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2 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Phoebe Weston |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury
Switzerland is leading the world in purifying its water of micropollutants, a concoction of chemicals often found in bodies of water that look crystal clear. They include common medicines like antidepressants and antihistamines, but have unknown and potentially damaging consequences for human and ecosystem health. In the second of a two-part series, Phoebe Weston travels to Geneva to find out how the country has transformed its rivers from sewage-filled health hazards to pristine swimming spots.
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3 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Patrick Barkham |Tom Glasser |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury
Invertebrates don’t get the attention lavished on cute pets or apex predators, but these unsung heroes are some of the most impressive and resilient creatures on the planet. So when the Guardian opened its poll to find the world’s finest invertebrate, readers got in touch in their droves. A dazzling array of nominations have flown in for insects, arachnids, snails, crustaceans, corals and many more obscure creatures.
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4 weeks ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Johana Bhuiyan |Tom Glasser |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury
The genetic testing firm 23andMe has filed for bankruptcy, another twist in the story of a company that promised a pioneering approach to precision health. Now users are scrambling to delete their personal data, with the future ownership of the firm uncertain.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Ian Sample |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury
Dark energy, the mysterious force powering the expansion of the universe, appears to be weakening over time, according to a major cosmological survey that has thrown the laws of modern physics into doubt.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Ian Sample |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury
Many of us believe that cognitive decline is an inevitable part of ageing, but a new study looking at how our skills change with age challenges that idea. Ian Sample talks to Ludger Woessmann, a professor of economics at the university of Munich and one of the study’s authors, to find out how the team delved into the data to come to their conclusions, and what they discovered about how we can all maintain our faculties for as long as possible.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Ian Sample |Tom Glasser |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury |Nicola Davis
Madeleine Finlay and Ian Sample discuss three intriguing science stories from the week. From two private moon landings to the controversy over Elon Musk’s continued membership of the Royal Society, and a new study making a link between men’s health and their sperm quality
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Clare Gerada |Tony Onuchukwu |Nicola Alexandrou |Ellie Bury
We are raiding the Guardian Long Read archives to bring you some classic pieces from years past, with new introductions from the authors. This week, from 2022: As I finished the final house calls of my long career in general practice, it struck me how detached I am from my patients now – and that it was not always like this. Where did we go wrong, and what can we do to fix it? By Clare Gerada. Read by Lucy Scott
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Tom Glasser |Tony Onuchukwu |Ellie Bury |Damian Carrington
When the palaeontologists of the future search for clues to understand how we lived, what might they find? Two scientists exploring this question have suggested that ‘technofossils’ will be our lasting imprint on the Earth.
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1 month ago | 
theguardian.com | Hannah Moore |Eleanor Biggs |Tony Onuchukwu |Courtney Yusuf |Elizabeth Cassin
“As a Muslim, you always question: ‘Have I pleased God, or have I angered him or her?’”Imam Muhsin Hendricks of Cape Town, South Africa, was the world’s first openly gay imam. In early February, he was shot and killed and the identities and motives of those responsible are still unknown. Reporter Jamie Fullerton met and visited Imam Muhsin at his Inner Circle mosque.
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2 months ago | 
theguardian.com | Madeleine Finlay |Ian Sample |Tom Glasser |Tony Onuchukwu
Science editor Ian Sample joins co-host Madeleine Finlay to discuss some of the most intriguing science stories of the week. From a concerning rise in hospital diagnoses of constipation in children, to research suggesting that the environment is far more important for ageing and longevity than our genes, and how squeaks from genetically engineered mice are providing insight into how human language may have emerged
