42 articles from SATURDAY 24.4.2021

Can Australia achieve herd immunity to coronavirus, and what happens if not?

Declining immunity and new viral variants may mean annual vaccine boosters are neededImmunologists and virologists are questioning the ability of populations to ever achieve herd immunity to Covid-19.They say gradually waning immunity to the virus after infection or vaccination, and the impact of variants, mean it is likely annual vaccinations will be required and cases will continue to occur....

From Eno to Dua Lipa, why musicians are fascinated by outer space

Artists have long been seduced by galactic themes. Now Duran Duran’s Nick Rhodes is releasing a celestial epicNick Rhodes, the most concept-friendly and new-romantic of Duran Duran’s line-up, has been in contemplation. Mostly he’s been thinking about the movements of the heavens and their travelling companion, mythology.If the gods are angry, this thinking goes, their mood swings might be...

Secrets of a tree whisperer: ‘They get along, they listen – they’re attuned’

Suzanne Simard revolutionised the way we think about plants and fungi with the discovery of the woodwide web. The ecologist’s new book shares the wisdom of a life of listening to the forestWhen Suzanne Simard made her extraordinary discovery – that trees could communicate and cooperate through subterranean networks of fungi – the scientific establishment underreacted. Even though her...

The city my grandfather used to call home no longer exists – except in our minds

After his death, I wanted to know more about his life, and the city that made him and very nearly killed himEvery Hanukkah through my childhood, if I was visiting my grandparents’ Liverpool home, my Grandpa Oskar told me the exact same story. With a pickle on his side plate – my grandma serving up his favourite dinner of latkes, vusht (smoked sausage) and eggs – he’d recount the night...

SpaceX: astronauts arrive at International Space Station on 'recycled' rocket – video

Four astronauts on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft shared hugs and greetings with the incumbent crew on the International Space Station after successfully docking. It is the first time SpaceX has reused a capsule and rocket to launch astronauts for Nasa, after several years of proving the capability on station supply runs. Elon Musk’s SpaceX delivers new crew to...

Elon Musk’s SpaceX delivers new crew to International Space Station

Tech boss ‘proud’ to be working with space agencies as astronauts begin six-month missionFour astronauts on board Elon Musk’s SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft have successfully docked at the International Space Station (ISS) for a six-month mission.Frenchman Thomas Pesquet is the first European Space Agency (ESA) astronaut to fly in the billionaire tech entrepreneur’s space capsule, alongside...

A more efficient, safer alternative to sourcing copper via bacteria

Copper remains one of the single most ubiquitous metals in everyday life. As a conductor of heat and electricity, it is utilized in wires, roofing and plumbing, as well as a catalyst for petrochemical plants, solar and electrical conductors and for a wide range of energy related applications. Subsequently, any method to harvest more of the valuable commodity proves a useful endeavor.

California to ban new fracking from 2024

California plans to stop issuing new fracking permits by 2024, Governor Gavin Newsom said Friday, as the state looks toward progressively halting fossil fuel extraction in the coming decades.

‘Smell training’ recommended for Covid anosmia

Scientists advise ‘simple and side-effect free’ exercise for patients who have lost sense of smell due to virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScientists are recommending “smell training” for people who have lost the sense due to Covid, as one in five with the symptom report it has not returned to normal eight weeks after becoming ill.The exercise involves...

‘We’re the poo crew’: sleuths test for Covid by reading signs in sewage

Scientists in Exeter are identifying Covid through human faeces – this could be be expanded to monitor other diseasesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThey call themselves the “poo crew” – a team of health detectives who are tracking down and heading off Covid outbreaks by reading the signs in our sewage. And they are expanding. Earlier this month, the...

Can our passion for pets help reset our relationship with nature?

As lockdown puppy sales soar and the cats of Instagram are liked by millions, endangered species are vanishing from the planet. Can pets teach us how to care about all animals?It was the carefree summer of 2019, and I was on a beach in San Francisco – surrounded by a thousand corgis. Sand is not the natural environment for dogs whose legs are only as long as ice lollies. But this was Corgi Con,...