Pure Science

The Guardian

Experts have been plotting the path of the visitor, originally called A11pl3Z and now known as 3I/Atlas It isn’t a bird, it isn’t a plane and it certainly isn’t Superman – but it does appear to be a visitor from beyond our solar system,...

The Guardian

Document detailing the new program says zebrafish and rats from a North Carolina lab will be up for adoption The US Environmental Protection Agency is launching a new program to adopt some of its 20,000 lab animals in the wake of Trump...

The Guardian

Political interference and chaotic cuts to staff, programs and grants at the National Science Foundation are producing ‘devastating consequences’ A generation of scientific talent is at the brink of being lost to overseas competitors by...

The Guardian

The number of women choosing to freeze their eggs has increased sharply, according to figures from the UK’s Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA). The number deciding to embark on the process abroad also appears to be rising....

The Guardian

I’m not sure there is anything more terrifying than chatting to parents at the school gates – then lying awake at night reliving my most embarrassing moments The importance of 31 December is well documented, but no one ever talks about the...

The Guardian

Research finds that the higher the levels of air pollution in a region, the more cancer-promoting mutations are present Air pollution has been linked to a swathe of lung cancer-driving DNA mutations, in a landmark study of people diagnosed...

The Guardian

Unusual burial of man, thought to have been a potter, in sealed vessel may have helped DNA survive past four millennia A man whose bones were shaped by a lifetime of hard labour more than 4,500 years ago has become the first ancient...

The Guardian

Research could help cut energy use and is latest example of AI being used for advances in materials science AI-engineered paint could reduce the sweltering urban heat island effect in cities and cut air-conditioning bills, scientists have...

The Guardian

Chef with 10 Michelin stars has designed meals for Sophie Adenot’s trip to International Space Station next year Even by the exacting standards of France’s gastronomes, it sounds like a meal that is truly out of this world. When the French...

The Guardian

Ellie Wilson’s piece titled Moth x Human assigns different sounds to the species on Parsonage Down in Salisbury They are vital pollinators who come out at night, but now moths have emerged into the bright light of day as co-creators of a...

The Guardian

News comes as research finds record lows of Antarctic sea ice had seen more icebergs splintering off ice shelves Scientists analysing the cascading impacts of record low levels of Antarctic sea ice fear a loss of critical US government...

The Guardian

In an interview last weekend, Iran’s ambassador to the UN said his country’s nuclear enrichment ‘will never stop’ because it is permitted for ‘peaceful energy’ purposes. It is the latest development in an escalation of tensions over Iran’s...

The Guardian

Scientists have warned loss of data access to Noaa and Nasa experts could set hurricane forecasting ‘back decades’ The Trump administration on Monday announced a delay of one month to a plan to cut forecasters out of an atmospheric...

The Guardian

Firm says results of research create ‘path to medical superintelligence’ but plays down job implications Microsoft has revealed details of an artificial intelligence system that performs better than human doctors at complex health...

The Guardian

Occasional sensitivity to lactose can occur as we get older, or through stress, but for most people it’s only temporary Most of us aren’t inherently dairy intolerant, but we can go through periods where we become more sensitive to lactose...

The Guardian

These supposedly serious cetaceans have been spotted massaging each other with kelp stalks. This is the sort of performative nonsense you’d expect from dolphins I’ve thought for a while that it would be nice to be an orca. Not because I...

The Guardian

These starfish relatives have lots of remarkable features and are a keystone species. My hope is that we will recognise how vital these charismatic creatures are Brittle stars have a lot of remarkable features as a species. Many of them...

The Guardian

Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy is trying to find a photo of Annie Walker, who died in 1940, to give her star billing For more than a century, astronomers assumed she had simply “computed” complex calculations for the Victorian men who...

The Guardian

The brightest star in the constellation Virgo, Spica appears as a single object but is in fact a binary star This week, the bright star Spica greets the passing moon. The chart shows the view looking south-west from London at 22.15 BST on...

The Guardian

Does a good apology contain five steps, seven steps – even eight? And why do we find it so difficult? Get our weekend culture and lifestyle email Got something to say sorry for? Here are words that have no place in your apologies,...

The Guardian

With close encounters due in 2029 and 2032, space scientists are getting to grips with an existential threat It is a scenario beloved of Hollywood: a huge asteroid, several miles wide, is on a collision course with Earth. Scientists check...

The Guardian

A revelatory cultural history of our relationship with native wildlife, from newts doing handstands to Mrs Tiggy-Winkle When newts go a-wooing, sometime in the spring, their signature move is the handstand. Girl newts cluster round to...

The Guardian

The winter crop growing season requires three days of steady rain – but many inland parts of southern Australia did not receive an autumn break this year How often do you mow your lawn in winter? It may seem like an odd way to start a...

The Guardian

Subtle DNA changes in trees demonstrate Charles Darwin’s natural selection – although human help may be needed New generations of wild ash trees are rapidly evolving resistance to the fungus devastating their numbers, scientists have...

The Guardian

Move comes after health secretary replaced advisory board with ideological allies and several vaccine skeptics Robert F Kennedy Jr’s reconstituted vaccine advisory panel recommended a new treatment to prevent respiratory syncytial virus...

