Scientists cannot shield the prime minister from the fallout of an unethical policy that will see rising deathsThis week Boris Johnson presented the UK with his plan to lift all of England’s Covid restrictions on Monday. He was flanked by Chris Whitty, the chief medical officer, and Sir Patrick Vallance, the government’s chief scientific adviser. Both men were there to show that Mr Johnson is...
If civilisation perishes on planet Earth, Musk, Bezos and Branson seem to think humans have a backup elsewhereBranson, Bezos, Musk: why are these billionaires, with all their worldly riches, fixated on space travel? The Tesla founder, Elon Musk, argues that in becoming “multiplanetary”, humans might gain “failsafe” protection from the risks of extinction or planetary collapse, while...
English Institute of Sport to roll out saliva tests tracking hormones that may drive fluctuation in women’s performanceHighs and lows are a feature of any athlete’s career, but for some female contestants, these peaks and troughs in performance may come more regularly – driven by hormonal changes associated with their menstrual cycles.Now, the English Institute of Sport (EIS) is seeking to...
Delta variant spreading rapidly as high infection figures resemble those last seen in February lockdownCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOne in 95 people in private households in England – a total of about 578,000 – are estimated to have had coronavirus last week, official estimates show.Figures released on Friday by the Office for National Statistics showed that...
I was part of the F1 champion’s commission. As a Black female engineer, I’ve seen the lack of minorities in science and technologyI was delighted to receive an email from Lewis Hamilton last year, asking that I join his newly created commission on diversity in British motorsport. I accepted because Hamilton has become a champion for social change through the platform sport gives him. After 10...
International experts say ‘unethical experiment’ could allow vaccine-resistant variants to developCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson’s plan to lift virtually all of England’s pandemic restrictions on Monday is a threat to the world and provides fertile ground for the emergence of vaccine-resistant variants, international experts say.At an emergency...
Tests could show the probability of illnesses occurring in five, 10 or 20 years, with huge moral and ethical implicationsWe’re soon going to have to make our own choices about social distancing, wearing masks and travel. When the legal enforcement of rules is lifted, the way in which each of us deals with the risk of Covid-19 will be down to personal judgment. But how well equipped are we to...
Alliances are shifting as states led by China and Russia compete with the US and tech entrepreneurs Liu Boming took in the dizzy view. Around him lay the inky vastness of space. Below was the Earth. “Wow,” he said, laughing. “It’s too beautiful out here.” Over the next seven hours Liu and his colleague Tang Hongbo carried out China’s second spacewalk, helped along by a giant robotic...
Pharmaceuticals firm thinks creating cluster of companies at its site could result in up to 5,000 jobsGlaxoSmithKline is seeking to create a £400m campus in Stevenage for new life sciences companies that it believes could result in up to 5,000 jobs over the next decade.The pharmaceuticals company has kicked off a process to find a private sector developer to transform a third of its existing...
Understanding seasonality can help us to work out when the pandemic is likely to be overThere is a paradox at the heart of Sars-Cov-2 transmission that has yet to be fully explored. While it’s firmly established that the virus transmits best in winter, in common with most other respiratory viruses, the UK is currently experiencing a summer surge. There have also been major Covid-19 epidemic...
Britain has broken the promises Boris Johnson made before the G7 – a change of tack is necessary to make Cop26 a successCovid and the climate crisis are the two defining global crises of our time and Britain has a crucial role to play in addressing them both. As the Cop26 host, it will be responsible for overseeing a successful outcome at the UN climate talks in Glasgow in November.Only a few...
‘Vaccines aren’t perfect,’ epidemiologist says, but offer lower risk of hospitalisation and prevention against spread of virusFollow our Australia Covid live blog for the latest updatesVic hotspots; Vic restrictions; NSW hotspots; NSW restrictionsVaccine rollout tracker; get our free news app; get our morning emailEpidemiologists warn of more breakthrough Covid infections as the number of...
Public urged to join world’s biggest butterfly count to help collect data on impacts of climate crisisButterflies across the UK have been hit hard by unseasonably cold and wet spring weather, conservationists have warned.April was the sunniest on record but it also had a record number of frosts followed by the wettest May for England in 54 years. Native butterflies such as the small...