As activity tracking goes mainstream, an arsenal of consumer technology is rolling out for sleep. But how much do these interventions help?At 2.16am, I stumble to the bathroom. I catch a glimpse of myself. The light from the red bulb is flattering – I’ve been told to eliminate all blue light on my nocturnal trek – but the sleep-tracker headband, currently emitting the sound of gently lapping...
The joy of physics | TV theme tunes | Weather forecasts | The cost of warYour correspondence on quantum mechanics (Editorial, 30 August; Letters, 3 September) reminded me of a conversation that I had 50 years ago with a German biologist. He told me that as a teenager he had wanted to be a theoretical physicist and went to a lecture by Wolfgang Pauli on the latter’s exclusion principle. Seeking...
Charlotte Northedge wrote a new novel in lockdown. She considers others who have realised the dreams of their youthI wrote a novel in the last lockdown. To be clear, it wasn’t one of those creative outpourings some people had in between yoga with Adriene and baking banana bread. I had a deadline. Some days, I thought I’d never cut through the brain fog brought about by living through a...
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, CardiffSend new questions to nq@theguardian.com. Continue...
Faced with danger, we act without thinking, as Nicola Kelly found when a day out with her family almost ended in disasterWe were running late that day. Three months into parenthood and time seemed to be perpetually against us – a constant battle against the clock to get the baby fed, changed and out the door.It was the first Saturday afternoon since the pubs had reopened in England and we were...
Rural community with an under-resourced health system came together to take on the virus, but anger at the authorities remainsSee all our coronavirus coverageThe work day in Fangshan starts before dawn and finishes at midday, when fishers or farmers of mango and onion sit together in the shade, sharing a bucket of cooked prawns and bottles of Taiwan beer.The hometown of Taiwan’s president,...
It pays to always check what is actually being countedLast Wednesday, the Evening Standard trumpeted “Covid deaths rocket to 207 in deadliest day in nearly 6 months”. In fact, deaths within 24 days of a positive test were slightly down over the previous week. So what did it get wrong?It appears it fell for the common misunderstanding, even after 18 months of pandemic, that the daily death...
Brazil suspends use of over 12m Chinese Sinovac doses; UK reportedly pushes ahead with plans to require NHS workers to be vaccinatedVaccines for care home staff: why ‘no jab, no job’ is controversialLet parents decide on jab for 12- to 15-year-olds, say UK vaccine advisersAustralia reopening ‘could change’ as Covid continues to strain hospitalsNew Zealand reports 20 new Covid cases as...
Key questions behind the government’s decree that care home staff must be vaccinated against Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWhy is there controversy about giving Covid-19 vaccinations to care home staff?Ministers have decreed all care home staff in England must be vaccinated against Covid-19 by 11 November. However, it is estimated – by the government –...
The site in Boca Chica, south Texas is surrounded by protected lands that host a huge range of local wildlife including turtles and hundreds of bird speciesEverything seemed normal as SpaceX’s Starship juddered into the sky over south Texas last March, tangerine flames and white smoke pluming behind it. But roughly six minutes into the test flight, the spacecraft thudded back to Earth.SpaceX,...