Analysis: some say lateral flow tests could help cut outbreaks, but others argue they offer false reassuranceRegulator refuses to approve mass Covid testing at schools in EnglandCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe education secretary, Gavin Williamson, has put mass testing for coronavirus at the heart of his strategy to reopen schools after the lockdown. It is a...

Due to different methods, US Noaa judged year as fractionally cooler than 2016 while UK Met Office put 2020 in close second placeLast year was by a narrow margin the hottest ever on record, according to Nasa, with the climate crisis stamping its mark on 2020 through soaring temperatures, enormous hurricanes and unprecedented wildfires.The average global land and ocean temperature in 2020 was the...

The US hasn’t learned from past pandemics. The health of naturalized Americans is intertwined with that of immigrantsThe Trump administration’s colossal mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic isn’t over, and won’t be for a long time after the current president’s departure. There’s a sting in that administration’s tail, whose poison is already spreading through the US population. It...

Latest updates: government’s chief scientific adviser offers grim assessment but points to evidence that lockdown measures are workingUK Covid travel testing delay ‘to help out business’Recovering from Covid gives similar level of protection to vaccineCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 9.35am GMT 9.09am GMT Good morning. Yesterday Britain passed a grim milestone,...

A lonely computer scientist in the year 2038 secretly works on an android version of his wife who died in a car crash – is it romantic, or something more sinister?British illustrator and visual-effects director Gavin Rothery makes his feature debut with this artificial intelligence thriller: a tale of love, death and robotics that has some nicely creepy moments. Set in 2038, it centres on lonely...

Esprit module will supply communications and refuelling to international lunar station The European Space Agency (Esa) has signed a contract to begin building the module to supply communications and refuelling for the international lunar Gateway space station.The European System Providing Refuelling, Infrastructure and Telecommunications (Esprit) will consist of two separate units. The...

PHE found immunity from earlier infection provided 83% protection against reinfection for at least 20 weeks Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePeople who recover from coronavirus have a similar level of protection against future infection as those who receive a Covid vaccine – at least for the first five months, research suggests.A Public Health England (PHE) study of...

Delegation arrives as China suffers growing outbreak of coronavirus in Hebei provinceCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMainland China has reported its first Covid-19 death in eight months, as a team of experts from the World Health Organisation landed in Wuhan to investigate the origins of the pandemic.The delegation will quarantine for two weeks before beginning their...

The new Covid variant, B117, is rapidly spreading around the UK and has been detected in many other countries. Although it is about 50% more infectious than previous variants, B117 does not seem to cause more severe disease or be immune to current vaccines. Yet it has raised concerns over how the virus may adapt to our antibodies and vaccines in the future. To explore these issues, the health...

New York Mayor warns city will fall short of its inoculation goals unless it gets more vaccine; Portugal announces lockdown; UK passes 100,000 deathsCoronavirus variant from UK ‘must not get out of hand’ warns EUUS coronavirus death toll reaches new one-day highUK coronavirus deaths pass 100,000 after 1,564 reported in one dayTokyo outbreak adds to doubts over hosting Olympic GamesSee all our...