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753 articles · page 8 of 16 · The Science front page

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Health & Medicine

Penicillin Allergy Overdiagnosed: New Australian Guidelines Urge Reassessment for Millions

The Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) has published revised guidelines revealing that the majority of Australians labeled with penicillin allergy are not truly allergic. The change, based on new evidence, aims to improve patient care, reduce healthcare costs, and combat antimicrobial resistance by ensuring appropriate use of narrow-spectrum antibiotics.

· 2 sources
Health & Medicine

Large study finds ultra-processed foods not uniformly linked to colorectal cancer, some may lower risk

A study of more than 460,000 older Americans has found no overall association between total ultra-processed food consumption and colorectal cancer incidence, challenging the assumption that all such foods carry equal risk. Instead, researchers report that some ultra-processed foods, such as whole grains and dairy products, were linked to lower colorectal cancer rates, while processed meats were tied to higher risk.

Space

Mars's mysterious cloud may form by 'flash-freezing' without dust particles

For decades, planetary scientists have puzzled over a thin, 1,800-kilometre-long cloud that appears every summer morning west of Mars’s Arsia Mons volcano. A new study published in Nature Geoscience proposes that the cloud forms through homogeneous nucleation, a process in which water vapour spontaneously freezes into ice without needing the dust particles that normally seed cloud formation. If confirmed, it would be the first known natural occurrence of a phenomenon long dismissed as a laboratory curiosity.

Earth & Nature

Chiricahua becomes 64th US national park

Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona has been redesignated as Chiricahua National Park, becoming the 64th national park in the United States and the fourth in Arizona, joining Petrified Forest, Saguaro, and the Grand Canyon. The change, effective October 20, 2026, keeps existing boundaries and management but is expected to draw significantly more visitors to the area's distinctive rock formations, dark skies, and wildlife.

Science

Lightest known binary neutron stars validate general relativity to within 1%

A pair of the lightest neutron stars ever discovered, orbiting each other every 2.36 hours, has provided a new test of Albert Einstein's general theory of relativity. By measuring radio pulses from one of the stars over five years, Chinese astronomers found that three relativistic effects predicted by Einstein match observations to within about one per cent. The findings were published on September 15 in Physical Review Letters.

Science

NASA's CASALS Lidar Promises Continuous 3D Maps of Earth's Surface, Eliminating Gaps in Data

NASA researchers have developed a new lidar instrument called CASALS that uses wavelength-steering technology to create continuous three-dimensional swaths of Earth's surface, eliminating the large unmapped gaps left by traditional space-based laser instruments. An airborne prototype flew successfully in November 2024, producing science-quality datasets at 22-centimeter horizontal resolution.

Earth & Nature

Storm Austen: amber warning for southwest England as 80mph gusts and heavy rain loom

The Met Office has issued an amber warning for Cornwall and parts of west Devon as Storm Austen, the first named storm of the season, is forecast to bring wind gusts of up to 80mph (130km/h) and heavy rain from Thursday night into Friday. In the Republic of Ireland, Met Éireann has issued an orange rain warning for six counties including Cork, Dublin and Kerry, while a nationwide yellow warning for rain and wind is also in effect. A separate yellow rain warning covers much of Scotland, where 20-80mm of rain is expected and flooding is possible.

· 10 sources
Health & Medicine

Covid inquiry finds care homes were an 'afterthought' in pandemic response

A new report from the UK Covid inquiry has found that government failings allowed the coronavirus to spread unchecked in care homes, with the sector treated as 'something of an afterthought' in the early stages of the pandemic. The sixth report, published on Tuesday, said there was no 'protective ring' around homes as ministers had claimed, leading to more than 43,000 recorded deaths involving Covid in care homes between March 2020 and July 2022.

