Finding could help solve mystery of where plastic goes after it leaks into the sea Hundreds of thousands of tonnes of mismanaged waste could be blowing ashore on the ocean breeze every year, according to scientists who have discovered microplastics in sea spray.The study, by researchers at the University of Strathclyde and the Observatoire Midi-Pyrénées at the University of Toulouse, found tiny...

My colleague and friend Carol Ellison, who has died of cancer aged 58, was a scientist in the field of biological control of invasive species:. This is a little-known but increasingly important tool in the management of alien weeds which, if unchecked, can destabilise ecosystems and constrain agriculture.Born in Croydon, south London, to Edward Ellison, a toolmaker, and his wife, Valerie (nee...

Tom Hurd, who was at Eton and Oxford with PM, parachuted in to launch new coronavirus unitCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA senior Home Office counter-terrorism official who was at Eton and Oxford with Boris Johnson has been parachuted in to take temporary charge of the newly established joint biosecurity centre, responsible for coronavirus threat levels.Tom Hurd has...

China, Denmark and Singapore expand testing; Spain to quarantine new arrivals; France bans drinking on SeineCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCountries are taking urgent steps to avoid a damaging second wave of Covid-19 infections, stepping up mass testing programmes and announcing strict quarantines on incoming travellers in a bid to keep the virus under control.China,...

The prime minister is handling coronavirus so badly now, he makes even his most unpopular predecessors look public-spiritedThough it majors in killing, the coronavirus certainly enjoys a sideways glance at inequality. In April, we discovered that the British TV show Holby City owned only one fewer working ventilator than the African country Liberia. On Sunday, construction and manufacturing...

Dmitry Peskov confirms to Russian media that he is being treated for Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageVladimir Putin’s press secretary has been diagnosed with coronavirus and is being treated in hospital.“Yes, I am sick, and receiving treatment,” Dmitry Peskov told Russian outlets by telephone on Tuesday. He said he had not seen Putin in person for more...

Scientists warn of rolling lockdowns if government fails to reconsider its approachCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFurther outbreaks of coronavirus and rolling lockdowns are inevitable under government plans to ease restrictions and send people back to work in England without a robust strategy to suppress Covid-19, an independent group of scientists has warned.The...

Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each of England’s local authoritiesCoronavirus - 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...

Matt Hancock says meeting friends in private gardens not safer than seeing them in a park amid criticism of Boris Johnson’s roadmap out of lockdownStarmer says Johnson giving no clear direction out of lockdownGlobal coronavirus updates - liveCoronavirus latest: at a glanceSee all our coronavirus coverage 7.54am BST Health secretary Matt Hancock has rejected the idea that meeting a friend in...

As the coronavirus pandemic swept around the globe, anecdotal reports began to emerge about a strange symptom: people were losing their sense of taste and smell. To find out whether this effect is really down to Sars-CoV-2, and if so, why, Ian Sample talks to Carl Philpott Continue...