Design review stage passed for craft intended to visit iron-and-nickel mini-world in 2022Nasa’s mission to explore a metal-rich asteroid passed a key milestone in its development this week. The critical design review makes sure everyone is satisfied that the spacecraft will work as expected. Now that the review has been passed, engineers can begin making the various bits of spacecraft hardware...

Forty-seven cases make it ‘harder to imagine bringing our campus community back’ as planned, university saysPlans for the fall semester at the University of California, Berkeley, are in question after 47 new Covid-19 cases tied to fraternity parties emerged in the past week. University officials warn the outbreak could jeopardize the ability to move forward with in-person classes in the months...

Inquiry to examine claims remains were found strewn around and dismemberedAuthorities in France will investigate claims that human corpses donated for science were left to rot and be eaten by rats at a university research facility, the Paris prosecutor’s office has said.An investigation into “violations of the integrity of a corpse” was handed over to magistrates by prosecutors who handled...

An estimated 14,000 people had infection over past two weeks, according to ONS dataCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of people testing positive for Covid-19 has remained stable in England over the past two weeks, according to the Office for National Statistics, with an estimated 14,000 people having the infection.Test results from the coronavirus infection...

Windows can stay open say scientists behind speaker array that emits opposing pressure sound waves to counteract dinIf the hum of passing cars and the clatter of trains drives you to slam windows shut on a hot day, a new noise cancelling system could be music to your ears.Scientists have developed a sound control system that can be fitted on to an open window, allowing a breeze to waft in while...

The government’s preference for centralisation and the private sector has undermined England’s response to the pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe easing of the national lockdown has shifted the focus from central government to local authorities. Councils across England have made good progress in developing local outbreak plans and building capacity for...

How often should you wash a cloth mask? And how effective are the disposable ones? The expert guide to choosing, wearing and caring for your face coveringThe British have been slow to embrace face masks, despite calls from public health experts. Uptake has been just 25% in the UK, compared with 83.4% in Italy and 65.8% in the US. The president of the Royal Society, Venki Ramakrishnan, said this...

Could there really be other civilisations out there in the Milky Way? Nicola Davis talks to Prof Chris Conselice, whose recent work revises the decades-old Drake equation to throw new light on the possibility of contactable alien life existing in our galaxy Continue...

Move comes after two people absconded from quarantine, including a man later found to have Covid-19Police officers will patrol New Zealand’s quarantine hotels around-the-clock after a number of people – including a man who tested positive for coronavirus – escaped the managed isolation facilities.In two separate incidents in Auckland hotels guests in isolation left their quarantine hotels,...

Experts say new climate data shows how close world already is to breaching 1.5C Paris agreement pledgeThere is a one-in-five chance annual global temperatures will be at least 1.5C warmer than in pre-industrial times in the next five years, experts have said.Annual global temperatures are likely to be at least 1C above the levels they were before the industrial era in each year between 2020 and...