US researchers say teenagers are more likely to get vaccine-related myocarditis than end up in hospital with CovidCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHealthy boys may be more likely to be admitted to hospital with a rare side-effect of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine that causes inflammation of the heart than with Covid itself, US researchers claim.Their analysis of...

The Ig Nobels are a reminder that Jonathan Swift was wrong about reason. Without research driven by curiosity, there would be far fewer breakthroughsIn Gulliver’s Travels, Jonathan Swift mocked the assumption that the scientific revolution had transformed European culture for the better. The satirical novel, published in 1726, has its eponymous hero stumbling upon “the Academy” in the...

Mark Drakeford, first minister, insists it is possible to avoid further lockdowns if people behave sensiblyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Welsh first minister, Mark Drakeford, has warned that Covid infections are rising sharply, with the current wave expected to peak at the end of this month. However, he said it was possible to avoid further lockdowns if people...

All you need to know about who is affected and why it’s the worst supply chain crisis since the 1970sFast food chains are running out of chicken. Hauliers’ wage bills are going through the roof. Crops are rotting in the fields. The scale of Britain’s supply chain meltdown is the worst since the 1970s, when the three-day week, power cuts and industrial disputes saw rubbish pile up in the...

The multi-national International Space Station gets it story told through the men and women who worked on itWith such strong base-level material, you could hardly go wrong, and so it proves with this history of the International Space Station, which has been orbiting the Earth 250 miles up since 1998. This is very much the authorised version, told largely through interviews with a select...

Prof Katalin Karikó of BioNTech says she endured decades of scepticism over her work on mRNA vaccines Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScientists would make swifter progress in solving the world’s problems if they learned to put their egos aside and collaborate better, according to the leading researcher behind the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid vaccine.Prof Katalin Karikó,...

Oxford jab scientist suggests extra doses should go instead to countries with low vaccination ratesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOne of the leading scientists behind the Oxford vaccine for Covid-19 has said she does not support a widespread booster jab campaign in the UK as immunity among fully vaccinated people is “lasting well”.Prof Dame Sarah Gilbert, who...

Groundbreaking studies into how well beards soften punches to the face, the benefits of transporting rhinoceroses upside down, and orgasms as a nasal decongestant have taken out one of the most coveted awards in science: the Ig Nobel prize. Not to be confused with Nobel awards, the Ig Nobels celebrate the quirkier realms of science, rewarding research that first makes people laugh and then...

Leaked supply document reveals clauses to protect US pharma company from legal action in the event of serious side-effectsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePfizer has been accused of holding Brazil “to ransom” over demands to shield itself from possible vaccine side-effect lawsuits in its contract to supply the country with 100m Covid jabs.In its $1bn (£700m) deal...

The US diseases expert has been spoofed by Brad Pitt and lauded as the ‘sexiest man alive’. Now the pop culture phenomenon is the focus of a documentaryBeer and bobbleheads. Candles, colouring books, cupcakes and cushions. Dolls, doughnuts, hoodies, mugs and socks. T-shirts and yard signs that declare “Dr Fauci is my hero” and “In Fauci we trust”.Anthony Fauci, an 80-year-old...

Size of telephone box, coffin thought to be 4,000 years old and includes well-preserved axe among remains Golfers are forever trying to avoid everything from bunkers, the rough and water to other players’ putting lines. In Lincolnshire the hazard was almost an incredibly rare telephone box-sized early bronze age coffin.Historic England on Friday revealed details of a remarkable discovery as...

Patients in England first to benefit from Sotorasib after drug proven to halt growth of tumours for seven monthsLung cancer patients in England will become the first in Europe to benefit from a “revolutionary” new drug that can halt the growth of tumours by targeting the so-called “Death Star” mutation.The medication, Sotorasib, will be fast-tracked to NHS patients after it was proven in...

Guardian Australia picture editor Carly Earl explains the dos and don’ts of taking pictures of the moonWhen a full moon rises, many people will pull out their mobile phones to try and take an Instagram-worthy picture, but unfortunately the moon is really challenging to get a great photo of.Two reasons: it is very far away and unless you have a telephoto lens (which makes the moon appear closer...