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14 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

The Guardian view on Boris Johnson’s government: eugenicists not wanted | Editorial

The press – and opponents within and without the Tory party – have brought Dominic Cummings to heel. But his mission remains the pursuit of polarising politics.Dominic Cummings, the chief special adviser to the prime minister, thinks the answer to Britain’s problems is hiring brilliant people to work outside of bureaucratic constraints. He may be right, but not if one of his first hires as a...

Coronavirus causes mild disease in four in five patients, says WHO

Covid-19 not as deadly as Sars, figures show, and children not affected in same way as adultsCoronavirus – latest updatesCovid-19, the new coronavirus that has killed nearly 1,800 people in China, causes only mild disease in four out of five people who get it, the World Health Organization has said.“It appears that Covid-19 is not as deadly as other coronaviruses, including Sars and Mers,”...

No 10 furore is latest chapter in long, dark history of racist science

Idea that members of one race are intellectually superior has had to be confronted regularlyThe notion that members of one race are inherently more intelligent than members of another – brought back into circulation by the appointment of Andrew Sabisky, who claims that black Americans have a lower average IQ than white people, as a Downing Street adviser – is an idea with a deep and disturbing...

Why the hunt for alien life is pointless | Letters

David Robson thinks the time it will take to make contact presents a problem. John Boyd questions the purpose of finding extraterrestrial life when we can’t respect life on our own planetWhile reading your report (Is anybody out there? Biggest hunt ever to begin for alien life, 15 February) I wondered why scientists are trying to persuade people to believe there is any point in contacting life...

Opioid vending machine opens in Vancouver

MySafe scheme for addicts aims to help reduce overdose deaths in Canadian cityA vending machine for powerful opioids has opened in Canada as part of a project to help fight the Canadian city’s overdose crisis.The MySafe project, which resembles a cash machine, gives addicts access to a prescribed amount of medical quality hydromorphone, a drug about twice as powerful as heroin. Continue...

Researchers claim solar efficiency breakthrough for flexible 'skin'

Engineers at the University of Queensland say technology could be used to power small devices, such as a phone, within two yearsA flexible solar “skin” that could be used to generate power on homes, cars and phones is a step closer to development after the technology was used to break a world record for electricity conversion, researchers say.Engineers at the University of Queensland have been...

UK must prepare for more intense storms, climate scientists say

Government urged to create more natural drainage systems to cope with impact of crisisBritain must brace for more storms like Dennis and Ciara because rainfall will will be more intense in a climate-disrupted future, scientists have warned.They said the government needed to increase the creation of more natural drainage systems if it wanted to avoid having to raise the level of sea and river...

What is coronavirus and what should I do if I have symptoms?

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 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 in the...

Coronavirus: 99 more cases confirmed on cruise ship - live news

Diamond Princess evacuations begin as Japan warns outbreak ‘entering new phase’. Follow latest updatesShare your experiences 2.38pm GMT A Russian court has ordered a woman who escaped from quarantine after testing negative for the disease to return to hospital for at least two more days, the Associated Press reports. Alla llyina was admitted to hospital in St Petersburg on 6 February with a...

No 10 refuses to comment on PM's views of racial IQ

Move comes after hiring of new adviser who said black people have lower average IQsBoris Johnson’s spokesman has refused to say whether the prime minister thinks black people have lower IQs on average, or agrees with eugenics, after No 10 hired an adviser with highly controversial views.In a tense briefing with the media, the prime minister’s deputy official spokesman declined several times to...

Americans evacuated from coronavirus-hit cruise ship return to US

Passengers flown from Japan after being stuck onboard now face 14 days in quarantineCoronavirus - live updatesTwo charter flights carrying cruise ship passengers from Japan have landed at military bases in California and Texas, with passengers facing a quarantine period to ensure they do not have the Covid-19 virus that has been spreading thoughout Asia.A plane carrying American passengers touched...

Psychedelics have lost their cool. Blame Gwyneth Paltrow | John Semley

Mushrooms used to be the territory of hippies, explorers, indigenous people and artists. Now tech bros and wellness gurus have taken overOn a June evening in 1955, an investment banker and amateur mycologist named Robert Gordon Wasson found himself in an adobe house high in the mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico, encountering the divine. That night, Wasson, his wife, the photographer Allan Richardson and...

Beavers cut flooding and pollution and boost wildlife populations

Five-year study of animals in Devon finds measurable benefits to wildlife and peopleBeavers have alleviated flooding, reduced pollution and boosted populations of fish, amphibians and other wildlife, according to a five-year study of wild-living animals in Devon.The report, which will help the government decide whether to allow wild beavers to return to England after being hunted to extinction...