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545 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Boy, 13, dies in London after testing positive for coronavirus

Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab, thought to be youngest victim in England, died in the capital on MondayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA 13-year-old boy with no apparent underlying health conditions has died after testing positive for coronavirus, his family has said.Ismail Mohamed Abdulwahab from Brixton, south London, died in hospital in the early hours of Monday. He had...

England: more than third of hospital Covid-19 deaths in London

Seven out of 10 trusts with highest death tolls are in the capital, with 590 deaths in totalMore than a third of coronavirus deaths in hospitals in England have occurred in London, with 590 deaths across the capital, according to the latest figures from NHS England.Seven out of ten trusts with the highest death tolls in England are in London and the deaths are concentrated in a handful of...

NHS developing app to trace close contacts of coronavirus carriers

Technology is nearly ready for use and would also tell people when they should self isolateCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe NHS is in talks to roll out a smartphone app that instantly traces close contacts of people carrying the coronavirus and advises them to self-isolate.The app, developed by NHSX – the health service’s digital transformation arm – with...

Germany charters 30 times more rescue flights for citizens than UK

Huge repatriation effort sees German government charter 42 flights as 300,000 Britons remain stranded worldwideCoronavirus – latest updatesLatest UK Covid-19 newsSee all our coronavirus coverageThe German government has taken the lead role in the biggest repatriation effort in peacetime, chartering 30 times more rescue flights than the UK and flying home more than 40,000 travellers from across...

China gets mixed results in its attempt to lift lockdown

Some venues that had reopened were told by the government to close yet againCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe celebrations have begun in cities across China as they mark the end of the country’s battle with coronavirus. Sinocare, a biotech company in Changsha last week gathered employees in a park, each standing a meter apart, and urged them to remove their face...

'I would like to live a bit longer, wouldn’t everybody?': how the vulnerable are coping with coronavirus

Elderly and vulnerable people talk about the stresses of self-isolationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUp to 1.5 million people with severe health conditions including some cancers, cystic fibrosis and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have been told to self-isolate by the government because they are at a much greater risk from coronavirus.Free food parcels...

More orders for NHS ventilators take number to 61,000

Cambridge company Sagentia says prototype can be produced at speed for Covid-19 patientsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Two more companies have secured a total of 20,000 provisional orders for medical ventilators, taking the number of devices in the pipeline for the NHS to more than 61,000.Sagentia, a subsidiary of the Cambridge-based Science Group, said it had...

Young people have paid enough – spare them from footing the coronavirus bill | Gaby Hinsliff

After the financial crash, Britain’s young shouldered the burden. The Conservatives must not let that happen againThe kids are boomeranging back again. Up and down the country, overgrown children are shuffling home to roost, refugees from a virus that has stalled their adult lives mid-launch. University lectures and supervisions have all been moved online, so there’s no point student children...

Coronavirus live news: World Bank warns of 'unprecedented shock' as global confirmed cases pass 800,000

Spain reports record single-day death toll; Vietnam enters lockdown; Russia records biggest daily rise in cases for seventh day runningUK coronavirus - latest updatesUS coronavirus - live updatesChina and Korea delay college exams to get lid on coronavirusNew study reveals increased risks from middle ageSee all our coronavirus coverage 3.44pm BST A nursing home in Canada has become one of the...

This way for brain tingles: ASMR gets a shiver-inducing exhibition

From cucumber-crunchers to cranial exams, YouTube is full of ASMRtists provoking the strangely pleasurable autonomous sensory meridian response. Now they’ve got their own euphoric museum showSome whisper gently into the microphone, while tapping their nails along the spine of a book. Others take a bar of soap and slice it methodically into tiny cubes, letting the pieces clatter into a plastic...

Oxford firm to screen 15,000 drugs in search for coronavirus cure

Exscientia to use AI to hunt through compounds which have passed human trialsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAn Oxford-based firm that uses artificial intelligence to develop new medicines has teamed up with a UK national science facility to screen more than 15,000 drugs for their effectiveness as a treatment for Covid-19.Exscientia, a spinoff company from the...

Worst-hit German district to become coronavirus ‘laboratory’

Study will follow 1,000 people in Heinsberg to create plan for how to deal with virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGerman scientists have announced what they described as a first-of-its-kind study into how coronavirus spreads and how it can be contained, using the country’s worst-hit district as a real-life laboratory.The virus has spread more widely among the...

