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40,085 articles from Guardian Unlimited Science

UK cancer study shows big fall in death rates since early 1990s

Improved screening and treatment means fewer middle-aged people dying of disease despite rise in casesMore middle-aged people are getting cancer but fewer of them are dying from it thanks to improved detection and better treatment, research has found.The findings are “positive and reassuring” for those aged 35 to 69, according to cancer experts quoted in the British Medical Journal, which...


WEDNESDAY 13. MARCH 2024


Pet DNA testing company in doghouse after identifying human as canine

DNA My Dog received human genetic sample and identified it as a malamute, shar-pei and labrador, according to news stationA pet company has twice sent back dog breed results for human swab samples, prompting doubts surrounding the accuracy of dog breed tests.On Wednesday, WBZ News reported its investigations team receiving dog breed results from the company DNA My Dog after one of its reporters...

Wim Hof breathing and cold-exposure method may have benefits, study finds

Adrenaline release thought to dampen inflammation, but experts say method ‘not without risks’Whether plunging themselves into ice baths or deliberately hyperventilating and then holding their breath, devotees of “The Iceman” Wim Hof are evangelical about the physical and mental benefits these practices bring. A new study suggests they may indeed reduce levels of inflammation in the body....

Playing thriving reef sounds on underwater speakers ‘could save damaged corals’

Coral larvae more likely to settle on degraded reefs bathed in marine soundscapes, Caribbean study showsUnderwater speakers that broadcast the hustle and bustle of thriving coral could bring life back to more damaged and degraded reefs that are in danger of becoming ocean graveyards, researchers say.Scientists working off the US Virgin Islands in the Caribbean found that coral larvae were up to...

Space One rocket explodes soon after launch in Japan

First attempt with private Kairos rocket was intended to test viability of homegrown commercial launch businessA rocket made by a Japanese company has exploded seconds after it was launched with the goal of putting a satellite into orbit.Tokyo-based Space One’s 18-metre Kairos rocket blasted off from the company’s launch pad in the Wakayama region of western Japan, carrying a small government...

I was sweating before I even opened my mouth: could I overcome my fear of public speaking? | Nova Weetman

I thought becoming an author meant I could avoid ever addressing a crowd again. Then I was invited to a writers’ festivalWhen I was younger I was so terrified of public speaking that I went out of my way to avoid it. If I was forced to address a crowd, I didn’t sleep for days before because I would loop disaster scenarios over and over in my head. When it came to the actual event, my hands...

Overweight girls ‘more likely to see GP about musculoskeletal problems’

Study finds reception-age girls with obesity 67% more likely to see doctor about musculoskeletal issues than those at healthy weightGirls aged between four and 11 who are overweight or obese are more likely to see a GP at least once about musculoskeletal problems than their healthy weight peers, research suggests.Pupils in reception year who had a body mass index considered overweight were 24%...

Covid vaccines cut risk of virus-related heart failure and blood clots, study finds

Researchers say jabs substantially reduce for up to a year the chances of serious cardiovascular complicationsCovid vaccinations substantially reduce the risk of heart failure and potentially dangerous blood clots linked to the infection for up to a year, according to a large study.Researchers analysed health records from more than 20 million people across the UK, Spain and Estonia and found...


TUESDAY 12. MARCH 2024


‘Just abhorrent’: Keir Starmer urges Tories to return £10m it received from donor who was abusive about Diane Abbott – UK politics live

Labour leader says Diane Abbott as a ‘trailblazer’ who paved the way for many othersBlack Britons hurt by Hester attack on Diane Abbott, says ex-Tory adviserBiggest Tory donor said looking at Diane Abbott makes you ‘want to hate all black women’Diane Abbott has issued a statement to ITV’s Good Morning Britain about the Frank Hester comments. In it she said:It is frightening. I live in...

‘You don’t want to get better’: the outdated treatment of ME/CFS patients is a national scandal | George Monbiot

From harmful ‘therapies’ to social services referrals, the notion that this illness is psychosomatic is having devastating effectsIt’s the greatest medical scandal of the 21st century. For decades, patients with ME/CFS (myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome) have been told they can make themselves better by changing their attitudes. This devastating condition, which afflicts...

Shells from Captain Cook’s final voyage saved from skip

Important collection rediscovered during house-clearing includes numerous rare speciesAn internationally important collection of shells, including specimens from Captain Cook’s final voyage, has been rediscovered 40 years after it was thought to have been thrown into a skip.More than 200 shells have been returned to English Heritage, which will put some of them on display in Northumberland this...

Why do we lose our hair as we age, and what can we do about it? – podcast

For some people, going bald or experiencing thinning hair can have a significant impact on mental wellbeing and self confidence. Madeleine Finlay speaks to Rudi Zygadlo about how it affected him and what he eventually did about it, and to consultant dermatologist and hair specialist Dr Sharon Wong about what exactly is going on when our hair thins, which treatments are available to help, and what...


