Crowds gathered at Mount Holyoke College’s Talcott Greenhouse to witness the rare bloom of “Pangy,” a corpse flower known for its powerful odor resembling decaying flesh
Can you stop malaria crossing borders? One nation’s bid to wipe out the disease
Informal migration, plus climate change and rising numbers of cases globally, are complicating the tireless efforts of the landlocked African country to eradicate the killer disease The freezer is filled with blue-lidded tubes of cows’ blood, ready to be defrosted and used to feed the colony of mosquitoes. “Also, you...
Sperm whales’ communication closely parallels human language, study finds
Analysis shows whales’ coda vocalizations are ‘highly complex’ and remarkably similar to our own We may appear to have little in common with sperm whales – enormous, ocean-dwelling animals that last shared a common ancestor with humans more than 90 million years ago. But the whales’ vocalized communications are remarkably...
Hidden treasures: Spanish archaeologists discover trove of ancient shipwrecks in Bay of Gibraltar
Researchers identify wrecks at the bottom of the sea from as far back as fifth century BC, from Europe and beyond Spanish archaeologists exploring the bay that curves between the southern port of Algeciras and the Rock of Gibraltar have documented the wrecks of more than 30 ships that came...
Effect of ‘gamechanger’ Alzheimer’s drugs ‘trivial’, review concludes
Data assessed from 17 clinical trials of anti-amyloid drugs found no ‘meaningful effect’ on cognitive decline Drugs that have been hailed as a gamechanger for the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease make no noticeable difference to patients, according to an extensive review. The analysis of clinical trials in people with mild...
The surprising value of boring chats, ‘super El Niño’ and Alzheimer’s evidence reviewed – podcast
Madeleine Finlay sits down with co-host and science editor Ian Sample to discuss three eye-catching stories from the week, including a review into the effectiveness of a new class of Alzheimer’s drug that was once hailed as a game-changer in slowing the progress of the disease. Also on the agenda...
Los Angeles schools avoid a strike as a last-minute deal is reached with staff
Los Angeles schools avoided a strike as the school district and the union representing support staff reached a tentative deal
Trump promised tax relief, but polling shows most Americans still think they’re overpaying
Tax refunds are up this season, but polling shows that most Americans still think their taxes are too high, according to recent polls
4 killed after US strikes suspected drug boat in eastern Pacific
The U.S. military has launched a strike on another boat accused of carrying drugs in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing four people
Harvey Weinstein is going on trial again in a New York rape case
Harvey Weinstein is going on trial again on a rape charge in New York City, after years of #MeToo infamy, legal peril and prison