Celeb documentaries | Sellafield safety | Wobbly physics | Shrink the golf courses | Sock darningNaomi May’s concerns about balance in celebrity documentaries are the wrong way round (From Beyoncé to Beckham: the worrying rise of one-sided celeb documentaries, 6 December). The subjects she mentions have been brutalised in the media. The attacks on them, from the Mirror’s David Beckham...

Re-examination finds what were taken to be veins of leaves are actually bone growth patternsTwo small, oval fossils thought to be prehistoric plants are actually the remains of baby marine turtles, researchers have revealed.The fossils, found in rocks dating to between 132 and 113 million years ago, were discovered in Colombia in the middle of the 20th century by Padre Gustavo Huerta, a priest...

African-led trial ended a year early as researchers conclude there is ‘little or no chance’ new combination vaccines cut HIV riskThe first trial in Africa of two combination vaccines to prevent HIV has been halted after researchers concluded it was not working.The pre-exposure prophylaxis vaccine (PrEPVacc) was being tested on 1,500 people aged between 18 and 40 in Uganda, Tanzania and South...

Exclusive: Five IPCC report authors say scientists should be allowed to make policy prescriptions and potentially oversee implementationSenior climate experts are calling for an overhaul of the structure and powers of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in despair at the slow pace of climate action.Five lead authors of IPCC reports told the Guardian that scientists should be given...

Former PM also angrily denies comments he made about letting Covid ‘rip’ meant he had been uncaringCovid inquiry live – latest updatesBoris Johnson assumed that Rishi Sunak’s flagship “eat out to help out” hospitality scheme had been cleared by government scientists and was surprised to learn later it was not, the former prime minister has told the inquiry into Covid.In evidence that...

A lucrative underground trade risks undermining research, creating new pandemics and pushing a recently abundant species to the brinkIn 2019, Jonah Sacha, a researcher at Oregon Health and Science University, received a delivery of 20 monkeys from Mauritius. As part of his research into stem-cell transplants as an HIV treatment, he performs tests on long-tailed macaques.The captive-bred monkeys...

US researchers say findings may also enable doctors to predict progression of Alzheimer’s diseaseUsing a blood test to determine the biological age of a person’s organs could help treat them before they get sick, as well as predicting the progression of conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, researchers have suggested.A study by academics in the US found people whose organs were ageing...

Madeleine Finlay hears from biodiversity and environment reporter Patrick Greenfield who is reporting for the Guardian from Cop28 in Dubai. He describes the rollercoaster first week of highs and lows, which saw a landmark agreement on loss and damage and a tetchy press conference from summit President Sultan Al Jaber. He also sets out what’s still on the table as the second week of negotiations...

Problems such as back pain, incontinence and depression cause widespread suffering but are underrecognised, global review findsMore than 40 million women a year experience lasting health issues after childbirth, a global review has found, prompting calls for greater recognition of common postnatal problems.The sweeping analysis of maternal health worldwide shows a very high burden of long-term...

Former prime minister also admits he should have worked more closely with devolved administrationsHugo Keith KC is questioning Johnson.He asks if Johnson’s approach has been to give all relevant material to the inquiry.I understand the feelings of these victims and their families and I am deeply sorry for the pain and the loss and suffering of those victims and their families. Continue...

Researchers say dash of water added to beans before they are ground creates more consistent, tastier coffeeThe key to making a perfect espresso has been argued over by generations of coffee snobs. Now a group of scientists say they have the answer and have singled out the secret ingredient – and it comes before the grind even begins.Researchers have discovered that a dash of water added to...

Scientists complain after ‘sheer waste’ of human embryos discarded despite patients’ wishesLeading scientists are calling for a change in the law to help IVF patients donate unused embryos to biomedical research after a collapse in donations over the past 15 years.The increasing commercialisation of IVF, overstretched NHS clinics and cumbersome paperwork are blamed for a 25-fold decrease in...

Collyweston Palace, home of Henry VII’s mother, uncovered despite ‘no money, no expertise, no plans’When a group of amateur archaeologists set out to find the buried remains of a Tudor palace in their Northamptonshire village five years ago, they knew the odds were against them.“Many of us were brought up in the village, and you hear about this lost palace, and wonder whether it’s a myth...

Lightroom, Kings Cross, LondonThis potted history of Nasa’s space exploration featuring gigantic and crystal clear footage is invigorating if slightly hampered by its school science toneTom Hanks is the narrator and co-writer of this colossal and immersive multimedia family entertainment event or next-level school trip, about Nasa’s historic Apollo moon landings and the planned new Artemis...

The microscopic world hidden within an autumn leaf has won the Royal Society Publishing photography competition 2023. Overall winner Irina Petrova Adamatzky researches the electrical activity of fungi, slime moulds and other micro-organisms, at Unconventional Computing Lab, UWE Bristol.‘I unintentionally captured this scene while collecting samples of slime moulds in a field near my home in...

Experts says findings of dots tests are down to information processing not yet being fully developedBabies really do see the world differently, researchers have found, after revealing that those under six months old do not fall for a visual illusion that can trick older children and adults.Experts say that is because information processing in the tots’ brains is not yet fully developed, which...

Most of those tested lack nutrients crucial for healthy foetal development as found in abundance in meat and dairy productsMore than 90% of women who are trying for a baby may have marginal or low levels of vitamins that are essential for a healthy pregnancy, according to researchers, who say the problem is likely to worsen as vegetarian diets become more popular.Tests on more than 1,700 women in...

Patients are facing shorter lives as drug companies are demanding prices that health services here and in other countries cannot payCystic fibrosis is a distressing disease, clogging the lungs of children who have to fight to breathe, and shortening lives. Parents – and young adults who also suffer from it – have been on a rollercoaster ride in the last few years. They have been taken to the...

Merriam-Webster says ‘authentic’ saw a big jump in searches this year, thanks to discussions about AI and social mediaThe moment we’ve all breathlessly waited for is finally here: dictionaries are announcing their words of the year. Last week, the US’s most esteemed lexicon, Merriam-Webster, revealed its choice: “authentic”.In its announcement, the dictionary said the word had seen a...