394ft rocket designed to carry humans and cargo to moon and MarsNo immediate indication of injuries after explosion in TexasA prototype of SpaceX’s upcoming heavy-lift rocket, Starship, exploded on Friday during ground tests in south Texas as Elon Musk’s space company pursued an aggressive development schedule to fly the launch vehicle for the first time.The testing explosion was unrelated to...

Number of people tested for coronavirus for seventh day running has not been disclosedThe government has failed to disclose the number of people tested for Covid-19 for the seventh day running, prompting criticism from senior scientists who said this risked a perception that there is “something to hide”.On Friday, figures showed that less than 131,500 daily tests were carried out the previous...

Though they display less viral shedding, asymptomatic people can still spread Covid-19Since the Covid-19 outbreak began, many have been concerned about asymptomatic spread – that is, people who have the virus but show no symptoms, so therefore don’t take measures to quarantine themselves.As the virus spreads throughout the world more research can be gathered, and scientists are learning more...

When they first started in March the No 10 daily briefings helped people understand the pandemic. Now they are being used to browbeat the publicBoris Johnson’s government began daily Downing Street briefings about the Covid-19 pandemic in the second half of March. Back then, the briefings tried to do two things at once. They addressed an urgent public need for reliable information about the...

Owner of Britons Protection says city centre pub needs 70% of usual patrons to break evenTwo months after the Britons Protection pub in Manchester city centre had to close its doors, the business’s owner, Mark West, doesn’t know when it will reopen, a source of frustration for him and his furloughed staff.The specialist ale and whisky pub, which has been serving the city’s drinkers including...

Cross-party group highlights new evidence on how dirty air may worsen infections Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Air pollution must be kept at low levels to help avoid a second peak of coronavirus infections, according to a cross-party report from MPs.There is growing evidence from around the world linking exposure to dirty air and increased infections and deaths...

Scientists say failure to follow advice raises questions over test-and-trace policyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOnly half of people who develop coronavirus symptoms self-isolate for at least a week, according to government science advisers, raising urgent questions about the success of the test, trace and isolate strategy needed to contain future outbreaks.In an...

Testing and tracing is the answer to protecting our most vulnerable – not trying in vain to ‘cocoon’ them awayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIn the last UK government report on coronavirus policy, the word “shielding” is mentioned 36 times. The UK, Sweden and the Netherlands have all shown much interest in this strategy of cocooning elderly and...

My father, Cyril Dix, who has died aged 97, was a research physicist who led the team of scientists that, in the early 1980s, established the international definition of how long a metre actually is.The metre had, since 1791, been defined only by the length of a brass rod kept in a cellar in Paris. But in 1983 Cyril led a team at the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) in Teddington, Middlesex,...

Matt Hancock may want to make a joke out it, but if the new measures are to be taken seriously, the health secretary has to act accordinglyHas there ever been a more unsettling sight than Matt Hancock, laughing? Nominally, it was because Kay Burley had asked him why test and trace was being rolled out so fast, when it didn’t appear to be ready. One minute we were calling him too slow, he...

Data since start of Covid-19 crisis shows almost 60,000 additional deaths, a fifth higher than usualCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain’s excess death toll at the peak of the Covid-19 pandemic was the highest among 11 countries analysed by the Guardian.The UK had the biggest spike among countries including Sweden, France, Germany and Spain. At its peak the UK...

Unfunny, nowhere near as bonkers as the real thing and saved only by John Malkovich, who knows what planet the makers of this Trump-adjacent satire were on The real Space Force – that is, the newest branch of the US military and Trumpian fever dream made flesh and launched last year to the disbelief both silent and vocal of many – broadcast its first recruitment commercial a few...

We have learned a lot about coronavirus, but UK hospitals face huge challenges aheadCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNow that the dust has settled and we have time to reflect, what have we learned from the first peak of Covid-19? And how will we cope with another one?We now understand this illness a lot better than we did. We know what it does to people who are sick...

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...

Surgisphere issues public statement defending integrity of coronavirus study published in the LancetMore than 120 researchers and medical professionals from around the world have written an open letter to the editor of the Lancet raising serious concerns about a large and widely publicised global study that prompted the World Health Organisation to halt several Covid-19 clinical trials.On Thursday...