Does a man without a mask look tough? No, just vulnerable – and lethal | Suzanne Moore
1 HR AGO - While the government offers only mixed messages on face coverings, a ridiculous outlaw machismo Expand
1 HR AGO - While the government offers only mixed messages on face coverings, a ridiculous outlaw machismo has been on the riseBarefaced masculinity stares at us everywhere we go. Its boastful machismo says that it’s inviolable. “Real men” don’t wear masks even when they are told to. On a train in England the other day, where all the other passengers were masked and distanced, two young men were telling each other how much they liked to be off their heads and how they wouldn’t wear masks because … at that point I stopped listening. This was not going to be a discussion about civil liberties, was it?The basic idea that we wear masks to protect others in case we spread the virus had not reached them. These guys were outlaws. Social solidarity? Not for these rebels without a hand sanitiser. Continue reading... Collapse
German study finds low Covid-19 infection rate in schools
3 HRS AGO - Tests of pupils and teachers in Saxony suggests children may act as brake on infectionCoronavirus Expand
3 HRS AGO - Tests of pupils and teachers in Saxony suggests children may act as brake on infectionCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageVery few of 2,000 schoolchildren and teachers tested in the German state of Saxony showed antibodies to Covid-19, a study has found, suggesting schools may not play as big a role in spreading the virus as some had feared.Germany began reopening schools in May, though debate continues as to the role children may play in spreading the virus to vulnerable adults at home as well as to older teachers and school staff. Continue reading... Collapse
Boris Johnson says face masks should be worn in shops in England
7 HRS AGO - PM says government will issue fresh guidance this week on the wearing of face coveringsCoronavirus Expand
7 HRS AGO - PM says government will issue fresh guidance this week on the wearing of face coveringsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has urged the public in England to wear masks in shops as an “extra insurance policy” against the coronavirus, and said the government would issue fresh guidance on the issue this week.The prime minister said the evidence “has been growing” on the effectiveness of wearing masks in public spaces, after coming under pressure to make the wearing of face coverings mandatory in England in line with the more stringent guidance in Scotland. Continue reading... Collapse
Heart scans of Covid-19 patients show range of abnormalities
12 HRS AGO - Edinburgh University team find heart damage in 55% of ultrasounds from 69 countriesCoronavirus – Expand
12 HRS AGO - Edinburgh University team find heart damage in 55% of ultrasounds from 69 countriesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageHeart scans of coronavirus patients in hospital have revealed a range of abnormalities that can disrupt the ability to pump blood and in severe cases lead to a life-threatening failure in the organ.Doctors at Edinburgh University examined ultrasound scans known as echocardiograms from more than 1,200 patients in 69 countries and found heart problems in 55%, with one in seven exhibiting signs of “severe abnormalities”. Continue reading... Collapse
As Covid-19 persists around the world, death is not the only outcome to fear | Gideon Meyerowitz-Katz
1 DAY AGO - There are worrying trends about long-term damage, even in those with milder symptomsDownload the Expand
1 DAY AGO - There are worrying trends about long-term damage, even in those with milder symptomsDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsCoronavirus Australia maps and cases: live numbers and statisticsThere are a lot of unknowns about Covid-19. This makes sense, because despite six months of the most amazing scientific effort of our lifetimes, the coronavirus is a novel disease which means that we are constantly finding out new things about it. Even now, the debate about the most likely method of spread of the disease rages on, in part because the idea of masks has in many places become somehow a political decision rather than a scientific one.Sometimes 2020 feels like living in the Bad Place (but with less frozen yoghurt). Continue reading... Collapse
Are breathing techniques good for your health?
