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358 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Coronavirus live news: worldwide cases top 11m as US states hit fresh highs

4 July holiday weekend set to start with continued rise in infections; Brazil cases pass 1.5m; Boris Johnson defends decision to reopen pubs on Saturday. Follow all the developments liveWhat we’re learning about Covid as US states open upHow Victoria’s outbreak divided AustraliaScotland and Wales attack UK government’s shambolic travel changes 12.53am BST New South Wales has quietly added...


FRIDAY 3. JULY 2020


UK buys £400m stake in bankrupt satellite rival to EU Galileo system

Investment with India made in US firm OneWeb after Brexit locks UK out of Europe’s satellite navigation systemThe UK government has pledged to invest $500m (£400m) in bankrupt satellite company OneWeb, giving it a stake in a business that provides broadband from space.The government, which has proven so far unwilling to take stakes in major British companies hit by the coronavirus pandemic,...

Is coronavirus really in retreat in the UK?

Key questions about Covid-19 answered as lockdowns ease across the four nationsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEngland is approaching a significant relaxation of lockdown on Saturday, while in Scotland, outdoor cafes and beer gardens will begin to reopen from Monday. But with rises in infection cropping up around the UK is Covid-19 really on the wane? Continue...

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 or spreading 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...

'I'm cautiously optimistic': Imperial's Robin Shattock on his coronavirus vaccine

Team is using new approach that could be cheap and scalable and become the norm within five yearsProf Robin Shattock would have liked slightly longer to develop the revolutionary approach to vaccines that he is pretty sure will not only save lives in the Covid-19 pandemic but become the norm for vaccine development within five years.His team at Imperial College were working on Ebola and Lassa...

Coronavirus live news: cases rising in 37 US states as Brazil infections near 1.5m

UN predicts mass bankruptcies in Latin America; Florida confirms 10,000 new cases in one day; global cases near 11m. Follow the latest updates Cases rising in 37 US statesBrazil infections nearing 1.5mTrump awol as president during pandemic, says ex-CIA chiefInteractive vaccine tracker: how close are we?See all our coronavirus coverage 1.45am BST North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un has praised what he...


THURSDAY 2. JULY 2020


The Guardian view on protecting the public: cover your face | Editorial

Scotland is right to mandate masks or similar coverings in shops. Wearing them can save livesWicked. Horrific. An affront to British liberties. Proposals to make wearing seatbelts compulsory were angrily opposed in the early 1970s. Some warned that it might make motorists more reckless, or endanger unborn babies. MPs claimed there was no real evidence of the benefits. Others complained it would be...

Canadian sparrows ditch their old song for catchier tune

Study finds British Columbia birds’ dropped-end note of call has spread across countryIf you consider Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep to be the ultimate catchy tune, think again: the white-throated sparrows of British Columbia have devised a new song that has gone viral across Canada.For years, the small songbird’s traditional descending whistle featured a three-note ending. But researchers have...

Every dog year not equivalent to seven human years, scientists find

Study of DNA changes in labradors suggests puppies age much faster than older dogsDogs do not simply age at seven times the rate of humans, scientists have found in a study that reveals young dogs might be “older” than previously thought.The findings suggest a one-year-old puppy is actually about 30 in “human years” – an age when humans, at least, might be expected to have stopped...

Forget any false sense of security: we are still at the start of the global pandemic | Jeremy Farrar

Until every country is protected, we are all at risk. Only effective vaccines and treatments will allow us to eradicate coronavirus• Dr Jeremy Farrar is director of the Wellcome TrustSix months on from the first cases of Covid-19 emerging in Wuhan, many of us in Britain will be feeling a mixture of relief and trepidation as England’s lockdown eases. The loosening of restrictions, alongside...

I am a paramedic working for NHS test and trace but I've yet to make a single call

I am being paid to sit and refresh my computer screen every 15 minutes. The ‘world-beating’ system is a shamblesNHS test and trace was meant to be world-beating, but in my experience it’s been a shambles. I am a paramedic who has been working for the service since it launched, but I have yet to make a single call.Last week I got an email from NHS Professionals, the largest NHS staff bank in...

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,...

Wise words? The advice that I can't forget

From my nan telling me not to lick my finger when turning a page to dubious showering guidance, why do some things stick in our brain?It’s funny, the things that stick in your mind for ever. When I was little, my brother and I would usually go to our grandparents’ house after school. We would be given our tea in front of the telly, which we would sit and watch while Grandad read the Express...

