COP30 president André Corrêa do Lago (centre) with his advisers and UN climate secretary Simon Stiell (left) Pablo PORCIUNCULA / AFP via Getty Images The United Nations COP30 climate summit in Brazil was flooded by torrential rainfall, stormed by protesters and partially burned down by an electrical fire. The final session was briefly suspended due…
These “killer koalas”, or marsupial lions, are a highlight of the show Apple TV Back in 1999, the BBC’s Walking with Dinosaurs series spawned a new format: wildlife “documentaries” featuring long-extinct animals. I’m a big fan of this genre, and Prehistoric Planet: Ice Age, made by BBC Studios for Apple TV, is taking it to…
Ulcerative colitis is characterised by inflammation of the lining of the colon and rectum BSIP SA/Alamy A toxin produced by bacteria found in dirty water kills off immune cells in the lining of the colon, meaning people whose guts are colonised by these bacteria are much more likely to develop a condition known as ulcerative…
This moss grew from a spore exposed to space for nine months Tomomichi Fujita On 4 March 2022, astronauts locked 20,000 moss spores outside the International Space Station and left them exposed to the rigours of space for 283 days. They then rescued the spores and returned them to Earth on a SpaceX capsule so…
Adult mice used their paws and mouths to remove pups stuck in a pregnant female’s birth canal Violet J. Ivan/NYU Grossman School of Medicine Mice seem to assist pregnant females when they get into difficulty giving birth, with experienced mothers being the most helpful. This is thought to be the first official sighting of such…
Tablets could offer a more convenient way to take weight-loss drugs H_Ko/Shutterstock A daily pill could soon be available as an alternative to Wegovy and Ozempic injections after a trial found it led to substantial weight loss and improved blood sugar levels in people with obesity and type 2 diabetes. Orforglipron, developed by pharmaceutical company…
Understanding how losing the Y chromosome affects treatment outcomes in lung cancer could guide therapy decisions da-kuk/Getty Images Men with the most common form of lung cancer seem to be uniquely susceptible to losing the Y chromosome from their cells, which could have advantages and disadvantages. On the one hand, it shields their tumours from…
Quantum 2.0 visits the edges of our knowledge about the quantum world RICHARD KAIL/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY Quantum 2.0Paul Davies, Penguin (UK, out 27th November); University of Chicago Press (US, out February 2026) Physicist Paul Davies’s Quantum 2.0: The past, present and future of quantum physics ends on a beautiful note. “To be aware of the…
Scaffolds like these are used to give structure to 3D-printed organs Tristan Fewings/Getty Images Replaceable YouMary Roach, Oneworld Publications (UK); W. W. Norton (US) Our bodies are made of many squishy, hard and intricate parts. When these fail – or fall short of our expectations – what are we to do? Medicine offers some solutions,…
Credit: Kirsty Pargeter/Alamy Jelly belly. Thunder thighs. Muffin top. When it comes to our wobbly bits, we aren’t short of derogatory terminology. Many societies tend to view fat as an inert padding that keeps us warm at best, if not a simple nuisance to be rid of. But it is time to reshape that thinking.…