EU pumps four times more money into farming animals than growing plants
CAP scheme, which pays more to farms that occupy more land, drives ‘perverse outcomes for a food transition’, says studyThe EU has made polluting diets “artificially cheap” by pumping four times more money into farming animals than growing plants, research has found.More than 80% of the public money given to farmers through the EU ’s common agriculture policy (CAP) went to animal products in 2013 despite the damage they do to society, according toa study in Nature Food. Factoring in animal feed doubled the subsidies that were embodied in a kilogram of beef, the meat with the biggest environmental footprint, from ...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 1, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Ajit Niranjan Tags: Farming European Union Meat industry Animals World news Environment Food Agriculture Science Source Type: news
Can you solve it? Best pub quiz questions ever
Get a few rounds inIn the world of pub quizzes, Frank Paul is a legend. Today ’s puzzles are taken from the fabulously fiendish quiz he has run at The Mill in Cambridge, and which appear in his latest book.I ’ve chosen questions that involve wordplay rather than general knowledge. Like all great pub quiz conundrums, you will be able to work them out if you think hard enough (and maybe ask a friend for help.)Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 1, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Alex Bellos Tags: Mathematics Quiz and trivia games Education Science Source Type: news
Total solar eclipse to sweep across Mexico, the US and Canada
The moon will pass directly in front of the sun, exposing ghostly traces of the sun ’s atmosphereA total solar eclipse will sweep across the Pacific Ocean, through Mexico, the US and Canada and end over the Atlantic Ocean on 8 April.The phenomenon occurs when the moon passes directly in front of the sun, blocking out the bright surface and revealing the ghostly traces of the sun ’s atmosphere.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 1, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Stuart Clark Tags: Solar eclipses Science Space The sun The moon World news Mexico US news Americas Canada Source Type: news
Scientist who gene-edited babies is back in lab and ‘proud’ of past work despite jailing
China ’s He Jiankui, who used Crispr to edit genome, says he is working on genetic diseases and suggests human embryo gene editing will one day be acceptedA Chinese scientist who wasimprisoned for his role in creating the world ’s first genetically edited babies says he has returned to his laboratory to work on the treatment of Alzheimer’s and other genetic diseases.In aninterview with a Japanese newspaper, He Jiankui said he had resumed research on human embryo genome editing, despite the controversy over the ethics of artificially rewriting genes, which some critics predicted would lead to demand for “designer ba...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - April 1, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Justin McCurry in Osaka Tags: Genetics Biology Science World news China Source Type: news
‘I’m as baffled as the next ovary-owner’: navigating the science of treating menopause
Conversations about menopause have matured but the question of when and how to treat perimenopausal symptoms remains confusing – even to a science journalistThere ’s a meme featuring a confident, suave, smiling Henry Cavill – the actor best known for playing Superman – posing for photographers on the red carpet.Sneaking up behind him is wild-looking, maniacally gleeful co-star Jason Momoa.To me, this is the perfect metaphor for perimenopause. Cavill is at the peak of his career, he looks great, clearly feels great, exudes confidence, strength and self-possession. And he ’s about to get crash-tackled by a capricio...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 31, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Bianca Nogrady Tags: Menopause Women's health Science Australia news Medical research Mental health Source Type: news
The science behind your sense of intuition – podcast
Cognitive neuroscientist professorJoel Pearson tellsJane Lee when to trust your gut (and when not to)You can support the Guardian attheguardian.com/fullstorysupportRead more:Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 31, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Presented by Jane Lee with Joel Pearson. Produced by Allison Chan sound design and mix by Camilla Hannan Executive producer is Hannah Parkes Tags: Science Psychology Source Type: news
The science behind your sense of intuition - podcast
Cognitive neuroscientist professorJoel Pearson tellsJane Lee when to trust your gut (and when not to)You can support the Guardian attheguardian.com/fullstorysupportRead more:Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 31, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Presented by Jane Lee with Joel Pearson. Produced by Allison Chan sound design and mix by Camilla Hannan Executive producer is Hannah Parkes Tags: Science Psychology Source Type: news
Cancer signs could be spotted years before symptoms, says new research institute
Tests that can identify early changes in cells would give doctors more time to offer treatment, say Cambridge researchersScientists at a recently opened cancer institute at Cambridge University have begun work that is pinpointing changes in cells many years before they develop into tumours. The research should help design radically new ways to treat cancer, they say.TheEarly Cancer Institute– which has just received £11m from an anonymous donor – is focused on finding ways to tackle tumours before they produce symptoms. The research will exploit recent discoveries which have shown that many people develop precancerous...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 31, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Science Editor Tags: Cancer research Medical research Health Science Society Health policy Prostate cancer University of Cambridge UK news Source Type: news
