Early risers in the northern hemisphere can see the crescent moon in the south-east in close conjunction with Mars, Jupiter and SaturnA nice grouping of three planets will grace the pre-dawn sky this week. Mars, Jupiter and Saturn will all rise in the south-east about an hour before the sun. The chart shows the view looking in that direction at 05:15 GMT on 18 March. On that morning, the planets...

Exclusive: Public Health England document seen by Guardian says four in five ‘expected’ to contract virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus epidemic in the UK will last until next spring and could lead to 7.9 million people being hospitalised, a secret Public Health England (PHE) briefing for senior NHS officials reveals.The document, seen by the...

Britain’s handling of the coronavirus outbreak carries a risk to the public and to politicians. Time to get a gripBoris Johnson’s decision to go it alone, in global policy terms, over the UK’s Covid-19 outbreak is being challenged every day – and there is a sense of foreboding that the government is coming up short with its answers. Unlike our nearest neighbours, ministers said there would...

Doctors and scientists urge government to stop ignoring strategies from countries that have brought cases downCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePublic health experts and hundreds of doctors and scientists at home and abroad are urging the UK government to change its strategy against coronavirus, amid fears it will mean the epidemic “lets rip” through the...

Restrictions on travel and commerce across continent as countries scramble to contain threatCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWalls are being raised and mass quarantines enforced across Europe to combat the spread of the coronavirus, with Germany the latest to partly seal its borders, banning entrants from France, Switzerland and Austria from Monday.More than 100...

Covid-19 essential guide: can it be caught on public transport, how is it different from the flu, and how sick will I get?Coronavirus – latest updatesHow to protect yourself against coronavirusCoronavirus symptoms: what are they and should I see a doctor?The Covid-19 virus is a member of the coronavirus family that made the jump from animals to humans late last year. Many of those initially...

German government tries to fight off aggressive takeover bid by US, say reportsCoronavirus – live coverageSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Trump administration has offered a German medical company “large sums of money” for exclusive access to a Covid-19 vaccine, German media have reported.The German government is trying to fight off what it sees as an aggressive takeover bid by the US,...

Vulnerable people should not be exposed to Covid-19 right now in the service of a hypothetical future• See all our coronavirus coverageYour house is on fire, and the people whom you have trusted with your care are not trying to put it out. Even though they knew it was coming, and could see what happened to the neighbours as they were overwhelmed with terrifying speed, the UK government has...

JB Pritzker slams federal government in tweetsTravelers face long waits for mandatory screeningsTrump’s testing failures pave way to disaster, experts sayCoronavirus outbreak – live updatesThe Trump administration needs to “get its shit together” in dealing with the coronavirus outbreak, the governor of Illinois said on Saturday, as travelers returning to the US at Chicago’s O’Hare...

What is Covid-19, how does it spread, what are the symptoms, and at what point should you call a doctor?Coronavirus - live news updatesFind 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. Continue...

Plans of action to combat the Covid-19 outbreak around the world show huge differences• Coronavirus – latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageThere has been a huge difference in how the coronavirus pandemic has evolved in different countries. Some have gone nearly two months with just a few dozen cases; others have seen an outbreak explode in weeks.The statistics about the early...

The government’s strategy comes with risks, but so do all the alternativesA pandemic is testing global leadership and its capacity to rise to the challenge of “the worst public health crisis for a generation”. To some surprise, the man who said that is addressing the emergency in a more mature fashion than many anticipated when it first began to unfold. Boris Johnson has abandoned the...

We think we’re learning more about the brain, but are we just replacing one story with another?The selfish gene. The Big Bang. The greenhouse effect. Metaphors are at the heart of scientific thinking. They provide the means for both scientists and non-scientists to understand, think through and talk about abstract ideas in terms of more familiar objects or phenomena.But if metaphors can...

A senior consultant at a leading hospital for respiratory conditions such as pneumonia and cystic fibrosis talks to the Observer• Coronavirus – latest updates• See all our coronavirus coverageNHS staff are asking the same questions as everyone else about coronavirus. How deadly is it? How do we protect ourselves? Are the government’s tactics right? And how will the health service cope when...

Major airlines are now battling for survival – and those staying at home may start to question their need to travelAs coronavirus grew from a Chinese outbreak to a global pandemic, the aviation industry was at the leading edge of the accompanying financial crisis. Since the extraordinary intercontinental travel ban imposed by President Trump last week, the disastrous potential extent of the...

Last week scientists discovered the first Stegosaurus footprints in Scotland. Which other prehistoric reptiles lived on these shores?Last week, palaeontologists from the University of Edinburgh announced they have discovered grapefruit-sized footprints on the Isle of Skye that are believed to have been left by a Stegosaurus. The depressions were found in rocks that were formed from mudflats around...