921,626 articles

Covid inquiry: Johnson surprised ‘eat out to help out’ not cleared by scientists

Former PM also angrily denies comments he made about letting Covid ‘rip’ meant he had been uncaringCovid inquiry live – latest updatesBoris Johnson assumed that Rishi Sunak’s flagship “eat out to help out” hospitality scheme had been cleared by government scientists and was surprised to learn later it was not, the former prime minister has told the inquiry into Covid.In evidence that...

$20,000 monkeys: how demand for lab animals is driving illegal trade in endangered macaques

A lucrative underground trade risks undermining research, creating new pandemics and pushing a recently abundant species to the brinkIn 2019, Jonah Sacha, a researcher at Oregon Health and Science University, received a delivery of 20 monkeys from Mauritius. As part of his research into stem-cell transplants as an HIV treatment, he performs tests on long-tailed macaques.The captive-bred monkeys...

Engineers develop a way to determine how the surfaces of materials behave

Designing new compounds or alloys whose surfaces can be used as catalysts in chemical reactions can be a complex process relying heavily on the intuition of experienced chemists. A team of researchers at MIT has devised a new approach using machine learning, that removes the need for intuition and provides more detailed information than conventional methods can practically achieve.

How carbon removal technology is like a time machine

This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review’s weekly climate newsletter. To receive it in your inbox every Wednesday, sign up here. If you could go back in time, what would you change about your life, or the world? The idea of giving myself some much-needed advice is appealing (don’t cut your own bangs in high school, seriously). But we can think bigger. What about winding the...

Blood test to determine organ age could help predict disease risk

US researchers say findings may also enable doctors to predict progression of Alzheimer’s diseaseUsing a blood test to determine the biological age of a person’s organs could help treat them before they get sick, as well as predicting the progression of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have suggested.A study by academics in the US found people whose organs were ageing...

All the drama from the first week of Cop28 – podcast

Madeleine Finlay hears from biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield who is reporting for the Guardian from Cop28 in Dubai. He describes the rollercoaster first week of highs and lows, which saw a landmark agreement on loss and damage and a tetchy press conference from summit President Sultan Al Jaber. He also sets out what’s still on the table as the second week of negotiations...

A third of new mothers worldwide ‘have lasting health issues after childbirth’

Problems such as back pain, incontinence and depression cause widespread suffering but are underrecognised, global review findsMore than 40 million women a year experience lasting health issues after childbirth, a global review has found, prompting calls for greater recognition of common postnatal problems.The sweeping analysis of maternal health worldwide shows a very high burden of long-term...


WEDNESDAY 6. DECEMBER 2023


NIH’s new chief, Monica Bertagnolli, wants greater ‘equity’ in biomedical research

The new director of the National Institutes of Health said today her highest priority is making NIH-funded clinical research more inclusive and more accessible to the public. “Equity will guide my approach to leading NIH,” Monica Bertagnolli told reporters in her first news conference, a 40-minute Zoom call. But Bertagnolli, a cancer surgeon who became head of NIH last month,...

Physics behind unusual behavior of stars' super flares discovered

Our sun actively produces solar flares that can impact Earth, with the strongest flares having the capacity to cause blackouts and disrupt communications—potentially on a global scale. While solar flares can be powerful, they are insignificant compared to the thousands of "super flares" observed by NASA's Kepler and TESS missions. "Super flares" are produced by stars that are 100–10,000 times...

Scientists investigate Socorro Magma Body to enhance volcanic understanding

Although volcanoes have been extensively studied, unraveling the mysteries of the underlying magma transport proves to be a challenging pursuit. Grant Block, a graduate student in The University of New Mexico's Department of Physics & Astronomy, recently conducted a thorough study of the Socorro Magma Body (SMB) in Socorro, N.M., which provides a window into magmatic processes important in...

Researchers investigate how climate change drivers reshape ocean methane and nitrous oxide cycles

The ocean is a critical life-support system for our planet through its role in global climate regulation. It absorbs most of the carbon emissions and heat trapped in the atmosphere, which result from human activities. Over the years, this has led to ocean warming (OW), ocean acidification (OA), and ocean deoxygenation (OD). Moreover, increased anthropogenic nitrogen deposition (AND) has largely...

Review: PROTACs targeting epigenetic proteins

The field of epigenetics focuses on alterations in gene function that are inherited without changes in the DNA sequence, including histone modifications, post-translational modifications of amino acids, and covalent modifications of DNA bases. These alteration pathways modulate the transformation of genotypes into specific phenotypes.

Climate negotiators get down to business at COP28 summit

COP28 is approaching the end of the first week and the kings, presidents and prime ministers have flown off. Now, hundreds of seasoned climate diplomats must get down to the tough job of negotiating a text that everyone can agree on. Adnan Amin, who as chief executive officer of COP28 is one of Sultan Al-Jaber's most senior lieutenants, said in an interview there are several areas that are likely...

Researchers develop grassroots framework for managing environmental commons

A team of sustainability scientists recently announced that they have developed a community-based framework, founded on extensive local and traditional knowledge, to help assess and respond to the kinds of ecological threats that are widely dispersed across a varied landscape and whose solutions are not immediately obvious. The framework, which was developed to address watershed issues in...

Fungus-fighting protein could help overcome severe autoimmune disease and cancer

A protein in the immune system programmed to protect the body from fungal infections is also responsible for exacerbating the severity of certain autoimmune diseases such as irritable bowel disease (IBS), type 1 diabetes, eczema and other chronic disorders, new research has found.  The discovery could pave the way for new and more effective drugs, without the nasty side effects of existing...