Category Archives: Science

Record-size hole opens in ozone layer above the Arctic

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Rare hole is result of low temperatures in atmosphere and is expected to disappear

A rare hole has opened up in the ozone layer above the Arctic, in what scientists say is the result of unusually low temperatures in the atmosphere above the north pole.

The hole, which has been tracked from space and the ground over the past few days, has reached record dimensions, but is not expected to pose any danger to humans unless it moves further south. If it extends further south over populated areas, such as southern Greenland, people would be at increased risk of sunburn. However, on current trends the hole is expected to disappear altogether in a few weeks.

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Scientists capture image of black hole emitting high-energy jets

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Detailed image taken by Event Horizon Telescope of black hole 5bn light years away

An image of a huge, powerful jet of plasma powered by a supermassive black hole has been captured by researchers in unprecedented detail.

The team say the bright blob on the left of the image is thought to be the disc of gas and dust swirling around the black hole, with the jet of plasma depicted by a stream of less intense red features apparently emanating from it.

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Cancer Research UK to cut funding for research by £44m

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UK’s biggest cancer charity expects income to fall by up to 25% as a result of the coronavirus crisis

The UK’s biggest cancer charity is cutting research funding by £44m because of a sharp fall in income and has acknowledged that the move could set back the fight against the disease for many years.

Cancer Research UK (CRUK), which funds nearly half of the cancer research in the country, said it was the most difficult decision it had ever taken but explained that it believed limiting spending now would enable it to continue to support life-saving research in the long-run.

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Lockdown has cut Britain’s vibrations, seismologists find

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There’s a kind of hush all over the world as the reduction in human activity stops the Earth buzzing so much

The dramatic quietening of towns and cities in lockdown Britain has changed the way the Earth moves beneath our feet, scientists say.

Seismologists at the British Geological Survey have found that their sensors are twitching less now that human activity has been curtailed, leading to a drop in the anthropogenic din that vibrates through the planet.

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Egypt reports 149 new virus cases – as it happened

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New toll comes as UK prime minister, who has coronavirus, has been moved into hospital intensive care

We are going to close this live blog. But you can stay up to date on all the latest developments on our new blog here.

In the mean time, you can find all the latest developments below in our At A Glance summary:

Related: Coronavirus latest: at a glance

Just back to Donald Trump’s marathon press conference and he is fielding questions on the US naval commander who was fired over his coronavirus memo, suggesting he doesn’t think his life should be “destroyed” as a result, Sam Levin writes:

He made a mistake. He shouldn’t be sending letter. He’s the captain … you don’t send letters and then it leaks into a newspaper. I may get involved ...If I can help two good people, I’m going to help him

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Calls to seal off ultra-Orthodox areas add to Israel’s virus tensions

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Rules enforcement highlights problem of getting message across to minority community

It wasn’t a typical police operation. Two Israeli officers were to go undercover, although not posing as drug dealers or arms traffickers. For this particular assignment, they were to disguise themselves as ultra-Orthodox Jews.

Their mission on Friday was to bust an illegal gathering in a synagogue. People were praying together, a practice that is now against the law in the era of the coronavirus. Once the officers got inside to confirm the crowd, more units barged in and dispersed people.

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Coronavirus live news: Italy reports lowest increase in deaths in two weeks

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Spain records smallest rate of increase in infections; Trump tells Americans to expect ‘a lot of death’; Global deaths approach 65,000

Here are the key developments of the last few hours:

The country’s health minister has announced that Barbados has recorded its first death from the coronavirus.

The victim is said to be an 81-year-old male who had an underlying medical condition and had travelled to the UK.

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Can I have sex? A guide to intimacy during the coronavirus outbreak

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What are the risks associated with intimacy in the time of coronavirus? Three experts weigh in

With countries on lockdown and millions being made to stay at home, it’s unsurprising many couples and single people are wondering what coronavirus means for their sex lives. With this in mind, we asked three experts five of the most pressing questions about intimacy during the pandemic.

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We are fighting a 21st-century disease with 20th-century weapons

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Better and faster joined-up data systems are key to coping with and preventing pandemics such as Covid-19 – as well as more everyday diseases

Covid-19 has exposed the deficiencies of national disease detection and prevention systems in many countries of Europe, and in the United States. In the UK, contact tracing was abandoned early due to lack of capacity. Just three weeks ago the government was prepared to let thousands of Scots travel through England to Wales and back for a rugby match, and it has taken a month to develop a strategy for scaled-up testing. After a decade of austerity and decentralisation, we are trying to recover the lost muscle memory of the public health response.

It will not be 100 years until the next pandemic. Population growth, human invasion of animal habitats and the resumption of fast travel between continents will take care of that. More urgently, we need a system in place after the lockdown to prevent a second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic being worse than the first.

