By Michael Le Page , Clare Wilson , Jessica Hamzelou , Sam Wong , Graham Lawton , Adam Vaughan , Conrad Quilty-Harper and Layal Liverpool BEDFORD, ENGLAND – MAY 18: A woman processes a swab test at the Faraday Community Centre asymptomatic COVID-19 test centre on May 18, 2021 in Bedford, EnglandLeon Neal/Getty ImagesLatest coronavirus…
Space | Analysis 20 May 2021 By Leah Crane Billionaire Jared Isaacman will command SpaceX’s Inspiration4 missionPATRICK T. FALLON/AFP via Getty ImagesSpace isn’t just for the professionals any more, as several high-profile rocket-makers are gearing up to send civilians above the atmosphere. But with price tags in the millions, we are still far from the…
By Krista Charles Swifts time their long-distance flights to catch the best windDavide D’AmicoSmall birds like swifts and swallows that migrate long distances have been predicted to travel up to 500 kilometres per day, but new evidence shows that one species of swift can cover far more ground than that. Susanne Åkesson and Giuseppe Bianco…
Health | Analysis 20 May 2021 By Penny Sarchet A woman holds her baby after a home birth Layland Masuda/Getty ImagesFollowing a change in official guidance in April, people who are breastfeeding in the UK have now been given the green light to receive a covid-19 vaccination. This is great news. But in the absence…
Space 17 May 2021 By Jonathan O’Callaghan The icy shell of Europa may hold pockets of liquid water where life could surviveNASA/JPL-Caltech/SETI InstitutePockets of liquid water trapped in the thick ice shell of Jupiter’s moon Europa may be much shorter-lived than previously thought, but they may still be present today and potential habitats for life.…
By Matthew Sparkes Simulated flows through Nikola Tesla’s one-way valveNYU Applied Math LabA one-way water valve with no moving parts invented over 100 years ago by Nikola Tesla could be adapted to pump fluids around motors using otherwise wasted energy. Tesla patented his “valvular conduit” in 1920. It is essentially a pipe with an intricate…
By Donna Lu Farley Connelly at EnviroDNA teaches volunteers how to take samplesDonna Lu“Platypus and fish are all shedding DNA into the water – it can be skin cells, hair cells, scales,” says ecologist Josh Griffiths. “A lot of it is actually urine and faeces – which, next time you’re swimming in the river, is…
Health 14 May 2021 By Krista Charles C-reactive protein is a sign of inflammationMOLEKUUL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY/AlamyPeople with depression have higher levels of inflammation in their bodies than those who don’t have the condition, but it is unclear whether this is due to genes that indicate a predisposition for depression, or because depression can lead to…
By Leah Crane Artist’s impression of the Zhurong rover on MarsCNSAChina’s first Mars rover is about to land. The rover, named Zhurong, has been orbiting Mars aboard the Tianwen-1 spacecraft since February. It is expected to touch down on the surface of Mars on 14 May around 23:11 UTC. Tianwen-1 is China’s second interplanetary mission,…
By Clare Wilson The sun is in rapid decline in Project Hail Mary – can a strange duo fix it?Andy Buchanan / AlamyI have been a fan of apocalyptic sci-fi since I was hooked as a teenager by the 1950s classic The Day of the Triffids, by UK author John Wyndham. Rather than putting me…
By Michael Le Page , Clare Wilson , Jessica Hamzelou , Sam Wong , Graham Lawton , Adam Vaughan , Conrad Quilty-Harper and Layal Liverpool A public health digital board warns the public of a Covid-19 variant of concern affecting the community in Bolton, northwest England on May 14, 2021. – England remains on track…
Health 14 May 2021 By Clare Wilson Misfolded proteins that lead to Parkinson’s disease may start in the nose ImagesBazaar/Getty ImagesSigns of Parkinson’s disease could be detected in the nose years before people develop more obvious symptoms of the condition. The finding could lead to the development of a nasal swab test for the disorder,…