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Today

Nick Heather obituary

by Lewis Heather / 9h

My father, Nick Heather, who has died aged 86, was a clinical psychologist with an international reputation in alcohol and addiction research, and published more than 500 articles and more than 20 books. He was tireless and uncompromising in his efforts to advance the understanding and treatment of alcohol problems, especially in challenging the disease model of addiction. Perhaps his most signif

How and where to watch the Lyrid meteor shower

April sky features Lyrid meteor shower

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by Nicola Davis Science Correspondent / 12h

Annual celestial display is visible for several days in April as the Earth passes through debris left by comet C/1861 G1 With the Lyrid meteor shower expected to light up the skies this month, we reveal how to get the best view and what to look for. Continue reading...

Lauren Sanchez’s all-female space flight is about to blast off – and will challenge Elon Musk’s SpaceX

by Edward Helmore in New York and Robin McKie / 13h

Jeff Bezos’s Blue Origin rocket blasts off on Monday, with his fiancee, Katy Perry and three others on board. But is it more than just a stunt? Jeff Bezos is blasting his bride-to-be Lauren Sánchez and her “guests” to space on Monday – a plan that might, under other circumstances, contain mixed messages. A crew of six women – Amanda Nguyen, a civil rights activist who will become the first Vietna

Yesterday

No union and forget staff toilet breaks, but hey, at least Bezos can buy Venice for his wedding | Catherine Bennett

by Catherine Bennett / 16h

In a triumph of bling over restraint, the bride will get a hen do in space and a party on a super-yacht Well done us. It can’t be long before Jeff Bezos personally extends his thanks , as he did when we – Amazon employees and Amazon customers – paid for his flight to sub-orbital space, but let’s not wait. As soon as Monday, when his fiancee, Lauren Sánchez, is due with five friends on a rocket tr

What I’ve learned after 40 years as the Observer’s science editor

by Robin McKie Science editor / 17h

Almost as amazing as the knowledge we have gained in the past four decades is the fact that some people continue to deny the damage we are doing to our world Earlier this year I received an email from a reader asking background questions about an article I had written more than four decades ago. Given the time gap, my recollection was hazy. To be honest, it was almost non-existent. So I was intri

I’m nearly 60, but my father’s indifference towards me still stings

100+by Philippa Perry / 20h

It’s deeply human to seek approval and recognition from a parent, even when we are fully grown The question I’m a man in my late 50s. My parents were teenagers when I was born. They married so I wouldn’t be illegitimate, it was the 1960s. My parents divorced. My mum and stepdad moved up north, my father remarried and stayed down south. My father and his wife have three children, now in their 40s.

‘It can break you’: life for parents of autistic children can be exhausting. One podcast is offering hope. Is it real?

86by Jackson Ryan / 1d

A podcast claims to show that autistic children with limited speech may be able to communicate via telepathy. What does the science say about the idea? Election 2025 live updates: Australia federal election campaign Get our afternoon election email , free app or daily news podcast There’s a moment, 26 minutes and nine seconds into Disney’s Coco, when the film’s departed souls are trying to clear

Blood test could detect Parkinson’s disease before symptoms emerge

Blood test detects early Parkinson's

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by Jane Clinton / 1d

Researchers behind test using biomarkers say it could ‘revolutionise’ early diagnosis of disease Researchers have developed a simple and “cost-effective” blood test capable of detecting Parkinson’s disease long before symptoms emerge, according to a study. About 153,000 people live with Parkinson’s in the UK, and scientists who undertook the research said the test could “revolutionise” an early d

Why resurrect the dire wolf when existing animals are facing extinction? | Martha Gill

George R R Martin meets revived dire wolves

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by Martha Gill / 1d

It’s not as sensational as recreating long-dead species, but conserving modern-day fauna is far more pressing The parable of the Mars mission: we’d rather spend trillions sending ourselves to a yet unlivable planet than look after the one we have. And swiftly on its heels, the parable of the dire wolf . We’d rather resurrect a 12,500-year-old species from the dead than save our existing wild anim

What happens when love tips over into the infatuated state of ‘limerence’?

by Dr Tom Bellamy / 1d

A neuroscientist decided to study the addiction-like obsession of limerence, while overcoming it himself I never really gave much thought to the nature of love until it became a problem. Throughout adolescence I suffered through a series of intense, mostly unrequited crushes, but just assumed this was the exquisite agony of desire that poets and lyricists work so hard to capture in words. Continu

Elton John and Madonna have made up, but why do famous people publicly go to war?

