Although many are attributed to drones or balloons, others point to the spying capabilities of rival nationsThe US government is examining 510 UFO reports, more than triple the number in its 2021 file. While many were caused by drones or balloons, hundreds remain unexplained, according to a report released on Thursday.The 2022 report (pdf) by the Director of National Intelligence (DNI) said that...

Research adds to concerns about the impact of human noise pollution on marine lifeWe have all experienced the frustration of trying to hold a conversation in a loud pub or restaurant. Now researchers have shown that dolphins may face a similar scenario, showing that they “shout” to each other when faced with background noise.The findings revealed that a noisy environment makes it harder for...

Guidance for NHS says extending cholesterol-lowering treatment could save thousands more livesAs many as 15 million more people could be eligible for cholesterol-lowering statins to protect them against heart attacks and strokes, according to draft guidelines for the NHS in England.The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence says the scope for those who can be considered for the drugs...

Baby to be named after a rock or pop star as primatologists say only about 18,000 left across AfricaConservationists are celebrating the birth of the “world’s rarest chimpanzee” at a UK zoo.Chester zoo has welcomed the arrival of the male critically endangered western or west African chimpanzee, which was delivered after an eight-month pregnancy. Continue...

Women are increasingly discussing the forgetfulness, anxiety and suicidal thoughts they have experienced as their hormones change in midlife. Why is more help not available?At her lowest point, Karen Arthur came within a hair’s breadth of killing herself. Having been signed off from her teaching job with anxiety, which she had not then connected with going through the menopause, the 51-year-old...

Fans say the use of an accurate physics engine to reimagine historic shipwrecks makes it ‘difficult to look away’A shark swims slowly and serenely beneath the Bismarck seconds before it sinks deep into the ocean. Seemingly out of nowhere, the battleship tilts and falls; its bow crashes on to the seabed. Its hull floods before briefly resurfacing out of the water. Then the voiceover says:...

Group says forcing polluters to store carbon dioxide underground is needed to help world reach net zeroFossil fuel companies should be forced to “take back” the carbon dioxide emitted from their products, handing them direct responsibility for cleaning up the climate, a group of scientists has argued.The principle that the producer of pollution should pay for its clean-up is established around...

The peculiar hush is partly due to less human activity, but also down to snow’s acoustic damping effectGoing outside after a snowfall can be magical, with the spectacle of a winter wonderland underlined by the change in the soundscape. Suddenly, all is quiet.The peculiar hush is partly due to the reduction in human activity. There are fewer people and less traffic about, often fewer planes and...

A UN report has found the Earth’s ozone layer is on course to be healed within the next 40 years. What was once humanity’s most feared environmental peril is now an example of how the world can take collective action. Madeleine Finlay speaks to atmospheric scientist Paul Newman about this momentous achievement and whether it really is the end of the storyThe ozone layer is an important part of...

The Swedish geneticist on winning the Nobel prize, his laureate father and early man’s sensitive sideA greyish neanderthal skeleton stands at the door of Svante Pääbo’s office, acting like a doorman to check up on his visitors, who have grown considerably in number since it was announced he was to receive a Nobel prize. It clutches a white party balloon in its left hand and is missing its...