It needs more than a pollen forecast to ease the proliferation of allergies | Tim Adams
Changes in our lifestyles, from diet to washing habits, and in the world surrounding us, may explain why so many are strugglingThe Met Office offers a daily pollen guide, in tones not unlike the storm warning of the shipping forecast: poetic for those not affected, alarming if you are facing a force 8. Saturday’s reads: “The grass pollen risk is on the rise, as more grasses come into flower....
Britain is ‘recklessly exposed’ to new pandemics, expert warns
Vaccine plans devised during Covid crisis have been systematically dismantled by ministers, says former head of vaccine taskforceMinisters have “systematically dismantled” critical vaccine plans drawn up during the Covid crisis and left the country recklessly exposed to another pandemic, one of the most senior figures shaping Britain’s scientific response to the virus has warned.In a...
China and physics may soon shatter our dreams of endless computing power | John Naughton
Silicon chip transistors are so small they are approaching their physical limits. And the firm that makes many of them may be somewhat hampered if Xi Jinping decides to invade TaiwanIn the 1950s I spent a significant chunk of my pocket money buying a transistor. It was a small metal cylinder (about 5mm in diameter and 7mm deep) with three wires protruding from its base. I needed it for a little...
Risk of hot summer in UK is more than twice normal figure, forecasters warn
There are no signs yet that last year’s 40C will be breached again, but meteorologists predict such peaks could become the normTemperatures have soared above 30C for the first time this year – and meteorologists forecast the chance of Britain experiencing a hot summer is now 45% – 2.3 times the normal figure.The warning leaves the nation braced for a possible repeat of last year’s...
Brightest cosmic explosion of all time: How we may have solved the mystery of its puzzling persistence
First detected accidentally by US military satellites in the late 1960s, cosmic explosions known as gamma ray bursts (GRBs) have come to be understood as the brightest explosions in the universe.
While humans were in strict lockdown, wild mammals roamed further—new research
At one point in 2020, 4.4 billion people—more than half of the world's population—were under lockdown restrictions to stem the spread of COVID-19. This was such a sudden and substantial event that it has become known as the anthropause.
Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by 2030s, with global, damaging and dangerous consequences
The Arctic Ocean could be ice-free in summer by the 2030s, even if we do a good job of reducing emissions between now and then. That's the worrying conclusion of a new study in Nature Communications.
Hidden carbon: Fungi and their 'necromass' absorb one-third of the carbon emitted by burning fossil fuels every year
Beneath our feet, remarkable networks of fungal filaments stretch out in all directions. These mycorrhizal fungi live in partnership with plants, offering nutrients, water and protection from pests in exchange for carbon-rich sugars.
El Nino Could Make Coffee, Cookies, and Chocolate More Expensive
There’s an aisle of the grocery store where inflation is looking exceptionally sticky: indulgent treats.
Think coffee, chocolates and your favorite snacks. Prices of soft commodities have soared this year because of supply constraints. The return of El Niño and prospects of hotter, drier weather in producing countries is now threatening to exacerbate tight supply.
In the UK,...
Using photosynthesis for Martian occupation—while making space travel more sustainable
Researchers are working on sustainable technology to harvest solar power in space—which could supplement life support systems on the moon and Mars.
UK hobbyist stuns math world with 'amazing' new shapes
David Smith, a retired print technician from the north of England, was pursuing his hobby of looking for interesting shapes when he stumbled onto one unlike any other in November.
Pirarucu: Amazon's giant air-breathing fish in poachers' sights
A fish larger than a man, tasty as well as beautiful, the freshwater pirarucu is a favorite with poachers in a lawless part of the Amazon jungle where Brazil, Peru and Colombia meet.
The future of industrial chemicals: Engineers seek more efficient processes
A study by a team of University of Oklahoma researchers has been featured in Cell Reports Physical Science, an open-access journal highlighting cutting-edge research in the physical sciences.
FRIDAY 9. JUNE 2023