Scientists have revealed details of a wombat-like marsupial as big as a bear that roamed prehistoric Australia 25 million years ago. The ancient marsupial, named Mukupirna nambensis, is one of the oldest Australian marsupials discovered so far and one of the best preserved to date. The creature’s body mass is estimated to have been between 143 to … Read more
Coronavirus antibody tests should not be used to tell people whether they have had the infection already, scientists have warned. In a joint letter published in the British Medical Journal, a dozen leading scientists have cautioned that the blood-based kits — once dubbed ‘game-changers’ — by top politicians may actually be more trouble than they’re worth. Antibody … Read more
National herd immunity to the coronavirus could build up with just four out of 10 people catching the disease, scientists claim. Researchers say that immunity among the most socially active people in a country could protect those who come into contact with fewer others. Previous estimates have suggested around two thirds (60 per cent) of … Read more
Coronavirus antibody tests should not be used to tell people whether they have had the infection already, scientists have warned. In a joint letter published in the British Medical Journal, a dozen leading scientists have cautioned that the blood-based kits — once dubbed ‘game-changers’ — by top politicians may actually be more trouble than they’re worth. Antibody … Read more
The collapse of the Rapa Nui society on Easter Island in the South Pacific Ocean may have been triggered by changes in the Earth’s climate 500 years ago. The Rapa Nui people inhabited the remote island, about 2,300 miles from the coast of Chile, from the middle of the first millennium AD. The arrival of … Read more
A breakthrough that led to the creation of new neurons in mice could be used to transplant brain cells in Parkinson’s patients and cure them of the disease. University of California San Diego School of Medicine researchers created neurons in mice using a new, much simpler method that involved rewriting genes. Parkinson’s disease is characterised … Read more
Wildlife scientists around the world are planning to investigate how animal behaviours have been affected by the slowdown in human activity during lockdown. They will gather data from sources including GPS, sensors and surveys to assess how more than a hundred terrestrial and marine species responded to the lockdown – or ‘Anthropause’. At least two … Read more
Shellfish could be wiped out as Arctic Ocean acidifies due to climate change, scientists fear Ocean expected to absorb more carbon dioxide than expected in next 80 years Increasing acidity of water could wipe out organisms like shellfish and urchins Acid can dissolve their calcified skeletons and shells and could affect food chain By Daily … Read more
Is this fur real! Scientists say it’s cat spit that makes you sneeze, not feline coats Experts day the allergic reaction is due to a protein in cat saliva called Fel d1 One in five Britons, about 13 million people, believed to be allergic to moggies Last year, 1,300 cats had to be rehomed because … Read more
Is this fur real! Scientists say it’s cat spit that makes you sneeze, not feline coats Experts day the allergic reaction is due to a protein in cat saliva called Fel d1 One in five Britons, about 13 million people, believed to be allergic to moggies Last year, 1,300 cats had to be rehomed because … Read more