Giant rocket, designed to withstand winds of 85mph, will remain on launchpad, with new launch date set for 16 NovemberThe imminent arrival of Tropical Storm Nicole in Florida has prompted Nasa to further delay its first crew-capable moon mission in half a century, although mission managers say they are comfortable leaving the multibillion-dollar Artemis spacecraft on its coastal launchpad.The...
A key goal of governments around the world is economic growth – continually increasing production and consumption to keep GDP rising. But can our economies grow on a rapidly warming planet with finite resources? According to a recent UN report, the only way left to limit the worst impacts of the climate crisis is a “rapid transformation of societies”. In our third Cop27 special, Ian Sample...
Research on lead poisoning suggests countries could face an explosion of people seeking support for dementiaLead exposure during childhood may lead to reduced cognitive abilities in later life, meaning people experience symptoms of dementia sooner, data suggest.The study, one of the first to investigate the decades-long consequences of lead poisoning, suggests countries could face an explosion of...
Scientists suggest octopuses propel material as part of den cleaning, but also in interactions and with purposeThey hunt alone, are prone to a scrap, and even cannibalise one another. And octopuses appear to have another antisocial arm to their behaviour: they hurl jet-propelled clouds of silt, algae and even shells.Researchers studying Octopus tetricus, the common Sydney octopus, have filmed the...
It’s on course to guzzle half the world’s carbon budget, so why are governments so afraid to discuss it?There are just two actions needed to prevent catastrophic climate breakdown: leave fossil fuels in the ground and stop farming animals. But, thanks to the power of the two industries, both aims are officially unmentionable. Neither of them has featured in any of the declarations from the 26...
If the H5N1 virus jumps into the human population and more dangerous strains emerge, it could set off a new pandemicLockdowns are a horrible experience, but fortunately one that is in the past now. Unless, that is, you’re a domestic bird in Britain. Since 7 November, a UK directive has instructed all farmers to keep their birds indoors as part of a stringent measure to stop the spread of avian...
We are raiding the Audio Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors.This week, from 2019: Human activity has transformed the Earth – but scientists are divided about whether this is really a turning point in geological history Continue...
Timeless fret over hygiene picked out on engraved Bronze age comb from ancient kingdom of JudahIt’s a simple sentence that captures the hopes and fears of modern-day parents as much as the bronze age Canaanite who owned the doubled-edged ivory comb on which the words appear.Believed to be the oldest known sentence written in the earliest alphabet, the inscription on the luxury item reads: “May...