MONDAY 11. MARCH 2024


‘Larger than Everest’ comet could become visible to naked eye this month

Halley-type comet that orbits once every 71.3 years will be easier to spot as it passes by bright stars, say astronomers A comet that is larger than Mount Everest could become visible to the naked eye in the coming weeks as it continues its first visit to the inner solar system in more than 70 years, say astronomers.The icy body is a Halley-type comet – meaning it will turn up once, or possibly...

UK report reveals bias within medical tools and devices

Experts say action needed as report finds minority ethnic people, woman and those from deprived backgrounds at risk of poorer healthcareMinority ethnic people, women and people from deprived communities are at risk of poorer healthcare because of biases within medical tools and devices, a new report has revealed.Among other findings, the Equity in Medical Devices: Independent Review, has raised...

A Million Days review – low-budget sci-fi thriller asks if we should trust AI with our survival

In the near future humanity is doomed and our options are being determined by AI simulation – unfortunately for us, the AI doesn’t seem particularly bothered if we surviveThis intriguing sci-fi thriller is a throwback to the kind of cerebral teleplays and low-budget movies that flourished in the 1960s: ripe with gloomy lighting and dystopian pessimism, but with barely enough money in the...

Discovered in the deep: tiny ‘sucker-bum squid’ with martial arts moves

The two species of pygmy squid the size of a fingernail live on Japanese coral reefs. Spotting them is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, say scientistsIn Japan, stories have been told of forest-dwelling magical spirits called kodama since ancient times. Over the centuries, they’ve adopted many guises: sometimes they’re invisible, sometimes they look like trees. The Studio Ghibli animated movie...

Starwatch: the crescent moon and Jupiter in beautiful conjunction

From London the pair will be best seen setting in a fully dark sky on 13 MarchThere is a beautiful conjunction this week between the crescent moon and Jupiter.The chart shows the view looking west from London at 21:00 GMT on 13 March. By this time the pair will appear in a fully dark sky, but will be setting. Jupiter is so bright, however, that it will be easily visible before this time, as will...

Staff at Alan Turing Institute speak out after four men given top roles

Employees say there is a trend of limited diversity among the senior scientific leadership at the London centre for AI Staff at the UK’s national institute for artificial intelligence and data science have expressed “serious concerns” about the organisation’s approach to diversity after it appointed four men to senior roles.A letter addressed to the leadership of the Alan Turing Institute...


SUNDAY 10. MARCH 2024


Deep sea exploration: what’s it like to take a trip on a submersible?

Submersibles allow us to witness the wonders of the depths of our planet like nothing else. But after the OceanGate disaster, how safe are they? Cal Flyn goes aboard…When we climb on board the ship, the submersible is waiting for us on deck. It is sleek and gleaming and slightly comic, like a tiny spaceship. It has a banana-yellow deck and a huge, Jetsons-style cockpit contained within a...

How an epic climb lifted one woman out of life’s lowest point

In emotional pain, Jessica Hepburn decided to climb to the top of the world and listen to every single available episode of Desert Island DiscsIt is hard for Jessica Hepburn to pinpoint the exact moment she decided to climb to the top of the world as well as to listen to every single available episode of Desert Island Discs.“They’ve become so inextricably linked in my mind,” says the author,...


SATURDAY 9. MARCH 2024


Controversial new theory of gravity rules out need for dark matter

Exclusive: Paper by UCL professor says ‘wobbly’ space-time could instead explain expansion of universe and galactic rotationDark matter is supposed to account for 85% of the mass in the universe, according to conventional scientific wisdom. But proponents of a radical new theory of gravity, in which space-time is “wobbly”, say their approach could render the elusive substance obsolete.The...


FRIDAY 8. MARCH 2024


Scientists move step closer to making IVF eggs from skin cells

Procedure could overcome common forms of infertility and help people have children who share their DNAScientists are a step closer to making IVF eggs from patients’ skin cells after adapting the procedure that created Dolly the sheep, the first cloned mammal, more than two decades ago.The work raises the prospect of older women being able to have children who share their DNA, and to overcome...

Head of UK science body calls for ‘creative disagreement’ after Michelle Donelan libel row

Ottoline Leyser of UKRI says people in public eye should be able to debate better, with less polarisation and blameThe head of the UK government science body at the centre of a libel scandal has called for “creative disagreement” and a higher standard of public discourse, with less polarisation and blame between scientists and politicians.Ottoline Leyser, the managing director of UK Research...

Astronomers detect ‘waterworld with a boiling ocean’ in deep space

Exclusive: Significant discovery, made by James Webb telescope, provokes disagreement over conditions on planet’s surfaceAstronomers have observed a distant planet that could be entirely covered in a deep water ocean, in findings that advance the search for habitable conditions beyond Earth.The observations, by Nasa’s James Webb space telescope (JWST), revealed water vapour and chemical...


THURSDAY 7. MARCH 2024


Quest to declare Anthropocene an epoch descends into epic row

Vote against formal geological recognition of ‘age of the humans’ is claimed to have violated committee rulesThe quest to declare the Anthropocene an official geological epoch has descended into an epic row, after the validity of a leaked vote that apparently killed the proposal was questioned.Supporters of the idea have been working on the proposal for 15 years. They say it would formalise...