Doherty Institute says the eight devices for rapid testing shouldn’t be used in acute stages of the illnessRapid Covid-19 testing devices rushed onto the Australian market are far less accurate than their manufacturers have claimed, and the expert leading a government-initiated review says they should not be used to detect acute cases.In the early stages of the pandemic, the federal government...

Exclusive: Public health experts say it is ‘incomprehensible’ NSC not consulted on £100bn rapid mass testing projectCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s health screening advisers have not been involved in Boris Johnson’s “moonshot” project to test the entire population for Covid-19, an omission public health experts have described as...

A huge amount of work will be required to convince a sceptical public fatigued by talk of ‘world-beating’ new systemsAs summer turns to autumn, Covid-19 cases have been increasing in the UK, and England has registered an increase in hospitalisations. The virus has already shown it can cause havoc for the NHS while infecting a relatively small proportion of the population. Related: Mass weekly...

Research finds evidence of accelerating spread at end of August and start of SeptemberCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCases of coronavirus in England are doubling every seven to eight days, research has revealed in the latest figures to show a resurgence of Covid-19.The study, known as React-1, is a population surveillance study that began in May and uses swabs from...

Stricter regulations across the UK come as a study reports that mask wearing and lockdown rules are causing deeper social divides than BrexitCovid lockdown rules more divisive than Brexit, survey finds‘Rule of six’: what are the new rules in England, Scotland and Wales?UK’s economic recovery from Covid-19 crisis continuesGlobal coronavirus updates – live 10.26am BST Former prime minister...

The agency announced it is buying lunar soil from a commercial provider as part of a technology development programNasa has announced it is looking for private companies to go to the moon and collect dust and rocks from the surface and bring them back to Earth.The American space agency would then buy the moon samples in amounts between 50 to 500 grams for between $15,000 to $25,000. Continue...

Images of the Milky Way, California nebula and Andromeda galaxy are among the winners of the Insight Investment astronomy photographer of the year award. An exhibition of the winning pictures can be viewed at National Maritime Museum in Greenwich, south-east London, from 23 October Continue...

Rio Tinto boss Jean-Sébastien Jacques bows to investor pressure over Juukan Gorge debacle and will quit, along with two other senior executives. Follow liveFollow today’s international coronavirus live blogImpact of Covid slowdown on CO2 in the atmosphere ‘not even a blip’, Australian scientist saysA day in the life of Victoria’s Covid contact tracersJobseeker cut will leave 80% skipping...