Pure Science

The Guardian

Picking Jay Bhattacharya to lead NIH signals return to controversial and scientifically questionable health policies Jay Bhattacharya, an unofficial Covid adviser in Trump’s first administration, has been selected as the director of the...

The Guardian

Variations in time a person goes to sleep and wakes up ‘strongly associated’ with higher risk of negative impacts Failing to stick to a regular time for going to bed and waking up increases the risk of stroke, heart attack and heart...

The Guardian

Every three months in Kazakhstan, a trio of cosmonauts and astronauts head off to the International Space Station – then return in small capsules. What do the locals make of it? Continue reading...

The Guardian

Analysis involving more than 85,000 people showed risk of worsening function was reduced by 22% Weight-loss drugs can reduce the risk of worsening kidney function, kidney failure and dying from kidney disease by a fifth, according to a...

The Guardian

Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s environment editor, Damian Carrington, about the controversial climate finance deal that brought Cop29 negotiations to a close in the early hours on Sunday morning in Baku, Azerbaijan. Developing...

The Guardian

Emily Calandrelli posted video sharing awe of seeing Earth, that was soon flooded with hateful, objectifying comments There isn’t a galaxy far, far away enough where women can escape sexist online trolls. Emily Calandrelli became the 100th...

The Guardian

The answers to today’s puzzles Earlier today I set you three problems from a maths competition for Martian schoolchildren. By Martian, I mean Hungarian. In the mid-twentieth century, a generation of outstanding mathematicians and...

The Guardian

Prof Dorothy Bishop said fellowship was ‘a contradiction of all the values’ of UK’s national academy of sciences A leading scientist at the University of Oxford has resigned from the UK’s national academy of sciences over concerns about...

The Guardian

Study detects synergistic effect making substances more dangerous, raising alarm since humans are exposed to both Few manmade substances are as individually ubiquitous and dangerous as PFAS and microplastics and when they join forces there...

The Guardian

School-bus-sized asteroid known as 2024 PT5 and currently 2m miles from Earth will begin journey towards sun A so-called mini-moon of Earth that has been lingering in the heavens since September will begin a journey towards the sun on...

The Guardian

Do you have alien intelligence? Hungary acquired a reputation for brilliance in maths and physics in the middle of last century, thanks to scientists like John von Neumann, Edward Teller and Eugene Wigner. The stellar cohort become known...

The Guardian

The moon will have just 14% of its visible surface illuminated and Spica will be shining a brilliant white light On these cold wintry mornings it can often take a lot of effort or the promise of something good to drag us out of bed. On 27...

The Guardian

Scientist James Lovelock gave humanity new ways to think about our home planet – but some of his biggest ideas were the fruit of a passionate collaboration. By Jonathan Watts Continue reading...

The Guardian

Early instruction that teaches young people how to recognise negative thought patterns and manage their mental health may help to avoid problems in later life I was about 16 when I had my first bout of depression, but 29 when I sought help...

The Guardian

Scientist and banker benefited from gold mined primarily by enslaved Africans in Brazil, book claims Sir Isaac Newton, whose theory of gravity revolutionised science and who later rose to the upper echelons of London’s banking world, had...

The Guardian

Santa has a new little helper. But can an AI-powered shopping assistant really master the subtle art of gift giving? Some people love buying Christmas presents. Polly Arrowsmith starts making a note of what her friends and family like,...

The Guardian

Marina Hyde asks us to spare a sob for Don Jr, replaced in Daddy’s affections by Elon Musk. The Bank of Mum and Dad – the unspoken dynamic behind society’s growing inequality of ‘inheritocracy’. ‘I’ve been called worse than a Nazi’: Simon...

The Guardian

New research revealed canals used for about 1,000 years to channel and catch freshwater fish on the Yucatán peninsula Long before the ancient Maya built temples, their predecessors were already altering the landscape of Central America’s...

The Guardian

Experts are optimistic about energy and drug production breakthroughs but also fear its potential misuse When better to hold a conference on artificial intelligence and the countless ways it is advancing science than in those brief days...

The Guardian

In avatar therapy, a clinician gives voice to their patients’ inner demons. For some of the participants in a new trial, the results have been astounding. By Jenny Kleeman Continue reading...

The Guardian

Researchers identify collision hotspots around world but reveal almost all these lack preventive measures Collisions between whales and ships can prove fatal for the marine mammals, but researchers say expanding mitigation measures to just...

The Guardian

Peter’s chapel in Lucerne swaps out its priest to set up a computer and cables in confessional booth The small, unadorned church has long ranked as the oldest in the Swiss city of Lucerne. But Peter’s chapel has become synonymous with all...

The Guardian

Astrophysicists say material may suggest star is dying and ejection of matter signals coming supernova A star cloaked in an egg-shaped cocoon has been revealed in the first detailed images of a star beyond the Milky Way. Until now, stars...

The Guardian

In the crucial first 100 days since the WHO raised the alarm, we have found worrying gaps in testing and treatment of the virusDr Mona Nemer is chief science adviser of Canada and chair of the International Pandemic Preparedness...

The Guardian

RFK Jr has articulated what our Democratic and Republican leaders have largely ignored: our healthcare system is a national disgrace hiding in plain sight Among the cast of characters poised to join the Trump administration, no one is as...

