35 articles from SATURDAY 4.9.2021

‘Complex and quite ambiguous loss’: what Covid has done to our mental health

Melbourne psychologist Chris Cheers says the pandemic’s effect has been akin to grief, and acceptance of it is hard to reachAfter 18 months, psychologist Chris Cheers has begun to understand emotional responses to the global Covid pandemic as a kind of grief.It’s a collective grief, experienced by the whole world at once, but also deeply personal: our losses are not the same just as our...

Let parents decide on Covid jab for 12- to 15-year-olds, say vaccine advisers

Boris Johnson is heading for a clash with backbench MPs over plans for mass vaccination of teenagers Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageParents should choose whether they allow their children to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if ministers overrule scientific advice against mass vaccination of healthy 12- to 15-year-olds, the government’s independent vaccine advisers...

Meet Altos Labs, Silicon Valley’s latest wild bet on living forever

Last October, a large group of scientists made their way to Yuri Milner’s super-mansion in the Los Altos Hills above Palo Alto. They were tested for covid-19 and wore masks as they assembled in theater on the property for a two-day scientific conference. Others joined by teleconference. The topic: how biotechnology might be used to make people younger. Milner is a Russian-born billionaire who...

‘A cycle of dread, collapse, relief’: the absurd, tormented story of my hypochondria

I have never been seriously ill or spent a night in hospital, but I’m plagued by fears that a terrible sickness is coming for me. How did I fall victim to health anxiety?“This minute I was well, and am ill, this minute.” The pain arrives slowly, like a Polaroid sharpening into view, but the fear comes suddenly: a channel switched, a cloud sped across the sun. It’s June 1989, I recently...

Image: Hubble snaps speedy star jets

This striking image features a relatively rare celestial phenomenon known as a Herbig-Haro object. This particular object, named HH111, was imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).

Victoria reports 190 new Covid cases as 1,000 families forced to isolate in Queensland

Covid-positive girl, 4, infected by interstate truck driver in south-east Queensland was infectious at daycareFollow the Australia Covid liveblogModerna Covid vaccine given provisional approval for teenagers in Australia by TGARestrictions: NSW; Vic; Qld; bordersHotspots: NSW; Vic; QldVaccine rollout tracker; get our free news app; get our morning email briefingVictoria has reported 190 new...

Free-flight training applied to parrot conservation

A training technique that has been practiced by parrot owners for decades is now being applied to establishing new bird flocks in the wild. While many parrot owners clip their birds' wings to reduce their flight abilities, free-flight involves training an intact parrot to come when called, follow basic commands, recognize natural dangers, and otherwise safely fly in open areas.