Cut out caffeine to help avoid miscarriage, low birth weight and stillbirth, paper advisesPregnant women should cut out coffee completely to help avoid miscarriage, low birth weight and stillbirth, according to a study of international evidence about caffeine and pregnancy.In contradiction to official guidance in the UK, US and Europe, there is no safe level for caffeine consumption during...

Hong Kong case leads scientists to doubt development of antibodies in previous patients, but other experts say it is no cause for alarmCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA young man has been diagnosed with coronavirus more than four months after he recovered from a first episode of the disease, suggesting that immunity to the virus can be short-lived and raising more...

Shares rise in Europe and Asia after Trump allows use of convalescent plasmaCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFinancial markets around the world have rallied strongly after the US government approved a coronavirus treatment using the plasma of recovered patients and hopes rose for the development of a vaccine.Against a backdrop of growing optimism that medical advances...

While a cure-all drug or therapy is a long way off, there have been some breakthroughsMany different drugs and therapies are being trialled and used on patients with Covid-19. There are some positive results, which may be beginning to bring the hospital death toll down, but there is still a long way to go towards something that will cure all comers. These are some of the most promising. Continue...

The solution to today’s problemEarlier today I set you the following problem, about a game show where objects are hidden behind three doors. Behind one door is a car. Behind a second door are the car keys. Behind the third door is a goat. The car, the keys and the goat were placed there randomly, meaning that each item has a 1/3 chance of being behind any particular door.Twins Timmy and Tammy,...

Radiation physicist at Aldermaston who went on to warn of the dangers posed by the civil and military uses of nuclear energyThe nuclear weapons scientist Frank Barnaby, who has died aged 92, became one of the most effective critics of the international arms race. As the cold war superpowers competed with ever more advanced weaponry to wage a war that could never be won, Barnaby helped amass an...

It is thought sonar may scare animals into surfacing too quickly, causing narcosisAn unusual series of strandings and sightings of 29 rare beaked whales has taken place around the shores of northern Europe. Experts have suggested the strandings may be linked to a military sonar exercise.The events, whose rarity indicates that they might be linked by a single cause, began two weeks ago with the...

Teenage volunteers on archaeological dig unearth 425 coins dating back to 9th centuryIsraeli teenagers volunteering at an archaeological dig have unearthed hundreds of gold coins that were stashed away in a clay vessel for more than a millennium.The 425 24-carat pure gold coins date back to the 9th-century Abbasid caliphate period and would have been a significant amount of money at the time, said...

Research also found lower levels of difficult behaviour in rich and poor neighbourhoodsChildren growing up in greener urban areas have increased intelligence and lower levels of difficult behaviour, a study has found.The analysis of more than 600 children aged 10-15 showed a 3% increase in the greenness of their neighbourhood raised their IQ score by an average of 2.6 points. The effect was seen...

Contact tracing under way as staff and pupils at Kingspark special school told to self-isolateCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHealth officials in Tayside have disclosed that 17 teachers at a special school in Dundee have contracted Covid-19, alongside two pupils and three community contacts.NHS Tayside shut Kingspark school last Wednesday for deep cleaning after the...

More than 170 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective vaccine. Here is their progressResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 170 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue...

A new take on a famous problem If you are a reader of this column, you have probably heard of the Monty Hall problem. It’s a famous probability puzzle that involves a game show host, Monty Hall, who asks a contestant to open one of three doors. Behind one of the doors is a car, and behind the other two are goats.(If you haven’t heard of this puzzle, or want to read the problem in full,...

Trump gives blood plasma treatment green light; UK schools to reopen in September; Former Ukraine president in serious condition with Covid-19. Follow the latest updatesFrance sees highest cases since MayTrump authorises plasma treatment amid attacks on FDABoris Johnson moves to seize control of schools agenda after exams chaosGlobal report: India passes 3m cases as South Korea sees biggest surge...

Findings contradict earlier fears that pills for high blood pressure could worsen diseaseCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBlood pressure medicine improves survival rates from Covid-19 in people with hypertension, according to research that contradicts earlier fears the pills could make the disease worse.The risk of critical illness or death from Covid for people with...