· 2 sources
Health & Medicine

Africa CDC calls emergency summit as Ebola spans continent, Uganda disputes origin

The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention has called an extraordinary virtual meeting of national health officials for October 28, as the deadly Ebola outbreak spreads to a fifth country and enters a third region of Africa. The announcement came as Nigeria confirmed its first case of the Bundibugyo virus, sparking a dispute with Uganda over the source of the infection and deepening concerns about the rapidly escalating crisis.

· 7 sources
Archaeology & Origins

Skeleton in Westminster Abbey Roman sarcophagus identified as medieval abbot, expert finds

A long-standing mystery surrounding a skeleton found inside a Roman sarcophagus at Westminster Abbey has been resolved, according to an expert who says the remains belonged to a medieval abbot, most likely Ælfwig, who died around 1020. Professor Warwick Rodwell, a consultant archaeologist at the Abbey, presented his findings in the Journal of the British Archaeological Association, drawing on a 2018 investigation and radiocarbon dating of the bones.

· 2 sources
Earth & Nature

£3.6bn tunnel plan to stop sewage flowing into Windermere moves to government decision

A £3.6 billion plan to build a giant tunnel diverting sewage away from Windermere has been formally presented to the government, with the water company behind the proposal calling it a '100 year solution' for the polluted lake. The feasibility report, produced by a coalition including United Utilities, environmental campaigners, regulators and local authorities under the banner 'Only Rainwater into Windermere' (ORiW), outlines two options for discharging treated effluent and two ways of funding the project. The government must now decide whether to allow the plans to proceed to detailed design.

· 5 sources
Earth & Nature

Whakaari/White Island erupts ash, volcanic alert level raised

Whakaari/White Island is continuously passively erupting small amounts of volcanic ash, prompting Earth Sciences New Zealand to raise the volcanic alert level. An observation flight on Tuesday confirmed a blanket of ash around the active vent, with a weak discharge of steam and gas. The agency says there is no evidence of an explosive eruption and that any significant impact on the mainland remains very unlikely, though a sulphur smell and light ashfall may be noticeable.

Health & Medicine

AI analysis of heart activity during sleep predicts cardiovascular risk up to a decade in advance

Artificial intelligence trained on electrocardiogram (ECG) data recorded during sleep can predict a person's risk of developing atrial fibrillation, stroke, heart failure, or dying from any cause within the next 10 years, researchers at Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology have found. The study, published in the journal SLEEP and supported by the US National Institutes of Health, suggests that subtle changes in heart activity during early sleep stages contain early warning signals currently overlooked in standard sleep tests.

Health & Medicine

England unveils draft rules to restrict high-risk cosmetic procedures to trained professionals

The UK government has published long-awaited plans to regulate high-risk cosmetic procedures in England, including liquid Brazilian butt lifts, vampire facials and deep chemical peels. Under the draft rules, only doctors and other trained health professionals will be allowed to perform the most dangerous treatments, with new criminal offences and fixed fines of up to £4,000 for rogue providers. The announcement follows years of pressure after patients suffered life-threatening complications and deaths at the hands of unlicensed practitioners.

· 2 sources
Earth & Nature

Severe weather in southern France: one dead near Marseille, one missing in Corsica

A 75-year-old man died after being swept away by floodwaters in Saint-Mitre-les-Remparts near Marseille, while a second person is missing in Ghisonaccia, Corsica, when their 4x4 was carried away by the Fium'orbu river, rescue authorities confirmed Tuesday. The severe weather, which began Monday, has caused widespread flooding across southeastern France, prompting evacuations and transport disruptions.

Health & Medicine

1970s heart treatment shows cognitive gains in early Alzheimer's trial

A randomized trial has found that external counterpulsation (ECP), a non-invasive heart treatment developed in the 1970s, improved cognition and daily function in patients with mild cognitive impairment or early Alzheimer's disease. The company-funded study of 190 patients reported that 78 percent improved over their personal baseline after six months, with an average gain of five points on standard cognitive scales.

