Concerns raised that some people may be cancelling their second AstraZeneca dose hoping to obtain a shot of Pfizer insteadFollow our Covid live blog for the latest updatesHotspots: NSW; Vic; QldVaccine rollout tracker; get our free news app; get our morning email briefingThe evidence is strongest for receiving two doses of the same Covid-19 vaccine, rather than mixing different types, medical...

Seán Boyle suspects that the Gaelicised spelling of ‘craic’ may be a more recent ploy to attract touristsAndrew Poole (Letters, 26 August) is of course correct that “crack” has a long history in Scots and north-eastern English. But it also existed in Ireland well before its late 20th-century emergence as “craic”. Growing up in south Ulster, it was in regular use by young and old –...

There is scant evidence that ivermectin can treat or prevent Covid - but that hasn’t stopped rightwing pundits and conservative politicians from promoting itYou are not a horse. You are not a cow. You are, I’m afraid, a homo sapiens living in a world so deranged that people would rather poison themselves with worm medicine meant for farm animals than take a vaccine meant for human beings....

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsWhat evolutionary advantage comes from women having considerably less body hair than men? Mal Jones, CardiffPost your answers (and new questions) below or send them to nq@theguardian.com. A selection will be published on...

They can go on research missions in stormy weather, dive to 150 metres and could soon be ‘singing’ signals. These penguin-like devices are helping to explain the eddies that are key to all lifeIf it looks like a penguin and swims like a penguin – but it’s actually a robot – then it must be the latest advance in marine sensory equipment.The Quadroin is an autonomous underwater vehicle...

Food and water were thought to be the main ways humans are exposed to PFAS, but study points to risk of breathing them inToxic PFAS compounds are contaminating the air inside homes, classrooms and stores at alarming levels, a new study has found.Researchers with the University of Rhode Island and Green Science Policy Institute tested indoor air at 20 sites and detected the “forever chemicals”...

Country to press ahead with school openings as it encourages all over-12s to get third jabCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIsrael has recorded its highest daily number of coronavirus cases with nearly 11,000 new infections, amid a surge caused by the highly transmissible Delta variant as schools prepare to re-open.The previous high came on 18 January, with 10,118...

It is time to evaluate how much transformational control we give billionaires over our societies, and our livesA few weeks ago, Elon Musk announced that his company, Tesla, plans to have a humanoid robot prototype ready next year. The intention is to create a 56kg machine that isn’t “super expensive” to retail. Oh, yes: the commercial application of the planned robot is absolutely to replace...

In an era of divisions over the climate breakdown, tree planting seems to bring everyone together. But are there situations where tree planting can cause more harm than good? And how much can it help us counteract global heating? Patrick Greenfield leads you through the science and controversy behind the decisions we’re making and how those decisions could shape our future environment. He and...

UK and international studies show the impact pandemic has had on health services and patientsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of solid organ transplants fell dramatically around the world between 2019 and 2020, researchers have found, highlighting the widespread impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on health services and patients.As the pandemic surged, hospitals...

A coin toss could give me two completely different lives. But once I know the result there’s no going backI’ve spent most of my life knowing I may have inherited a faulty gene that would cause Huntington’s disease, a neurodegenerative disease that can be fatal. My grandad had the disease, my mum has it, and I am yet to take the test to find out if I have it too. It’s a 50/50 chance of...

The drug, used to deworm livestock, has been touted among right-wing media as a Covid treatment, prompting the US FDA to tweet ‘You are not a cow’Follow our Covid live blog for the latest updatesHotspots: NSW; Vic; QldVaccine rollout tracker; get our free news app; get our morning email briefingA national shortage and 10-fold increase in Australians importing ivermectin in August has sparked a...

A leading scientist explains why the fundamental truth is that it is impossible to know everything about the universeThe American physicist Richard Feynman thought that “nobody understands quantum mechanics”. That is no longer true. Smartphones, nuclear plants, medical scans and laser-operated doors have been built with insights from the physics that governs the subatomic level. What perplexes...

Ian Harvey urges the JCVI to vaccinate teenagers as schools return from the summer break, and Austen Lynch says the Covid death toll is still highScientific advice to the government has mostly been good during the pandemic, but the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is showing unhelpful signs of procrastination over the vaccination of teenagers and the use of adult boosters...

Pupils to return to classrooms in England, Wales and Northern Ireland amid warnings of infection surgeCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePupils will return to school in England, Wales and Northern Ireland this week amid experts warning the return could fuel a surge in Covid cases. We take a look at measures that could improve air quality in schools and reduce...

Machines to be used to clean up after Covid outbreaks part of £5.9m initiative to improve air qualityCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA £3.3m scheme to provide schools in Wales with machines that disinfect classrooms after a Covid outbreak has prompted calls for reassurance over their safety.The Welsh education ministry said on Monday that all schools, universities...

Health body previously stated that boosters in Europe are unnecessary and will increase vaccine inequalityCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA booster jab of Covid-19 vaccine for vulnerable people is not a luxury but a good way to protect them, the World Health Organization has said, as surging infection rates and a pan-European vaccination slowdown produced a “deeply...

‘Vital’ to maintain education for children across the continent; New Zealand’s largest city sees curbs extended by two weeks; Scottish first minister in isolation Global trade recovery starting to wane as Asian cases flareUS states see sharp rise in fatalitieSydney nurses increase sedation of patients to ease workloadSee all our coronavirus coverage 10.22am BST Malaysia’s new prime...

Deemed ‘astrology for businessmen’ for some, lauded as life-saving by others, the personality tests are a ‘springboard’ for people to think about who they areI am a born executive. I am obsessed with efficiency and detached from my emotions. I share similarities with Margaret Thatcher and Harrison Ford. I am among 2% of the general population, and 1% of women.People like us are highly...

At least 12,000 women are still abducted and forced into marriage every year in Kyrgyzstan. But pressure is growing to finally end the medieval customAisuluu was returning home after spending the afternoon with her aunt in the village of At-Bashy, not far from the Torugart crossing into China. “It was 5 o’clock in the afternoon on Saturday. I had a paper bag full of samsa [a dough dumpling...

Guardian Australia picture editor Carly Earl explains the dos and don’ts of taking pictures of the moonWhen a full moon rises, many people will pull out their mobile phones to try and take an Instagram-worthy picture, but unfortunately it is really challenging to get a great photograph of.Two reasons: it is very far away and unless you have a telephoto lens (which makes the moon appear closer...

Skills and reasoning are more vital than ever and the internet is taking the place of memorising by roteLet’s start with the good news: we’re getting brighter. Sadly, not individually as we age, but IQs have risen over time, with new generations having higher reasoning skill scores than their predecessors. This progress on abstract reasoning is in contrast to plateauing or declining scores for...

He’s the Silicon Valley Übermensch, the maverick boss of Tesla and SpaceX who wants us to colonise Mars and who can wipe out billions of dollars with a single tweet. So what’s not to love?It’s interesting whenever Elon Musk’s name comes up and people begin discussing his accomplishments, such as the reinvention of money, automobiles and space travel, there’s always someone who says:...

Charles Foster’s search for the meaning of human life leads him and his son to become hedgehog-eating hunter-gatherers in a Derbyshire woodCharles Foster’s previous book, Being a Beast, is one of the oddest things I’ve read. In it, the author, a barrister, professor of law, part-time judge and former vet, attempts to live as a series of animals, often in the company of his charming and...