Scots Gaelic could die out within a decade, study finds

Language is used routinely only by a diminishing number of elderly islandersA casual visitor to Scotland might assume that the Gaelic language is thriving, with every police car carrying the word poileas and every ambulance ambaileans. Yet in the few places where it is spoken, the language is in a profound, potentially terminal crisis.Without radical action, Scots Gaelic will be dead within a...

Hubble at 30: a view into our cosmos – podcast

Thirty years ago, the Hubble space telescope was shuttled into orbit, and has since provided us with astonishing images and insights into the universe. Earlier this year, Hannah Devlin spoke to one of the astronauts who helped launch Hubble, Kathy Sullivan. The first American woman to walk in space, Sullivan describes her journey to becoming an astronaut, why Hubble was such a vital mission and...

Coronavirus live news: US reports 50,000 new cases as WHO warns on Middle East

Worst-hit nation records another new daily record of infections; Middle East at ‘critical threshold’ says health body; NZ health minister David Clark resigns. Follow all the latest updatesCalifornia rolls back reopening of bars and restaurantsGlobal report: first tourists arrive in Greece as Brazil cases hit 60,000Oxford offers world best hope of vaccine this year, UK MPs toldAustralia...


WEDNESDAY 1. JULY 2020


Data that could stop new Covid-19 waves in England being withheld, say councils

Exclusive: local leaders say they are not getting test results needed to prevent fresh outbreaksCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageCrucial data that could help prevent fresh local waves of coronavirus is being withheld from some of the places most in danger of further lockdowns, the Guardian has been told.Council leaders said on Wednesday they were either not getting...

Oxford offers best hope for Covid-19 vaccine this year, MPs told

University is leading rivals but first drugs may not work fully, says vaccine taskforce chairCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageOxford University is leading the world in developing a vaccine against Covid-19 and offers the best chance of having something protective against the virus as we go into winter, MPs have been told.Kate Bingham, chair of the UK vaccine taskforce,...

I feel fine: fans of world-ending films 'coping better with pandemic'

Researchers say apocalyptic movies prepare people for Covid-19 and make them more resilientCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageFor those of you who whiled away hours on the sofa watching society crumble in the face of marauding zombies, deadly aliens and infectious diseases – it’s time to reap the rewards.Psychologists have found evidence that fans of apocalyptic...

The Guardian view on local lockdowns: share the data faster | Editorial

The UK government needs to be more rigorous and transparent with information if regional outbreaks of Covid-19 are to be containedIn the game of whack-a-mole, the target pops up in one location and, once hammered down, appears immediately somewhere else. The defining features of the exercise are randomness and futility, which makes it an unfortunate metaphor for Boris Johnson to use for his...

Global heating will make it much harder for tropical plants to germinate, study finds

Temperatures will be too hot for the seeds of one in five plants by the year 2070, Australian researcher saysGlobal heating will make it much harder for tropical plants around the world to germinate with temperatures becoming too hot for the seeds of one in five plants by the year 2070, according to a new study.Global heating will impact the ability of more than half of all tropical plants to...

Ministers shifting blame to Public Health England for Covid-19 errors, say experts

Former health officials say the government is unfairly laying fault at the door of PHEExperts have accused ministers of shifting the blame for their own mistakes during the coronavirus crisis on to Public Health England, amid speculation that the agency may be scrapped.Downing Street on Wednesday failed to guarantee that PHE will survive in its present form as an executive agency of the Department...

Why is there a delay in sharing Covid-19 test data with English councils?

Attempts to suppress localised flare-ups hampered by failure to share detailed informationCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAttempts to contain regional outbreaks of coronavirus are being hampered by a failure to share comprehensive test results with local health authorities. Beyond Leicester, where lockdown restrictions are being reimposed, there are fears of further...

New study of naked mole rats’ cancer resistance sparks row

Cambridge team say 2013 study was flawed and rarity of tumours in rodents still unexplainedWith a hairless, wrinkly body, a whopping pair of front teeth and tiny eyes, the naked mole rat might seem an unusual creature to fight over, but a row has erupted among scientists over what might be its most unusual feature: a striking resistance to cancer.The burrowing rodents, native to east Africa and...

Air pollution likely to make coronavirus worse, say UK experts

Government advisers call for urgent investigation of link between dirty air and pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAir pollution is likely to be increasing the number and severity of Covid-19 infections, according to the UK government’s expert advisers.In a report published on Wednesday, the experts said further investigation of the link between dirty air and...