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Brazil coronavirus: medics fear official tally ignores ‘a mountain of deaths’

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Lack of testing and failure to report on cases means scale of outbreak could be far greater than thought, doctors warn

  • Coronavirus – latest updates
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    • Brazil is bracing for a surge in coronavirus cases as doctors and researchers warn that underreporting and a lack of testing mean nobody knows the real scale of Covid-19’s spread.

    “What’s happening is enormous underreporting,” said Isabella Rêllo, a doctor working in emergency and intensive care in Rio de Janeiro hospitals, in a widely shared Facebook post challenging official numbers. “There are MANY more,” she wrote.

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    US accused of ‘modern piracy’ after diversion of masks meant for Europe

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    German politician adds to chorus of complaints about American tactics to source protective gear

    The US has been accused of “modern piracy” after reportedly diverting a shipment of masks intended for the German police, and outbidding other countries in the increasingly fraught global market for coronavirus protective equipment.

    About 200,000 N95 masks were diverted to the US as they were being transferred between planes in Thailand, according to the Berlin authorities who said they had ordered the masks for the police force.

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    Oceans’ capacity to absorb CO2 overestimated, study suggests

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    Research into North Atlantic plankton likely to lead to negative revision of global climate calculations

    The North Atlantic may be a weaker climate ally than previously believed, according to a study that suggests the ocean’s capacity to absorb carbon dioxide has been overestimated.

    A first-ever winter and spring sampling of plankton in the western North Atlantic showed cell sizes were considerably smaller than scientists assumed, which means the carbon they absorb does not sink as deep or as fast, nor does it stay in the depths for as long.

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    ‘Immunity passports’: can they end the UK coronavirus lockdown?

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    Certificates to prove people are immune to Covid-19 could ease restrictions. How would such as scheme work in Britain?

    No 10 has pointed to immunity passports as a way to end the lockdown. How would the policy work in practice?

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    ‘They’re leaving us to die’: Ecuadorians’ plead for help as virus blazes deadly trail

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    Dead bodies kept in homes or dumped on roadsides as authorities and hospitals are overwhelmed by Covid-19 in Andean nation’s second city

    Democratic leaders given poll boost for handling of crisis

    It has been three days since Reynaldo Barrezueta passed away at his home in Ecuador’s biggest city – and still his body lies in a coffin on the sitting room floor.

    “The authorities are just leaving us to die,” said his son, Eduardo Javier Barrezueta Chávez, who has spent the last 72 hours pleading with authorities remove his father’s corpse – so far to no avail.

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    ‘We will starve’: Zimbabwe’s poor full of misgiving over Covid-19 lockdown

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    Unable to access state benefits, food and even running water as the country shuts up shop, people in Harare fear the worst

    Nelson Mahunde, 70, trudges along the deserted streets of Harare’s central business district to collect his monthly pension.

    In one hand, he clutches a pension letter; with the other, he hold on firmly to his walking stick.

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    NHS call on PM to ensure test centres are conveniently located

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    Concern that centres were too far from both work or home for those working in London

    NHS staff have called on Boris Johnson to ensure the new coronavirus testing centres are located conveniently for health workers and not in out of town sites such as Ikea car parks.

    Drive-in test centres for nurses and doctors were opened this week in converted car parks at the Scandinavian superstore in Wembley in London and Chessington theme park near the M25.

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    Mice have a range of facial expressions, researchers find

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    Findings offer researchers new ways to measure intensity of emotional responses

    Whether it is screwing up your face when sucking a lemon, or smiling while sitting in the sun, humans have a range of facial expressions that reflect how they feel. Now, researchers say, they have found mice do too.

    “Mice exhibit facial expressions that are specific to the underlying emotions,” said Dr Nadine Gogolla, co-author of the research from Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology. She said the findings were important, as they offer researchers new ways to measure the intensity of emotional responses, which could help them probe how emotions arise in the brain.

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    Confirmed cases pass 1 million – as it happened

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    This blog is now closed

    We are about to wrap up our coverage on this blog for the day, but you can follow all developments on our new global live blog here. In the interim, you can catch up on all the day’s latest news here, on our latest At a Glance:

    Related: Coronavirus latest: at a glance

    Just dipping back into the Trump press conference at the White House, and the president has blame states for lack of supplies.

    “By the way, the states should have been building their stockpiles,” Trump said, reiterating that the federal government is “a backup.”

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    Antarctica was warm enough for rainforest near south pole 90m years ago

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    Experts say new evidence from Cretaceous period ‘shows us what carbon dioxide can do’

    Think of Antarctica and it is probably sweeping expanses of ice, and the odd penguin, that come to mind. But at the time of the dinosaurs the continent was covered in swampy rainforest.

    Now experts say they have found the most southerly evidence yet of this environment in plant material extracted from beneath the seafloor in west Antarctica.

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