Category Archives: Science

Vaccine shortages blight India’s efforts to contain Covid crisis

Posted on by

Indian government accused of complacency, with shortage of jabs likely to continue ‘for months’

Severe Covid-19 vaccine shortages have hampered India’s plan to administer jabs to all adults, with fewer then half of India’s states able to begin vaccinating over-18s amid warnings the shortfall could last months.

Over the weekend, more than 600 million Indians became eligible for the coronavirus vaccine in a policy that was introduced in the wake of a deadly second wave hitting the country last month.

Continue reading...

Covering India’s Covid crisis: ‘Hundreds of journalists have lost their lives’

Posted on by

Our South Asia correspondent reflects on a catastrophe that is now affecting the lives of almost everyone in the country


You recently lost a close colleague, Kakoli Bhattacharya, to Covid-19. Can you tell us about her and the important work that she did?

Kakoli was the Guardian’s news assistant over here and had worked for us since 2009. She could find any number or contact I needed and smoothed over any and all of the bureaucratic challenges that working in India can present. She made reporting here a huge joy, when it could be a huge challenge, and she was hugely well thought of by journalists for other organisations too. More than that, though, she was the person who welcomed me to Delhi. She knew the region inside out. She was incredibly warm and was someone I could always call on. The Guardian’s India coverage won’t be the same without her.

Related: ‘Warm, kind, wise and brilliant’: Guardian writers remember Kakoli Bhattacharya

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: UK in ‘last lap’ of Covid fight; India sees record number of deaths

Posted on by

Latest updates: foreign secretary urges patience amid calls for faster loosening of restrictions; deaths in India jump by 3,689 on Sunday

Stable Covid-19 infection numbers in Germany are fueling hopes that intensive care units will not be overwhelmed, the head of the German hospital federation (DKG) told the tabloid newspaper Bild.

DKG President Gerald Gass was quoted as saying:

“The majority of hospitals in Germany are feeling a first, slight easing.

We are looking at about two weeks of relatively constant numbers in terms of new infections, which gives us confidence that we don’t have to be concerned about an exponential rise in patients in need of intensive care.”

The UK records 14 deaths and 1,671 new cases of Covid-19. The case numbers are down by -10.2% and deaths down by -31.2% since the previous 7 days, Public Health England reports.

So far, 34.51m people have received the first dose of a Covid-19 vaccine.

Continue reading...

SpaceX returns four astronauts to Earth in darkness

Posted on by

Capsule parachutes into Gulf of Mexico at 3am, the first night-time US crew splashdown since 1968

SpaceX safely returned four astronauts from the International Space Station on Sunday, making the first US crew splashdown in darkness since the Apollo 8 moonshot.

The Dragon capsule parachuted into the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Panama City, Florida, just before 3am, ending the second astronaut flight for Elon Musk’s company. It was an express trip home, lasting just six and a half hours.

Continue reading...

Glacial lakes threaten millions with flooding as planet heats up

Posted on by

More than 12,000 deaths have already been attributed to glacial lake outburst floods worldwide

An increasing number of people are being threatened by flooding caused by glacial lakes bursting, scientists have warned.

As the planet warms and glaciers recede, meltwater accumulates and forms lakes, often as a result of ice or moraine acting as a dam. Since 1990, the volume, area and number of these glacial lakes has increased by 50% globally. When these lakes become too full there is a risk that they may breach or overflow, releasing huge volumes of water and causing catastrophic flooding.

Continue reading...

Mend your clothes and do yourself some good

Posted on by

Care and repair is an invaluable mantra for your wardrobe, your mental health, your wallet and the planet

In today’s society, many of us go through our whole lives without ever working with our hands; we live, we work, we eat, we buy, we repeat. Everything is made and delivered at a blistering rate, from fast food to fast fashion and, although this may keep the economy buoyant, it’s not necessarily good for our mental health, or for our planet.

