds of geomagnetic storms can also have less appealing consequences. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Dr Lisa Upton, a solar scientist at the Southwest...


MONDAY 25. MARCH 2024


I helped advise the US government on the next likely pandemic. What I learned is alarming | Devi Sridhar

The 100-day challenge, to be able to contain a virus while a vaccine is approved, manufactured and delivered, looks ever more remoteFour years on from the first Covid lockdown, life feels to be largely back to normal, although legacies of the pandemic remain. Collective amnesia seems to have set in. Politicians seem eager to move forward and not relive the decisions, delays and deaths that...

The fight to cure South Sudan’s mysterious neurological disorder

Nodding syndrome is a distressing disease that stunts growth, harms brains and sparks convulsions. Though its cause is still unknown, there is now hope that epilepsy drugs can help afflicted childrenThe other children move away, frightened, when the convulsions start. Tabo takes a long, guttural breath before slumping on to the ground unconscious, her entire body shaking. The 17-year-old’s...

Northern lights predicted across US and UK on Monday night in wake of solar storms

Spectacular aurora borealis caused by geomagnetic storms on sun’s surface may be visible in North America as far south as the midwestSolar eruptions are sending a stream of particles towards Earth, creating spectacular auroras in both hemispheres.The aurora borealis – in the northern hemisphere – will be potentially visible on Monday night in the US as far south as the midwest. The northern...

AI to track hedgehog populations in pioneering UK project

National Hedgehog Monitoring Programme aims to understand why population has declinedArtificial intelligence will be used for the first time to track hedgehog populations as part of a pioneering project aimed at understanding how many of them are left in the UK and why they have suffered a decline.Images of the prickly mammals snuffling around urban parks, private gardens, woodlands and farmland...

Spectacular aurora australis expected after severe geomagnetic storm eruption on sun’s surface

Southern lights may be visible in Tasmania, along Victoria’s coastline and on Western Australia’s south-west coastFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastThe spectacular aurora australis could be visible from Victoria to Western Australia this week after a severe geomagnetic storm erupted on the sun’s...

Scientists call for protection of moon sites that could advance astronomy

Fears raised that prime lunar locations for universe-unravelling instruments are in danger from imminent wave of human activityAstronomers are calling for the urgent protection of sites on the moon that are rated the best spots in the solar system for advanced instruments designed to unveil the secrets of the universe.The prime locations are free from ground vibration, shielded from Earth’s...


SUNDAY 24. MARCH 2024


Princess of Wales’ diagnosis: cancers in young are rising, but so are survival rates

Early diagnosis and better awareness mean tumours can be caught early – and when disease is found, under-45s can often tolerate chemotherapy betterProf Andrew Beggs of Birmingham University runs a special clinic for young people with cancer and has noted, as have other experts, that more and more people under the age of 45 are being diagnosed with some form of the condition.“There are a number...

‘Truth behind the myths’: Amazon warrior women of Greek legend may really have existed

Excavations of bronze age graves have found battle-scarred female archers, says the historian Bettany HughesIn Greek legends, the Amazons were feared and formidable women warriors who lived on the edge of the known world. Hercules had to obtain the magic girdle of the Amazonian queen Hippolyte in one of his 12 labours, and Achilles killed another queen, Penthesilea, only to fall in love with...


SATURDAY 23. MARCH 2024


Alzheimer’s ‘breakthrough’ stalls: why a much-hyped drug is facing approval delays

The benefits of drugs such as donanemab, aducanumab and lecanemab are proving harder to quantify than potential harms, experts sayIt was heralded in news articles as a “breakthrough”, a “turning point” and a “gamechanger” for Alzheimer’s disease. Some experts went so far as to call the drug, donanemab, the “beginning of the end” for the debilitating condition.Pharmaceutical...

How Covid lockdowns hit mental health of teenage boys hardest

New research findings are contrary to what had previously been thought about pandemic’s effect on children’s wellbeingTeenage boys were hit hardest by the Covid lockdowns, with their mental health failing to recover despite the return to normality, according to the most comprehensive academic study of its kind.Early research into how lockdown affected children indicated that girls had suffered...

Is Science Museum’s green power gallery tainted by fossil fuel cash?

Museum’s funding by Indian energy group sparks controversy – with activists calling for boycott of ‘tainted’ partnership but others in full supportIt is intended to be an ­exploration of humanity’s past and future efforts to decarbonise the way we live. Historical objects mixed with interactive displays will show how environmentally friendly energy systems are shaped by imagination and...

How rightwing groups used junk science to get an abortion case before the US supreme court

Anti-abortion researchers ‘exaggerate’ and ‘obfuscate’ in their scientific papers – but by the time they’re published, it’s too lateExplainer: the mifepristone caseTell us: have you used an abortion pill in the US?A pharmacy professor who strenuously avoids heated political discussions is an unlikely candidate to get involved in a fight over abortion, particularly one as high stakes...

UK genetics project looks for lost apple varieties to protect fruit in climate crisis

Heritage orchard at RHS Rosemoor to be sampled this spring as part of search for previously unrecorded ‘survivor’ cultivarsGardeners are searching for lost apple varieties by sequencing the genetics of trees in ancient orchards, in the hope they hold traits that can help the fruit survive climate breakdown.Heritage apple trees at the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) garden Rosemoor will be...

Coffee drinkers have much lower risk of bowel cancer recurrence, study finds

Exclusive: Scientists say people with disease who drink two to four cups a day are less likely to see it returnPeople with bowel cancer who drink two to four cups of coffee a day are much less likely to see their disease come back, research has found.People with the illness who consume that amount are also much less likely to die from any cause, the study shows, which suggests coffee helps those...

Long Covid may be nothing unique in the future – but its effects today are still very real | Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz

While the long-term risk from a current infection is 10 times less than it was in 2020-21, a lot of people are still suffering after getting Covid early in the pandemicGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastLong Covid is one of the most controversial topics remaining about the pandemic. Depending on who you ask, it is either a real and current threat to the health...