The Guardian Science

‘Most people don’t know we’ve set up a doomsday system’: physicist Laura Grego on satellites, nuclear weapons and the battle for our skies

Elon Musk is trying to own it, competing powers are trying to fight in it and nobody seems to be regulating it. So who does space really belong to?The last time I saw Laura Grego was in a tent in a baking field on the Welsh borders in May. The conversation on stage ranged from the dangers of space debris to how the law of the sea might pertain to outer space; from our sense of the sacred to our interplanetary futures. At one point Grego, a physicist, said intently, “People have to be aware of wh

science  6d ago

Science Daily

Earth’s waters are quietly running out of oxygen, scientists warn

Oxygen is disappearing from oceans, lakes, rivers, and coastal waters at an alarming rate, threatening aquatic life and weakening the natural processes that help regulate Earth’s climate. Scientists warn that this widespread deoxygenation is closely connected to other major planetary threats, including warming, pollution, biodiversity loss, and ocean acidification.

science  6d ago

Science Daily

Alzheimer’s breakthrough: Scientists restore two hours of sleep without clearing brain plaques

Researchers have uncovered a surprising culprit behind sleep loss in Alzheimer’s disease: the brain’s own immune cells. In mice with amyloid plaques, overactive microglia triggered inflammation that kept the brain from getting enough deep, restorative sleep. Temporarily removing most of these cells restored more than two hours of sleep per day, even though the plaques remained unchanged.

science  6d ago

Science Daily

An ordinary laptop solved a problem thought to require a quantum computer

A quantum problem once described as impossible for classical computers has now been solved using relatively modest hardware. Researchers used tensor networks to compress the overwhelming wave function created by hundreds of entangled qubits, allowing some calculations to run on a laptop. Their results matched both theoretical predictions and simulations performed with a quantum computer. The method could open new paths for exploring quantum dynamics and materials.

science  6d ago

The Guardian Science

Can you solve it? Do you think like a physcist?

A scorching puzzle about heatIn a summer heatwave, you keep the curtains drawn all day.It helps keep the room cool. Continue reading...

science  Jul 20, 2026

The Guardian Science

Monday briefing: 50 years after Viking landed on Mars, did Nasa overlook evidence of life?

In today’s newsletter: ​Breakthroughs increasingly hinge not on finding something new, but on recognising what was​ missed. A leading scientist tells us why it mattersGood morning. As Andy Burnham’s search for intelligent life to appoint to cabinet continues (more on that from Libby tomorrow), First Edition sets our sights further afield, to the search for life on another red planet.It’s 50 years to the day since humankind’s first foray on Mars. On 20 July 1976, Viking 1 successfully touched dow

science  Jul 20, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists discover a protein that protects the brain from Alzheimer’s damage

A protein called SORLA may act as a powerful defense against the toxic tau tangles involved in Alzheimer’s disease. Mice with extra SORLA had less tau accumulation, less brain atrophy, and healthier connections between neurons, while mice without it experienced more severe damage. The findings also revealed a possible drug target that could help control harmful activity in supporting brain cells.

science  Jul 20, 2026

The Guardian Science

Starwatch: Identifying the Scorpion, mythical adversary of Orion

The full constellation can be frustrating to track down in the UK owing to its low presence in the southern skyThis week we will take the opportunity to identify Scorpius, the Scorpion, one of the famous zodiacal constellations.In mythology, Scorpius is the creature sent to kill Orion, the hunter. The two constellations are therefore on opposite sides of the sky from one another, so that when Scorpius rises, Orion has already departed. Continue reading...

science  Jul 20, 2026

NASA News

Shaping the Emerald City

The hills and basins of Seattle, Washington, have been sculpted by glaciers and modified by humans.

science  Jul 20, 2026

The Guardian Science

Al-altered images on birdwatching forums putting research at risk

Experts warn increase in enhanced photos on birding platforms creating fake sightings, threatening credibility of tool used by scientistsFor many birdwatchers, recording a species outside its normal range is the holy grail. In the UK, the discoveries often make national headlinesThe western reef heron, for example, usually found in Africa and southern Europe, spotted in a seaside town in north Wales in June, which was widely celebrated on birding forums.But a new scourge is threatening to disrup

science  Jul 20, 2026

Science Daily

UCLA scientists develop mineral sunscreen without the chalky white cast

Scientists have redesigned zinc oxide particles to create a mineral sunscreen that protects against ultraviolet radiation without leaving such a noticeable white cast. The SPF 30 formula could make sunscreen easier and more appealing to use across a wider range of skin tones.

