Clinical trial on joint flu, Pfizer and AstraZeneca vaccinations reported only mild to moderate side-effectsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFlu jabs are safe to give at the same time as the Pfizer or AstraZeneca Covid vaccines, according to the first clinical trial to investigate co-administering the shots in a single appointment.While some people experienced more...

SpaceX founder, who in April won a contract from Nasa, took a jab at Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin for suing when it lost out on dealElon Musk intensified the feud over lawsuits and rocket sizes with space rival Jeff Bezos this week, kicking off the latest round in the billionaire battle over humanity’s return to the moon.The SpaceX founder, who in April won a contract from Nasa to build the...

Shares of Oxford Nanopore close up 44%, giving co-founder paper fortune of £63mSee all our coronavirus coverageOxford Nanopore, whose DNA sequencing technology has been essential in tracking Covid-19 variants globally, has made a stellar stock market debut in London. A rise in its share price of as much as 47% has left the firm valued at almost £5bn.The flotation of the Oxford University...

Last week, supermodel Linda Evangelista posted on her Instagram page describing undergoing a procedure called CoolSculpting, claiming it has left her ‘permanently deformed’. With this, which is also known as cryolipolysis, and other non-surgical cosmetic treatments on the rise, particularly among younger people, Madeleine Finlay investigates how these procedures work and how risky they really...

David Spiegelhalter and Anthony Masters delve into the detail behind the data and explore the true human cost of the pandemicAlong with successive waves of infection, the coronavirus pandemic has provided us with a tsunami of data and graphs. Thanks to the Public Health England dashboard and websites such as Our World in Data, every internet user can access accurate and timely information on Covid...

Discovery along with another species enhances island’s reputation as Europe’s best place to find dinosaurs The fossilised remains of a dinosaur, nicknamed “the horned crocodile-faced hell heron”, have been unearthed on the Isle of Wight.The 125m-year-old predator had a 9 metre-long body, powerful claws, a gigantic skull covered in horns and bumps, and long crocodile-like teeth. The...

With the pandemic not yet over, experts analyse risks of catching the virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAudiences are expected to flock to sold-out screenings when No Time to Die opens on Thursday, especially after rave reviews, and for many it will be the first cinema visit since the pandemic took hold.For others, even the prospect of Daniel Craig’s final turn...

The wealth of the Tesla boss and would-be space coloniser has overtaken that of his Amazon rival. How does he plan to celebrate? By being as puerile as possibleName: Elon Musk v Jeff Bezos.Age: About two. Continue...

AI has taken the place of astrology as humans have worked through the millennia for knowledge of when it will rainGoogle uses AI to try to improve two-hour rain forecastsRecent scientific breakthroughs allowing forecasters to better predict the weather are just the latest in a long line of meteorology developments.Google’s artificial intelligence (AI) arm DeepMind has developed a system allowing...

Discovery of DNA modifications raises hope of treatment for disorders that particularly afflict twinsThe medical mystery of what causes some twins to be born identical may have been solved by scientists in the Netherlands, raising hopes for treatment of congenital disorders that disproportionately afflict them.Identical twins form after a fertilised egg, called a zygote, splits into two embryos...

Authors from Carl Jung to Aldous Huxley and Susan Blackmore explore the deep mysteries of what it means to be a personDo you know what sort of animal you are? It’s rather important to know. If you call yourself a humanist, for instance, don’t you need some idea of what a human is so that you can make sure your behaviour accords with your ethics? If you think that humans are just a little lower...

Yes rockets are exciting but what are you eight years old?Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue...

Government removes costs and red tape in go-ahead for more trials of gene edited cropsThe prospect of genetically modified foods being grown and sold in the UK has come a step closer after changes to farming regulations that will allow field trials of gene edited crops in England.Companies or research organisations wishing to conduct field trials will still have to notify the Department for...

Barbara Wagstaff and Mercie Lack’s photographs of 1939 excavation left in plastic bag at National TrustIt was 12 years ago that conservator Anita Bools first laid eyes on photographs which had been left in a plastic bag at the reception of the National Trust site Sutton Hoo by a mystery donor.She remembered they were laid out on tables for her to see and decide how important they might be. “It...

Study finds the intelligent endangered alpine parrot can be trained to use electronic devices with their tonguesVote now in the Guardian/BirdLife Australia 2021 bird of the year pollThe kea, an endangered New Zealand parrot, is clever enough to use touchscreens but don’t appear to be able to tell the difference between the real and virtual worlds, according to a new study.Researchers taught six...

Results of two studies may explain why some people develop diabetes after catching the virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCovid-19 can infect insulin-producing cells in the pancreas and change their function, potentially explaining why some previously healthy people develop diabetes after catching the virus.Doctors are increasingly concerned about the growing number...

Global analysis of indoor and outdoor pollution also finds link to low birth weightAir pollution is likely to have been responsible for up to 6 million premature births and 3 million underweight babies worldwide every year, research shows. The analysis, which combines the results of multiple scientific studies, is the first to calculate the total global burden of outdoor and indoor air pollution...

Less is known about women’s health than men’s – that’s because research on the former is underfunded, says Silvia HummelJessica Nordell raises several important issues facing women and people from ethnic minorities in accessing quality healthcare (The bias that blinds: why some people get dangerously different medical care, The long read, 21 September). Another important factor is...

Whether atomic priesthoods, 50ft concrete spikes or burying astronauts in concrete, humanity’s attempts to keep free from infection are examined in Until Proven SafeIn January 2020, just a few days before the first Covid-19-infected passengers landed in the United States on a flight from Wuhan, preparations were already being made in a converted car park in Omaha, Nebraska. By complete...

Many asylum seekers and refugees have had to flee their homes in extremely distressing circumstances. A lucky few make it to a safe country such as the UK – but what happens next? As Britain begins its commitment to take in 20,000 people fleeing Afghanistan, we look at the psychological impacts of trying to start again in a new country.Anand Jagatia speaks to Afraa, who was forcibly displaced...

Scientists found dangerous levels of MDMA in nearby River Whitelake after the festivalScientists have found what they called environmentally damaging levels of illegal drugs in the river running through Glastonbury festival owing to public urination on the site.Researchers measured levels of illegal drugs in the river before, during and after the last Glastonbury festival, in 2019, comparing...

How the Harvard psychologist Steven Pinker became one of the world’s most contentious thinkersOn a recent afternoon, Steven Pinker, the cognitive psychologist and bestselling author of upbeat books about human progress, was sitting in his summer home on Cape Cod, thinking about Bill Gates. Pinker was gearing up to record a radio series on critical thinking for the BBC, and he wanted the...

Researchers find space in Gorham’s Cave complex that has been closed off for at least 40,000 yearsResearchers excavating a cave network on the Rock of Gibraltar have discovered a new chamber, sealed off from the world for at least 40,000 years, that could shed light on the culture and customs of the Neanderthals who occupied the area for a thousand centuries.In 2012, experts began examining...

Study prompts experts to call for nutrition to be included in public health strategiesChildren who eat five or more portions of fruit and vegetables a day have the best mental health, according to the first study of its kind.Higher intake is associated with better mental wellbeing among secondary school pupils, and a nutritious breakfast and lunch is linked to emotional wellbeing in pupils across...