Health & Medicine

'Circadian depression' identified as a distinct subtype, standard treatments may be harmful

New Australian-led research published in The British Journal of Psychiatry has identified a distinct subtype of depression driven by a disrupted circadian rhythm. The study of 11,380 adults diagnosed with depression found that one quarter of participants, and as many as one in three younger people, have what the authors term 'circadian depression'. The research challenges the longstanding assumption that sleep problems are merely a symptom of depression, arguing instead that the disturbed body clock is the primary driver for this group. Crucially, the researchers warn that standard treatments including selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) and cognitive behavioural therapy may be ineffective or even harmful for these patients.

· 6 sources
Health & Medicine

Guinea-Bissau police raid office of researchers tied to Kennedy over controversial vaccine trial

Police in Guinea-Bissau on Monday raided the offices of Danish researchers Peter Aaby and Christine Stabell Benn, seizing doses of hepatitis B vaccine destined for a trial on newborns that international health experts have branded 'unethical.' The trial, which would have exposed infants to the risk of lifelong hepatitis B infection, had drawn intense scrutiny over its funding and links to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., an outspoken vaccine skeptic.

Space

SpaceX shifts to AI compute business, aims to catch Starship next month

SpaceX on Tuesday outlined a major pivot toward artificial intelligence infrastructure during its third quarter earnings call, with company officials detailing plans to provide up to 10 gigawatts of compute capacity by 2027. At the same time, CEO Elon Musk confirmed the company will attempt to catch both the Starship spacecraft and its Super Heavy booster for the first time next month, a milestone that would mark the first full recovery of an orbital launch system.

· 3 sources
Science

Lost Schrödinger manuscript challenges view of quantum pioneer

A long-lost manuscript by quantum pioneer Erwin Schrödinger, unearthed in an Austrian archive by physicist Flavio Del Santo of the University of Geneva, is reshaping understanding of the Nobel laureate's philosophy. The three-page document, written in response to a heated 1944 debate in the journal Nature over the 'collapse of determinism,' reveals Schrödinger actively critiquing arguments against hidden variables, offering insight into a philosophical position more complex than his popular image as a champion of determinism.

Space

JAXA launches Martian Moons eXploration mission to retrieve first samples from Mars system

Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency’s (JAXA) Martian Moons eXploration (MMX) mission successfully launched from the Tanegashima Space Center on October 20, 2026, beginning a journey to Mars and its largest moon, Phobos, with arrival at Mars expected in August 2027. The mission aims to collect and return the first-ever samples from the Martian system, potentially settling a long-running debate over whether Phobos and Deimos are captured asteroids or remnants of a giant impact on Mars.

Health & Medicine

Baby died from meningitis after staff attributed symptoms to Covid, inquest finds

A five-month-old baby girl who died from meningitis might have survived if doctors had tested her for the infection sooner rather than putting her symptoms down to Covid, an inquest jury has found. Esta High died at Leeds General Infirmary in November 2023, days after being taken to the emergency department with a high temperature and vomiting. The jury concluded that her death was contributed to by neglect.

· 3 sources
Space

NASA advances development of fission-powered SR-1 Freedom spacecraft for Mars mission

NASA announced progress on the Space Reactor-1 (SR-1) Freedom, the first fission-powered spacecraft designed to operate beyond Earth orbit. Key contract actions have been taken to advance the development of the nuclear power module, a critical element of the spacecraft's propulsion and power systems. The mission is scheduled for launch in late 2028, when SR-1 Freedom will deliver the SkyFall science payload, a trio of Mars helicopters evolved from the Ingenuity design, to collect scientific data, identify potential water sources, and demonstrate exploration zones.

Health & Medicine

REDs In Male Athletes: 'Suffering In Silence' As Stigma Hides Widespread Condition

A growing body of evidence suggests that Relative Energy Deficiency in Sport (REDs) is as prevalent in men as in women, yet stigma and a lack of obvious warning signs mean many male athletes suffer in silence. A recent meta-analysis found nearly half of male athletes had low energy availability, a condition that can lead to brittle bones, serious injuries and long-term health problems if left untreated.