Egypt's disdain for transparency will backfire in this coronavirus crisis | Timothy Kaldas

President Sisi may have nothing to hide, but his crackdown on anyone who challenges the official line only fuels speculationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDuring a public health crisis, a government’s credibility is a vital asset. To slow the spread of a virus, the government must convincingly inform and instruct the public. And to do this, it must inspire trust...

Coronavirus epidemic 'far from over' in Asia-Pacific, WHO warns

Every country needs to keep preparing for large-scale community transmission, says regional directorCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus epidemic is “far from over” in the Asia-Pacific region, and current measures to curb the spread of the virus are buying time for countries to prepare for large-scale community transmissions, a WHO official has...

Coronavirus UK: how many confirmed cases are in your area?

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many cases have been reported near youCoronavirus - live news updatesFind all our coronavirus coverage hereHow to protect yourself from infectionPlease note: these are government figures on numbers of confirmed cases – some people who report symptoms are not being tested, and are not...

Coronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I call the doctor?

What are the symptoms caused by the Covid-19 virus, how does it spread, and should you call a doctor?Find all our coronavirus coverage hereCoronavirus – latest updatesHow to protect yourself and others from infectionIt is caused by a member of the coronavirus family that has never been encountered before. Like other coronaviruses, it has transferred to humans from animals. The World Health...

Covid-19: how do we test for it? - podcast

Hannah Devlin speaks with Prof David Smith about the various ways in which clinicians can test whether or not someone is infected with Sars-CoV-2. And, following the recent announcement that the UK government has bought millions of antibody tests, explores what these might be able to tell us Continue...

Climate-killing products should come with smoking-style warnings

Graphic imagery should be used on petrol pumps and air tickets, experts say Cigarette packets with grisly warnings of the consequences of smoking are intended to deter smokers. Now a group of public health experts says similar warnings should appear on high-carbon products, from airline tickets and energy bills to petrol pumps, to show consumers the health impacts of the climate crisis.Warning...

New blood test can detect 50 types of cancer

System uses machine learning to offer new way to screen for hard-to-detect cancersA new blood test that can detect more than 50 types of cancer has been revealed by researchers in the latest study to offer hope for early detection.The test is based on DNA that is shed by tumours and found circulating in the blood. More specifically, it focuses on chemical changes to this DNA, known as methylation...


MONDAY 30. MARCH 2020


New coronavirus study reveals increased risks from middle age

First comprehensive study of deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China shows just how much of a factor age is Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe first comprehensive study of Covid-19 deaths and hospitalisations in mainland China has revealed in stark detail the increase in risk for coronavirus patients once they reach middle age.The analysis found that while the...

'Immunity passports' could speed up return to work after Covid-19

German researchers studying how lockdown restrictions could be lifted for some peopleCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage“Immunity passports” for key workers could be a way of getting people who have had coronavirus back into the workforce more quickly, scientists and politicians in the UK have suggested.Researchers in Germany are currently preparing a mass study into...

Covid-19: deaths outside hospitals to be included in UK tally for first time

ONS to publish additional data but chief medical officer doesn’t expect a large increase in reported deathsCoronavirus – latest UK updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe reported death toll from coronavirus in the UK is set to increase beyond the NHS’s daily tally on Tuesday when fatalities outside of hospitals are counted for the first time.Figures from NHS and Public Health England’s...

'They are leading us to catastrophe': Sweden's coronavirus stoicism begins to jar

There’s a surreal calm in the last country in Europe to hold out against lockdown. But the death toll is rising and some are voicing dissentCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Øresund Bridge – yes, that bridge – is an engineering marvel linking the Swedish city of Malmö and Copenhagen that normally transports 70,000 people daily. It has fallen eerily silent....

Coronavirus live news: Italy reports 812 new deaths as global toll passes 35,000

Israel’s prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu in self-isolation; Moscow announces lockdown of 12m people; Syria records first deathCoronavirus latest: at a glanceNew study sheds light on infection mechanismHungary passes law that critics say will let Orbán rule by decreeUK coronavirus updates – liveSee all our coronavirus coverage 5.30pm BST Before dawn hundreds of British travellers had...