Every summer in the Faroe Islands hundreds of pilot whales and dolphins are slaughtered in drive hunts known as the "grind" that residents defend as a long-held tradition.

Physics researchers at the University of Bath in the UK discover a new physical effect relating to the interactions between light and twisted materials—an effect that is likely to have implications for emerging new nanotechnologies in communications, nanorobotics and ultra-thin optical components.

The ruler with a rulerEarlier this month, Russia’s Prime Minister, Mikhail Mishustin, marked the first day of the school year by visiting a sixth form maths class at one of his country’s top science-oriented schools.The class was studying a problem about business. “Why do you guys need to do business projects in [school]?” he asked. “Fundamental knowledge is needed here, right?”...

Dispersal, the process where animals reaching sexual maturity move away from family, is important for maintaining genetic diversity and is key to the long-term persistence of natural populations. For most animals, this involves having to make risky journeys into the unknown in the hope of finding new communities in which to settle and reproduce. However, many animal societies—including those of...

This is the full moon closest to the autumn equinox, the day when the lengths of day and night are equalThis week watch for the beautiful harvest moon to rise above the horizon on Tuesday. The harvest moon is defined as the full moon closest to the autumnal equinox.This year, the equinox falls on the 22 September, and the moment of full moon takes place on 21 September at 00.54 BST. The moon will...

Boris Johnson says he has a "six out of 10" chance of securing pledges before the COP26 conference.

Guardian Australia picture editor Carly Earl explains the dos and don’ts of taking pictures of tonight’s full moonWith the September 2021 full moon rising, also known as the harvest moon, many people will pull out their mobile phones to try and take an Instagram-worthy picture, but unfortunately the moon is really challenging to get a great photo of.Two reasons: it is very far away and unless...

A swarm of bees has killed 63 endangered African penguins on a beach outside Cape Town, the Southern African Foundation for the Conservation of Coastal Birds said on Sunday.

The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke after days of increased seismic activity, sparking evacuations of people living nearby, authorities said.

Scientists in B.C. and Washington state are hopeful that three pregnancies discovered in the critically endangered southern resident orcas' J pod could help save the species. But other threats...

New drug combination shrunk tumours significantly in 46% of patients with treatment-resistant form of disease Thousands of women with ovarian cancer could benefit from a revolutionary drug combination after it was shown to shrink tumours in half of patients with an advanced form of the disease.The pair of drugs – which work together to block the signals cancer cells need to grow – could offer...

Fifty years ago, an ad-hoc group of environmentalists gathered in Vancouver's Kitsilano neighbourhood with a shared goal of stopping the U.S. from testing nuclear weapons off the western coast of Alaska. Today, Greenpeace is the most recognized environmental organization in the...

Four-person crew asked for the public’s help in reaching fundraising target of $200m for the children’s charity St JudeElon Musk surprised his first all-private crew of space tourists with a welcome home gift after their trailblazing trip to orbit ended on Saturday night: a $50m donation to the children’s charity St Jude. Related: ‘The point is ambition’: are we ready to follow Netflix...

Exclusive: NHS launching large trial of approach that could boost number of transplants and their success rateThousands of lives could be saved globally by giving patients a 10p statin before transplants, doctors have said, as the NHS launches the world’s largest clinical trial in organ donors.The medical breakthrough is predicted to dramatically increase the supply of organs for transplant....

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsI understand that tears flush away foreign objects from the eye. But what advantage does crying have when one is feeling sad (or happy)? Perhaps it is to signal an extreme of emotion, but then why would a solitary sad person...

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four space tourists safely ended their trailblazing trip to orbit Saturday with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the ocean just before sunset, not far from where their chartered flight began three days earlier. The all-amateur crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. The...

In late January, Elon Musk tweeted that he planned to give $100 million to promising carbon removal technologies, stirring the hopes of researchers and entrepreneurs. A few weeks later, Arin Crumley, a filmmaker who went on to develop electric skateboards, announced that a team was forming on Clubhouse, the audio app popular in Silicon Valley,…

Four space tourists safely ended their trailblazing trip to orbit Saturday with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast.

As we engage again in social situations, the new etiquette rules are bewilderingThe other day, flogging tickets to the school summer fair – now the autumn fair due to last term’s endless self-isolation – another parent leaned across the trestle table and squeezed my arm.The sheer unexpectedness of it threw me. It felt as surprising as a slap. When did I last make physical contact with...

