Pollen released by plants is also more intense than in 1990 in bad news for those with allergies, research in US and Canada findsThe climate crisis is multiplying the miseries faced by people with allergies, with new research finding that the pollen season in North America is now an average 20 days longer than it was three decades ago. Related: How urban planners' preference for male trees has...
There is a race between viral variants and vaccines – and for humanity’s sake the latter must winCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNo one would blame Boris Johnson for wanting Covid-19 to be wiped out. The reality is that the disease is here to stay. New, more transmissible, variants have exposed the limits of trying to achieve herd immunity through vaccination....
The solution to today’s Q&A puzzleEarlier today I asked you the following puzzle.Ask Johnny Continue reading...
Drugmakers are looking at ways to improve their vaccines so they are ready for mutations of the virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEmerging variants of the virus that causes Covid-19 have triggered concerns that the vaccines developed to date will not provide the high level of protection seen in clinical trials. Concerning variants have been identified in...
Trial data can’t tell us everything about how effective vaccines are: we need to wait to see the real world impactCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe delivery of Covid-19 vaccines continues apace in Britain and around the world, and soon we will have a lot of data on their initial effectiveness. Vaccines are vital tools that will help to rescue us from the pandemic,...
Latest updates: Nadim Zahawi says people should keep faith in UK programme after study finds UK jab not as effective against South African variantVaccine strategy needs rethink after new variants emerge, says expertOxford vaccine gives less protection against South African variant 9.40am GMT For months now scientists have been saying that people are likely to need annual booster jabs against...
Oxford vaccine shown to have only limited effect against South African variant of coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageLeading vaccine scientists are calling for a rethink of the goals of vaccination programmes, saying that herd immunity through vaccination is unlikely to be possible because of the emergence of variants like that in South Africa.The comments...
A new twist on the all time classic maths trick “Think of a number” tricks are such a puzzle staple that the BBC even named a kids show after them. (To readers under the age of 40, Think of a Number was hosted by Zoe Ball’s dad Johnny, and to many Britons, this one included, it was an indelible cultural highlight of growing up in the late 1970s/early 1980s.)The following puzzle is a...
Swedish environmental groups warn test flight could be first step towards the adoption of a potentially “dangerous, unpredictable, and unmanageable” technologyA proposed scientific balloon flight in northern Sweden has attracted opposition from environmental groups over fears it could lead to the use of solar geoengineering to cool the Earth and combat the climate crisis by mimicking the...
A trio of winged constellations can be seen in the east but there are other creatures to spot, including Delphinus and VulpeculaThis week, there are a trio of flying creatures to watch out for in the pre-dawn sky. The chart shows the view looking east from London at about 6am this week. Highest in the sky is Cygnus, the swan. This large constellation falls into the ‘once seen, never forgotten’...