Madonna Elton John feud ends

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by Barbara Ellen / 1d

Sorry seems to be the hardest word – and there is a public appetite for watching high-profile feuds Madonna and Elton John have kissed and made up. After decades of high-octane feuding (more of which anon), Madonna recently turned up impromptu backstage when John was appearing on late-night television sketch show, Saturday Night Live in New York to “confront” him. Her ensuing Instagram post , lik

Greek vase ‘looted’ in Italy removed from sale by London gallery

by Dalya Alberge / 1d

Contact from the Observer prompts withdrawal as dealers urged to do more to stop illicit trade in antiquities A London antiquities dealer has withdrawn an ancient Greek amphora from sale after evidence arose that links it to a notorious smuggler. The Kallos Gallery in Mayfair, London, has removed a black-figure amphora – a jar with two handles and a narrow neck made around 550BC – from sale after

How to raise kind children: lead by example, talk it over … and get a dog

by Rhiannon Evans / 1d

It is a simple and powerful way to help them feel calmer and happier, say the experts. So how do you teach kindness to kids? “ In a hostile world, many parents might be anxious about how to raise a kinder generation – and if so, science backs you. Children who are more empathetic “tend to have more positive interactions and more satisfying relationships with friends and family,” says Jessica Rolp

Apr 11, 2025

Documents reveal Trump’s plan to gut funding for Nasa and climate science

NASA faces significant budget cuts

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400+by Gabrielle Canon / 2d

Critics say Nasa faces ‘extinction-level event’ with budget plan, with climate research funding also to be slashed Donald Trump shows no signs of easing his assault on climate science as plans of more sweeping cuts to key US research centers surfaced on Friday. The administration is planning to slash budgets at both the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Agency (Noaa) and the National Aeronautic

People using drug Mounjaro sustain weight loss over three years, trial finds

by Nicola Davis Science correspondent / 2d

Study into medication known as ‘King Kong’ of weight loss drugs throws fresh light on effects of longer-term use People who use the drug Mounjaro are able to sustain weight loss for three years, data from a trial suggests. Mounjaro, nicknamed the “King Kong” of weight loss drugs, contains tirzepatide and is self-administered in once-a-week injections. Continue reading...

Apr 10, 2025

Week in wildlife: ospreys reunited, a monkey thief and a London fox cub

40by Pejman Faratin / 2d

The best of this week’s wildlife photographs from around the world Continue reading...

‘Toxic cocktail’: study finds almost 200 pesticides in European homes

by Helena Horton Environment reporter / 2d

More than 40% of pesticides discovered in dust linked to toxic effects including cancer and hormone disruption Almost 200 pesticides have been found by a study examining dust in homes around Europe, as scientists say regulators need to take “toxic cocktails” of chemicals into account when banning or restricting the use of pesticides. Scientists say their research supports the idea that regulators

PR campaign may have fuelled food study backlash, leaked document shows

200+by Clare Carlile / 2d

Eat-Lancet report recommended shift to more plant-based, climate-friendly diet but was extensively attacked online A leaked document shows that vested interests may have been behind a “mud-slinging” PR campaign to discredit a landmark environment study, according to an investigation. The Eat-Lancet Commission study, published in 2019, set out to answer the question: how can we feed the world’s gr

‘Gamechanging’ breast cancer pill to be offered on NHS in England and Wales

NHS approves daily pill for bladder cancer

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by Andrew Gregory Health editor / 3d

U-turn by medicines watchdog means about 3,000 women with advanced forms of disease could benefit each year Thousands of women with advanced breast cancer in England and Wales are to be offered a “gamechanging” twice-a-day pill on the NHS after a U-turn by the medicines watchdog. Experts hailed the decision as a “landmark moment”. As many as 3,000 women every year could benefit from capivasertib

Jawbone fossil builds richer image of ancient Denisovans

Denisovan jawbone found in Taiwan

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200+by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent / 3d