science  Jul 20, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists found two powerful new ways to destroy forever chemicals

Scientists are testing two promising ways to destroy PFAS, the stubborn “forever chemicals” that can accumulate in water and resist normal treatment. One method uses collapsing vapor bubbles to generate extreme heat and reactive molecules, while the other uses cold plasma and rising gas bubbles to pull PFAS to the surface and break them apart.

science  Jul 20, 2026

Science Daily

New AI blood test predicts heart disease 15 years early

A new AI-powered blood test could give people a remarkably early warning of serious heart and circulation problems. Developed by researchers at the University of Hong Kong, CardiOmicScore analyzes thousands of proteins and metabolites to estimate the risk of six major cardiovascular diseases, including heart attack, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation. Unlike genetic risk scores, which remain fixed throughout life, the system captures biological changes linked to a person’s current he

science  Jul 19, 2026

Science Daily

A tiny universe in a bottle reveals clues to the origins of life

Researchers have created cosmic dust from scratch by recreating space-like conditions inside glass tubes. The dust contains complex carbon-rich molecules built from elements essential to life and produces infrared signals similar to real material found in space. By studying these laboratory samples, scientists can explore how organic chemistry unfolds around stars and how comets, asteroids and meteorites may have carried those ingredients to Earth.

science  Jul 19, 2026

Science Daily

The mysterious hum heard around the world may finally have an explanation

The mysterious sound known as The Hum has been reported worldwide for decades, yet its source often remains impossible to find. Researchers tested whether people who hear it have exceptional low-frequency hearing or measurable sounds produced inside their ears, but neither explanation fit most participants. The strongest possibility is that many cases involve low-frequency tinnitus, even though the sound seems completely external.

science  Jul 19, 2026

The Guardian Science

Molten salt and human sweat: the weird batteries that could store renewable energy

From Nevada to Manchester, developers are trialling innovative solutions to clean energy’s biggest challengeIn the deserts of the United Arab Emirates a sprawling clean energy project, stretching across an area roughly the size of 12,600 football fields, will play host to a breakthrough allowing solar energy to power the equivalent of half a million homes through the night.The Gulf state has been steadily combining 5.2GW of solar power capacity with 19GWh of battery storage to create the largest

science  Jul 19, 2026

The Guardian Science

Could AI be conscious?

Experts believe it’s at least possible. We urgently need a plan to navigate the ethical implicationsIn January, the AI company Anthropic published a new constitution for Claude, its most advanced large language model (LLM), which contained the comment: “We are caught in a difficult position where we neither want to overstate the likelihood of Claude’s moral patienthood nor dismiss it out of hand.” A month later, Anthropic’s CEO Dario Amodei went on a podcast and said his company couldn

science  Jul 19, 2026

Science Daily

Coffee may help the body fight stress and aging through a hidden cellular switch

Scientists may have uncovered one reason coffee is repeatedly associated with healthier aging and lower disease risk. Compounds in coffee appear to activate NR4A1, a receptor that helps protect cells from stress, inflammation, and damage. These protective effects disappeared when the receptor was removed, strengthening the connection. Surprisingly, plant-based compounds such as caffeic acid seemed far more active than caffeine itself.

science  Jul 19, 2026

The Guardian Science

Sex-loving hookworms and other peculiar parasites: one man’s mission to champion nature’s villains

Award-winning entomologist Dino Martins, known for his work on pollinators, shows in his latest book that even the most gruesome creatures have vital roles to playDino J Martins has never been able to resist the small things. The renowned entomologist and evolutionary biologist spent his formative years in biodiversity-rich western Kenya with his foster parents, Joe and Sarah Ellen, looking at birds, flowers and insects on Mt Elgon, and in Kakamega forest and Kerio valley.He was especially trans

science  Jul 19, 2026

Science Daily

Scientists just discovered a lost branch of Australia’s marsupials

Fossils from Queensland suggest a newly recognized marsupial order may have survived in Australia for around 35 million years, rewriting part of the story of how the continent's unique mammals evolved. The discovery challenges the idea that Australia's marsupials all came from a single straightforward ancestral lineage.

science  Jul 19, 2026