But during the past year of lockdown, we have been forced to stay still. The hamster wheel has stopped, and for some of us – without young children to keep entertained – this has provided a unique moment of quiet contemplation. We have suddenly found ourselves with time to spare; time to tackle those half-finished projects and abandoned hobbies – and an increasing desire to be creative, and make things with our hands.

Continue reading...

UK’s aid cuts hit vital coronavirus research around world

Posted on by

Leading UK expert says loss of funding certain to damage attempts to tackle virus and variants

Vital coronavirus research, including a project tracking variants in India, has had its funding reduced by up to 70% under swingeing cuts to the UK overseas aid budget.

One of Britain’s leading infectious disease experts said the UK government cuts were certain to damage attempts to tackle the virus and track new variants.

Continue reading...

Researchers ‘shocked’ to find Egyptian mummy was a pregnant woman

Posted on by

Archaeologists studying Warsaw’s national collection of mummies expected to uncover a male priest

Polish researchers examining an ancient Egyptian mummy that they expected to be a male priest were surprised when X-rays and computer tests revealed instead that it was a mummy of a woman who had been seven months pregnant.

The researchers said on Thursday it was the world’s first known case of such a well-preserved ancient mummy of a pregnant woman.

Continue reading...

Michael Collins obituary

Posted on by

Astronaut and pilot of the command module Columbia during 1969’s Apollo 11 mission

On 20 July 1969, Michael Collins, who has died aged 90, became the most solitary human in the universe – even if he derided that categorisation as “phony philosophy”. He orbited the moon alone, inside Apollo 11’s command module Columbia, and out of touch with ground control for 48 minutes on each orbit. Meanwhile, and more famously, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin were becoming the first men to set foot on that rock, some 240,000 miles away from Earth.

As the command module pilot, on $17,000 a year, Collins was, he later wrote half-jokingly, “the navigator, the guidance and control expert, the base-camp operator, the owner of the leaky plumbing – all the things I was least interested in doing”. He was also, thought Aldrin, probably Nasa’s best-trained command module pilot.

Continue reading...

Mantis shrimp larvae can pack a punch nine days after hatching

Posted on by

Impact is on par with adult punch and larvae can move fast enough to capture prey, researchers observed

There’s a small, iridescent crustacean you might have heard of: its powerful punch can crack holes in aquarium glass and be deployed at the speed of a bullet. These aggressive critters – called mantis shrimp – can also be trigger happy, keen to pummel prey, predators and even their own kind if the need arises.

So how old do offspring have to be to unleash blows? Pretty young it turns out. Mantis shrimp larvae can bludgeon their dinner nine to 15 days after hatching, researchers have found.

Continue reading...

China launches first module of new space station

Posted on by

The space station is expected to become fully operational in 2022 after about 10 missions to bring up more parts and assemble them in orbit

China has launched the first module of its new space station, a milestone in Beijing’s ambitious plan to place a permanent human presence in space.

The Tianhe or “Heavenly Harmony” unmanned core module, containing living quarters for three crew, was launched from Wenchang in China’s Hainan province on a Long-March 5B rocket on Thursday.

Continue reading...

Explainer: why is getting medical oxygen for Covid patients in some countries so difficult?

Posted on by

As India’s hospitals struggle to keep pace with demand, the pandemic has exposed global market failures, lack of knowledge and anticipation

New waves of the Covid-19 pandemic in countries, such as India and Kenya have exposed the poor management of oxygen supplies. Prof Trevor Duke, editor of the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on oxygen therapy for children, answered questions on what countries with limited resources can do to secure better supplies.

Continue reading...

Coronavirus live news: India deaths pass 200,000; Poland announces plan to lift lockdown

Posted on by

India hits another global record; Polish PM announces lifting of lockdown from next week

Chile has designated pregnant women a Covid-19 vaccination priority and this week began issuing Pfizer doses to those with underlying health issues in their second or third trimesters.

Reuters reports:

Chile’s top public health official Paula Daza said women were being inoculated with the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine since more information existed about its safety for pregnant women.