1 DAY AGO - The market is flooded with books and classes claiming ‘breathwork’ can help with mental health, Expand
1 DAY AGO - The market is flooded with books and classes claiming ‘breathwork’ can help with mental health, sleep and even Covid-19. But experts are not convincedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAlan Dolan couldn’t afford market research when he started out as a breathing instructor in 2005. Instead, he took soundings from London taxi drivers. “I’d tell them I taught people to breathe for a living – they’d be in hysterics and say: ‘What a great scam!’” says Dolan. Recently their reaction has changed: “Now they tell me about their sleep apnoea or their wife’s panic attacks, ask me how that relates to breathing and often download my app.”Dolan, whose company is called Breathguru, teaches people to breathe deeply from their diaphragm, inhaling for longer than exhaling, without pausing between the two. He says this can, among other things, release stress, alleviate depression, tackle sleep issues, ease respiratory conditions, boost energy and the immune system and eject Collapse
Ministers have struggled to wear a mask. Do they think it makes them look weak? | Catherine Bennett
1 DAY AGO - The chancellor missed an opportunity to deliver a life-saving message along with Wagamama’s Expand
1 DAY AGO - The chancellor missed an opportunity to deliver a life-saving message along with Wagamama’s chickenWhatever he has done to Wagamama’s previously enviable reputation, Rishi Sunak has demonstrated that, even in one of those countries where the leadership is also a recognised disease vector, some hygiene failures can still shock.We might be resigned to a clammy-looking Boris Johnson transmitting virus between hand, home and lectern; to a health secretary who, also ignoring his own advice, sneaks up behind colleagues in his deadly pink tie; or to a chief adviser who seems positively inspired by the plague-spreading achievements of medieval body lice; but still – spraying saliva over meals? Continue reading... Collapse
We are all Martians!': space explorers seek to solve the riddle of life on Mars
1 DAY AGO - With the red planet’s launch window about to open, the US, China and the UAE are all sending craft Expand
1 DAY AGO - With the red planet’s launch window about to open, the US, China and the UAE are all sending craft to look for answersIn the next few weeks, a flotilla of probes will be blasted into space from launch pads round the world and propelled towards one of the solar system’s most mysterious objects: the planet Mars. Within days of each other, spacecraft built by the USA, by China and by the United Arab Emirates will be sent on separate, seven-month voyages to investigate the red planet.Never has so much interplanetary traffic been put en route to Mars at one time - and all of it is intended to help answer a question that has nagged scientists for decades: is there, or was there ever, life on Mars? Continue reading... Collapse
With 120 countries making masks compulsory in public, shouldn’t England?
1 DAY AGO - Scientists still divided on the issue as PM hints he will make face coverings mandatory for Expand
1 DAY AGO - Scientists still divided on the issue as PM hints he will make face coverings mandatory for shoppersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageScientists remain divided over the effectiveness of masks in providing protection against the Covid-19 virus in the wake of Boris Johnson’s hints that he would soon make face coverings compulsory in shops in England.Some senior researchers told the Observer that they strongly backed the decision as part of the government’s campaign to encourage people to get back to work. Others were less certain that it would be effective. Continue reading... Collapse
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Did you solve it? Alphabet soup
2 HRS AGO - The solution to today’s puzzle.Earlier today I set you the following puzzle.Place a different Expand
2 HRS AGO - The solution to today’s puzzle.Earlier today I set you the following puzzle.Place a different letter in each of the 26 empty white cells of the grid below to make ten common English words. Each letter of the alphabet is used exactly once. The words read along the horizontal lines. Continue reading... Collapse
Coronavirus vaccine tracker: How close are we to a vaccine?
