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19 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Virgin Orbit looks into cause of LauncherOne test failure

Malfunction caused rocket to shut down about five seconds after ignitionThe first launch demonstration of Sir Richard Branson’s Virgin Orbit LauncherOne rocket ended in failure this week.The California-based company aims to place small satellites into space using LauncherOne, which is carried under the wing of a converted 747 jumbo-jet aircraft. Continue...

Johnson blocks top scientists from talking about Cummings

PM gags Vallance and Whitty when they are asked if Cummings breached lockdown Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has blocked his two most senior scientific advisers from answering questions on whether his senior aide, Dominic Cummings, broke the lockdown.At No 10’s daily press conference, the prime minister twice prevented questions from journalists who...

Groups of up to six people allowed to meet in England from Monday

Boris Johnson announces further easing of coronavirus lockdown measures Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGroups of up to six people will be able to meet outdoors in parks and gardens in England from Monday, as long as they observe social distancing rules and remain 2 metres apart, Boris Johnson has said.The prime minister announced the latest modest easing of the...

Covid-19 transmission rate stable for third week, says ONS

Snapshot infection survey reveals about 133,000 people infected in the last two weeksCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of people with Covid-19 has remained stable for the third week in a row, according to research by the Office for National Statistics, with an estimated 133,000 people infected in the last two weeks.The findings raise questions about whether...

Covid-19 clusters emerge as lockdowns ease across Europe

Governments warn of threat of second wave of cases amid local spikes in infectionsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSeveral European countries a few weeks ahead of the UK on the road out of lockdown have experienced local spikes in coronavirus infections, but all have maintained an overall downward trend in new daily cases of the virus.Most governments, though, continue...

Coronavirus UK map: the latest deaths and confirmed cases in each region

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 updatesCoronavirus world mapFind all our coronavirus coverage herePlease note: these are government figures on numbers of confirmed cases – some people who report symptoms are not being...

NHS to increase number of Covid-19 patients receiving antibody therapy

All hospital patients with coronavirus in England to be eligible for convalescent plasmaCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHospitals in England will increase the number of people getting blood plasma transfusions from recovered Covid-19 patients this week, to learn whether the antibody-rich serum can help combat the disease. So far few severely ill patients in UK...

US funding website spreading Covid-19 disinformation

State Department-backed Armenian project to promote democracy instead features false informationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe US government is funding a website in Armenia which is spreading disinformation about the coronavirus pandemic, including warnings that Armenians ought to “refuse” future vaccine programmes.The website, Medmedia.am, was launched with...

How will No 10 decide to reopen schools without risking second wave?

Analysis of rate of transmission, NHS 111 calls and Google location data will inform next stepsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s plan to ease the lockdown will be confirmed in an official review that Downing Street expects will give the all clear for schools to begin reopening next week. No 10 said the proposed steps for England should be...

GSK to produce 1bn doses of coronavirus vaccine booster in 2021

World’s largest vaccine maker in talks with governments over manufacturing expansionCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGlaxoSmithKline plans to produce 1bn doses of vaccine efficacy boosters, or adjuvants, next year for use in Covid-19 treatment.The world’s largest vaccine maker said it was in talks with governments to back a manufacturing expansion that would help...

UK coronavirus live: test and trace gets under way in England and Scotland

Council leaders warn they lack powers to make local lockdowns work, as Tory MPs resist PM’s call to move on from the Dominic Cummings furoreTory anger at Cummings grows as dozens of MPs defy Boris JohnsonHancock: it is public’s ‘civic duty’ to follow test-and-trace instructionsGovernment target of 200,000 Covid-19 tests ‘meaningless’ – expertsGlobal coronavirus updates - liveSee all...

Out of My Skull by James Danckert and John D Eastwood – the psychology of boredom

From social media addiction to the discovery of musical genius – is the alleviation of boredom what really drives the world?According to the great proto-existentialist philosopher Arthur Schopenhauer, the life of a human or other beast “swings like a pendulum back and forth between pain and boredom”. Indeed, pain (or want) and boredom are the two main constituents of existence, and not...

Government target of 200,000 Covid-19 tests 'meaningless'

Senior scientists say published data on testing doesn’t adhere to basic rules of statisticsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s target of hitting 200,000 Covid-19 daily tests by Monday has been described as “meaningless” by senior scientists, who say that the published data on testing does not adhere to the basic rules of statistics.Experts told...

The coronavirus infection rate is still too high. There will be a second wave | David Hunter

Test and tracing is launching today but, as the lockdown eases, it will need to be massively stepped up to have a significant impact David Hunter is professor of epidemiology at the University of OxfordCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWe all now know the basics – the R is the average number of people someone infected with Covid-19 passes the virus on to. If it...

Vast majority of New Zealanders don't want to return to office after Covid-19

Study finds 89% of people working from home want to stay there, at least part time, when workplaces reopenCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA study of New Zealanders working from home during coronavirus lockdown has found many were just as productive as when they were in the office, and a majority were reluctant to return to traditional workplaces.New Zealand went into...

Questions raised over hydroxychloroquine study which caused WHO to halt trials for Covid-19

Exclusive: Australian researchers query origin of data used for Lancet study, but stress there is no evidence drug is a safe or effective treatment• Sign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus email• Download the free Guardian app to get the most important news notifications Questions have been raised by Australian infectious disease researchers about a study published in the Lancet...

Coronavirus live news: Trump criticised over 'preventable' crisis as US passes 100,000 deaths

61 Tory MPs defy UK PM over Dominic Cummings lockdown breach; European commission proposes €750bn coronavirus recovery fund; Kenya records highest one-day case rise. Follow the latest updatesGlobal report: EU countries block hydroxychloroquine, South Korea fears new spikeUS passes 100,000 coronavirus deaths as states relax lockdown measuresTory anger at Dominic Cummings grows as 61 MPs defy...