feed info

12 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Mars rover landing: Nasa's Perseverance safely touches down in search of life

Radio signals confirmed that the six-wheeled rover had survived its perilous descent and arrived within its target zoneNasa’s science rover Perseverance, the most advanced astrobiology laboratory ever sent to another world, streaked through the Martian atmosphere on Thursday and landed safely on the floor of a vast crater, its first stop on a search for traces of ancient microbial life on the...

20.5m years of life may have been lost to Covid-19 worldwide, study says

Figures show total years lost is between two and nine times more than from seasonal fluCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMore than 20.5 million years of life may have been lost to the coronavirus pandemic in 81 countries of the world, according to a new study which exposes the fallacy that those who die would have soon done so even if they had not caught Covid-19.While...

End of Neanderthals linked to flip of Earth's magnetic poles, study suggests

Event 42,000 years ago combined with fall in solar activity potentially cataclysmic, researchers say The flipping of the Earth’s magnetic poles together with a drop in solar activity 42,000 years ago could have generated an apocalyptic environment that may have played a role in a major events ranging from the extinction of megafauna to the end of the Neanderthals, researchers say.The Earth’s...

Australians fear climate change more than catching Covid, survey shows

Edelman Trust Barometer records big gains for attitudes towards government, media and business, but not technologyA new survey has found Australians are more afraid of climate change than catching Covid-19 – and they want government to do something about it.The 2021 Edelman Trust Barometer asked 1,350 Australians questions on a range of topics between October and November 2020. Continue...

Facebook announces UK trial to tackle climate misinformation

Labels to be attached to posts directing users to Facebook’s Climate Science Information Center Facebook has said it will start labelling misinformation about the climate crisis in a small trial limited to the UK.Labels will be attached to certain posts directing users to Facebook’s Climate Science Information Center, a repository of fact-checked claims about the environment. Continue...

Nasa Perseverance rover to land on Mars in search of life

Spacecraft will descend on red planet carrying helicopter and instruments to look for ‘biosignatures’A rover and a helicopter are preparing to land on Mars, aiming to offer humans the opportunity to answer an enduring question: has life ever emerged on another planet?Nasa’s ninth mission to descend on the cold, dry red planet will be steered by a $2.7bn (£2.1bn) car-sized rover –...

For Muslims wary of the Covid vaccine: there's every religious reason not to be | Sadakat Kadri

Suspicion of authority and worries about what is halal must be balanced by the fact that protecting others is an obligationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAs the UK’s Covid-19 vaccination programme has accelerated, optimism about its effectiveness has been rising. According to the Office for National Statistics, more than nine in 10 people are now keen to get a jab,...

UK Covid live: Britain hard hit by coronavirus due to years of Tory rule, Starmer to say

Latest updates: Labour leader to use speech to outline vision for economic recovery from Covid crisis; chancellor’s budget to provide fresh rescue packageCovid hit UK hard because of years of Conservative rule, Starmer to sayInfections in England fall by two-thirds but spreading fastest among youngCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverage 10.24am GMT The number of students...

The NHS rose to the challenge of Covid, but its next test may be even harder | Bruce Keogh

The health service needs modernising if it is to maintain its position at the forefront of patient care and medical researchBruce Keogh is a former national medical director of NHS EnglandOver the past year, our NHS has risen to the challenges of the pandemic. But it’s been a very close-run thing. There have been well-publicised difficulties such as the shortage of ventilators, ICU beds and PPE,...

Why do humans struggle to think of ourselves as animals? – podcast

The pandemic has demonstrated why humans are ultimately an impressive species. From monitoring the genetic evolution of Sars-CoV-2 to devising vaccines in record time, we have put our minds together to reduce the impact of Covid-19. Yet, the global spread of a new disease is a reminder that we are not invincible, and remain at the mercy of our biology and the natural world. Speaking to author...

Covid infections in England fall by two-thirds but spreading fastest among young

Experts urge care over opening schools as children aged 5-12 now in one of most common groups for virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCovid infections have fallen by two-thirds in a month in England but the virus is now spreading most among primary-age children and young people, research suggests.The React 1 study from Imperial College London points to the third...