An estimated 230,000 will be offered vaccines, with those with health conditions followed by those working in high-risk jobs such as the health and education sectors.

The coronavirus situation is improving in France, prime minister Jean Castex said on Wednesday.

As we reported earlier, president Emmanuel Macron will outline on Friday how restrictions will be progressively relaxed.

Continue reading...

Scientists find way to remove polluting microplastics with bacteria

Posted on by

Sticky property of bacteria used to create microbe nets that can capture microplastics in water to form a recyclable blob

Microbiologists have devised a sustainable way to remove polluting microplastics from the environment – and they want to use bacteria to do the job.

Bacteria naturally tend to group together and stick to surfaces, and this creates an adhesive substance called “biofilm” – we see it every morning when brushing our teeth and getting rid of dental plaque, for example. Researchers at the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) want to use this sticky bacteria property and create tape-like microbe nets that can capture microplastics in polluted water to form an easily disposable and recyclable blob.

Continue reading...

Single dose of Covid vaccine can nearly halve transmission of virus, study finds

Posted on by

Research from Public Health England suggests that protection conferred a fortnight after vaccination

A single dose of a Covid-19 vaccine can slash transmission of the virus by up to half, according to a Public Health England study.

The PHE finding offers further hope that the pandemic can be brought under control as it indicates that vaccinated people are far less likely to pass the virus on to others.

Continue reading...

Q&A: Covid vaccines offered to people 42 and over in England – what happens next?

Posted on by

Younger people invited to get jab at more than 1,600 sites across country

The Covid-19 vaccine rollout has been extended in England for the second time in two days. Adults aged 42 and over are now able to book their jab.

Here are your questions answered as the NHS in England takes another step forward in the biggest vaccination programme in its history.

Continue reading...

Covid ‘vaccination persuasion’ teams reap rewards in Turkey

Posted on by

Door-to-door initiative targeting elderly people reluctant to have jab to be rolled out after local success

A coronavirus “vaccination persuasion” initiative targeting elderly people who have declined invitations to get vaccinated is gearing up to be rolled out across Turkey after proving a resounding success in a district in the country’s south-east.

Since February, doctors and healthcare workers in the mainly Kurdish city of Adıyaman, or Semsûr‎, have been calling people in age groups already eligible for the vaccine to ask why they have not come to clinics for appointments.

Continue reading...

Talking to yourself: a good antidote to loneliness – or the sign of a real problem?

Posted on by

During the pandemic, I have gone from uttering a few words of encouragement to myself to full-blown arguments. I’m not the only one. I asked psychologists what purpose this serves

“We should probably go out now,” I say to Danny as I vegetate in front of the TV. “Yeah, we should, but I can’t be arsed,” Danny replies, sitting in an identical pose. “C’mon, we need the exercise; can’t sit here all day,” I insist. “Well, we can ’cause that’s what we did yesterday and the day before,” he answers. “Exactly! That’s why we have to go. C’mon!” I yell. “God! Fine, then!” he shouts back.

So we get up from our pit and head into the crisp morning air for a much needed dose of fresh air and exercise. Only there is no we. There’s only me. I’ve had a shouting match with myself pretty much every day since Covid came along and changed everything.

Continue reading...

What unconscious bias training gets wrong… and how to fix it

Posted on by

Companies may seek to dismantle prejudice among their employees – but psychologists question whether these courses effect lasting change

Here’s a fact that cannot be disputed: if your name is James or Emily, you will find it easier to get a job than someone called Tariq or Adeola. Between November 2016 and December 2017, researchers sent out fake CVs and cover letters for 3,200 positions. Despite demonstrating exactly the same qualifications and experience, the “applicants” with common Pakistani or Nigerian names needed to send out 60% more applications to receive the same number of callbacks as applicants with more stereotypically British names.

Some of the people who had unfairly rejected Tariq or Adeola will have been overtly racist, and so deliberately screened people based on their ethnicity. According to a large body of psychological research, however, many will have also reacted with an implicit bias, without even being aware of the assumptions they were making.

Continue reading...