Can you solve it? Lewis Carroll for insomniacs
It ’s not all about AliceTodays puzzles are all penned by Lewis Carroll, the author of Alice ’s Adventures in Wonderland, and appear in a delightful miscellany of his non-Alice scribblings,Lewis Carroll ’s Guide for Insomniacs, curated by LC superfan Gyles Brandreth. They may be oldies, but they are goodies!1. The Chelsea PensionersContinue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 18, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Alex Bellos Tags: Lewis Carroll Mathematics Books Science Source Type: news

Starwatch: March equinox is upon us as sun crosses celestial equator
Length of day and night roughly equal as longer summer days draw nearThe sun crosses the celestial equator this week, meaning that the March equinox is upon us.The celestial equator is the projection of the Earth ’s equator up into the sky. Because Earth rotates on a tilted axis, which always points in the same direction, our orientation to the sun changes throughout the year. When we are in the hemisphere tilted towards the sun, our parent star appears higher in the sky than the celestial equator and we e xperience summer with its longer days. Likewise, when the axis is pointed away, the sun never rises as high as the c...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 18, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Stuart Clark Tags: The sun Science Source Type: news

UK scientists working on breast cancer monitor fitted in bra
Researchers at Nottingham Trent University hope device used at home will improve tracking of tumoursScientists are developing a device that fits inside a bra and could monitor whether a breast cancer tumour is growing.Researchers hope the device will provide a new non-invasive method of detecting tumour growth that patients can use “in the comfort of their own homes”.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 18, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Alexandra Topping Tags: Breast cancer Health Medical research Society Science UK news Source Type: news

UK researchers find way of diagnosing bowel cancer without biopsies
PET scans can examine entire bowel before and during treatment, avoiding risks associated with taking tissue samplesResearchers in Glasgow have identified a new means of diagnosing and treating bowel cancer with imaging technology, avoiding the need for biopsies.Biopsies require an invasive procedure with a number of health risks, such as infection, and are limited in what they can capture within a patient ’s bowel.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 18, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Jamie Grierson and agencies Tags: Bowel cancer Medical research Society Scotland UK news Science Source Type: news

Feeling empty inside, one sociologist found answers by exploring his own traumatic childhood
Along the way Corey Keyes developed concepts of languishing and flourishing which others have found helpfulWhen he was 16, Corey Keyes was finally doing well after a brutal childhood. He got high grades at school, played quarterback on the football team, and was living with his loving grandmother in Wisconsin, USA.But, the sociologist and professor emeritus of Emory University writes in his new book,Languishing:HowToFeelAliveAgain in a WorldThat Wears Us Down, he was living on autopilot, throwing himself into every activity going. Whenever he slowed down, everything felt “drained of colour”. A feeling of “restless em...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 17, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Genevieve Fox Tags: Psychology Life and style Science Health & wellbeing Source Type: news

Cosmic cleaners: the scientists scouring English cathedral roofs for space dust
Mini missions are being launched amid the spires – a haven for dust particles that may contain clues about the cosmos and the early EarthOn the roof of Canterbury Cathedral, two planetary scientists are searching for cosmic dust. While the red brick parapet hides the streets, buildings and trees far below, only wispy clouds block the deep blue sky that extends into outer space.The roaring of a vacuum cleaner breaks the silence and researcher Dr Penny Wozniakiewicz, dressed in hazmat suit with a bulky vacuum backpack, carefully traces a gutter with the tube of the suction machine.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 17, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Sarah Wild Tags: Science Asteroids Astronomy Space Geology Comets Source Type: news

Obese teens can crash diet safely if monitored by a dietitian, study finds
Fears over the effect of rapid weight loss on physical and mental wellbeing of young people said to be unjustifiedShort-term, very low-calorie diets for obese teenagers are safe as long as they are closely monitored by an experienced dietitian, according to researchers in Australia.The study, by scientists based at Sydney University, also revealed that many adolescents involved in the investigation thought the diets were an acceptable way to lose weight – despite experiencing side-effects that included fatigue, headache, irritability, constipation and nausea.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 17, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Science editor Tags: Obesity Medical research Young people Diets and dieting Society Life and style UK news Source Type: news

Brain chips: the Sydney researchers ‘miles ahead’ of Elon Musk’s Neuralink
Multiple Australian projects are on the cutting edge of neurotech breakthroughs and man-machine interfaces – raising questions of security and privacy for human mindsFollow our Australia news live blog for latest updatesGet ourmorning and afternoon news emails,free app ordaily news podcastBrain-computer interface technology is at the core of movies such as Ready Player One, The Matrix and Avatar. But outside the realm of science fiction, BCI is being used on Earth to help paralysed people communicate, to study dreams and to control robots.Billionaire entrepreneur Elon Musk announced in January – to much fanfare – tha...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 16, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Tory Shepherd Tags: Neuroscience Medical research Technology Disability Elon Musk Australia news Source Type: news

