Footage of a meteoroid passing through the night sky has been captured on a webcam by Solent Ships. The footage was recorded at the port of Southampton on Sunday evening just before 11pm and posted on the Solent Ships YouTube channel Continue...

Prof Neil Ferguson says JCVI was conservative in rejecting use of vaccines already approved by MHRACoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s vaccine advisory group behaved like a medical regulator in rejecting calls for all children aged 12-15 to be offered Covid jabs despite that not being its role, Prof Neil Ferguson has said.Last week the Joint Committee on...

One-year-old twin girls have looked at each other for the first time after a complex surgery to separate them at Soroka medical centre in Beersheba, Israel. Dozens of experts from Israel and abroad were involved in the preparation and 12-hour procedure. The team used 3D- and virtual-reality models to map the complex operation. This enabled simulations and practice to be undertaken...

The solution to today’s puzzleEarlier today I set the following puzzle, inspired by the Borromean rings (left), which are three interlocking loops with the property that when you remove any one of them, the other two are no longer linked. In the puzzle everything falls apart when one element is removed. Continue...

Researchers solve mystery of why southern hemisphere whales switch suddenly but in north it is gradualFrom Abba’s Mamma Mia stealing the crown from Queen’s Bohemian Rhapsody to Rihanna’s Diamonds knocking Psy’s Gangnam Style off the top of the charts – even the catchiest song eventually becomes superseded by a new number.But the phenomenon is not unique to humans: male humpback whales...

Netflix’s new documentary series sells the first all-civilian flight to space as an exercise in philanthropy, but it’s little more than a privilege-fuelled puff piece for the billionaire’s adventuresWhile I’m still able – “allowed” is possibly the verb I want – I would like to register my objection to adverts masquerading as legitimate streaming content on a subscription service...

Prof Paul Davies suggests viruses may form vital part of ecosystems on other planetsThe Covid pandemic has already turned life as we know it upside down – and no doubt prompted some people to want to leave the planet.Now a leading scientist has warned that viruses may not only be found on Earth, but might occur – should life exist – elsewhere in the universe. Continue...

We would like to hear your reaction to the existing 10-year-limit being extended up to 55 yearsThe 10-year storage limit for freezing embryos, eggs and sperm will be replaced with a right for individuals or couples to keep them for up to a maximum of 55 years.We would like to know what you think about the extension, and what difference you think it will make. Continue...

You will nail this oneThe image above is the Borromean rings, three interlinked rings that have the curious property that when any one of the rings is removed, the other two are no longer linked.The rings are studied by mathematicians and have long been used as a metaphor for the interdependence of three parts, since either all three are linked, or none are. (The name comes from the Borromeo...

Use the bright star of Altair in Aquila to orientate yourself to see Delphinus, one of the smallest constellationsThis week’s constellation is a pure delight. Delphinus, the dolphin, is one of the smallest, faintest constellations in the sky, but once seen it is impossible to get the image of a celestial dolphin jumping up from the Milky Way out of your mind. Continue...

How contagious is the Delta Covid variant? Take charge of this interactive and watch how small changes in isolation or reproduction rates of Covid-19 can affect our battle against it.One important characteristic of viruses and other pathogens is how contagious or infectious they are. One key measure of this is the R0, or basic reproduction number, which indicates how many new cases one infected...

Hundreds of dozing seals show how much cleaner the river is since it was declared dead in the 1950s“This is a sushi conveyor belt,” says the boat’s skipper, Stuart Barnes, as we watch the customers, dozens of harbour seals slumbering on sandbanks at the mouth of the Thames estuary, a 15-minute ride from Ramsgate marina.August is moulting season, when seals shed their coats and grow new ones,...

Study at Birmingham lung disease service points to printer toner and cleaning products as potential triggersWorking in offices can give people asthma from exposure to substances such as printer toner and cleaning products, according to new research by an NHS doctor.The findings show that working in an office is not necessarily safe and that working from home may be better to protect people’s...