Researchers have found the rock has a self-sealing mechanism that keeps fluids locked awayWe need to find somewhere safe to dispose of high-level nuclear waste; a place where we can be confident it will be isolated and contained for hundreds of thousands of years. And if we want to keep a lid on global warming then we may well need to find a similar place to store carbon dioxide too. But where?...

Study may shed light on material and debated origins of some of the 25,000 fragments With myriad fragments and an extraordinary past, the Dead Sea scrolls are quite a puzzle. Now experts say ancient DNA has helped them piece together which fragments come from the same scrolls, as well as which texts may have travelled a distance, and how widespread the writings were.The scrolls are one of the most...

Outbreaks after family parties in Göttingen illustrate the problems of containing virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage Several gatherings of extended families in the north-western German city of Göttingen two weekends ago have resulted in a local spike of the coronavirus, which authorities say has highlighted the need to stick to physical distancing rules. Continue...

Gian Piero Gasperini admits he had symptoms prior to Champions League match in Spain Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Spanish football club Valencia has criticised the coach of Italian team Atalanta for “putting the health of numerous people at risk’’ after confessing he had symptoms of Covid-19 prior to the Champions League match between the two sides...

Prof Neil Ferguson tells Lords committee cases will remain steady until SeptemberCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCoronavirus infections in hospitals and care homes are spilling into the community and sustaining the outbreak to the point that cases will remain steady until September, a leading scientist has warned.Prof Neil Ferguson, the head of the outbreak...

People of Bangladeshi origin face greatest danger of dying in pandemic, according to PHECoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDeath rates from Covid-19 in England have been higher among people of black and Asian origin than any other ethnic group, a government-ordered inquiry has found.In addition, those people of black backgrounds are the ethnic group most likely to be...

No 10 says England’s chief medical officer was responsible for keeping it at level four Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe decision for England’s official coronavirus alert level to remain at four despite this week’s easing of some lockdown restrictions was made by the chief medical officer, Downing Street has said, indicating he vetoed the government’s wish...

The UK has refused to support a WHO initiative to make Covid-19 treatments patent-freeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage“The most urgent shared endeavour of our lifetimes,” is how Boris Johnson described the search for a coronavirus vaccine just a month ago. At the time, the prime minister urged countries to pull together and share their expertise. Yet if his...

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsThe successful launch of the SpaceX rocket Dragon, timed so that the Nasa astronauts onboard could rendezvous with the International Space Station, got me thinking: do all satellites orbit the earth in the same direction? If...

News updates: MPs return to Westminster; statistics authority says testing data ‘widely criticised and often mistrusted’UK coronavirus death toll nears 50,000, latest official figures showAI firm that worked with Vote Leave wins new coronavirus contractCritics round on No 10 over ‘ridiculous’ rules for 14-day quarantine‘Flora needs me’: MP caring for wife hits out at Jacob...

UK’s 14-day quarantine rules criticised as ‘ridiculous’; Global deaths pass 375,000; Spain reports no new deaths for the first time since March. Follow the latest updatesFauci says he and Trump no longer in regular contactPakistanis urged to ‘live with the virus’Australia coronavirus updates – liveCoronavirus latest: at a glanceSee all our coronavirus coverage 5.47am BST 5.26am BST In...

Ian Sample talks to Prof Carl Heneghan about the uncertainties in predicting future outbreaks of Covid-19 and what we can do to prevent them Continue reading...