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7 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Honeybees use social distancing when mites threaten hives – study

Foraging bees keep away from centre of colony when infested with mites, find researchersIn the past 18 months humans have become all too familiar with the term “social distancing”. But it turns out we are not the only ones to give our peers a wide berth when our health may be at risk: research suggests honeybees do it too.Scientists have found that when a hive of honeybees is under threat from...

‘Yeah, we’re spooked’: AI starting to have big real-world impact, says expert

Prof Stuart Russell says field of artificial intelligence needs to grow up quickly to ensure humans remain in controlA scientist who wrote a leading textbook on artificial intelligence has said experts are “spooked” by their own success in the field, comparing the advance of AI to the development of the atom bomb.Prof Stuart Russell, the founder of the Center for Human-Compatible Artificial...

Fresh air or foul odour? How Covid can distort the sense of smell

Coronavirus-induced parosmia is surprisingly common and the sensory confusion can have profound effectsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDeirdre likens her body odour to raw onions; Deepak says his favourite aftershave smells foul, and coffee like cleaning products; Julie thinks coffee and chocolate both smell like burnt ashes.Most people are aware that a cardinal...

Why the world is getting hotter and how you can help – video explainer

How to save the world, by counting to zero: the Guardian's Phoebe Weston breaks down all the climate jargon we have been hearing in the run-up to Cop26, the make-or-break climate summit starting on Sunday, and explains what we – and most importantly, our governments – need to do to help protect our planet and its futureWhy are wildfires getting worse? – video explainerClimate change is...

How does Covid end? The world is watching the UK to find out | Laura Spinney

The virus won’t disappear – it will just become endemic. But it could still put pressure on health systems in years to comeAs Cop26 gets under way in Glasgow this weekend, one collective action problem is taking centre stage against the backdrop of another. Covid-19 has been described as a dress rehearsal for our ability to solve the bigger problem of the climate crisis, so it seems important...

Nasa stacks Orion capsule atop Artemis 1 as moon mission nears

Final preparations begin for Nasa’s Artemis programme to return astronauts to moonNasa’s Orion crew capsule has been secured to the top of the Space Launch System rocket at the Kennedy Space Center, Florida. Final preparations are beginning for the first uncrewed launch in Nasa’s Artemis programme to return astronauts to the moon.The fully stacked rocket stands at 322ft (98 metres), about...

‘Astounding’ Roman statues unearthed at Norman church ruins on route of HS2

Heads of man, woman and child found on site of Stoke Mandeville church built in 1080 and abandoned 800 years laterRoman statues of a man, woman and child have been uncovered by archaeologists at an abandoned medieval church on the route of the HS2 high-speed railway.The discovery was “utterly astounding”, according to Rachel Wood, the lead archaeologist at the site in Stoke Mandeville,...