Unesco warns of urban centres sinking because of unsustainable farming and groundwater extraction Subsidence, or the gradual sinking of land, could affect 19% of the world’s population by 2040, according to new research funded by Unesco.If no action is taken, human activity, combined with drought and rising sea levels exacerbated by global heating, could put many of the world’s coastal cities...

Scientists should follow the example of the Chinese professor whose selfless decision to share his breakthrough led to the medical miracle of a vaccineThere are many people deserving of praise for selfless acts during the past 12 months. But one person whose act of scientific generosity ought to be remembered is Zhang Yongzhen. The scientist, who works out of the Shanghai Public Health Clinical...

The UK should take the lead from Nicaragua, where early strict measures have kept the coronavirus death rate one of the lowest in the world, writes John Perry. Plus Harry Galbraith on the approach taken by the Isle of ManIn learning lessons about how to handle Covid-19, another country could be added to the list (The UK and the US need to learn from countries that better handled Covid-19, 29...

Hospital staff express frustration as they tell of reckless behaviour by some members of the publicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage“If people clapped for us now, excuse my language but I would probably just tell them to fuck off,” said the exhausted junior doctor facing January in Britain on an overcrowded intensive care unit. “The majority of people, even...

Lockdowns and curfews curtail celebrations, with limited exceptions, after year most would prefer to forgetSee all our coronavirus coverageIn Sydney the fireworks soared into the sky above the Opera House, but the harbour below was empty. In New York, Times Square will be mostly deserted. No light show illuminated Beijing from the top of the TV tower.With revelry around the world curtailed by...

With plans for satellite launches and investment in space-based solar, can the UK become a space super power?In 1969, a British engineer was invited to the White House to meet President Nixon. His name was Francis Thomas Bacon and he had developed the fuel cells used on Apollo 11. Known now as Bacon fuel cells, these power sources consume hydrogen and oxygen to produce water, heat and, in theory,...

The concerted global response to the pandemic could be replicated for the fight against the climate crisisIn a world rife with disputes and divisions, there will be one emotion likely to unite most people at the stroke of midnight on 31 December: sheer relief that 2020 is finally over.There’s no risk of overstating it: this past year has pushed our world right to the edge. A single virus leaping...

This year, the Sars-CoV-2 virus has come to dominate both the headlines and our lives. In the second of two episodes reviewing the science of the pandemic so far, the Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley, its science editor, Ian Sample, and producer Madeleine Finlay give their thoughts on what has happened over 2020, alongside professors Eleanor Riley, John Drury and Christina PagelReview of...

Scientists describe the moment they realised this was ‘the big one’, and the chances that were missed Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Pandemics, it has been said, are lived forwards but only understood backwards.At the end of a year in which Covid-19 has claimed 1.7 million lives since it was first identified in the Chinese city of Wuhan last December, experts...

Rollout to begin ‘soon’ but about a million have already received injection under emergency approvalsSee all our coronavirus coverageChina’s health authorities have approved a Covid vaccine from state-owned Sinopharm for general use on the population, the government has announced.At a press conference in Beijing a state taskforce announced the vaccine had exceeded World Health Organization...

Among those honoured are health and social care workers, Covid response volunteers, virus experts and fund-raising centenarians Hundreds of key workers and community champions who battled the pandemic have been recognised in the New Year honours list for the UK which celebrates people’s extraordinary response to the Covid-19 crisis.Lewis Hamilton, the Formula One driver, and the cinematographer...

Calf carcass from thawing ground in north-east region of Yakutia found with many internal organs intactA well-preserved ice age woolly rhino with many of its internal organs still intact has been recovered from the permafrost in Russia’s extreme northern region.Russian media reported on Wednesday that the carcass was revealed by thawing permafrost in Yakutia in August. Scientists are waiting for...

Analysis: regulator surprises by approving 12-week gap between first and second shots of vaccine as well as Pfizer/BioNTech shotCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt’s a pragmatic solution to an incredibly urgent problem – how to immunise very large numbers of people at risk from a rampaging variant of Covid-19 in the shortest possible time. The answer that...

Research finds those who couple up after swiping right have stronger long-term intentionsWith the Covid crisis putting paid to New Year’s Eve celebrations and many other opportunities to seek romance in person, dating apps have thrived.But while such tech has long been associated with hookups, a study suggests those who couple up after swiping right have as satisfying a relationship as those who...

Millions more are in tier 4 and schools face a delayed return – but tougher action is needed to seize the opportunity offered by the new vaccineThe contrast between the good news and the bleak could not have been starker. The UK’s approval of the low-cost, highly efficacious Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine represents a shining moment of hope. Never has it been more needed.The announcement came as...

Scientists say virus rampant in UK and advise people to avoid meeting up with family and friendsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScientists, police and the prime minister are urging people to welcome in the new year in their own home, with an NHS chief warning it is “absolutely vital” to avoid meeting family and friends because “Covid loves a crowd”.Prof...

The exhaustion – and perhaps the sadness – comes from saying goodbye to our old lifeI’m sure everyone after their first plague year feels totally knackered.You can just imagine them in Constantinople at the end of 541AD – the survivors of the Plague of Justinian saying to each other: “Well, that was GRIM!” If you got the disease, your body would be all lumpy and sore, then you would...

We don’t know their names, but these scientists have been working tirelessly to fight the pandemic. It’s time to say thank youVaccine researchers are not showy. If there is a flashy vaccine researcher out there, I’ve yet to meet them. Most of them talk about their colleagues more than they talk about themselves. In fact if you ask them about the work they are doing, they will invariably tell...

2020 was a year to forget, but here’s why the new one bring reasons to hope. Get the Guardian Weekly delivered at homeFor many people, the back of 2020 can’t come too soon. With a new virus strain upending millions of people’s Christmas plans in the UK, coupled with the threat of a no-deal Brexit, the lead-up to 25 December was … a hairy one. At least the belated announcement of a trade...

How the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab works, its advantages and possible limitationsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency has approved the vaccine developed by Oxford University and the pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca, with the rollout beginning on 4 January. Continue...

Vital vaccine needs only normal refrigeration and is easily transportableSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Oxford University/AstraZeneca vaccine has been approved by the UK medicines regulator, opening up the possibility of rapidly scaling up vaccination against Covid-19 within days.The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority (MHRA) has approved the vaccine for use in the UK....

Spectacular discovery of monkey in Myanmar among new species described this year by Natural History Museum scientistsScarab beetles from New Guinea, seaweed from the Falklands and a new species of monkey found on an extinct volcano in Myanmar are among 503 species newly identified by scientists at the Natural History Museum.The museum’s work in 2020 describing species previously unknown to...

Announcement made in response to ‘significant growing demand’ on hospitals and will enable local leaders to seek more support See all our coronavirus coverageLocal authorities in Essex have declared a “major incident” as the number of coronavirus cases threatens to overwhelm health services in the county.The announcement was made in response to a “significant growing demand” on...

Official tests for antibody prevalence suggest an infection rate 10 times higher than official number See all our coronavirus coverageA Chinese study of coronavirus antibodies has found almost half a million people may have had Covid-19 in Wuhan, a number that is 10 times the official figure.According to the study of antibody prevalence, the infection rate was also far higher in Wuhan than...