Consultation shows positivity towards screening programme to spot those at heightened risk of certain health conditionsPlans to sequence the whole genome of every newborn in the UK in order to spot those at heightened risk of certain health conditions have been given a boost, with consultations suggesting the approach could have public support.The potential for genomics to improve health was at...

Our hospital psychiatry team comprises doctors, nurses and allied health – no elbow patches or Sigmund Freud beard in sightThe modern mind is a column where experts discuss mental health issues they are seeing in their work“Are you a psychiatrist? Can you analyse me?” I was at a small airport heading home from my regular clinic in a rural town. Like many Australian towns it’s a friendly...

Experts react with dismay to ‘frightening’ attitude of Sajid Javid towards removing protectionsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUK scientists have warned that the lifting of all Covid-19 restrictions is like building new “variant factories” at a very fast rate, and said the attitude of the new health and social care secretary, Sajid Javid, is...

A revolutionary new class of amphibious vehicle will transform the search for lost vessels on the ocean floor, says marine archaeologist Dr Robert BallardHe is the celebrated deep-sea explorer who discovered the Titanic, as well as the German battleship Bismarck and other historic sunken vessels around the world.Now Dr Robert Ballard is pioneering cutting-edge technology – autonomous underwater...

The veteran US pilot is set to become the oldest woman in space – the only snag is she has to go with the Amazon billionaire You have to feel for the American pilot Wally Funk. You would sympathise with anyone with that name, but she has had a particularly mixed week. On one hand, at 82, she is set to finally fulfil her life’s ambition and travel into space. Funk was one of the most promising...

If under-18s are vulnerable, let’s jab straight away. Then we need a wider plan that doesn’t leave teenagers as the unvaccinated ‘class apart’The UK vaccination programme has been an extraordinary success. However, as most adults become “double jabbed”, it is the unvaccinated who are left to catch and spread this virus. This throws the spotlight on to children, teenagers and schools....

With a surface hot enough to melt lead, Venus has been left alone by space agencies for a decade. Now we are about to learn more about its climate – and the chances of life on other planetsA fleet of robot spaceships is to descend on Venus in a few years and begin probing the most inhospitable world in the solar system. One craft will drop through the planet’s crushingly dense – and...