29 articles from SUNDAY 19.9.2021

Volcano erupts on Spain's Canary Islands

The Cumbre Vieja volcano erupted on Spain's Canary Islands on Sunday spewing out lava, ash and a huge column of smoke after days of increased seismic activity, sparking evacuations of people living nearby, authorities said.

‘Highly effective’ ovarian cancer treatment could help thousands of women

New drug combination shrunk tumours significantly in 46% of patients with treatment-resistant form of disease Thousands of women with ovarian cancer could benefit from a revolutionary drug combination after it was shown to shrink tumours in half of patients with an advanced form of the disease.The pair of drugs – which work together to block the signals cancer cells need to grow – could offer...

Elon Musk welcomes SpaceX crew home with $50m donation to charity

Four-person crew asked for the public’s help in reaching fundraising target of $200m for the children’s charity St JudeElon Musk surprised his first all-private crew of space tourists with a welcome home gift after their trailblazing trip to orbit ended on Saturday night: a $50m donation to the children’s charity St Jude. Related: ‘The point is ambition’: are we ready to follow Netflix...

Use of 10p statins in organ donation ‘could save thousands of lives’

Exclusive: NHS launching large trial of approach that could boost number of transplants and their success rateThousands of lives could be saved globally by giving patients a 10p statin before transplants, doctors have said, as the NHS launches the world’s largest clinical trial in organ donors.The medical breakthrough is predicted to dramatically increase the supply of organs for transplant....

Readers reply: why do humans cry when they are sad?

The long-running series in which readers answer other readers’ questions on subjects ranging from trivial flights of fancy to profound scientific and philosophical conceptsI understand that tears flush away foreign objects from the eye. But what advantage does crying have when one is feeling sad (or happy)? Perhaps it is to signal an extreme of emotion, but then why would a solitary sad person...

Inspiration4 Crew Safely Splashes Down Off Florida Coast

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. — Four space tourists safely ended their trailblazing trip to orbit Saturday with a splashdown in the Atlantic off the Florida coast. Their SpaceX capsule parachuted into the ocean just before sunset, not far from where their chartered flight began three days earlier. The all-amateur crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. The...

A friend leans in for a hug. Do I dive for cover, muttering ‘Covid’, or hug back? | Hephzibah Anderson

As we engage again in social situations, the new etiquette rules are bewilderingThe other day, flogging tickets to the school summer fair – now the autumn fair due to last term’s endless self-isolation – another parent leaned across the trestle table and squeezed my arm.The sheer unexpectedness of it threw me. It felt as surprising as a slap. When did I last make physical contact with...

To mask or not to mask? Opinion split on London underground

Commuters explain their reasons for not covering upCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe “do as I say, not as I do” approach to political messaging was again displayed last week when Boris Johnson urged people to wear masks in enclosed spaces, shortly after leading a cabinet meeting of 27 maskless ministers and eight similarly uncovered observers.Studies suggest...

‘I felt this huge relief’: how antibody injections free the immunosuppressed under Covid

FDA emergency authorizations boost use of periodic antibody injections, or PrEP, to complement vaccinationsA proud sports mom, Shantay Brown longs to pack into a crowded stadium for her son’s Ohio State football games and scream her face off over the action on the field. Related: Doctors treating unvaccinated Covid patients are succumbing to compassion fatigue Continue...

SpaceX capsule carrying space tourists splashes down off Florida coast – video

SpaceX’s Dragon capsule carrying four 'amateur astronauts' parachutes safely into the Atlantic off the Florida coast after a three-day orbiting journey. The crew was the first to circle the world without a professional astronaut. The billionaire who paid undisclosed millions for the trip and his three guests wanted to show that ordinary people could blast into orbit by themselves, and SpaceX...

Australia Covid live news update: Victoria records 507 new cases and one death ahead of reopening roadmap release; pools to open across Sydney

Premier Dan Andrews is to release Victoria’s roadmap out of lockdown a day after protests in Melbourne, Sydney, Byron Bay and Brisbane. Follow updates liveCovid vaccine rollout and rates tracker; Cases, trends and data trackerGet our free news app; Get our morning email briefing 12.53am BST If you’re still catching up on the latest twist in Christian Porter’s ongoing travails, my colleague...