feed info

9 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

‘Smooth brain, just vibes’: what is life like for those who refuse the news?

Fewer Australians are following the headlines – but there’s a fine line between switching off and staying connected to the worldGet our weekend culture and lifestyle email and listen to our podcastIt was during the second Sydney lockdown, in 2021, that Cass decided to unplug.“I was finding myself really anxious about the state of the world. And when I looked at the news, I was like,...

‘Now we have to deal with it’: what’s going on in the UK with monkeypox?

It’s not the first time the virus has been found in Britain but now there are chains of transmission The person was sick when they boarded the plane. Five days before leaving Nigeria for Britain, they noticed a rash that spread into a scattering of fluid-filled bumps. When the plane touched down on 4 May, they wasted no time. The person attended hospital where doctors, alerted by their recent...

Student helps reveal Anne Brontë’s active interest in geology

Sally Jaspars says writer’s rock collection shows she ‘was in tune with the scientific inquiry of the time’A student has helped reveal that one of Britain’s most famous authors was not only a talented writer but also a skilled rock collector with an active interest in geology.Anne Brontë, the youngest of the three Brontë sisters, built up a collection of attractive specimens before her...

Glowworms bred in captivity to be released in southern England

More than 500 larvae will be released in Hampshire and Cornwall as part of a four-year project to revive the declining speciesThey once lit up summer nights, people read by their luminescence and they’ve been celebrated by everyone from William Shakespeare to Crowfoot, a 19th-century North American chief.But glowworms have had their lights dimmed by a cult of tidiness in the countryside, the...

Recovery of mice raises hopes drug could help people with spinal injuries

Condition of rodents with spinal cord damage improved after they had lung disease drug, say researchersMice with spinal cord injuries have shown remarkable recovery after being given a drug initially developed for people with lung disease, researchers have revealed, saying the treatment could soon be tested on humans.It is thought there are about 2,500 new spinal cord injuries in the UK every...

Attenborough series sinks teeth into fruits of ‘dinosaur revolution’

Makers of Prehistoric Planet say it was perfect time to make show as new species are found at rate of one a weekA “dinosaur revolution” is taking place with a new species being discovered every week, the makers of a groundbreaking new docuseries exploring life on Earth 66m years ago have said.Prehistoric Planet, produced by BBC Studios’ Natural History Unit and premiering on Apple TV on...

Stonehenge builders ate undercooked offal, ancient faeces reveals

Intestinal parasites recovered from prehistoric rubbish dumps shine light on lives and diet of buildersParasite eggs found in 4,500-year-old human faeces suggest the builders of Stonehenge took part in winter feasts that included the internal organs of animals, researchers have revealed.Stonehenge is thought to have been built around 2,500BC, with evidence suggesting the builders were housed at a...

Boeing hopes third time the charm for Starliner test flight

The company hopes to send a manned crew to the International Space Station later this year after two prior test flights failedBoeing’s crew capsule rocketed into orbit Thursday on a repeat test flight without astronauts, after years of being grounded by flaws that could have doomed the spacecraft.Only a test dummy was aboard. If the capsule reaches the International Space Station on Friday and...