7 HRS AGO - More than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus Expand
7 HRS AGO - More than 140 teams of researchers are racing to develop a safe and effective coronavirus vaccineResearchers around the world are racing to develop a vaccine against Covid-19, with more than 140 candidate vaccines now tracked by the World Health Organization (WHO). Continue reading... Collapse
Coronavirus global report: WHO reveals fresh record rise in cases worldwide
9 HRS AGO - Record of 230,000 reported just days after previous global high; South Africa reinstates alcohol Expand
9 HRS AGO - Record of 230,000 reported just days after previous global high; South Africa reinstates alcohol ban; Mexico overtakes Italy death tollCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe World Health Organization has reported another record in the increase in the number of confirmed coronavirus cases over a 24-hour period, at over 230,000. The previous global record was on Friday, with more than 228,000 fresh cases worldwide.According to the Johns Hopkins University tracker, which relies on official government data, a total tally of close to 12.9 million cases were recorded worldwide by early on Monday, and 568,296 deaths.The true global infection and death totals are likely to be higher due to delays in reporting, differing definitions and testing rates and suspected underreporting from some countries. The UN health agency said on Sunday the United States again topped the list, with more than 66,000 cases recorded. Florida confirmed the highest one-day case rise ever for Collapse
Eight go mad in Arizona: how a lockdown experiment went horribly wrong
13 HRS AGO - In the 1990s, a troupe of hippies spent two years sealed inside a dome called Biosphere 2. They Expand
13 HRS AGO - In the 1990s, a troupe of hippies spent two years sealed inside a dome called Biosphere 2. They ended up starving and gasping for breath. As a new documentary Spaceship Earth tells their story, we meet the ‘biospherians’It sounds like a sci-fi movie, or the weirdest series of Big Brother ever. Eight volunteers wearing snazzy red jumpsuits seal themselves into a hi-tech glasshouse that’s meant to perfectly replicate Earth’s ecosystems. They end up starving, gasping for air and at each other’s throats – while the world’s media looks on.But the Biosphere 2 experiment really did happen. Running from 1991 to 1993, it is remembered as a failure, if it is remembered at all – a hubristic, pseudo-scientific experiment that was never going to accomplish its mission. However, as the new documentary Spaceship Earth shows, the escapade is a cautionary tale, now that the outside world – Biosphere 1, if you prefer – is itself coming to resemble an apocalyptic sci-fi world. Looking back, it’s Collapse
Immunity to Covid-19 could be lost in months, UK study suggests
1 DAY AGO - Exclusive: King’s College London team found steep drops in patients’ antibody levels three months Expand
1 DAY AGO - Exclusive: King’s College London team found steep drops in patients’ antibody levels three months after infectionCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coveragePeople who have recovered from Covid-19 may lose their immunity to the disease within months, according to research suggesting the virus could reinfect people year after year, like common colds.In the first longitudinal study of its kind, scientists analysed the immune response of more than 90 patients and healthcare workers at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS foundation trust and found levels of antibodies that can destroy the virus peaked about three weeks after the onset of symptoms then swiftly declined. Continue reading... Collapse
What kind of face mask gives the best protection against Covid-19?
1 DAY AGO - Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of contracting Expand
1 DAY AGO - Your questions answered on what type of mask to wear to cut the risk of contracting coronavirusCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageYes. Different types of mask offer different levels of protection. Surgical grade N95 respirators offer the highest level of protection against Covid-19 infection, followed by surgical grade masks. However, these masks are costly, in limited supply, contribute to landfill waste and are uncomfortable to wear for long periods. So even countries that have required the public to wear face masks have generally suggested such masks should be reserved for health workers or those at particularly high risk. Continue reading... Collapse
Theatres saved from bulldozer by new rules in lockdown
1 DAY AGO - Communities secretary announces new planning rules forcing councils to take impact of Covid-19 Expand
