My friend and colleague John Jefferson, who has died aged 75 of Parkinson’s disease, was a distinguished scientist and talented amateur musician. Coming from an unremarkable background, and overcoming early disadvantage, he produced several significant papers in theoretical physics.John’s studies were wide-ranging and included high-temperature superconductors and the fundamental physics of...

Decision raises fears that company founded by Sir Richard Branson may be on verge of collapseVirgin Orbit, the satellite launch company founded by the billionaire Sir Richard Branson, is slashing 85% of its workforce after failing to secure fresh funding, raising fears that the firm may be on the brink of collapse.The California-based company said in a US filing that about 675 staff would lose...

Thirteen-year vegetarian Matlida Boseley and meat eater Donna Lu taste-test lab-grown cultivated pork meat, which has been grown from the cells of a pig's ear. Magic Valley CEO Paul Bevan assures them that the pig from which the cells came is still very much alive and living out 'its happy, normal life'. Continue...

Contrary to depiction in movies like Jurassic Park, scientists now believe T rexes were not ‘toothy lipless things’While T rex is often depicted prowling the landscape while sporting a toothy grin, its fearsome teeth may actually have been concealed behind a pair of thin, scaly lips, research suggests.Experts say the perception that theropods were lipless arose because of the huge size of...

Plants can produce staccato pops when they do not have enough water or suffer a sudden wound, which nearby creatures may respond to, scientists have discovered. Humans cannot hear the ultrasonic sounds emitted from plants that may even help shape their ecosystems.Scientists recorded sounds produced by tomato and tobacco plants raised in greenhouses. Healthy plants emitted clicks and pops but the...

Thirsty or damaged plants produce up to 50 staccato pops in an hour, which nearby creatures may respond to, researchers findThere comes a time in a plant’s life when the head sags, the leaves go pale and the body releases a barrage of sounds that are the ultrasonic equivalent of stamping on bubble wrap.While any gardener is familiar with the wilting and discoloration that comes with drought, a...

The Conservatives are cynically using carbon capture and storage as a get-out-of-jail card for the fossil fuel sectorCrossing fingers and hoping for the best is hardly a sensible way to tackle the climate emergency, but it is a strategy that the government seems determined to follow. Today, it launched its revised net zero plan, which turns out to be more a damp squib than a rocket that will...

More than half a century after humans last walked on the moon, researchers have made a discovery that makes lunar living an increasing possibility. The moon’s surface is littered with tiny glass beads containing water, which could be extracted and used by visiting astronauts. Ian Sample speaks to Professor Mahesh Anand, part of the team that made the discovery, about where these beads come from...

First study of its kind finds diet can benefit hundreds of millions with obesity, diabetes or other risk factorsA Mediterranean diet can lower the risk of a heart attack, stroke or early death for hundreds of millions of people who have an increased possibility of cardiovascular disease, a global review of evidence suggests.A diet rich in olive oil, nuts, seafood, whole grains and vegetables has...

Researchers find information about cancer drugs can be lacking and ‘potentially misleading’Cancer drug information leaflets for patients in Europe frequently omit important facts, while some are “potentially misleading” when it comes to treatment benefits and related uncertainties, researchers have found.Cancer is the biggest killer in Europe after heart conditions, with more than 3.7m new...

Durham University scientists say black hole about 30 billion times the mass of the Sun is first to be found with gravitational lensingAn ultramassive black hole about 30bn times the mass of the Sun has been discovered by astronomers in the UK.Scientists at Durham University said the gargantuan black hole was one of the biggest ever found. The team described their findings, published in the journal...

Astronomers say gamma-ray burst may have been result of star collapsing to form black holeA cosmic explosion that blinded space instruments last year may be the brightest ever seen, according to astronomers.The blast took place 2bn light years from Earth, producing a pulse of intense radiation that swept through the solar system in October last year. Continue...

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will briefly appear in a planetary alignment near the crescent moon after sunsetFive planets will align in the night sky for an extraordinary view on Tuesday in a phenomenon dubbed a “planetary parade”.The planets – Mercury, Jupiter, Venus, Uranus and Mars – will come together on the western horizon, near the crescent moon, for a brief display after...

Bernard Bedford, Dr Andrew Hill and Andrew Scaife respond to an article by Devi Sridhar on the dangers of vaccine scepticism, especially with regard to childrenI wholeheartedly agree with Devi Sridhar’s concern about dwindling childhood protection from infectious diseases (In a sceptical era, understand this: vaccines do work - and our children need them, 27 March). Coming from a small hamlet...

Claims that children recover from brain damage faster than adults are misleading, argues David A JohnsonDr Annie Hickox’s letter (Early diagnosis of brain damage is key for recovery, 15 March) confuses the benefits of early diagnosis with the misleading notion that it is better to have your brain damage early in life. This misconception, often referred to mistakenly as the “Kennard...

Toby Green and Thomas Fazi take issue with a critique of their book on the pandemicWe’re grateful that you have brought attention to our book The Covid Consensus through Richard Seymour’s critical commentary (Three years on, there is a new generation of lockdown sceptics – and they’re rewriting history, 23 March), following Larry Elliott’s supportive one last month (The price Britain...

Researchers believe egg was used by likes of Botticelli and Da Vinci for fine-tuning of oil paint propertiesIt pays to go to work on an egg when painting with oils, researchers have found, as the addition of yolk can prevent wrinkling, yellowing and problems with humidity.The use of egg as a binding medium for pigments, a form of paint known as egg tempera, has a long history, turning up in works...

Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus will be in alignment near the moon and visible using binoculars from Tuesday eveningFollow our Australia news live blog for the latest updatesGet our morning and afternoon news emails, free app or daily news podcastA planetary alignment is set to light up Australia’s night sky.Five planets – Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter and Uranus – will be in...

Nasa grants last-minute reprieve to invaluable climate and biodiversity scanner on International Space Station, due to be incinerated in Earth’s atmosphereNasa has extended the life of a key climate and biodiversity sensor for scanning the world’s forests which was set to be destroyed in Earth’s atmosphere.The Global Ecosystem Dynamics Investigation (Gedi) mission – pronounced like Jedi in...

Recent auroras have been so intense they have been visible as far north as Auckland The lure of unusually vibrant views of the southern lights in New Zealand has prompted aurora-hunters to drive for hours through the night to capture the “elusive” sight on camera, with social media groups devoted to swapping tips growing in size.The aurora australis is always more visible in New Zealand and...

Dr Peter Attia is an expert on longevity and preventative medicine. He explains how sleep, weight training and other incremental changes can make us much more resilientTwenty years ago, Peter Attia was working as a trainee surgeon at Johns Hopkins hospital in Baltimore, where he saved countless people facing what he calls “fast death”. “I trained in a very, very violent city,” he tells me....

Madeleine Finlay hears from science correspondent Linda Geddes about her experience becoming a faecal transplant donor, how getting a dose of someone else’s gut bacteria could treat illnesses like arthritis, diabetes and cancer, and asks whether a pill made from poo is an idea we are ready to swallow Continue...

Florence Débarre’s discovery of genetic data online showed for first time that animals susceptible to coronavirus were present at marketOne of the most compelling clues to the origins of the Covid-19 pandemic was uploaded without announcement to a scientific database, going unnoticed for weeks.And then, just as suddenly, it vanished from public view. Continue...

Three years after much of the world was forced into Covid lockdowns, the precise origins of the virus are still hazy, and the hunt is bringing scientists into confrontation with political forces that many are not prepared forOne of the most compelling clues as to the origins of a once-in-a-century pandemic was uploaded without announcement – without being noticed for weeks – on a scientific...