Albanerpetontids, originating possibly 250m years ago, snatched prey with ballistic tongue, say scientistsScientists have uncovered the oldest evidence of a “slingshot” tongue, in fossils of 99m-year-old amphibians.The prehistoric armoured creatures, known as albanerpetontids, were sit-and-wait predators who snatched prey with a projectile firing of their “ballistic tongues”. Continue...

With low take-up likely and accuracy an issue, mass testing is not going to be the easy fix everyone is hoping forRapid Covid test missed over 50% of cases in pilotSee all our coronavirus coverageOperation Moonshot, the government’s ambitious plan to deploy exciting new technologies to test the entire population for coronavirus infection, launches in Liverpool on Friday. Yet, even as the army...

Strongest evidence yet found of sustained defence in people who recover from coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScientists have found the strongest evidence yet that people who recover from Covid may mount a much faster and more effective defence against the infection if they encounter the virus again.Researchers at Rockefeller University in New York found...

Mutations in mink herds and wildlife such as weasels, badgers, ferrets may pose risk to human health and vaccine developmentCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA Danish vaccine specialist has warned that a new wave of coronavirus could be started by the Covid-19 mink variant.“The worst-case scenario is that we would start off a new pandemic in Denmark. There’s a risk...

You put your coronavirus health and policy questions to us. Here are the answers We asked readers what they wanted to know about coronavirus and health. Haroon Siddique, a reporter on our health team, has the answers. Continue...

What makes an elite sports star suddenly unable to do the very thing they have been practising for years? And is there anything they can do about it? Scott Boswell stood at the start of his bowling run-up, immersed in his own very public hell. It was the final of the Cheltenham and Gloucester Trophy in 2001, which should have been the highlight of his cricket career. Instead, he found himself...

When Mount Vesuvius erupted in AD79, the damage wreaked was catastrophic. Ash and pumice darkened the skies, and hot gas flowed from the volcano. Uncovering the victims, fated to lie frozen in time for 2,000 years, has shown they died in a range of gruesome ways. Nicola Davis speaks to Pier Paolo Patrone about his work analysing ancient inhabitants of Pompeii and nearby towns, and what it tells us...

Pfizer has already agreed to supply the US, EU and Japan with hundreds of millions of dosesAustralia’s efforts to secure the Pfizer Covid-19 vaccine candidate may be compromised by huge global demand and a lack of local manufacturing capability, experts say, as Labor warns that Australia may struggle to distribute it at the required temperatures.On Thursday, Scott Morrison announced Australia...

Latvia and Estonia also confirm record one-day infections; Cyprus introduces night-time curfew; England’s lockdown begins. Rich states’ Covid deals ‘may deprive poor of vaccine for years’Turkey resists calls for tougher measures to tackle case surgeDenmark plans to cull 15m mink over Covid mutation fearsJordan suffers Covid surge after early success against virusUK Covid death toll rises...