2,926 articles mezi dny 1.12.2022 a 31.12.2022

John Howard overrode George Pell’s objections to allow research using surplus IVF embryos

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...

Out of Africa: my lifelong mission to trace the origins of man

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...

Skiing in the Alps faces a bleak future thanks to climate change

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.

Above and beyond: key events in 2022 that shaped space exploration

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...

How can you be the best possible parent, lover, friend, citizen or tourist? Here’s what the experts think

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...

WHO urges Covid data ‘transparency’ as China prepares to open borders

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...


FRIDAY 30. DECEMBER 2022


Six climate breakthroughs that made 2022 a step toward net zero

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...

Museum scientists describe and name 351 new species in 2022

From research trips to remote locations, to combing through the 80 million objects held in the Museum collections, each year scientists are adding to this extensive library of life. While many of these species will already be known to those who live alongside them, by giving them scientific names we can hopefully better protect them.   

Two CubeSats to shed light on space weather disturbances

Two CubeSats, or small satellites, are on a quest to provide insight on space weather disturbances and the subsequent impact on communication signals. The dynamic duo, the Plasma Enhancements in the Ionosphere-Thermosphere Satellite (petitSat) and Scintillation Prediction Observations Research Task (SPORT), arrived at the International Space Station on Nov. 27, 2022, as part of SpaceX's 26th...

Solar-powered cells: Light-activated proton pumps generate cellular energy, extend life

New research in the journal Nature Aging 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. While the prospect of sunlight-charged cells in humans is more science fiction than science, the findings shed light on important...

Revised clinical trial form for Alzheimer’s antibody warned of fatal brain bleeds

Earlier this year, the developer of a promising antibody designed to slow Alzheimer’s disease strengthened a key warning given to participants in an ongoing trial of the experimental drug. Taking the antibody alongside blood clot medications, the Japanese biotech company Eisai cautioned, increases the risk of possibly fatal brain hemorrhages. That revision of its informed consent form,...

In China, here is what we want the west to know about our Covid response | Zheng Zeguang

Our approach to the pandemic has always been science-led, and that’s still the case with our new, more lenient guidelinesZheng Zeguang is the Chinese ambassador to the UKNews: China Covid: experts estimate 9,000 deaths a dayOver the past weeks, Beijing has become the first city to go through the infection peak, and life and work are returning to normal in the capital. The Covid-19 situation in...