Science

People with high levels of T cells from common colds are less likely to catch COVID, according to a new peer-reviewed study. Researchers said the findings could help provide the blueprint for the production of new vaccines which give longer-lasting immunity and would protect against current and future coronavirus variants such as Omicron and Delta.

Astronomers have for the first time imaged the last moments in the life of a red supergiant star. It was spotted just 130 days before exploding using two telescopes in Hawaii, allowing a team of researchers to survey it before it detonated in an enormous supernova. “This is a breakthrough in our understanding of what

Schools should be taking more responsibility to tackle cyber bullying, according to an anti-bullying charity, after an analysis of Google search data by Sky News reveals the link between schooling and online abuse. Around a fifth of young people report being bullied each year and victims are more likely to experience physical and mental health

It will be months before Elizabeth Holmes learns her punishment after being convicted of fraud over the goings-on at her blood-testing startup Theranos. The 38-year-old entrepreneur, once the darling of Silicon Valley, could face 20 years in prison for each of the four counts on which she was convicted. The sentence is likely to be

Astronomers have spotted a mysteriously dusty object orbiting a distant star. While the object is probably a binary star system, according to a study published in The Astronomical Journal, scientists are baffled by the quantity of dust it is emitting. Unlike dusty comets, which should quickly disintegrate, the object has remained intact while shedding an

Supercomputers could help prevent millions of deaths caused by antibiotic resistance, a study has found. Each year, around 700,000 people worldwide die due to antibiotic resistant bacteria, with this number expected to increase to millions in the coming years. Without effective antibiotics, human life expectancy is predicted to fall by 20 years. Researchers at the

An “exquisitely preserved” embryo has been found inside a fossilised dinosaur egg. The discovery, dubbed “Baby Yingliang”, is believed to be between 66 and 72 million years old, and was found in the Late Cretaceous rocks of Ganzhou in southern China. Professor Steve Brusatte from the University of Edinburgh, part of the research team, said:

Three people have been arrested following a probe into suspected fake COVID-19 vaccination records. Staff at a London NHS trust began noticing a suspicious pattern on some online vaccination records and alerted Action Fraud who in turn contacted the police. Following investigations, a 27-year-old man and a 23-year-old man, both from Ilford, have been arrested

Scientists are warning that efforts to eradicate a debilitating parasite are being undermined by dogs eating infected fish. Guinea worm disease used to affect millions of people a year in the 1980s, but eradication efforts have suppressed that number to just 27 documented human cases in 2020. It would be the second ever human disease

Amazon’s plastic waste soared by 29% during the pandemic, according to analysis by conservation group Oceana. It estimates that in 2020 the online retail giant generated an additional 272 million kg of plastic packaging, including air pillows, bubble wrap and plastic lined envelopes, compared with 211 million kg in 2019. The advocacy group says the

Apple and Google have been criticised for “exercising a ‘vice-like grip’ over mobile devices” by the UK’s competition watchdog. More than 99% of all phones sold in the UK run on either iOS, owned by Apple, or Android, owned by Google – meaning these two companies can “tilt the playing field towards their own services”.

The UK should introduce several new offences to “call time on the Wild West online” , according to a report on the Online Safety Bill by a joint committee of MPs and Peers. Alongside these new offences, the committee backed Culture Secretary Nadine Dorries’ promise of criminal sanctions for senior management figures at the tech

Security experts are sounding the alarm over a newly discovered software vulnerability, and organisations have been advised to “urgently” check whether it leaves them exposed to hackers. Alerts have been issued by the British and American governments as a growing number of hacking groups – potentially including spies and organised criminals – are exploiting the

The death of an iconic character in the first episode of the Sex And The City reboot after cycling on a Peloton has prompted the global fitness brand to issue a statement. Warning: A spoiler containing the name of the character who dies is included towards the end of this article. The company points the

WhatsApp is trialling in-app cryptocurrency payments using the Novi digital wallet, also owned by Meta. The small pilot follows the failure to launch Libra as a global digital currency, meaning the feature is only available for WhatsApp users in Guatemala and the US at the moment. But the long-term aim for Meta is the same.

It is a question that has been pondered by dog owners since the animals were first domesticated: Does my pet understand me? And according to a new study, canines are capable of comprehending more than many might think. Canadian researchers who studied 165 dogs and their owners found that the animals responded to between 15