When an oxygen tank blew during the 1970 Nasa moonshot, the successful rescue mission was thanks to Nasa organisation, not improvisationEighteen months ago, I was combing through the Apollo 11 mission logs, looking at the timelines and events for something unique that we might focus on to celebrate the 50th anniversary of humankind’s first landing on the moon. Last year, that idea became the BBC...

The new antibiotic, effective against super-resistant pathogens, is proof that AI can do more than make tech giants richOne of the seminal texts for anyone interested in technology and society is Melvin Kranzberg’s Six Laws of Technology, the first of which says that “technology is neither good nor bad; nor is it neutral”. By this, Kranzberg meant that technology’s interaction with society...

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?Find all our coronavirus coverage hereHow to protect yourself from infectionIt is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those initially infected either worked or frequently shopped...

Striking findings contained in new study may broaden appreciation of unique stressors faced by gay and bisexual menThe persistence of mental health hardships among gay and bisexual men, which endure even as LGBTQ people gain greater acceptance and civil rights, can be explained at least in part by the corrosive effects of status consciousness, competitiveness and racism within the gay community...

US strengthens travel advice, raising Iran and Italy to a level three, advising people to ‘avoid nonessential travel’. Follow live newsUS: two new coronavirus cases unrelated to travelWhich countries have travel restrictions in place?Will the Olympics be cancelled? Sports events under threatBiggest one-day fall on US stock marketShare your experiences 8.22am GMT Hello, this is Damien Gayle in...

US says three new cases are unrelated to travel, while UK authorities are racing to understand how Essex man became infectedLatest coronavirus news at our live blogAustralia has placed a travel ban on Iran because of coronavirus, putting it on the same level of restrictions as China, following the first case in Australia of a person who had travelled to Iran testing positive to Covid-19.South...

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Contingency plans and proposed emergency laws for pandemic emerge as UK confirms 20th caseCoronavirus – latest newsThe UK is facing its first significant test of how to contain a potential coronavirus outbreak after the government confirmed a 20th victim of Covid-19 and details began to emerge of its contingency planning and emergency legislation for an upsurge in cases.The latest patient in...

Managing the economic and health risks of Covid-19 is difficult. In the UK, as elsewhere, ministers must step upA passenger on the Diamond Princess cruise ship in Japan became the first Briton to die of the Covid-19 coronavirus on Friday. Further UK cases beyond the 20 already confirmed are expected, while countries including Mexico, Nigeria and Denmark have announced their first positive tests....

The president is reacting to this disaster the way authoritarians always do – by covering up the facts and dodging the blameThe coronavirus crisis is a war against a disease, but it’s also the most serious battle yet in the war on truth. That much was clear from the start, as China moved to hush up the first outbreak and gag the doctor who had spotted it. It was a classic case of what we might...

Doctor would have seen scores of patients over last week before he was diagnosedCoronavirus - latest updatesA GP in Surrey is being taken to one of the NHS’s six specialist centres for infectious diseases amid fears he is the latest British case of coronavirus, the Guardian has been told.The development is understood to have triggered an urgent investigation to see if any of his patients have...

Top Republican on Fox News defends Trump and Mike Pence Vice-president leading coronavirus containment effort in USWhistleblower: US coronavirus staff were untrained and unprotectedDonald Trump could “personally suck” the coronavirus “out of every one of the 60,000 people in the world, suck it out of their lungs, swim to the bottom of the ocean and spit it out, and he would be accused of...

Fat from larvae could be a more sustainable alternative to dairy, say researchersScientists at Ghent University in Belgium are experimenting with larva fat to replace butter in waffles, cakes and cookies, saying using grease from insects is more sustainable than dairy produce.The researchers soak black soldier fly larvae in a bowl of water, put it in a blender to create a smooth greyish dollop and...

Man died after catching virus while quarantined on Diamond Princess cruise ship, says Japanese health ministryCoronavirus - latest updatesA British man who was quarantined on a cruise ship in Japan has died from coronavirus.The Japanese ministry of health said the man was the sixth passenger from the Diamond Princess cruise ship to have died. The ship had been quarantined off the coast of Japan....

Boris Johnson to chair emergency Cobra meeting after first patient reported in WalesCoronavirus - live updatesThe number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the UK has increased in the past 24 hours to 19, including the first reported in Wales, as it was announced Boris Johnson is to chair a meeting of the emergency Cobra committee.The three cases confirmed on Friday came within a day of three other...

The truth about the protective value of face masks and how easy it is to catch Covid-19Many individuals who get coronavirus will experience nothing worse than seasonal flu symptoms, but the overall profile of the disease, including its mortality rate, looks more serious. At the start of an outbreak the apparent mortality rate can be an overestimate if a lot of mild cases are being missed. But this...

What are the symptoms caused by the virus from Wuhan in China, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?Find all our coronavirus coverage hereHow to protect yourself from infectionCoronavirus - latest updatesIt is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has come from animals. Many of those initially infected either...

Politicians across Europe have been quick to exploit the outbreak by heaping suspicion on the most marginalisedWhen I give talks on Europe’s “refugee crisis” I often start by showing a photograph of a rescue boat arriving at the port of Augusta in Sicily, in 2015. It shows a teenage girl of African or Middle Eastern origin looking quizzically at a European official covered from head to toe...

Bank accused of ‘waiting for people to die’ as bonds designed to provide fast funding for pandemics are censured as ‘obscene’A flagship $500m World Bank scheme to help the poorest countries deal with a health emergency is “too little too late” for the coronavirus outbreak, say health experts.The first pandemic emergency financing (PEF) bonds were launched in 2017 by Jim Yong Kim, the...

A recent arrival from Iran who travelled to Auckland via Bali has tested positive and is improvingLatest Covid-19 newsNew Zealand confirmed its first coronavirus case Friday, saying a recent arrival from Iran who travelled to Auckland via Bali had tested positive.Health officials said the person, aged in their 60s, was being treated in Auckland City Hospital. Continue...

Public urged to help tackle rise in nighthawking blamed on organised crimeOrganised crime is being blamed for a rise in illegal metal-detecting at heritage sites, including one of England’s finest medieval castles and the battlefield of Hastings.English Heritage said December last year was the worst month for such incidents in more than four years and there were more than double the number of...

As cases of people infected with the coronavirus or Covid-19 grow rapidly in Italy, Iran and South Korea, the rest of the world is bracing for a pandemic Continue reading...

First cases also detected in New Zealand and Lithuania as stock market losses around the world deepenCoronavirus - latest newsCoronavirus has spread to sub-Saharan Africa for the first time as stock market losses around the world deepened amid investor alarm over a potential global pandemic.Nigeria’s health minister, Osagie Ehanire, said the first case in the region was an Italian citizen who...