36 articles from SUNDAY 7.6.2020

Starwatch: how to find the Great Diamond in the sky

The spring asterism known as the Great Diamond is a pattern of four stars from different constellationsThis week, track down the asterism known as the Great Diamond. Asterisms are patterns of stars that exist alongside the officially defined constellations. In this case, the Great Diamond consists of four stars. Cor Caroli in Canes Venatici, the hunting dogs; Denebola in Leo, the lion; Spica in...

Brazil stops releasing Covid-19 death toll and wipes data from official site

Government accused of totalitarianism and censorship after Bolsonaro orders end to publication of numbersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Brazilian government has been accused of totalitarianism and censorship after it stopped releasing its total numbers of Covid-19 cases and deaths and wiped an official site clean of swaths of data.Health ministry...

'It feels endless': four women struggling to recover from Covid-19

Many people suffer effects of coronavirus for months while reporting a wider range of symptoms than NHS guidelines state Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageLast month, the Guardian published an interview with Paul Garner, a professor of infectious diseases, about his experience of Covid-19. The piece was shared widely and viewed nearly 1m times. Readers got in touch to...

What happens when you have an affair with your therapist?

Erotic transference can be completely devastating, and handling it requires extreme careThere’s nothing quite like it. You sit together in hushed intimacy, just the two of you, finally revealing lifelong secrets. The atmosphere is exquisitely calm, the tranquillity shot through with alertness as the world shifts, brilliantly refigured, and relief floods in. You have the certainty that you are...

UK failure to lock down earlier cost many lives, top scientist says

Sage member also says Covid-19 ‘definitely not over’ and urges caution in easing lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOne of the UK government’s leading scientific advisers has said the failure to enter lockdown sooner “has cost a lot of lives” and that Britain should not relax its guard, as ministers push ahead with an accelerated programme of easing...

Dinosaur toys and golf clubs: the strange things astronauts take to the moon

The personal items that Neil, Buzz and others carried with them – and left up thereBeyond the usual travel essentials, any keepsakes, charms and totems we take with us on our journeys say a lot about our inner worlds. The faithful may carry a crucifix, a rosary or the Qur’an; superstitious sailors still carry amulets to ensure a “smooth voyage”; soldiers treasure pictures of their...

Black Lives Matter protests risk spreading Covid-19, says Hancock

Health secretary denies UK is racist, and repeats calls to keep to distancing rules at rallies Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK health secretary has said there is undoubtedly a risk there will be an increase in coronavirus cases following the Black Lives Matter protests this weekend, while denying Britain is a racist country.Matt Hancock repeated his calls for...

Which kind of face mask is the best protection against coronavirus?

Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of getting Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageYes. Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. Surgical grade N95 respirators offer the highest level of protection against Covid-19 infection, followed by surgical grade masks. However, these masks are costly, in limited supply,...

If drug companies use public funds they must make their finds available to all | Kenan Malik

The hunt for a coronavirus vaccine has led to refusals to share research“It’s tragic that we won’t have a vaccine ready for this epidemic,” Peter Hotez told a US congressional committee in March. Tragic, because we could possibly already have had one.Hotez is director of the Center for Vaccine Development at the Texas Children’s Hospital. In 2016, he and his team developed a vaccine for...

After six months of coronavirus, how close are we to defeating it?

Doctors say they are making progress in understanding the disease, but warn against hoping for an early vaccineCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCovid-19 has now been afflicting humans for six months – first in China and later in other nations as the virus embarked on its global conquest. The experience has been a grim one for our species. To date, more than six...

More than half of England’s coronavirus-related deaths will be people from care homes

Toll could hit 34,000 among country’s most vulnerable residents by end of June, estimates expert study Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCare home residents are on course to make up more than half the deaths caused directly or indirectly by the coronavirus crisis in England, according to a new analysis.The study warns that the death toll by the end of June from...

Gardens of the galaxy: can you grow vegetables on Mars?

With a mission to Mars on the horizon and astronauts spending longer than ever in orbit, scientists are looking for ways to grow vegetables in space...In The Martian, the 2015 film directed by Ridley Scott, astronaut Mark Watney (Matt Damon) is accidentally abandoned alone on Mars by his crewmates after an emergency evacuation, without enough food to survive. Mars is a tricky prospect for even the...

The Fed deserves the praise for America’s jobs turnaround. But Trump benefits

The US stimulus programme looks to have been a success: one that has political as well as economic consequencesThe political obituaries of Donald Trump were all prepared. At the end of a week that has seen American cities convulsed by protests over the killing of George Floyd, the president would be faced with an increase in unemployment worse than anything seen in the Great Depression.Well, it...