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322 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

Neanderthal genes increase risk of serious Covid-19, study claims

Strand of DNA inherited by modern humans is linked to likelihood of falling severely illCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageModern humans and Neanderthals could be forgiven for having other issues on their minds when they interbred in the stone age. But according to researchers, those ancient couplings laid a grim foundation for deaths around the world today.Scientists...

Germans embrace fresh air to ward off coronavirus

Angela Merkel says ventilation may be one of cheapest and most effective ways of containing virusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageVentilating rooms has been added to the German government’s formula for tackling coronavirus, in refreshing news for the country’s air hygiene experts who have been calling for it to become official for months.The custom is something of...

UK doing more than most to help poor get Covid vaccine, study finds

Campaign scoring countries for global access efforts calls for more British transparency Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK is doing more than most countries to support access to Covid vaccines for the poorest populations in the world, but it is not transparent enough about the deals it is doing at home, according to an international aid organisation launching a...

Newcastle council chief hits out at 'contradictory' Covid rules

Nick Forbes says even council enforcement officers do not know how to interpret rulesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government’s “confusing and contradictory” Covid restrictions for the north-east of England have left space for “dangerous” conspiracy theories to fill the void, the leader of Newcastle city council has warned.Nick Forbes, the city’s...

Covid-hit Merseyside economy 'may collapse without funding'

Local leaders say financial support needed when new restrictions are imposedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Merseyside economy may collapse and leave a legacy of poverty “for generations to come” without urgent financial support tied to new coronavirus restrictions, according to the region’s political leaders.Steve Rotheram, the metro mayor of the Liverpool...

Coronavirus live news: vaccine trial raises hopes of some protection; Covid travel slump could cost 46m jobs

Trial shows ‘robust’ immune response; warning over global impact of travel collapse; Belgium death toll exceeds 10,000World Bank announces $12bn plan for vaccines for poor countries‘Only time will tell’: Russia places huge bet on Covid vaccineWalt Disney sheds 28,000 jobs at theme parks as pandemic bitesIsrael bans mass protests as Covid lockdown tightensUK coronavirus updates – live...

Without joined-up thinking about Covid and the economy, Britain is just guessing | Tony Yates

Policy could be fine-tuned to help different groups, such as young people, whose lives are currently on holdCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDuring a pandemic, the virus and the economy feed back in a continuous circular loop of causality. You don’t need to be a trained economist or epidemiologist to see that.As the virus progresses, consumers respond to the risk to...

Coronavirus symptoms: how to tell if you have a common cold, flu or Covid

Fever, runny nose, headache? Lost your sense of taste or smell? Your guide to differentiating between the three illnessesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageWith winter approaching, the UK is entering the traditional seasons for colds and flu, with the additional complication this year that symptoms of those two illnesses can be broadly similar to those experienced by...

Forget notions of coronavirus as a great equaliser – women are yet again the hardest hit | Helen Pankhurst

Just like every emergency, Covid-19 is racist, ageist, classist and sexist. The world response to the pandemic must reflect thisIn the early days of coronavirus, there was a view that a global pandemic would act as a great equaliser. “A virus doesn’t discriminate,” they said. “We’re all in this together.” It didn’t take long for such a credulous perspective to vanish.Just like every...

Astronauts trace air leak to Russian side of space station after midnight alarm

Nasa officials stress that the leak on ISS remains small and poses no danger but will send extra air supply on the next deliveryA small air leak at the International Space Station finally has been traced to the Russian side, following a middle-of-the-night search by astronauts.Nasa said on Tuesday that the two Russians and one American on board were awakened late Monday to hurriedly seal hatches...

Panama's trans community failed by gendered lockdown measures – report

LSE finds country’s sex-segregated distancing rules may have reproduced inequalities and injustices for trans peopleEach day when Pau González wakes and looks at his phone, he feels as if he is running a call centre. As the founder of the activist group Hombres Trans Panama, he has been inundated by members of the transgender community seeking advice on how to navigate Panama’s sex-segregated...

40% of world’s plant species at risk of extinction

Race against time to save plants and fungi that underpin life on Earth, global data showsTwo in five of the world’s plant species are at risk of extinction as a result of the destruction of the natural world, according to an international report.Plants and fungi underpin life on Earth, but the scientists said they were now in a race against time to find and identify species before they were...

Arthritis drug to be trialled as Covid treatment in UK care homes

Adalimumab could counter hyper-inflammation seen in severe coronavirus casesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA commonly used arthritis drug is to be trialled with care home residents who have Covid, after it was observed that those taking it for their joint pains were less likely to end up in hospital with the virus.Older people in care homes, who often have some...

Near-blind Ansell's mole-rats detect magnetic cues with eyes, study shows

Research shows Zambian species with surgically removed eyes change nest-building habits but other behaviours remain intact Near-blind, underground-burrowing, African Ansell’s mole-rats can sense magnetic fields with their eyes, a study has found.Native to Zambia, the animals have eyes that span just 1.5mm in diameter, live in elaborate underground tunnel systems of up to 1.7 miles (2.8km) long...


TUESDAY 29. SEPTEMBER 2020


World Bank announces $12bn plan for poor countries to buy Covid vaccines

Initiative aims to ensure low-income countries are not frozen out by rich nationsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe World Bank has announced plans for a $12bn (£9.3bn) initiative that will allow poor countries to purchase Covid-19 vaccines to treat up to 2 billion people as soon as effective drugs become available.In an attempt to ensure that low-income countries...