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283 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Terrawatch: unearthing snow's 'Fukushima layer'

Chinese glaciologists have found the freeze-thaw process has concentrated discharge from the disasterThe Fukushima nuclear accident has added a distinctive signature to snow and ice across the northern hemisphere, new research published in Environmental Research Letters shows. Triggered by the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami off the coast of Japan on 11 March 2011, the disaster resulted in a...

US buys up world stock of key Covid-19 drug

No other country will be able to buy remdesivir, which can help recovery from Covid-19, for next three months at leastCoronavirus – latest US updatesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe US has bought up virtually all the stocks for the next three months of one of the two drugs proven to work against Covid-19, leaving none for the UK, Europe or most of the rest of the...

Rising coronavirus infections in pockets of UK raise fears of further local lockdowns

Leicester is unlikely to be the only place to return to tight restrictions, say scientistsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageParts of Kent, London, north Wales and Scotland are still battling significant Covid-19 outbreaks, sparking fears from scientists and public health directors that Leicester’s return to lockdown is set to be repeated.Bars and restaurants are...

Man given 'almost zero chance' of Covid-19 survival due to return home

Mal Martin, 58, from Cardiff, spent 11 weeks in intensive care and could still lose fingers due to diseaseCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA woman allowed to see her husband to say goodbye when told he had “almost zero chance” of surviving coronavirus, said he could shortly be home after more than 11 weeks in intensive care, much of it on a ventilator.Sue Martin,...

Deaths in England and Wales fall below average for first time since lockdown

ONS data shows number of deaths below five-year average for first time since MarchCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe number of deaths registered in England and Wales over one week has fallen below the five-year average for the first time since before lockdown was imposed, but concerns remain over the high number of deaths in peoples’ homes.In the week ending 19...

I believe Roundup gave me cancer. The Monsanto settlement is a slap in the face | Christine Sheppard

I have to inject myself with needles just to stay alive. Still, Bayer will continue to sell Roundup, and refused to label it as carcinogenicLast Wednesday was my 71st birthday, a low-key celebration in these Covid-19 times. Then I heard the news that the pharmaceutical conglomerate Bayer has offered a settlement to resolve several massive class-action lawsuits alleging that the company’s...

‘With this ring I thee wed – but wash your hands first' – English wedding couples told

Couples planning to marry given new guidance as lockdown rules ease from 4 JulyCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCouples planning to tie the knot when coronavirus restrictions are eased next month in England should wash their hands before and after exchanging rings, according to government guidance.The advice states that no more than 30 people should attend a marriage...

Coronavirus live updates: WHO team to search for Covid-19 origin in China as chief says he fears 'worst to come'

UK locks down city of Leicester; Broadway theatres to stay closed until January 2021; Iran reports record daily deaths. Follow the latest newsGlobal report: Covid-19 deaths pass half a millionWHO team to search for coronavirus origin in China as chief says ‘worst to come’Battleground states becoming Covid-19 hotspots as Trump trails Biden See all our coronavirus coverage 4.37am BST Mexico City...

Lockdown easing: why the UK is better prepared for a second wave

This Saturday, lockdown measures in England will ease further, with people able to get a pint in a pub, have a haircut and see another household indoors. The Guardian’s heath editor, Sarah Boseley, looks at whether another lifting of restrictions might result in a second wave, and if it does, why we are better prepared this time round From this Saturday, the government has said that in England,...

New swine flu with pandemic potential identified by China researchers

G4 strain has already infected 10% of industry’s workers in China but no evidence yet that it can be passed from human to human Researchers in China have discovered a new type of swine flu that is capable of triggering a pandemic, according to a study in the US science journal PNAS.Named G4, it is genetically descended from the H1N1 strain that caused a pandemic in 2009. Continue...

South pole warming three times faster than rest of the world, our research shows | Kyle Clem for the Conversation

Dramatic change in Antarctica’s interior in past three decades a result of effects from tropical variability working together with increasing greenhouse gases Climate scientists long thought Antarctica’s interior may not be very sensitive to warming, but our research, published this week, shows a dramatic change.Over the past 30 years, the south pole has been one of the fastest-changing places...


MONDAY 29. JUNE 2020


Dinosaurs wiped out by asteroid, not volcanoes, researchers say

Study says surge in volcanic activity could not have caused Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction eventA 66m-year-old murder mystery has finally been solved, researchers say, revealing an enormous asteroid struck the killer blow for the dinosaurs.The Cretaceous/Paleogene extinction event resulted in about 75% of plants and animals – including non-avian dinosaurs – being wiped out. But the driving...

Covid-19 and the long history of ignoring women in medical research

Around the world men and women are responding differently to Covid-19 yet few countries are taking note of these differences. This isn’t unique to this pandemic but typical of how female biology has been largely ignored when it comes to medical research. Gabrielle Jackson examines the resulting knowledge gap and the repercussions for how women and gender diverse people are treated in our medical...

Coronavirus: what kind of face mask gives the best protection against Covid-19?

Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of getting Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageYes. Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. Surgical grade N95 respirators offer the highest level of protection against Covid-19 infection, followed by surgical grade masks. However, these masks are costly, in limited supply,...

Can you solve it? The broken vase

Smashed it!My puzzle book So You Think You’ve Got Problems is out in paperback this week. Here are three problems from it. The first is about a vase, the second is about a leg, and third is about a set of keys.1. With two straight line cuts, divide the vase into three pieces that can be reassembled to form a square. Continue...

