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10 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Amazon birds shrink but grow longer wings in sign of global heating

Some species in Brazil have shrunk by nearly 10% over 40 years of measurements, say researchersBirds in the Amazon are becoming smaller but growing longer wings, a study has found, with scientists saying global heating is the most likely explanation.Several recent papers have reported birds getting smaller, but as their subjects were migratory birds there were many confounding factors that could...

Transform approach to Amazon or it will not survive, warns major report

Panel of 200 scientists tells Cop26 Indigenous people, business, governments and scientists must collaborateCop26 – latest updatesThe world’s approach to the Amazon rainforest must be transformed to avoid an irreversible, catastrophic tipping point, according to the most comprehensive study of the region ever carried out.More than 200 scientists collaborated on the new report, which finds that...

Mandatory Covid jabs may do more harm than good | Letters

Chris Talbot is in favour of compulsory vaccinations for frontline NHS staff, but Karen Jacob fears it could exacerbate a recruitment crisis. Plus letters from Brian Lawrence, Ben Ashford and Dr Simon RobertsFrances Ryan is correct in focusing on the potential risks to vulnerable patients from unvaccinated NHS staff (Mandatory Covid jabs shouldn’t be controversial – NHS staff have a duty to do...

You don’t have to be rich to live long and prosper | Letters

Billionaires may spend fortunes on trying to cheat death, but there’s a much easier way, writes Paul Martinez. Plus letters from Luce Gilmore, George Baugh and Geoff ReidJohn Harris is surely right to scorn the grotesque sums being spent on “transhumanism” (If the super-rich want to live for ever our planet is truly doomed, 7 November), but not all of us can afford, or want to move into,...

Covid cases in England may remain high for months, says expert

Natural peak would be more drawn-out than lockdown peak, and levels may rise after school half-termsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageElderly and vulnerable people must get their booster jabs if a rise in Covid cases in the UK is to be prevented, the prime minister has said, as he warned of “storm clouds” forming over parts of Europe.Germany, Austria, Slovakia and...

Warning of ‘wild west’ in depression treatment as UK clinics offer ketamine

Exclusive: Up to six private clinics are offering drug, with health experts fearing a two-tier system of treatmentA growing number of private clinics are offering ketamine for depression, according to experts who warn of a potential “wild west” of providers with no national register of patients’ treatment being integrated into overall NHS care.At least six private providers in the UK offer...

The Shrink Next Door review – Paul Rudd traps Will Ferrell in a cult of two

Ferrell is a neurotic patient and Rudd a dangerously narcissistic therapist, in this plodding drama about a real-life scam which is saved by the sheer unbelievability of its source material‘I’m not going to let anyone use you … I’m going to help you and everything’s going to be all right.” There are three types of people in this world. Those who, upon hearing such a pronouncement,...

Nasa makes final steps to launch asteroid deflection test

Dart mission is designed to spot an asteroid on collision course with Earth and deflect its pathNasa is in final preparations to launch the world’s first planetary defence mission. The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (Dart) is scheduled to launch on 23 November and is a joint mission with the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory.Dart is designed to collide with the asteroid Dimorphos and...

Cop26: the final day – have we made any progress on saving the planet? – podcast

The Science Weekly podcast is in Glasgow, where we are bringing listeners daily episodes from Cop26. Each morning you will hear from one of the Guardian’s award-winning environment team. Today, Science Weekly host Madeleine Finlay talks to the Guardian’s environment correspondent, Fiona Harvey, and environment editor, Damian Carrington, on how the final hours of Cop26 negotiations are goingOn...

Blood pressure drugs could prevent type 2 diabetes, study finds

Lowering high blood pressure may slash the risk of the disease in millions of people in futureBlood pressure drugs could prevent millions of people worldwide from developing type 2 diabetes, a large study suggests.Lowering high blood pressure is an effective way to slash the risk of the disease in the future, according to the research published in the Lancet. Continue...