Chapare virus, which causes haemorrhagic fevers, was transmitted to health workers in La Paz and resulted in three deaths Researchers with the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have discovered human-to-human transmission of a rare virus in Bolivia belonging to a family of viruses that can cause haemorrhagic fevers, such as Ebola.The news is a reminder that scientists are working to...

Phase 3 success rate of 95% for US firm’s treatment is promising for UK vaccine trialCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHopes are rising for the Covid jab being developed by Oxford University, after Moderna became the second company to reveal impressive results from its vaccine trials.Interim results from phase 3 clinical trials of the Covid vaccine from US company...

Britain secures deal for vaccine that showed nearly 95% effectiveness in interim resultsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain has rapidly secured a deal for an initial 5m doses of a new US vaccine which has nearly 95% effectiveness in interim results, after fears earlier that the UK had missed out on supplies.The deal done on Monday will mean vaccines could be...

The sloioutn to tdoay’s pzulze and the wnienr of the wirnitg cmtiopteionEarlier today I set a puzzle about scrambled numbers and set a competition for ‘unscrambleable’ sentences. The puzzle is as follows: for each of the four numbers in the following addition, the first and last digits are correct, but the intermediate digits have been scrambled. Restore the original addition. Continue...

Experts say there is no evidence UK’s £100bn mass Covid testing scheme will provide any benefitCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government’s £100bn Operation Moonshot mass Covid testing scheme is like “building a Channel tunnel without asking civil engineers to look at the plans”, experts have warned.They say there is no evidence the plan will offer any...

Experiment put a human in one box, a dog in another and saw which the ticks preferredConfining a young researcher in one box and a dog in another and unleashing blood-sucking ticks to scamper between the boxes sounds like a stunt from I’m A Celebrity.But the stomach-churning scientific experiment has revealed that ticks carrying the deadly Rocky Mountain spotted fever (RMSF) disease are more...

US-based biotech firm is latest to reveal impressive results from phase 3 trials of jabCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe race for a coronavirus vaccine has received another shot in the arm with the US biotech firm Moderna becoming the latest to reveal impressive results from phase 3 trials of its jab.An interim analysis released on Monday, and based on 95 patients...

Moderna results show Pfizer success was not flash in the pan, but poorer countries may have to look elsewhereCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe success of Moderna’s vaccine against Covid-19 is reason for the whole world to cheer. The results from an interim analysis of the trial data are remarkably similar to those of Pfizer/BioNTech a week ago. Most people –...

Available onlineThe Little Angel theatre’s inspirational show uses dance, rap and puppets to tell real and fictional tales about trailblazing female astronautsBefore she became the first woman of colour to go into space, Mae Jemison trained as a dancer. When she embarked on her 1992 mission on the shuttle Endeavour, she took with her an inspirational photograph of Alvin Ailey’s ballet Cry...

Bestselling writer says ‘no state has the moral right to close bookshops’ Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA group of French authors has promised to pay fines imposed on the country’s bookshops that remain open in defiance of coronavirus lockdown rules.The pledge was made by the best-selling writer Alexandre Jardin, who said authors were getting together to...

The UK prime minister has posted a video on Twitter saying he is self-isolating for 10 days after being contacted by NHS test and trace to say he has been in contact with an MP who tested positive for coronavirus. Boris Johnson said he was ‘feeling as fit as a butcher’s dog’ but for the time being would be conducting meetings via Zoom. Boris Johnson ‘bursting with antibodies’ after being...

Scientists now have better tests and treatments, and are forging a clear pathway out of this global ordeal On 5 January 2020, the World Health Organization sent a memo to governments across the world reporting a small cluster of pneumonia-like cases in Wuhan, China. For many countries, the warning was like looking through a fog. Each month, the WHO picks up on average 3000 potential disease...

PM says he is in good health and has no coronavirus symptoms ahead of crucial weekCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has said his body “is bursting with antibodies” after he was forced into self-isolation on Sunday night just as he embarked on a crucial week designed to restore calm and project an air of competence after a vicious No 10 turf war.There...

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In Darwin’s era, people commonly participated in botany and archaelogy. Now a raft of new projects aim to harness their curiosity againIt is hard not to feel a thrill of excitement when you land on the Galaxy Zoo homepage and read the words “Few have witnessed what you’re about to see” looming out of a star-strewn black background.The anticipation is justified when, in five quick clicks,...

Research based on playing time data showed gamers reported greater wellbeingPlaying video games can be good for your mental health, a study from Oxford University has suggested, following a breakthrough collaboration in which academics at the university worked with actual gameplay data for the first time.The study, which focused on players of Nintendo’s springtime craze Animal Crossing, as well...

SpaceX launched four astronauts on their way to the International Space Station on Sunday on the first full-fledged taxi flight for Nasa by a private company. The Falcon rocket thundered into the night from Kennedy Space Centre with three Americans and one Japanese, and is the second crew to be launched by SpaceX. Continue...

Astronauts travelling to the International Space Station in Elon Musk’s SpaceX ‘Dragon’ capsule. Follow live coverage and updates 2.09am GMT Do you have questions about the mission? Ask them on Twitter @helenrsullivan. Earthlings, send me your space questions by replying below and I'll do my best to answer them https://t.co/Y9ZefXRq3v 2.07am GMT There will be a press conference in 25...

UK PM has no symptoms but has been confirmed as contact of positive case; Global cases rise by 4m in one week and deaths by nearly 60,000 Boris Johnson told to isolate after contact with Covid-positive MPCovid vaccine hopes must not make Britons complacent, warns adviserCovid vaccine rally fuels market optimism of a faster global recovery 1.41am GMT Australia has done a remarkable job in...

Mike Hopkins, Shannon Walker, Victor Glover and Japan’s Soichi Noguchi successfully lifted off for the 27-hour flight on SundaySpaceX has launched four astronauts to the International Space Station on the first full-fledged taxi flight for Nasa by a private company.The Falcon rocket thundered into the night from Kennedy Space Center in Florida with three Americans and one Japanese onboard, the...