Cabinet papers 2002: PM lifted ban despite opposition of conservatives and religious leaders, including then Archbishop PellGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastJohn Howard’s decision to allow stem cell research using surplus IVF embryos might surprise people “who saw Howard as only a rightwing person”, the former senator and cabinet minister Amanda...

Chris Stringer, who has just received a CBE for his work on human evolution, tells how his remarkable quest as a young researcher transformed understanding of our speciesAs with so many other careers, chance played a major role in my pursuit of science. After a childhood in which I displayed a disquieting interest in skulls and stories about Neanderthals, I was – after a challenging stint as a...

Like many jurisdictions, Nova Scotia is hoping green hydrogen holds the key to transitioning away from fossil fuels. But challenges remain, and local researchers are hoping to provide some of the...

Skiing was introduced into the Alps comparatively late in the 1880s, with the first ski-lift being developed in the Swiss resort of Davos in the winter of 1934. The industrial revolution was two centuries old by that point, but the world climate was still largely pre-industrial.

It was a great year for a slight lifting of the veil on the final frontier – from redirecting an asteroid to a glimpse into creationThe year has been a blast in space exploration, from Nasa’s big step in returning to moon missions, to glimpses at the origins of the universe and hope that humanity could survive the doomsday scenario of an asteroid hurtling towards Earth.These are the events...

It’s not easy being a ‘good’ person – what can we learn from the people who have thought about it the most?I used to think I was a good person. I was caring to my friends, my partner, my family; I gave to charity and I volunteered; I wasn’t racist, homophobic or sexist. Boxes: ticked. But when I started training to become a therapist in the NHS, I began to understand that however much we...

Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus says WHO officials stressed to Beijing the importance of sharing data ahead of easing of travel restrictions on 8 JanuaryThe World Health Organisation again urged China’s health officials to regularly share specific, real-time information on the country’s Covid surge, as the UK joined other countries in bringing in travel restrictions, citing a lack of data as the...

A nurse says she is heartbroken that nothing can be done to save her house from coastal erosion.

The past year has seen public outrage over sewage with volunteers taking action into their own hands.

Researchers have discovered a novel immunotherapy combination, targeting checkpoints in both T cells and myeloid suppressor cells, that successfully reprogrammed the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) and significantly improved anti-tumor responses in preclinical models of pancreatic cancer.

New research takes a page from the field of renewable energy and shows that genetically engineered mitochondria can convert light energy into chemical energy that cells can use, ultimately extending the life of the roundworm C. elegans.

After the driest start to any year on record, California will end 2022 with snow-capped mountains, soaked roadways and—in some places—flood warnings.

The damage caused by climate change over this past year was at times so immense it was hard to comprehend. In Pakistan alone, extreme summer flooding killed thousands, displaced millions and caused over $40 billion in losses. Fall floods in Nigeria killed hundreds and displaced over 1 million people. Droughts in Europe, China and the U.S. dried out once-unstoppable rivers and slowed the flows of...

It's slated to be a busy year of rocket launches from the Space Coast with a pace that could introduce some new names and set new records.

3M announced in mid-December that it's phasing out a family of harmful chemicals, but they're not going away.

U.S. government scientists warned federal regulators the South Fork offshore wind farm near the Rhode Island coast threatened the Southern New England Cod, a species so venerated in the region a wooden carving of it hangs in the Massachusetts state house.