Scientists link elusive human group to 150,000-year-old Chinese ‘dragon man’
Researchers have found fresh evidence that may connect the mysterious Denisovans to the early human species Homo longiThey remain one of the most elusive groups of humans to have walked on earth. Evidence from the DNA traces left by Denisovans shows they lived on the Tibetan plateau, probably travelled to the Philippines and Laos in south Asia and might have made their way to northern China more than 100,000 years ago. They also interbred with modern humans.What Denisovans looked like or how they lived has remained a mystery, however. Only a jaw fragment, a few bits of bone and one or two teeth provide an...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 30, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Robin McKie Science editor Tags: Evolution Anthropology Science Biology Neanderthals Source Type: news
Sepsis blood test combined with AI could offer early detection tool
Researchers say dual approach could quickly detect patients most at risk of severe complicationsDoctors say combining a simple blood test with artificial intelligence could help diagnose sepsis faster and identifypatients at the highest risk of severe complications.Sepsis is a serious condition in which the body fails to respond properly to infection. It can progress to septic shock, which can damage the lungs, kidneys, liver and other organs. When the damage is severe, it can lead to death, with an estimated 11 million sepsis-related deaths worldwide each year.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 29, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Andrew Gregory Health editor Tags: Sepsis Medical research Health NHS Artificial intelligence (AI) Science Sweden Technology Source Type: news
Birds create barcode-like memories to locate stored food, scientists find
Mechanism unpicked that allows black-capped chickadees to stash and relocate huge quantities of foodWhile adults might be spending the weekend trying to remember where they have hidden a hoard of Easter eggs, the black-capped chickadee has no trouble recalling where its treats are stashed. Now researchers have discovered why: the diminutive birds create a barcode-like memory each time they stash food.Black-capped chickadees are known for tucking food away during the warmer months – with some estimates suggesting a single bird can hideup to 500,000 food itemsa year. But more remarkable still is their reliability in findin...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 29, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Nicola Davis Science correspondent Tags: Animal behaviour Birds Animals Environment Wildlife World news Science Source Type: news
Copernicus online portal offers terrifying view of climate emergency
Looking at the mass of information, there is only one conclusion: we are running out of timeThere is so much information on the newly launched Copernicus Climate Change Serviceatlas that my laptop started to overheat trying to process it all. As well as all the past data, it predicts where the climate is going and how soon we will breach the 1.5C “limit”, and then 2C. You can call up the region where you live, so it is specific to what is happening to you and your family – and all the more disturbing for that.A separate part calledClimate Pulse intended particularly for journalists is easier to operate. The refreshin...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 29, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Paul Brown Tags: Climate crisis Environment Climate science World news Source Type: news
Song lyrics getting simpler, more repetitive, angry and self-obsessed – study
Researchers analysed the words in more than 12,000 English-language songs across several genres from 1980 to 2020You ’re not just getting older. Song lyrics really are becoming simpler and more repetitive,according to a study published on Thursday.Lyrics have also become angrier and more self-obsessed over the last 40 years, the study found, reinforcing the opinions of cranky ageing music fans everywhere.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 29, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Agence France-Presse Tags: Music Science Source Type: news
Obese children twice as likely to develop multiple sclerosis, study suggests
Swedish researchers say inflammation caused by obesity is likely to increase risk of developing conditions such as MSChildren who are obese may face more than double the risk of developing multiple sclerosis as adults, a study suggests.MS can affect the brain and spinal cord, causing a range of potential symptoms including problems with vision, arm or leg movement, sensation or balance. It is a lifelong condition that can sometimes cause serious disability.Continue reading... (Source: Guardian Unlimited Science)
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 28, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Andrew Gregory Health editor Tags: Obesity Multiple sclerosis Children's health Society Medical research Science Source Type: news
The virus that infects almost everyone, and its link to cancer and MS – podcast
On 28 March it ’s the 60th anniversary of the discovery of Epstein-Barr virus, the most common viral infection in humans. The virus was first discovered in association with a rare type of cancer located in Africa, but is now understood to be implicated in 1% of cancers, as well as the autoimmune disease multiple sclerosis, among others. Ian Sample meets Lawrence Young, professor of molecular oncology at Warwick Medical School, to hear the story of this virus, and how understanding it might help us prevent and treat cancer and other illnesses.Read an obituary of Sir Anthony Epstein, who died in February 2024Continue readi...
Source: Guardian Unlimited Science - March 28, 2024 Category: Science Authors: Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Holly Fisher and Madeleine Finlay, sound design by Tony Onuchukwu, the executive producer is Ellie Bury Tags: Science Cancer research Medical research Multiple sclerosis UK news Source Type: news
