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...