Scientists divided over whether record heat is acceleration of climate crisis
Some believe global anomalies are in line with predictions but others are more concerned by speed of changeRecord temperatures in 2024 on land and at sea have prompted scientists to question whether these anomalies are in line with predicted global heating patterns or if they represent a concerning acceleration of climate breakdown.Heat above the oceans remains persistently, freakishly high, despite a weakening ofEl Ni ño, which has been one of the major drivers of record global temperatures over the past year.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 16, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Jonathan Watts and Tural Ahmedzade Tags: Climate science Climate crisis World news Oceans El Ni ño southern oscillation Extreme weather Source Type: news

She beat a rare liver cancer – and now works with her father to find more cures
Cancer scientist decides to study the tumour that once afflicted his small daughter – and now her work is adding to his project’s successElana Simon was 10 years old when she started to experience severe pains in her abdomen. For two years, puzzled doctors put forward diagnoses including lactose intolerance, Crohn ’s disease and stress. It was not until 2008 that they pinpointed the real cause. Elana was suffering from fibrolamellar carcinoma(FLC), a rare, usually lethal, form of liver cancer.“In a way, it was comforting to have a word for what was wrong with me after so much confusion about my condition,” Elana ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 16, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Science Editor Tags: Cancer research Medical research Science UK news Source Type: news

Space scientist Maggie Aderin-Pocock: ‘I was underestimated as a child. I want to tell kids to reach for the stars’
The Sky at Night presenter on science, school and Star TrekBorn in London in 1968 to Nigerian parents, Maggie Aderin-Pocock is a scientist and presenter of The Sky at Night. She trained as a physicist – graduating from Imperial College London with a PhD in 1994, and working for the Ministry of Defence on landmine detection and missile warning systems. She has since designed a host of space instruments, become the first Black woman to win a gold medal in the Physics News Award and in 2013 took o ver fromPatrick Moore as a co-host of the BBC ’s long-running astronomy show. Aderin-Pocock is one of the panel...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 16, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Harriet Gibsone Tags: Life and style Family Space Science Source Type: news

I feel for women misled over egg-freezing. If I ’d believed doctors during my transition, my kids wouldn’t be here | Freddy McConnell
We all deserve better from healthcare providers who sell false promise to some, while shutting down options for othersYou can ’t have missed the conversations about the rise of freezing eggs for non-medical or“social” reasons in recent years, which forms part of an explosion in the use of fertility treatments, all with the promise of giving more options to prospective parents. The starting point is often the question of whether someone, almost always a wealthy, straight, white woman, should freeze her eggs as insurance against her “biological clock”, career development and/or the risk of not finding a partner in ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 16, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Freddy McConnell Tags: Health IVF LGBTQ rights Transgender Fertility problems Women UK news NHS Ageing Pregnancy Science Source Type: news

Weekend podcast: teacher Michael Donkor on coming out to his pupils; finding love via small ads; and are bad habits your fault?
Should you blame yourself for your bad habits? (1m53s); author and teacher, Michael Donkor, on the dilemma of whether to come out to his pupils (7m50s); and missed connections: four extraordinary stories of couples who found love via small ads (26m05s)Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 16, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Hosted by Savannah Ayoade-Greaves; written by Sophie McBain, Michael Donkor, and Amelia Tait; narrated by Laura Shavin and Arun Blair-Mangat; produced by Rachel Porter; executive producer was Ellie Bury. Tags: Life and style Teaching Sexuality Race Schools Psychology Dating Relationships Craigslist Source Type: news

Darwin ’s plant specimens stored for 200 years to go on public display
Specimens collected on Voyage of the Beagle have been unearthed at Cambridge University archivePlant specimens collected by Charles Darwin on the voyage of the Beagle have been unearthed in an archive at Cambridge University.The rare specimens, which have been stored in the archives of the Cambridge University herbarium for nearly 200 years, were given by Darwin to his teacher and friend Prof John Stevens Henslow, the founder of Cambridge University Botanic Garden.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 15, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Donna Ferguson Tags: Charles Darwin Plants Environment University of Cambridge Education UK news Science Source Type: news

Why ME/CFS is still so poorly researched and treated | Letters
Readers respond to George Monbiot ’s article on the treatment and attitude of the medical profession to the debilitating conditionI am writing to express my appreciation of George Monbiot ’s perceptive article (‘You don’t want to get better’: the outdated treatment of ME/CFS patients is a national scandal, 12 March). I have lived with severe fatigue for more than three years, following a mild Covid infection. It is difficult to describe what it is like and it is not surprising that it is not well understood. My experience is that it is necessary to overcome my instincts to push myself, since running out of energy...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 15, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Guardian Staff Tags: ME / Chronic fatigue syndrome Health Society GPs Doctors NHS Psychology Science Medical research UK news Source Type: news