Cannabis was first domesticated around 12,000 years ago in China, researchers found, after analyzing the genomes of plants from across the world.

A rapidly growing wildfire south of Lake Tahoe forced evacuations of a mountain town and the cancellation of an extreme bike ride through the Sierra Nevada, leaving thousands of riders and spectators stranded Saturday.

Models can give us an idea, but are very sensitive to what we don’t knowMathematical models simulated vast numbers of possible futures for after the UK government lifts Covid restrictions in England from 19 July. Many sources of uncertainty mean we don’t know which one, if any, of these projections might occur.First, even with fixed assumptions about the epidemic, the play of chance produces...

The cognitive scientist explains the link between intelligence and telling fibs – and why lying is such a common form of communication in fields from art to politicsMartin Turpin is a PhD researcher at the department of psychology at the University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada, who is studying linguistic bullshit. He is the lead author of a recent paper entitled Bullshit Ability As an Honest...

RAF chief says system to track objects up to 22,000 miles from Earth is ‘incredibly important’An American space force plan to develop a global monitoring system to track objects up to 22,000 miles from Earth could establish radar stations in the US, UK and Australia.The head of the RAF, Air Chief Marshal Sir Michael Wigston, is in the US for talks over the plans, and said on Saturday the...

Thomas Bach insists Tokyo Games are ‘secure’Anonymous visitor in 14-day quarantine after positive testThe president of the International Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, has urged the Japanese public to welcome the Olympics when it starts on 23 July and insisted they will be “safe and secure” despite a positive Covid test at the athletes’ village.While acknowledging the widespread...

We should be suspicious of the role of the Chinese Communist party in the harvesting of genetic data from unborn babies, argues William MatthewsIn her column (What does the Chinese military want with your unborn baby’s genetic data?, 10 July), Arwa Mahdawi suggested that the alleged involvement of the People’s Liberation Army (which is directly answerable to the Chinese Communist party) with...

I’ve travelled the world covering everything from HIV to MMR to Ebola… and then Covid came along. These are stories that changed me – and the worldShe was tall, wrapped in a green patterned dress that clung to her legs and ended just above dusty flip-flops. In the bustling, sweltering market, Grace Mathanga looked at me appraisingly, as if to say: “What have we here?” And I knew she was...

Just as the European Union was announcing plans to spend billions of euros to contain climate change, massive clouds gathered over Germany and nearby nations to unleash an unprecedented storm that left death and destruction in its wake.

Firefighters scrambled Friday to control a raging inferno in southeastern Oregon that's spreading miles a day in windy conditions, one of numerous wildfires across the U.S. West that are straining resources.

An ambitious project funded by the B.C. government hopes to collect ocean plastic along 1,200 kilometres of...

Chief health officer Brett Sutton says Victoria needs to brace itself for ‘any possibility’Sydney lockdown shock as Gladys Berejiklian admits NSW has failed to ‘quash’ Covid outbreakScott Morrison urges Apec leaders to ramp up mRNA vaccine production and boasts of Australian economyNew Sydney Covid lockdown restrictions: latest update to NSW coronavirus rules explainedVic hotspots; Vic...

Fears for Fairfield, Liverpool and Canterbury Bankstown residents, while shutdown of construction sector expected to cost $800m to $1bn per weekFollow our coronavirus live blogScott Morrison urges Apec leaders to ramp up mRNA vaccine production and boasts of Australian economyNew Sydney Covid lockdown restrictions: latest update to NSW coronavirus rules explainedVic hotspots; Vic restrictions; NSW...

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Tokyo, Japan - Researchers from Tokyo Metropolitan University have analyzed long-term precipitation radar data from satellites and found significantly enhanced rainfall over the most recent decade during the annual Meiyu-Baiu rainy season in East Asia. The data spans 23 years and gives unprecedented insight into how rainfall patterns have changed. They showed that the increased rainfall was driven...

Researchers revealed the pathological mechanism of severe pre-engraftment syndrome (PES) after umbilical cord blood transplantation, not only providing a treatment strategy for patients with PES, but significantly guiding for further improvement in the curative effect of unrelated cord blood transplantation (UCBT).

NSW outbreak exceeds 1,000 coronavirus cases while there are now more than 165 exposure sites in VictoriaVic hotspots; Vic restrictions; NSW hotspots; NSW restrictionsScott Morrison accused of ‘misrepresenting’ Atagi advice to shift blame for botched vaccine rollout‘Secret weapon’: unflappable Kerry Chant faces toughest challenge yet as NSW Covid outbreak grows‘The Delta variant has...