6,446 articles from FEBRUARY 2021

Letters: Sir Arnold Wolfendale obituary

Sir Arnold Wolfendale wrote an article on John Harrison and the invention of his maritime clock (2008) for The Historian, the members’ journal of the Historical Association. On making his acquaintance, I discovered that, along with being a physics professor and astronomer royal, he attended the lectures and other activities of the Historical Association branch in Durham.Trevor JamesIn 2000...

20 million people in UK have had first dose of coronavirus vaccine

Health secretary hails latest inoculation figures as ‘magnificent achievement for the country’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 20 million Britons have received their first coronavirus vaccine dose, the UK government has said.In a video uploaded to his Twitter profile, the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said it was a “magnificent achievement for the...

Green pass: how are Covid vaccine passports working for Israel?

As hotels and gyms reopen in Israel, governments elsewhere are considering a similar certificate scheme – raising ethical concernsFour key questions on a Covid certification scheme in EnglandCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs the UK and other governments consider whether to give Covid-vaccinated people certificates that allow entry to bars, hotels, and swimming...

'The Earth could hear itself think': how birdsong became the sound of lockdown

When the pandemic hit, the song of birds offered joy and hope. The author of a new book recalls that glittering spring and explains the science behind bird calls and how to identify themIt’s six in the morning and still dark, 24 March 2020. I wake early and, knowing the children will soon be up, decide to steal half an hour’s solitude in the park. From the dense latticework of trees and shrubs...

I have tested positive for Covid – and I feel really guilty

At first I felt relieved that my symptoms aren’t too grim. Then I felt bad about my relief, as if I’d failed a basic solidarity dutyIt started with a text that was doing the rounds from Lambeth council’s director of public health: the South African variant of Covid had been discovered in a tiny box of postcodes that included our house, and we were all encouraged to get tested. I forwarded it...

Vulnerable children 'forgotten' in Covid vaccine rollout, say UK charities

Ministers urged to help families struggling to protect children with underlying health conditionsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThousands of the UK’s most vulnerable children are being “forgotten” in the coronavirus vaccine rollout, charities have said, as they urged ministers to help struggling families.The country has met its target of vaccinating the most...

Under threat: the birthplace of Darwin’s historic theory

Groups including the Geological and Linnean societies say government’s 3,000% rent rise could force them to quit their Burlington House premises after 167 yearsSome of Britain’s most distinguished learned societies say they may be forced to leave their central London premises because the government has imposed rent rises of more than 3,000% over the past few years.Last week the Geological...

If oestrogen can save women from the worst of Covid, they should be given it | Kate Muir

There is mounting evidence that HRT can help menopausal women recover from the virus, but little action is being takenCoronavirus - latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage‘To see what is in front of one’s nose needs a constant struggle,” wrote George Orwell, and seeing in front of our masks in this endless pandemic turns out to be even harder. Take the compelling case of the effect of...

Covid vaccine does not affect fertility but misinformation persists

Scientists emphasise safety but younger women still hesitantCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAmy Taylor was chatting to friends over a Zoom drink when the conversation took an unexpected turn. One of the group – all in their early 30s, mostly university-educated and in professional jobs – mentioned that she had concerns about the Covid vaccine because she wanted to...

'Silent epidemic of grief' leaves bereaved and bereavement care practitioners struggling

Major changes in bereavement care have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic, amid a flood of demand for help from bereaved people, according to new research from the University of Cambridge. The first major study of pandemic-related changes in bereavement care has found that the switch to remote working has helped some services to reach out, but many practitioners feel they do not have capacity...

CUHK unveils balance between two protein counteracting forces in hereditary ataxias

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD), describes the most common form of dominantly inherited ataxia in many populations worldwide, including Hong Kong and mainland China. SCA3 or MJD patients often present problems with gait and balance, blurred vision, and speech difficulties. The symptoms are progressive, and patients may eventually decline into a...

Sensing suns

Red supergiants are a class of star that end their lives in supernova explosions. Their lifecycles are not fully understood, partly due to difficulties in measuring their temperatures. For the first time, astronomers develop an accurate method to determine the surface temperatures of red supergiants.

