As borders close and social distancing increases, what are our responsibilities to the people who keep working?Amid coronavirus-induced stockpiling and empty supermarket shelves, politicians have been quick to assure us of the reliability of Australia’s food supply systems.Writing for the Guardian last week, agriculture minister David Littleproud slammed “ridiculous” panic-buying, saying:...

However well-intentioned, a laissez-faire strategy for fighting coronavirus has not worked. Now is the right time for the government to give the public clarity and firm parametersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAfter the Emergency Powers (Defence) Act was introduced in 1939, imposing a series of stringent and intrusive restrictions on individual freedoms, the wartime...

Ikaria wariootia is half the size of a grain of rice and an early example of a bilateral organism It might not show much of a family resemblance but fossil hunters say a newly discovered creature, that looks like a teardrop-shaped jellybean and is about half the size of a grain of rice, is an early relative of humans and a vast array of other animals.The team discovered the fossils in rocks in...

Foreign Office asks up to 1m British citizens to cut short trips and come home straight away Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUp to 1 million Britons on holiday or on business trips abroad have been asked to return to the UK immediately by the Foreign Office as they may not be able to get commercial flights within days.In updated advice, the FCO said British citizens...

Nick Dennison says he made decision in effort to reduce risk to his son who has cancerCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAn NHS intensive care doctor working on the frontline of the coronavirus crisis has moved into a motorhome to protect his three-year-old son who has cancer.Nick Dennison is an anaesthetist at Frimley Park hospital in Surrey, but is now working as an...

Strict criteria for coronavirus equipment includes reliability, ease of use and backup battery Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government has asked manufacturers including Airbus, Rolls-Royce, Nissan and JCB to help produce up to 30,000 ventilators in as little as two weeks, amid concern that the 8,175 the NHS has available will not be enough to treat a surge in...

The solution to today’s paradoxical probability poserEarlier today I set you the following puzzle, set by Peter Winkler.Team A and Team B are perennial football rivals. Every year they meet for a series of games. The first team to win four games gets to take home the Golden Teapot and keep it for a year. Continue...

Health experts say attempt to build herd immunity is a ‘mad experiment with 10m people’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCriticism is mounting in Sweden of the government’s approach to Covid-19, with experts warning that its strategy of building broad immunity while protecting at-risk groups – similar to that initially adopted by the UK – amounted to...

The government’s dithering and lack of transparency will cost many thousands of livesProf Devi Sridhar is chair of global health at the University of EdinburghCoronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThose of us who have been tracking the novel coronavirus since December can easily identify its key milestones. There was mid-January, when human to human transmission of...

The scale of coronavirus in the UK means we need a clear framework on who should be treatedTim Cook is an ICU doctorCoronavirus latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe most certain feature of a pandemic is uncertainty. For NHS health workers, this is all around us. Many doctors are now being “side-skilled” (a new term) so they can help provide intensive care to patients. It’s...

‘Largest scale experiment ever’ shows what is possible as satellite images reveal marked fall in global nitrogen dioxide levelsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus pandemic is shutting down industrial activity and temporarily slashing air pollution levels around the world, satellite imagery from the European Space Agency shows.One expert said the sudden...

Confirmed cases of Covid-19 have spanned the globe, and now exceed 339,000. Travel bans and closed borders have been put in place in an attempt to curtail the spreadCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus outbreak began in late 2019. Continue...

Studies show that young people are at less risk of serious illness – but as invisible carriers they may be key to spreading the virusJonathan Ball is a professor of molecular virologySee all our coronavirus coverageAt first it was only elderly people. The narrative about coronavirus, fanned by the details of every sad death announced, was that the virus was mainly a concern for those over 70, or...

Footage of officials berating citizens for flouting Covid-19 quarantine rules goes viralCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA compilation video of mayors lambasting people for flouting coronavirus quarantine rules has struck a chord with Italians, who have shared it in their thousands on social media.Although the majority of Italy’s population of 62 million are...

Country’s experience could offer lesson to European neighbours following a similar trajectoryCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOrdinarily, having an aperitivo in Venice’s St Mark’s Square would cost a small fortune. Not on 3 March, when bar owners offered a free drink for each one purchased in an attempt to attract custom as the city emptied out amid Italy’s...

Pit your wits against the profUPDATE: To read the solution click hereIf you are looking for an activity to take your mind off things, here’s a puzzle with a delightful twist.It was devised by Peter Winkler. When it comes to maths puzzles, Winkler is the connoisseur’s connoisseur. Continue...

Slowdown in large-scale clean energy projects started before coronavirus crisis due to lack of state supportEurope’s energy storage boom stalled last year due to a slowdown in large-scale schemes designed to store clean electricity from major renewable energy projects, according to the European Association for Storage of Energy (Ease).A new study by consultants Delta-EE for Ease found that the...

European treatment trial launched; Canada won’t send athletes to Tokyo 2020; first confirmed case in Syria. Follow the latest newsUK could face Italy-style lockdown, warns Boris JohnsonCoronavirus: at a glanceAustralia coronavirus – live updatesItaly shuts all non-essential businesses after 793 die in one day See all of our coronavirus coverage 2.43am GMT Over to Hong Kong now, where...

Jacinda Ardern brings in ‘the most significant restrictions on New Zealanders’ movements in modern history’ as cases rise past 100Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNew Zealand is preparing to enter a month-long nationwide lockdown from Wednesday, with the entire country ordered to stay home apart from those in essential services.On Monday the nation was given 48...