Nicola Davis Science correspondent    Full and part skeletons found in Mexico reveal body shape and anatomy of Ptychodus as well as its likely dietFossil experts say they have gained unprecedented insights into a type of enormous prehistoric shark, after finding complete skeletons of the creatures.The specimens, discovered in small...

Presented by Ian Sample, produced by Madeleine Finlay, sound design by Tony Onuchukwu, the executive producer was Ellie Bury    As bird flu is confirmed in cattle herds across eight US states, Ian Sample talks to virologist Dr Ed Hutchinson of Glasgow University about why this development has taken scientists by surprise, and how prepared we are for the possibility it might start spreading among humansRead more Guardian...

Kate Ravilious    Study reveals repurposing of ecologically vital land for homes or agriculture is happening particularly rapidly in AsiaEstuaries the place where a river meets the ocean are often called the nurseries of the sea . They are home to many of the fish we eat and support vast numbers of birds,...

Oliver Holmes    Engineers spent months working to repair link with Earth’s most distant spacecraft, says space agencyEarth’s most distant spacecraft, Voyager, has started communicating properly again with Nasa after engineers worked for months to remotely fix the year old probe.Nasa’s Jet Propulsion...

Nicola Davis Science correspondent    Researchers find memorable images make time feel slower because we are trying to gather more information about themIf every day appears to go in a blur, try seeking out new and interesting experiences, researchers have suggested, after finding memorable images appear to dilate time.Researchers have...

Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Nicola Davis, produced by Madeleine Finlay, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer was Ellie Bury    Labradors are known for being greedy dogs, and now scientists have come up with a theory about the genetic factors that might be behind their behaviour. Science correspondent and flat coated retriever owner Nicola Davis visits Cambridge University to meet Dr Eleanor Raffan and Prof Giles Yeo to...

Nicola Davis Science correspondent    Many report symptoms lasting two years or longer and about . m say disease affects day to day activitiesAbout million people in England and Scotland say they are experiencing long Covid, figures reveal, with many reporting their symptoms have lasted two years or longer.The findings were released...

Anna Bawden Health and social affairs correspondent    Cambridge study finds those from poorest areas have higher risk of second non breast cancerFemale survivors of breast cancer living in the most deprived areas have a higher risk of developing second, unrelated cancers, compared with those from the most affluent areas, research shows.Breast...

Denis Campbell Health policy editor    Industry’s sugar substitute E can have toxic effect on health’, says study finding sweetener capable of damaging intestinal bacteriaA sweetener used in cakes, soft drinks and chewing gum can seriously damage people’s health by weakening the gut, a new study has found.Consumption of even a...

Andrew Gregory Health editor    Dabrafenib with trametinib can halt growth of some tumours for more than three times as long as standard chemotherapy, study showsThe NHS is to offer children with brain tumours in England a groundbreaking new targeted drug therapy to tackle the disease a development charities are hailing as the...

Linda Geddes Science correspondent    Only private jabs are available to most, but annual shots could reduce healthcare costs and prevent deathsCheaper private Covid jabs may end up as costly as pricier ones, say expertsPrivate Covid boosters are available for people who do not qualify to receive these vaccines on the NHS. But is it...

Nicola Davis Science correspondent    Exclusive: Multi dose vials could push up charge per patient, with experts warning cost could widen inequalitiesCheaper private Covid jabs could end up being just as expensive as their pricier alternative because the vaccine must be given in groups of five, experts have warned.Boots and pharmacies...

Nicola Davis Science correspondent    Pharmacy to offer Pfizer BioNTech vaccine to those not eligible for NHS booster shot from next weekBoots is to offer Covid vaccinations for almost a shot, making it the latest provider to sell the jabs to those not eligible for a booster through the NHS.The company has confirmed it will offer...

Devi Sridhar    The day challenge, to be able to contain a virus while a vaccine is approved, manufactured and delivered, looks ever more remoteFour years on from the first Covid lockdown, life feels to be largely back to normal, although legacies of the pandemic remain. Collective amnesia seems to have set in...

Arwa Mahdawi    According to an automated missive, I have the perfect set of skills to help write the first draft of AI history. It’s not a job for life, thoughSay what you like about the Germans, you can always count on them to find just the right word for anything. Take weltschmerz, for example, which roughly...

