Third iteration hoisted into space offers alternative to US, EU and Russian navigation systemsChina launched the final satellite of its BeiDou navigation satellite system (BDS) from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in Sichuan province at 9.43am local time (0243 BST) on 23 June 2020.Developed by the China Academy of Space Technology, the satellite is the 30th in the constellation, and was...

Agency hopes to attract novel solutions for its Artemis mission to the moon in 2024“It certainly isn’t the prime focus of the mission,” said Nasa’s Mike Interbartolo. “We’re not going back to the moon so we can say we pooped on the moon, but we don’t want an Apollo situation either.”Interbartolo, is project manager for the Lunar Loo Challenge, a Nasa competition launched on...

Shadow education secretary told to step down from shadow cabinet after sharing article on Twitter that included antisemitic conspiracy theoryKeir Starmer sacks Rebecca Long-Bailey from shadow cabinetLong-Bailey’s sacking - Analysis and reaction from commentariatNo 10 backs Jenrick despite revelations over developmentDowning Street lobby briefing - SummaryViolence at street party in Brixton...

It’s 38C in Siberia. The science may be complicated – but the need for action now couldn’t be clearerThere’s an Arctic heatwave: it’s 38C in Siberia. Arctic sea ice is the second lowest on record, and 2020 may be on course to be the hottest year since records began.For many people, such news induces a lurch of fear, or avoidance – closing the webpage because they don’t want to hear...

Mukupirna, meaning ‘big bones’, was probably five times the size of living wombatsFossils of a huge, hairy creature with shovel-shaped hands and unusual teeth could hold clues to the evolution of today’s wombats, researchers say.They say the fossils belong to a new member of a group of marsupials called vombatiforms, and one of the earliest such creatures yet discovered. Continue...

First optical observation made of phenomenon previously thought to occur in darknessWhen black holes collide, the ensuing cosmic drama was assumed to play out under the cloak of darkness, given that both objects are invisible. But now astronomers believe they have made the first optical observations of such a merger, marked by a blaze of light a trillion times brighter than the sun.The flare was...

Donald Trump told thousands of supporters at a rally in Oklahoma he wanted to slow down testing for Covid-19 – despite experts saying the opposite.From masks to 'miracle' treatments, the Guardian's Maanvi Singh looks back at how the US president has long been contradicting and defying science during the coronavirus outbreak and the impact that has had on the country's handling of the...

From serology to T-cells, there’s still a lot we don’t know about how immunity to coronavirus worksCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe sheer speed with which Covid-19 spread across the world, coupled with the novel nature of the virus, has meant that scientists and technicians have been playing a game of catch-up. But our knowledge, though incomplete, is now much...

I’ve never seen anything like coronavirus before. Recovering will be a Herculean task for patients, but we are here to helpAfter nearly a quarter of a century as a physiotherapist, I’ve found 2020 the most professionally thought-provoking year so far. Throughout my career, I have treated patients with everything from rare and fatal brain conditions to severe bends brought about by diving, but...

Bayer’s US settlement over Monsanto’s weedkiller has given hope to litigants in AustraliaAustralia’s agriculture minister insists the common weedkiller Roundup is safe after its manufacturer agreed to pay almost $16bn to settle cancer lawsuits in the US.The pesticides giant Bayer agreed overnight to pay up to US$10.9bn (A$15.8bn) to settle about 95,000 cases claiming Roundup caused cancer....

Archaeologists surveying the land around Stonehenge have made a discovery that could change the way we think about our neolithic ancestors: a circle of deep shafts spanning 1.2 miles in diameter around Durrington Walls. Hannah Devlin speaks to Prof Vincent Gaffney about how he and his team made this incredible discovery and why the latest find is so remarkable Continue...

Texas hospitals near capacity; Dutch brothels to reopen; volunteers receive first doses of experimental vaccine. Follow the latest updatesWHO warns of global oxygen shortageIndia has highest daily rise in casesEU border rules could bar US visitorsSee all our coronavirus coverage 1.19am BST The pilots of a plane that crashed last month in Pakistan, killing 98 people, were pre-occupied by the...