1 DAY AGO - Communities secretary announces new planning rules forcing councils to take impact of Covid-19 into accountCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageEmpty theatres and live music venues that risk falling into disrepair – and, ultimately, into the hands of redevelopers – have been offered a lifeline.This weekend, the government is revealing new planning rules aimed at preventing the demolition of concert halls and theatres in England. Continue reading... Collapse
Egalitarians be warned: wealth begets wealth | Torsten Bell
1 DAY AGO - New research from Sweden reveals that good genes don’t make you a success but family money, or Expand
1 DAY AGO - New research from Sweden reveals that good genes don’t make you a success but family money, or marrying into it, doesWealth matters in 21st-century Britain, in part because there’s lots of it around. British household wealth was three times GDP in the 1970s. It’s seven times today. Falling interest rates are the main cause, pushing up prices of existing assets. Resolution Foundation research shows the result is bigger pounds and pence gaps between the richest and poorest 10th of households, which increased by £400,000 since the mid-2000s to £1.4m. With these gaps being many times even high incomes, you can’t earn your way to being wealthy – you have to marry wealth or be born with it.Even ignoring inheritances, evidence shows those with wealthy parents tend to be wealthier. Why? Well there are eugenicists out there who think wealthy families produce successful children because “one is the subject of one’s genes”. But thanks to recent research from Sweden, we can politely put that Collapse
The medical profession has failed when women in agony are dismissed as hysterics | Barbara Ellen
2 DAYS AGO - The vaginal mesh scandal betrayed the intimate trust that should exist between doctor and patient, Expand
2 DAYS AGO - The vaginal mesh scandal betrayed the intimate trust that should exist between doctor and patient, whatever their sexWhatever comes next in the vaginal mesh scandal, let’s hope that it spells the end of the “shut up and put up” medical culture when it comes to female healthcare.The Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, led by Baroness Julia Cumberlege, spent two years looking into meshes. It also scrutinised Primodos hormonal pregnancy tests and the epilepsy treatment sodium valproate – both thought to cause birth defects. Continue reading... Collapse
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Coronavirus live: 'no return to normal for foreseeable future,' says WHO; Latin America deaths pass US and Canada
3 HRS AGO - Cases rise by over 230,000 worldwide in 24 hours; 250,000 people in Manila to return to lockdown; Expand
3 HRS AGO - Cases rise by over 230,000 worldwide in 24 hours; 250,000 people in Manila to return to lockdown; Brazil cases near 2m‘Compelling’ evidence air pollution worsens coronavirus – studyGerman study finds low Covid-19 infection rate in schools30-year-old dies after attending ‘Covid party’ in TexasUK coronavirus updates – liveUS coronavirus updates – live 4.21pm BST Michael Ryan’s forceful remarks that a return to school must be based on the local picture and whether there is broader risk of transmission in a community stands in contrast to US education secretary Betsy DeVos’ remarks on Sunday, as reported by my colleague Lauren Aratani in New York:We know that children get the virus at a far lower rate than any other part of the population. There’s nothing in the data that suggests that kids being back in school is dangerous to them. Related: Betsy DeVos insists all US children should be in school this fall 4.14pm BST Van Kerkhove says she wants to focus on individuals’ responsibility. Collapse
‘Compelling’ evidence air pollution worsens coronavirus – study
7 HRS AGO - Exclusive: best analysis to date indicates significant increases in infections, hospital Expand
7 HRS AGO - Exclusive: best analysis to date indicates significant increases in infections, hospital admissions and deathsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThere is “compelling” evidence that air pollution significantly increases coronavirus infections, hospital admissions and deaths, according to the most detailed and comprehensive analysis to date.The research indicates that a small, single-unit increase in people’s long-term exposure to pollution particles raises infections and admissions by about 10% and deaths by 15%. The study took into account more than 20 other factors, including average population density, age, household size, occupation and obesity. Continue reading... Collapse
Can you solve it? Alphabet soup
12 HRS AGO - A bowl of food for the brainToday, for a change, a word puzzle. Place a different letter in each Expand
