Proposals include plans to limit self-isolation and to allow household mixing at ChristmasCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA programme of mass, instant coronavirus testing is to be rolled out to areas of England with the highest infection rates after lockdown is lifted next month, the prime minister has announced, as the government faces an unprecedented internal...

This is a good time to follow the changing relationship between Mars and the waxing gibbous moonOver the next few nights the waxing moon slides past Mars in the eastern sky. If you have yet to find the Red Planet, the moon proves a handy signpost. The chart shows the view looking east from London at 17:00 GMT on 25 November. Continue...

Plans for mass immunisation against Covid-19 are developing fast, but concerns must be addressedIn the 1960s, academics studying rumours drew inspiration from epidemiology. They noted how such stories spread through communities, “infecting” some individuals while others seemed immune, and how more resistant populations could stop their spread.Their insights have in turn been taken up by health...

My brother Eddie Yeadon, who has died aged 82, was an engineer and physicist with a particular interest in optics and astronomy.In the late 1960s he worked in the US for the optics company Perkin Elmer on the visors for the helmets used in the Apollo 11 moon landings. He also designed a reflector left on the moon to “bounce” a laser beam. He often joked that this was the part of the mission...

Operation Warp Speed chief says if immunization plan goes well enough Americans should be vaccinated by MayAs the United States recorded its 12th million Covid-19 case, the Trump administration’s vaccine program adviser predicted that life in America could be back to normal around May of 2021 as immunization is set to begin.The note of optimism came even as millions of Americans were expected to...

Exclusive: Four out of five UK intensive care consultants say their unit is stretched by shortage of doctors and nursesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNHS intensive care units, which have played a vital role in the Covid-19 crisis, are so routinely understaffed patients are at risk of poor care, doctors working in them warn today.Four out of five intensive care...

Macron set to announce path out of lockdown, as Japan and South Korea react to rise in casesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFrance is preparing to ease its Covid-19 quarantine in the weeks leading up to Christmas with new daily caseloads falling and pressure building from retailers to allow the annual shopping season to go ahead, as parts of east Asia that were...

No one knew whether mRNA technology would work against this virus – but it does. It’s an extraordinary moment for scienceCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe past few months have brought a number of scientific terms to public attention. We’ve had to digest R (a virus’s reproduction number) and PCR (the polymerase chain reaction method of testing). And now...

Agencies point finger at state-sponsored hackers from China, Russia, Iran and North KoreaWho is targeting vaccine developers?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageState-sponsored hackers from China, Russia, Iran and North Korea are engaged in concerted attempts to steal coronavirus vaccine secrets in what security experts describe as “an intellectual property war”.They...

Despite the promising news from Pfizer and Moderna, other efforts – which may be even more effective – continue around the worldCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhile everyone celebrated this month’s news that not one but two experimental vaccines against Covid-19 have proved at least 90% effective at preventing disease in late-stage clinical trials, research...

It’s essential for the status quo to be challenged. But those who claim to be bold outliers need to draw on evidence, not cry censorshipDisinformation can be deadly. Tobacco industry propaganda disguising the dangers of smoking; the actions of big oil to undermine the scientific consensus on climate change; corrupt scientists telling parents that life-saving vaccines are unsafe: all have cost...