Fossil found off Taiwan coast adds to picture of enigmatic human species having a prominent jaw with huge teeth An ancient jawbone dredged from the Taiwanese seabed has revealed new insights into the appearance and sweeping geographic range of an enigmatic human species called the Denisovans. The fossil was discovered by fishers trawling the Penghu Channel off Taiwan and is thought to be the most

One in four women in England have serious reproductive health issue, survey finds

76by Tobi Thomas Health and inequalities correspondent / 3d

Exclusive: Racial disparities highlighted as researchers estimate 10 million women have conditions such as fibroids or endometriosis More than a quarter of women in England are living with a serious reproductive health issue, according to the largest survey of its kind, and experts say “systemic, operational, structural and cultural issues” prevent women from accessing care. The survey of 60,000

Share your pictures of the Comet C/2025 F2 (SWAN)

New comet SWAN25F discovered

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by Guardian community team / 3d

Have you spotted the comet? Share your pictures and tell us about your sightings A new, bright green comet, officially designated Comet C/2025 F2 (SWAN), has been discovered by an amateur astronomer. It was spotted by Michael Mattiazo using imagery from SWAN, an instrument on the European Space Agency’s SOHO spacecraft, in late March. It is now visible from the UK and elsewhere and will remain so

Amazon’s satellite launch designed to compete with Musk’s Starlink cancelled

Amazon launches 27 Kuiper satellites

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by Agence France-Presse / 3d

‘Liftoff not possible’ for rocket carrying Project Kuiper satellites, due to clouds that could trigger lightning strikes Weather prevented a rocket carrying the first batch of Amazon satellites designed to compete with Elon Musk’s Starlink from lifting off on Wednesday, in a setback for the planned Project Kuiper network. “Stubborn cumulus clouds and persistent winds make liftoff not possible wit

Have researchers really ‘de-extincted’ the dire wolf? No, but behind the hype was a genuine breakthrough | Helen Pilcher

Dire wolf recreated using DNA

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by Helen Pilcher / 3d

The pups are cute – and great for PR – but they’re modified grey wolves. The real work is being done with their red cousins I’ve been waiting for this. Ever since researchers almost brought a wild goat species back from extinction in 2003, it was only a matter of time until someone came forward and said they had successfully “de-extincted” a species. Now, it has happened . This week, American bio

Apr 9, 2025

Black Mirror’s pessimism porn won’t lead us to a better future | Louis Anslow

by Louis Anslow / 3d

A new progressivism embracing construction over obstruction must find new allegories for technology and the future Black Mirror is more than science fiction – its stories about modernity have become akin to science folklore, shaping our collective view of technology and the future. Each new innovation gets an allegory: smartphones as tools for a new age caste system, robot dogs as overzealous hum

Streams of medicines: how Switzerland cleaned up its act – podcast

by Presented and produced by Madeleine Finlay with Phoebe Weston, sound design by Tony Onuchukwu, the executive producer is Ellie Bury / 3d

Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal clear. They include common medicines like antidepressants and antihistamines, but have unknown and potentially damaging consequences for human and ecosystem health. In the second of a two-part series, Phoebe Weston travels to Geneva to find out how

At-home saliva test for prostate cancer better than blood test, study suggests

Wes Streeting supports prostate cancer screening

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100+by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent / 4d

Researchers say ‘relatively simple, inexpensive’ means of assessing genetic risk offers hope of better screening An at-home spit test appears to perform better at predicting prostate cancer risk than the current frontline test, a study suggests. The test assesses 130 genetic variants to provide a risk score for prostate cancer, which is the second most common cause of cancer deaths in men in the

White House ends funding for key US climate body: ‘No coming back from this’

Government funds climate change consultants

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92by Dharna Noor and Gabrielle Canon / 4d

Nasa cuts contract that convened USGCRP, which released assessments impacting environmental decision-making The White House is ending funding for the body that produces the federal government’s pre-eminent climate report, which summarizes the impacts of rising global temperatures on the United States. Every four years, the US Global Change Research Program (USGCRP) is required by Congress to rele

US scientists create most comprehensive circuit diagram of mammalian brain

Mouse brain mapped with 84K neurons

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100+by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent / 4d