Sierra Solter    Our ozone is pennies thick and soon we’ll put at least an Eiffel Tower’s worth of metallic ash into the ionosphere every yearA dead spacecraft the size of a truck ignites with plasma and pulverizes into dust and litter as it rips through the ionosphere and atmosphere. This is what happens to...

Zoe Williams    I’d love to feel the beautiful mysteries of the universe. But I have other interestsThe total solar eclipse, visible in parts of Mexico, the US and Canada yesterday, was experienced in the UK only as a small grazing that’s what the astronomers call it , and then only in the north and west of...

Editorial    The survival of ancient dialects matters not just for scholarship, but because of the wisdom they convey about how to live with natureThe launch of a last chance crowdsourcing tool to record a vanishing Greek dialect drew attention back this week to one of the great extinctions of the modern...

Presented by Ian Sample with Barney Ronay; produced by Joshan Chana; sound design by Tony Onuchukwu; the executive producer was Ellie Bury    Billed as a rival to the Olympic Games, the Enhanced Games, set to take place in , is a sporting event with a difference; athletes will be allowed to dope. Ian Sample talks to chief sports writer Barney Ronay about where the idea came from and how it’s being sold as an anti establishment...

Presented by Madeleine Finlay with Phoebe Weston, produced by Madeleine Finlay and Joshan Chana, sound design by Joel Cox, the executive producer is Ellie Bury    What can sound tell us about nature loss Guardian biodiversity reporter Phoebe Weston tells Madeleine Finlay about her visit to Monks Wood in Cambridgeshire, where ecologist Richard Broughton has witnessed the decline of the marsh tit population over years, and has heard the impact on the wood...

Presented by Ian Sample, with Ajit Niranjan, produced by Madeleine Finlay, sound design by Tony Onuchukwu, the executive producer is Ellie Bury    This week, in a landmark case, the European court of human rights ruled that Switzerland’s weak climate policy had violated the rights of a group of older Swiss women to family life. Ian Sample talks to Europe environment correspondent Ajit Niranjan about why the women brought the case and what the...

Ian Sample Science editor    BH spotted when scientists chanced upon star in Aquila constellation wobbling’ under its gravitational forceAstronomers have discovered an enormous black hole which formed in the aftermath of an exploding star a mere, light years from Earth.BH is the most massive stellar black hole yet...

First Dog on the Moon    Did rats chew the wiring on it like they did my ute Sign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue reading...

Guardian Staff    There can be a big gap between self perception and how our loved ones see us. Is it ever a good idea to seek the truth Sign up for Well Actually, a free weekly newsletter about health and wellnessName: Personality audit.Age: People have worried about what other people think about them since the...

Alex Bellos    The answers to today’s problemsEarlier today I set you these puzzles, set by the author of Much Ado About Numbers, a new book about mathematics in Shakespeare’s day. Continue reading...

Alex Bellos    Don’t make this a comedy of errorsUPDATE: Read the answers hereToday’s puzzles come from the quill of Rob Eastaway, the bard of brainteasers, whose latest book Much Ado About Numbers is a journey into Shakespeare’s mathematical life and times. Continue reading...

Alex Bellos    The answers to today’s questionsEarlier today I set you the following mini pub quiz, based on wordplay puzzles from The Cryptic Pub Quiz Book by Frank Paul. Here they are again with answers. Continue reading...

Alex Bellos    Get a few rounds inUPDATE: Swap papers. Answers up hereIn the world of pub quizzes, Frank Paul is a legend. Today’s puzzles are taken from the fabulously fiendish quiz he has run at The Mill in Cambridge, and which appear in his latest book.I’ve chosen questions that involve wordplay rather than...

Compiled by Julius Constantine Motal    People in US states, Mexico and Canada witnessed the awe inspiring spectacle of a a total solar eclipse on Monday. Cities were plunged into sudden darkness and their inhabitants experienced a sharp drop in temperatures. The first such eclipse to cross the US in seven years swept ashore at the...

   The moon blocks the sun along a path that cuts across several countriesIf you missed the total solar eclipse just wait ... until Continue reading...

   Observers in Mazatlan were the first to witness a rare solar eclipse as the moon obscured the sun over Mexico. People in the US and Canada were also able to enjoy the spectacle. The most recent total solar eclipse in the US was in , but an interval of only seven years is unusual. The...