The Guardian

Our human microbiome is in decline, which is likely to be contributing to the sharp rise in non-communicable diseases, health conditions that cannot be directly transmitted between people, such as cardiovascular disease and cancers. Josh...

The Guardian

Study discovered abnormal process in womb lining, with potential for new treatments to prevent pregnancy loss Scientists have developed a test to identify women with an increased risk of miscarriage, which could pave the way for new...

The Guardian

Five-year SynHG project aims to pave way for next generation of medical therapies and treatment of diseases Researchers are embarking on an ambitious project to construct human genetic material from scratch to learn more about how DNA...

The Guardian

It has been 25 years since Bill Clinton announced one of humanity’s most important scientific achievements: the first draft of the human genome. At the time, there was a great deal of excitement about the benefits that this new knowledge...

The Guardian

Proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment up by more than a third in a decade, figures reveal The proportion of women giving birth after fertility treatment in the UK has increased by more than a third in a decade, with...

The Guardian

Chinese and Hong Kong scientists succeed in animal trials, but potential problems include risk of devices being left in body and public suspicions Swarms of tiny robots, each no larger than a speck of dust, could be deployed to cure...

The Guardian

UK health officials launch study into side-effects of weight loss drugs after increased reports of acute pancreatitis Hundreds of people have reported problems with their pancreas linked to taking weight loss and diabetes injections,...

The Guardian

Evolutionary change driven by intensive fishing led cod to ‘shrink’ from average 40cm length in 1996 to 20cm in 2019 Overfishing has led to a collapse in the eastern Baltic cod population, but over the past three decades the size of the...

The Guardian

About the mass of Saturn and 110m light years from Earth, TWA 7 b provides insights into an infant planetary system The James Webb space telescope has captured unprecedented direct images of a planet beyond our own solar system in its...

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Countries send first astronauts in decades into space on Axiom Mission 4, along with US commander A US commercial mission carrying crew from India, Poland and Hungary blasted off to the International Space Station on Wednesday, taking...

The Guardian

While figures like Steve Bannon have exploited the issue, scientists have done themselves no favours by shutting down legitimate inquiry More than five years after the Covid-19 pandemic was declared, its origins remain a subject of intense...

The Guardian

The Winston Red, one of only 24 red diamonds of more than one carat publicly recorded, is on display in Washington DC Red diamonds are some of the rarest gems on the planet: only 24 stones of more than one carat (200 milligrams) have been...

The Guardian

Women and older adults most likely to suffer dog walking injuries such as finger and wrist fractures, research says Walking your dog may be good for you and your canine companion, but research shows it can also be dangerous. While the...

The Guardian

Ever since Pluto was demoted from planet to dwarf planet in 2006, astronomers have been wondering whether Neptune really is the most distant planet from the sun. Now, a new telescope could uncover what lies in the farthest reaches of the...

The Guardian

The answers to today’s problems Earlier today I set five logic problems. Here they are again with solutions. A questionable planet Continue reading...

The Guardian

Researchers say satellites may be at risk and impact could create a spectacular meteor shower in the skies If a giant asteroid smashes into the moon in 2032 it could send lunar debris hurtling towards Earth, researchers have said, posing a...

The Guardian

Genetically modified E coli used to create painkillers from material produced from plastic bottles Bacteria can be used to turn plastic waste into painkillers, researchers have found, opening up the possibility of a more sustainable...

The Guardian

Questions about questions UPDATE: You can read the answers here. For readers who answered “yes”, you are correct. For readers who answered “no”, you are also correct. Continue reading...

The Guardian

Stunning pictures from Vera C Rubin Observatory in Chile released at start of 10-year survey of cosmos Spectacular views of distant galaxies, giant dust clouds and hurtling asteroids have been revealed in the first images captured by a...

The Guardian

Watching the night sky, the time it takes for light from these celestial objects to reach Earth is vastly different Following last week’s conjunction between Regulus and Mars, the moon now gets in on the act. This meeting of a star, a...

The Guardian

This summer will mark 80 years since the attacks stunned the world. Today, every one of the crew members who carried out the bombings is dead. Here, one of the last writers to interview them reopens his files ‘It was a beautiful morning....

The Guardian

Newborns will have whole genome sequencing to enable personalised healthcare that predicts and prevents illness Every baby in England is to have a DNA screening to avoid fatal diseases and receive personalised healthcare as part of the...

The Guardian

Knowledge trumps popularity in the long haul of trying to be influential, researchers say When it comes to social climbing, it’s not who you know, or how many people you know, it’s about knowing who knows whom, research suggests. Experts...

The Guardian

My friend and former colleague David Hopkinson, who has died aged 89, was director of the Medical Research Council’s human biochemical genetics unit at University College London from 1976 until its closure in 2000. Hoppy, as he was...

The Guardian

The Golden Record – launched in 1977 on the Voyager space probes – contained everything from Chuck Berry to Chinese dialects and the sound of humpback whales. But what would we put on it today? It’s almost 50 years since one of the...