Coronavirus live news: global deaths pass 500,000 as 'window closing' in US on chance to curb Covid-19

California governor closes bars in several counties; half a million confined in Beijing; cases worldwide top 10m; Follow the latest updatesGlobal report: Covid-19 cases exceed 10mUS health secretary says ‘window is closing’ to stop virusNew Zealand’s isolation facilities under ‘extreme stress’See all our coronavirus coverage 12.09am BST Hello and welcome to today’s live coverage of the...


SUNDAY 28. JUNE 2020


Starwatch: the time of the scorpion

Now is the time for stargazers in the northern hemisphere to get their best view of the southern zodiacal constellation ScorpiusAs we head into summer in the northern hemisphere, we reach the time of the scorpion. The southern zodiacal constellation of Scorpius, the scorpion, reaches its peak visibility in the northern hemisphere. Even so, from the UK, the constellation never rises fully into the...

The Guardian view on the treatment of shielders: first, not last | Editorial

The handling of those highly vulnerable to coronavirus speaks volumes about attitudes towards chronic illness and disabilityFor more than 2 million people in England, the effects of the pandemic have been especially punishing – forcing them to keep a distance even from others in their household. Those who have been judged clinically extremely vulnerable, including transplant recipients and those...

Can I, a coronavirus 'shielder', find consolation in lockdown? | John Sutherland

As I reflect on the deaths of earlier Sutherlands, and the writers I’ve written books about, I find myself thinking of ProsperoCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNational hibernation the man called it. A refreshing winter snooze. For me what came to mind was not bears in the woods but imprisonment. “Lockdown” is jail jargon and it fitted.It was a version of the...

Hydrogen fuel bubbles up the agenda as investments rocket

Governments and carmakers are pressing on with net-zero hydrogen fuel cells to power cars, buses, trains and even aircraftMore than 50 years ago hydrogen fuel cells helped put Neil Armstrong on the moon, but mainstream usage of the technology has remained elusivesince.Now there are signs that may be changing, with a spate of new investments even amid the coronavirus pandemic. Continue...

Coronavirus: what kind of face mask gives the best protection against Covid-19?

Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of getting Covid-19Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageYes. Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. Surgical grade N95 respirators offer the highest level of protection against Covid-19 infection, followed by surgical grade masks. However, these masks are costly, in limited supply,...

The coronavirus 'long-haulers' show how little we still know | Debbie Bogaert

My Covid-19 symptoms lasted for months. As an infectious disease specialist, I know the importance of widespread testingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTo a physician scientist working on understanding the burden of respiratory infections, coronavirus is the ultimate professional challenge that might come by perhaps once in your career. However, I was not prepared for...

Beyond Pluto: the hunt for our solar system's new ninth planet

Scientists think a planet larger than Earth lurks in the far reaches of the solar system. Now a new telescope could confirm their belief and change solar system scienceYou’d think that if you found the first evidence that a planet larger than the Earth was lurking unseen in the furthest reaches of our solar system, it would be a big moment. It would make you one of only a small handful of people...

Movie magic: ‘The cinema is my solace in times of crisis’

The writer Simon Stephenson looks forward to the days when he can eat popcorn in the dark againAs a writer who works from home, my lockdown life has not been so different from my previous existence. Perhaps the biggest change is that I have not gone three months without visiting a cinema since I was a child. It seems a shameful thing to admit when others have been suffering so profoundly, but I...

Coronavirus live news: global deaths near 500,000 as Australian state of Victoria steps up efforts to fight outbreak

Cases approach 10m; new Covid-19 clusters across world spark fear of second wave; UK NHS will take four years to recover. Follow the latest updatesVictoria nurse tests positive as state reports jump of 41 casesGlobal report: India cases reach half a millionUS one-day case high as states delay reopeningSee all our coronavirus coverage 1.55am BST The US coronavirus death toll passed 125,000 on...


SATURDAY 27. JUNE 2020


'Blown away’: Australian coronavirus researchers examine everything from breastfeeding to explosives technology

A new report by Research Australia details more than 200 ongoing Covid-19 studies that extend far beyond the search for a vaccineSign up for Guardian Australia’s coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsMore than 200 Australian studies into Covid-19 are under way, extending far beyond the search for a vaccine.Almost every Covid-19 research...

‘Parents can look at their foetus in real time’: are artificial wombs the future?

Scientists are currently pushing on an ethical boundary. Will out of body gestation ever replace the experience of human birth?The lamb is sleeping. It lies on its side, eyes shut, ears folded back and twitching. It swallows, wriggles and shuffles its gangly legs. Its crooked half-smile makes it look content, as if dreaming about gambolling in a grassy field. But this lamb is too tiny to venture...

Coronavirus Australia: Victoria reports jump of 41 cases and sends emergency alerts to hotspots

New South Wales makes Covid-19 tests mandatory for returned travellers and reports six new casesCoronavirus live blog: India passes 500,000 cases as Victoria reports surgeSign up for Guardian Australia’s coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsVictoria has reported another Covid-19 jump with 41 new cases reported on Saturday as the Australian...

Student nurses will be paid until the end of their NHS frontline contracts

Royal College of Nursing welcomed the clarity following a period of ‘confusion and distress’ Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Royal College of Nursing has welcomed an assurance that student nurses drafted into frontline NHS services battling coronavirus in England will have their contracts honoured following a period of “confusion and distress”.It comes...


FRIDAY 26. JUNE 2020


'One in a 50m chance': woman with two wombs carrying a twin in each

Kelly Fairhurst found out about uterus condition when she went for 12-week scanThe case of a woman who discovered she had two wombs and was pregnant with a twin in each has been described as “one in 50m” by doctors.Kelly Fairhurst, 28, only learned she had uterus didelphys, a condition where a woman has two wombs, when she went for her 12-week scan. She was also told she was carrying twins,...