12 HRS AGO - A bowl of food for the brainToday, for a change, a word puzzle. Place a different letter in each of the 26 empty white cells of the grid below to make ten common English words. Each letter of the alphabet is used exactly once. The words read along the horizontal lines. Continue reading... Collapse
Starwatch: Jupiter at its brightest in opposition
21 HRS AGO - Jupiter is at its closest to Earth and directly opposite the sun – so will be conspicuous for its Expand
21 HRS AGO - Jupiter is at its closest to Earth and directly opposite the sun – so will be conspicuous for its brightnessOn 14 July at 09:00 BST, Jupiter will be directly opposite the sun in the sky. Known as opposition, it marks the middle of the weeks when the planet is at its best for observing because it is closest to Earth. From Jupiter’s perspective, our world will be at inferior conjunction, meaning that it will be directly in-line with the sun. The chart shows the view looking south at midnight tonight from London. Jupiter will be quite low in the night sky, close to the main body of Sagittarius, the archer. It will be conspicuous because of its brightness and its proximity to another bright planet, Saturn. Continue reading... Collapse
Holding the Tories to account over handling of pandemic | Letters
1 DAY AGO - Any inquiry into the handling of the crisis must be led by a biomedical expert not a judge, says Expand
1 DAY AGO - Any inquiry into the handling of the crisis must be led by a biomedical expert not a judge, says Tony Mayer, while Alan Marsden thinks the remit should include the actions of previous Tory leaders. Plus Tony Wright calls for a parliamentary commission to be set up urgentlyGaby Hinsliff hits the nail on the head (Boris Johnson’s blame-shifting shows the need for a coronavirus inquiry right now, 9 July). In handling the pandemic, the government has shown incompetence that verges on the criminally negligent. We need to get at the facts before they are hidden and only a public inquiry will do this.Where Hinsliff is wrong is to talk about a “judge-led” inquiry. It has to be led by an independent expert in biomedical matters. Such a person should be recruited from overseas to be truly independent, and the panel will need a gender-balanced diversity of people in knowledge and ethnicity.Tony MayerSwindon Continue reading... Collapse
Enough of the psychobabble. Racism is not something to fix with therapy
1 DAY AGO - Unconscious bias training is a lucrative industry, but it won’t change consciously hostile Expand
1 DAY AGO - Unconscious bias training is a lucrative industry, but it won’t change consciously hostile policiesAre you racist? And, if so, how would I know? I used to think that a good gauge may be whether you call me a “Paki”, or assault me because of my skin colour, or deny me a job after seeing my name. But, no, these are just overt expressions of racism. Even if you show no hostility, or seek to discriminate, you’re probably still racist. You just don’t know it. Especially if you’re white. And if you protest about being labelled a racist, you are merely revealing what the US academic and diversity trainer Robin DiAngelo describes in the title of her bestselling book as your “white fragility”.You either accept your racism, or reveal your racism by not accepting it. Indeed, as DiAngelo explains, it’s “progressives” confronting racism who “cause the most damage to people of colour” because they imagine that they are anti-racist. Racism is, as she puts it, “unavoidable”. Continue reading... Collapse
Young people overeating as they battle lockdown anxiety, says UK study
1 DAY AGO - Mental health issues among teenagers and young adults are on the rise since start of Expand
1 DAY AGO - Mental health issues among teenagers and young adults are on the rise since start of pandemicCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageYoung people are at higher risk of suffering from mental health problems because of lockdown, new research has shown.Six in 10 young people with pre-existing mental health issues and four in 10 without reported higher levels of stress, according to a study by University College London, Imperial College and the University of Sussex. Continue reading... Collapse
Coronavirus: global deaths tally over 560,000 – as it happened
1 DAY AGO - Cases in India pass 800,000; South African cases top 250,000; UK death toll rises to 44,800 Expand
1 DAY AGO - Cases in India pass 800,000; South African cases top 250,000; UK death toll rises to 44,800 12.27am BST Good morning, good evening, hello, wherever you might be. This is Helen Davidson taking the reins of the blog for the next few hours. Thanks to my colleagues for their coverage.We’ll be starting a new blog shortly, but in the meantime here is some more news on the vaccine front. 12.01am BST Here the latest key developments at a glance: Continue reading... Collapse
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