Staying in the shade: how cells use molecular motors to avoid bright light

A team led by the University of Tsukuba has discovered a key component of the molecular motors that drive motility in cells, such as sperm cells or unicellular algae that swim using flagella. A novel protein, named DYBLUP, is part of the linkage between the motor complexes and cellular microtubules that produce movement in flagella, and is also centrally involved in cell responses to blue light.

Study: Treatable sleep disorder common in people with thinking and memory problems

Obstructive sleep apnea is when breathing is repeatedly interrupted during sleep. Research has shown people with this sleep disorder have an increased risk of developing cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease. Yet, it is treatable. A preliminary study released today, February 28, 2021, has found that obstructive sleep apnea is common in people with cognitive impairment. The study will be...

To sustain a thriving café culture, we must ditch the disposable cup.

Takeaway coffees - they're a convenient start for millions of people each day, but while the caffeine perks us up, the disposable cups drag us down, with nearly 300 billion ending up in landfill each year.While most coffee drinkers are happy to make a switch to sustainable practices, new research from the University of South Australia shows that an absence of infrastructure and a general...


SATURDAY 27. FEBRUARY 2021


‘I’ve had my vaccine - how well will it protect me and for how long?’

The latest answers to the important medical questions about the vaccines and the pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe prospects of vaccines failing to trigger immune responses are dismissed as remote by scientists. “If a vaccine has not been properly refrigerated that might pose problems but doctors take great care to ensure that doesn’t happen,” said...

Germany now says its seniors could get AstraZeneca jab

Regulator concedes process had ‘somehow gone wrong’ and is set to approve vaccineCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGermany could soon authorise the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for seniors after the head of the country’s vaccination committee said his body’s advice to give the Oxford-developed vaccine only to those under 65 had “somehow gone wrong”.Unlike...

Clean break: the risk of catching Covid from surfaces overblown, experts say

Prioritising eye protection and face masks will prevent the spread of coronavirus more than disinfecting surfaces, research showsAustralia vaccine tracker: when will you get the jab?Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhen cases of Covid-19 first began emerging in Australia, some people reported disinfecting their groceries before bringing them into their homes, and there...

Archaeologists find unique ceremonial vehicle near Pompeii

Well-preserved iron, bronze and tin carriage discovery is ‘without precedent in Italy’Archaeologists have unearthed a unique Roman ceremonial carriage from a villa just outside Pompeii, the city buried in a volcanic eruption in 79 AD.The almost perfectly preserved four-wheeled carriage made of iron, bronze and tin was found near the stables of an ancient villa at Civita Giuliana, about 700...

Concerns grow as UK Covid testing labs scaled back before even opening

Planned multi-million Lighthouse facilities cut by up to 50%, with smaller labs decommissionedNew Lighthouse labs, created by the government to boost the nation’s Covid testing capacity, are to be dramatically scaled back before they open. It is understood that new multi-million pound labs in Gateshead and Plymouth, announced last year but yet to open, are among those to see a big cut in daily...

Imaging space debris in high resolution

Researchers have introduced a new method for taking high-resolution images of fast-moving and rotating objects in space, such as satellites or debris in low Earth orbit. They created an imaging process that first utilizes a novel algorithm to estimate the speed and angle at which an object in space is rotating, then applies those estimates to develop a high-resolution picture of the target.

When using pyrite to understand Earth's ocean and atmosphere: Think local, not global

Scientists have long used information from sediments at the bottom of the ocean to reconstruct the conditions in oceans of the past. But a study raises concerns about the common use of pyrite sulfur isotopes to reconstruct Earth's evolving oxidation state. These signals aren't the global fingerprint of oxygen in the atmosphere, according to new research from Washington University in St. Louis.

Sensing robot healthcare helpers

Robots that could take on basic healthcare tasks to support the work of doctors and nurses may be the way of the future. Who knows, maybe a medical robot can prescribe your medicine someday? That's the idea behind 3D structural-sensing robots being developed and tested right now.