Commuters explain their reasons for not covering upCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe “do as I say, not as I do” approach to political messaging was again displayed last week when Boris Johnson urged people to wear masks in enclosed spaces, shortly after leading a cabinet meeting of 27 maskless ministers and eight similarly uncovered observers.Studies suggest...

FDA emergency authorizations boost use of periodic antibody injections, or PrEP, to complement vaccinationsA proud sports mom, Shantay Brown longs to pack into a crowded stadium for her son’s Ohio State football games and scream her face off over the action on the field. Related: Doctors treating unvaccinated Covid patients are succumbing to compassion fatigue Continue...

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule carrying four 'amateur astronauts' parachutes safely into the Atlantic off the Florida coast after a three-day orbiting journey. The crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. The billionaire who paid undisclosed millions for the trip and his three guests wanted to show that ordinary people could blast into orbit by themselves, and SpaceX...

Boris Johnson will also visit the White House for the first time since Joe Biden became US President.

Premier Dan Andrews is to release Victoria’s roadmap out of lockdown a day after protests in Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Brisbane. Follow updates liveCovid vaccine rollout and rates tracker; Cases, trends and data trackerGet our free news app; Get our morning email briefing 12.53am BST If you’re still catching up on the latest twist in Christian Porter’s ongoing travails, my colleague...

The four amateur astronauts landed safely in the Atlantic Ocean after three days orbiting Earth.

The four-person crew thanked mission control as they splashed down in the AtlanticFour space tourists ended their trailblazing trip to orbit on Saturday with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast.Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the ocean just before sunset, not far from where their chartered flight began three days earlier. Continue...

Seaweed production has been affected by warming seas – this is how farmers are adapting.

After asking for public help with their investigations, scientists have received thousands of reports and specimens of dead, shrivelled frogsIn the middle of Sydney’s lockdown, scientist Jodi Rowley has been retrieving frozen dead frogs from her doorstep.Occasionally one will arrive dried and shrivelled up in the post. Continue...

It will be six months on Sunday that the volcanic eruption currently mesmerising spectators near Reykjavik first began, making it the longest Iceland has witnessed in more than 50 years.

England’s deputy medical chief asked for data to be withheld unless British vaccine guinea pigs allowed to travel abroad• Coronavirus – latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageEngland’s deputy chief medical officer asked ministers to withhold all UK clinical trial data from the EU if European countries continued to deny entry to British vaccine trial volunteers, the Observer can...

Household names may have unwittingly helped spread fake news, investigation revealsDozens of the world’s biggest brands, including Nike, Amazon, Ted Baker and Asos, have been advertising on websites that spread Covid-19 misinformation and conspiracy theories, it has emerged. The companies, as well as an NHS service, are among a string of household names whose ads appear to have helped fund...

How I overcome my chronic insomnia with scienceEverything about our day impacts our sleep. How many minutes we spend outside, what and when we eat, what’s happening with our hormones, our habits, emotions, stress and thoughts – all this feeds into the sleep we end up with at night. All of which I was completely oblivious to when battling chronic insomnia for years on end.Sleep anxiety can...

Teachers targeted by anti-vaxxers as schools prepare to vaccinate pupilsSecondary schools in the UK have been plunged into the centre of the row over Covid vaccines for 12- to 15-year-olds, with anti-vaxxers at school gates and a headteacher threatened with legal action by one of his own governors.Letters circulated by campaign groups and parents are accusing schools of sanctioning “medical...

Plants regulate their growth using hormones, including a group called strigolactones that prevent excessive budding and branching. Strigolactones also help plant roots form symbiotic relationships with microorganisms that allow the plant to absorb nutrients from the soil. These two factors have led to agricultural interest in using strigolactones to control the growth of weeds and root parasites,...

Infants coming from homes with domestic violence often go on to have worse academic outcomes in school due to neurodevelopmental lags and a higher risk for a variety of health issues, including gastrointestinal distress, trouble eating and sleeping, as well as stress and illness.

The first space tourism mission by Elon Musk's SpaceX blasted off from Florida on Wednesday and the four crew members—a billionaire and three other Americans—have already seen more than 25 sunsets and sunrises.