The 3D map of a cubic millimetre of mouse brain reveals half a billion synapses and 5.4km of neuronal wiring The most comprehensive circuit diagram of neurons in a mammalian brain has been created by scientists, providing groundbreaking insights into the mystery of how the brain works. The map is of a speck of a mouse’s visual cortex, smaller than a grain of sand, and traces the structure of 84,0

Trump triggers global meltdown while Starmer scrambles – Politics Weekly UK

by Presented by John Harris, produced by Natalie Ktena, music by Axel Kacoutié; the executive producer is Zoe Hitch / 4d

As fears of a global recession continue in the wake of Donald Trump’s tariffs, Keir Starmer insists the UK should keep a cool head. But with markets in turmoil and a looming economic crisis, does the prime minister need to be bolder? John Harris asks the Guardian columnist Gaby Hinsliff. Plus, he speaks to Daisy Cooper, deputy leader of the Liberal Democrats, about whether people should ‘buy Brit

Next Nasa leader says he would prioritize US missions to Mars if confirmed

NASA prioritizes moon over Mars

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by Richard Luscombe and agency / 4d

Billionaire Jared Isaacman has funded his own journeys into space and insists he would not abandon moon missions The next Nasa leader will prioritize sending American astronauts to Mars if he is confirmed, a Senate panel heard on Wednesday. But the billionaire Jared Isaacman , an entrepreneur who has privately funded his own journeys into space, insisted he would not abandon current plans to land

Women should avoid all alcohol to reduce risk of breast cancer, charity says

Women advised to avoid alcohol

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57by Andrew Gregory Health editor / 4d

World Cancer Research Fund goes further than UK and WHO advice on alcohol after review of evidence Women should avoid alcohol altogether to reduce their risk of breast cancer, a charity has warned. The World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has published a review of evidence on how diet and lifestyle factors can play a role in the development of the disease. Continue reading...

Experts fear rise in diseases as layoffs halt health research: ‘Incredibly bizarre gaslighting’

100+by Jessica Glenza / 4d

Trump administration’s dismantling of institutions under guise of ‘efficiency’ will lead to a grim future for Americans Mass layoffs at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) portend a future with more infectious disease outbreaks, chronic conditions, and a widening gulf in health between the most affluent and vulnerable, experts told the Guardian. Further, they said, the Trump adminis

We are witnessing the destruction of science in America | Paul Darren Bieniasz

by Paul Darren Bieniasz / 4d

If we stay on this administration’s course, future life-saving medicines may never be invented Like many scientists, I came to the US as a young adult, driven by idealism and ambition. I arrived with all my belongings contained in two suitcases, and just enough cash to cover the first month’s rent on a small apartment. But I also had something of greater value: an offer to work and train in one o

Apr 8, 2025

Tributes to ex-London scientist after body found dismembered in Colombia

UK scientist found dismembered in Colombia

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36by Alexandra Topping / 4d

Alessandro Coatti described by former colleagues at Royal Society of Biology as ‘passionate and dedicated’ Tributes have been paid to a “passionate and dedicated” scientist after parts of his dismembered body were found in a suitcase in Colombia. Alessandro Coatti, who worked at the Royal Society of Biology (RSB) in London, was discovered on the outskirts of Santa Marta, a port city on the Caribb

British space company to design fleet of satellites that may help map early universe

34by Hannah Devlin Science correspondent / 4d

Blue Skies Space – commissioned by Italian Space Agency – hopes faint signals from dawn of universe could be detected from far side of moon A British space company is designing a fleet of satellites that could orbit the moon and map the early universe. The Italian Space Agency has commissioned Blue Skies Space to design the satellites that could detect faint radio signals from the dawn of the uni

Secret to stronger pour-over coffee with no extra beans unlocked by scientists

by Nicola Davis Science correspondent / 5d

Pouring water slowly, steadily and from height is key to achieving ‘avalanche’ mixing effect Forget expensive beans and pricey filters – if you want a stronger cup of pour-over coffee, just add water slowly, steadily and from a height, researchers say. While there are myriad ways to make coffee – from moka pots to cafetieres and barista-style machines – pour-over coffee is an everyday staple for

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