Boris Johnson held lengthy meeting with scientists about bringing down UK infection rateCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDeep into Sunday night, a debate was playing out in the heart of Downing Street. The prime minister had gathered the UK’s most eminent scientists – and was learning that “follow the science” is not as simple as it sounds.After more than a...

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Bacterial infection alongside speed of temperature rise may have triggered mortality, suggests studyHigh temperatures and the persistent warming of oceans have triggered profound changes in marine ecosystems, but a new study suggests that the rate of onset of warming – rather than the peak – could also play a key role in the damage fuelled by climate change.In early July 2017, researchers were...

Continued doubling of infection rate feared by top advisers is unlikely to happen, say some expertsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOn one thing, everyone agrees: the UK is at a turning point.After a summer of crowded beaches and pubs reopening, followed by children returning to school and employees going back to the workplace, new cases of Covid-19 are definitely on...

The solutions to today’s teasersEarlier today I set a logic problem and a word problem from Puzzlebomb, a monthly problem sheet.I’ll start with the word problem. Continue...

Patrick Vallance and Chris Whitty’s briefing predicted an autumn of rising deaths and difficult lockdown choicesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government’s most senior scientists, England’s chief medical officer, Chris Whitty, and the chief scientific adviser, Sir Patrick Vallance, have given a televised briefing about the recent increases in coronavirus...

Writer lays into president and PM for their ‘crummy’ response to coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Succession creator, Jesse Armstrong, used his Emmy acceptance speech to attack Boris Johnson and Donald Trump for their “crummy” response to coronavirus, and also the media moguls who do so much to keep them in power.Armstrong’s HBO show, telling...

Elephants may have ingested toxins produced by bacteria found in waterholesHundreds of elephants died in Botswana earlier this year from ingesting toxins produced by cyanobacteria, according to government officials who say they will be testing waterholes for algal blooms next rainy season to reduce the risk of another mass die-off.The mysterious death of 350 elephants in the Okavango delta between...

UK chief scientific adviser says breakthrough far more likely in first half of 2021Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA few doses of an effective Covid vaccine may be available for use before the end of the year, Sir Patrick Vallance, the UK government’s chief scientific adviser has said – but it is far more likely that any such breakthrough will happen during the...

Restrictions for Newport, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and Blaenau Gwent; Whitty calls for ‘break in unnecessary links between households’Whitty: UK could see 200 deaths a day by NovemberVallance says 6,000 new cases a day in UK, doubling every seven daysSummary of key points from Whitty/Vallance Covid briefingFollow Covid rules or see UK deaths return to spring levels, Shapps warnsGlobal...

Continuous cough is one of three main Covid-19 symptoms people are told to look out forCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWith the onset of autumn , one phrase is on many people’s lips: persistent cough. But how many of us really know what it means, or what differentiates it from the barks and tickles caused by less dangerous autumnal illnesses?A new and continuous...

Monument in northern city of Agra opens to visitors after being closed for six monthsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Taj Mahal, India’s “monument to love”, has reopened after a six-month hiatus with special rules introduced – including no touching the white marble walls of the mausoleum built for a Mughal emperor’s favourite wife.Only 5,000 visitors are...

Fever, runny nose, headache? Lost your sense of taste or smell? Your guide to differentiating between the three illnessesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWith winter approaching, the UK is entering the traditional seasons for colds and flu, with the additional complication this year that symptoms of those two illnesses can be broadly similar to those experienced by...

Grant Shapps says ‘we can’t afford to wait until deaths are rising before taking action’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK could return to the levels of mass coronavirus deaths seen in the spring unless people abide by social distancing rules, Grant Shapps has warned ahead of an appeal to the public by the government’s most senior scientists.Shapps, the...

Decision will impact the expansion of Beijing’s space exploration and navigational programsChina will lose access to a strategic space tracking station in Western Australia when its contract expires, the facility’s owners said, a decision that cuts into Beijing’s expanding space exploration and navigational capabilities in the Pacific region.The Swedish Space Corporation (SSC) has had a...

Bacteriophages were superseded by modern antibiotics, but scientists believe they could be key to conquering antimicrobial resistanceIt is, say enthusiasts, the cure that the world forgot. An old therapy that could take on the new superbugs.Discovered in 1917 by French Canadian biologist Félix d’Hérelle, phages – or bacteriophages – are tiny viruses that are natural predators of bacteria....

The Guardian’s health editor surveys the remarkable global efforts to develop effective protection against coronavirusIncredibly fast. Faster than any vaccine has ever been developed before, but we will have to wait a while longer yet. Continue reading...

Bamboozling bars and brain busting beesToday’s problems are from Puzzlebomb, a monthly sheet of word, logic and number puzzles whose first issue came out earlier this month.The first teaser - a meta-puzzle about bar graphs inspired by this xkcd cartoon – may well explode your head. Continue...

Focus should not be on how many tests are done, but how they are used and where, say experts Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHow many coronavirus tests does the UK really need? The official aim is 500,000 a day by the end of October, more than double the current total. But, amid concern over a series of missed targets, scientists have tried to quantify the projected...