Iain Duncan Smith and second MP warn of eroded confidence in plan after ‘messy’ MHRA adviceCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA decision to offer people under 30 an alternative vaccine to the AstraZeneca jab has prompted concern that some could shun the injection over fears about its safety.Iain Duncan Smith, the former Conservative leader, warned that the decision...

Light pollution is killing insects and birds – and an ancient human connection with the heavenly bodiesSevere light pollution in Britain appears to have fallen, according to the CPRE, the countryside charity. Across a week in February, the charity asked volunteers to look up and count the stars they could see. The results suggest that 51% of participants were experiencing severe light pollution,...

Genetic sequencing dating back 45,000 years shows intermixing with Neanderthals more common than previously thoughtGenetic sequencing of human remains dating back 45,000 years has revealed a previously unknown migration into Europe and showed intermixing with Neanderthals in that period was more common than previously thought.The research is based on analysis of several ancient human remains –...

Option offered to under-30s after UK records 79 cases of rare blood clots out of 20m jabs administeredJab fears may play into hands of anti-vaxxersCoronavirus – latest UK updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageExperts warned of damage to confidence in the UK’s vaccine programme after 10 million adults under 30 were told they will be offered an alternative to the Oxford/AstraZeneca jab...

Latest updates: call comes after trial of AstraZeneca vaccine on children aged six to 17 is paused amid concerns over links to very rare blood clotsAstraZeneca jab: UK says concerns being investigated thoroughlyAstraZeneca jab could have causal link to rare blood clots, say UK expertsThird of survivors of severe Covid diagnosed with mental health conditionCoronavirus – latest global updates...

The weight of buildings in dense urban areas can lead to subsidence, with effects particularly marked by the coastIt’s well known that ice sheets are heavy enough to bend the underlying rocks, but what about cities? Are some cities capable of reshaping the bit of planet they sit on?By 2050 around 70% of Earth’s population are projected to live in cities. This set Tom Parsons, a geophysicist...

Study finds 34% developed psychiatric or neurological conditions after six monthsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOne in three people who were severely ill with coronavirus were subsequently diagnosed with a neurological or psychiatric condition within six months of infection, a study has found.The observational research, which is the largest of its kind, used...