The Guardian

The news that a Swedish politician has rooms swept for the fruit prompted online mockery last week. But for those who face bizarre and irrational fears – from buttons to crumpets – the everyday struggle is far from amusing As ever when it...

The Guardian

On Qikiqtaruk, off Canada, researchers at the frontier of climate change are seeing its rich ecology slide into the sea as the melting permafrost leaves little behind Last summer, the western Arctic was uncomfortably hot. Smoke from...

The Guardian

John Calhoun designed an apartment complex for mice to examine the effects of overcrowding. It was hailed as a groundbreaking study of social breakdown, but is largely forgotten. So what happened? Standing before the Royal Society of...

The Guardian

Science editor Ian Sample joins host Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories of the week. From a study finding that fat cells ‘remembering’ past obesity drives yo-yo dieting, to concerning developments in...

The Guardian

Speakers of 28 languages linked sound and shape at least 88% of the time, in ‘strongest case of sound symbolism to date’ A rolled R is a sound that many struggle to produce, but research suggests it evokes the same curious response in...

The Guardian

Influencers are claiming raw honey can stop hay fever, but evidence for its effectiveness is weak – and relying on it instead of allergy medication has its risks As pollen counts increase in parts of Australia throughout spring and summer,...

The Guardian

Unlocking secrets of how the algae survive could help extend growing seasons for crop plants at high latitudes Plants left for too long in the dark usually turn sickly yellow and die, but scientists were astonished to discover tiny...

The Guardian

People with genital or pelvic symptoms may feel a sense of false reassurance with a negative result, sexual health expert warnsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news...

The Guardian

Elon Musk's SpaceX has carried out the sixth test launch of its Starship rocket, with US president-elect Donald Trump joining Musk in Texas to watch the flight. The launch was a success but the company was unable to pull off a repeat of...

The Guardian

The launch was Starship’s sixth experimental flight following first successful test in June Donald Trump joined Elon Musk in Texas on Tuesday to watch a successful test launch of SpaceX’s Starship rocket, a demonstration of the...

The Guardian

Regular exercise can delay dementia onset by 18 months, says study in British Journal of Sports Medicine Being physically fit can lower the risk of dementia and delay someone developing it by almost 18 months by boosting brain health,...

The Guardian

Northeners, Scots and Irish better at identifying people mimicking accents than southerners It wasn’t only Londoners born near a certain church in Bow who grimaced when Dick Van Dyke’s chimney sweep, Bert, opened his mouth in the 1964...

The Guardian

Donald Trump joins Elon Musk in Texas for Starship’s sixth test flightFull story: Trump joins Musk for SpaceX Starship rocket launch The term Starship refers to the entire launch vehicle, namely the booster rocket and spacecraft of the...

The Guardian

Scientists are racing to understand what a hospitalized teen’s case of bird flu may mean for future outbreaks The teenager hospitalized with bird flu in British Columbia, Canada, may have a variation of the virus that has a mutation making...

The Guardian

It’s a dream for many children, but what does it actually take to become an astronaut? Science correspondent Hannah Devlin tells Ian Sample about her trip on a zero gravity flight with the European Space Agency (Esa). Back on solid ground...

The Guardian

By relying on natural carbon sinks such as forests and peatlands to offset emissions, governments can appear closer to goals than they actually are Relying on natural carbon sinks such as forests and oceans to offset continued fossil fuel...

The Guardian

Research shows fat cells are affected by obesity in a way that alters how they respond to food, potentially for years Losing weight can be a frustrating game: after months of successful slimming, the kilos may soon pile on again, leaving...

The Guardian

Adolescent passions shape our future selves, and can be every bit as powerful – and perilous – as adult relationships I haven’t kept many things from my teenage years. I have a box of photos – hazy snapshots from holidays and parties,...

The Guardian

Closest approach between Earth and the red planet will occur on 25 January 2025 – about 54m miles Mars has continued its eastward progression, crossing from Gemini, the twins, into Cancer, the crab. On the night of 20 November, it will be...

The Guardian

NHS centres join search for patients who have lived much longer than expected, in hope of developing new therapies Doctors have launched a major study to understand why a small percentage of cancer patients beat the odds and survive long...

The Guardian

A digital avatar of the king’s head, complete with ‘meticulously researched’ voice, is on display in York Technology has been used to recreate the voice of the medieval king Richard III, complete with a distinctive Yorkshire accent. A...

The Guardian

Samantha Harvey’s Orbital, a love letter to our wounded planet, is the perfect choice for the political moment “To look at the Earth from space is a bit like a child looking into a mirror and realising for the first time that the person in...

The Guardian

Leading philosopher says issue is ‘no longer one for sci-fi’ as dawn of AI consciousness is predicted for 2035 Significant “social ruptures” between people who think artificial intelligence systems are conscious and those who insist the...

The Guardian

Tech giants said today’s digital native kids would be the first generation who would not know what it meant to get lost. But is that a good thing? We’ve lost direction and our brains are shrinking – at least, our hippocampi are. These...

The Guardian

Researchers are baffled by 12th-century corpses uncovered at a heritage learning centre built in the garden of Leicester Cathedral after discovery of Richard III’s remains In gardens a few metres from Leicester Cathedral, archaeologists...