2022 news preview: A round-up of the year’s most exciting space missions

By Leah Crane The Psyche spacecraft’s propulsion system undergoes inspection NASA/JPL-CALTECH IF ALL goes well, the first major space mission of 2022 will be the launch of the Space Launch System rocket in February. After many budget and schedule overruns, NASA’s colossal rocket is finally set for its first uncrewed flight, which will carry several … Read more

Covid-19 news: Booster omicron protection wanes within 10 weeks

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool A soldier administers a vaccination at the Army Reserve Centre in Poole, England. Finnbarr Webster/Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 1pm on 24 December Our daily covid-19 update will resume on 4 … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Weather records around the world weren’t just broken, they were smashed

Record-shattering fires, freezes and rainfall around the world made it all too clear that extreme weather is fast becoming the new normal Environment 15 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan A firefighter in California in August REUTERS/Fred Greaves DEADLY fires, floods and freezes struck around the world this year, as a report by the world’s top … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: COP26 Glasgow climate summit lays the groundwork for a decade of action

Within days of the dramatic closing of November’s COP26 climate summit, the Glasgow Climate Pact was already having an impact Environment 15 December 2021 By Adam Vaughan COP26 president Alok Sharma was visibly emotional in the summit’s closing moments REUTERS/Phil Noble JUST days after it was agreed on by nearly 200 countries at the COP26 … Read more

Covid-19 news: Omicron is dangerous despite lower hospitalisation risk

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool Oxford Street, London, UK, on 21 December, 2021 TOLGA AKMEN/AFP via Getty Images Latest coronavirus news as of 12pm on 23 December Omicron’s high transmissibility means it’s still a severe threat despite its … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: RTS,S becomes world’s first approved malaria vaccine

October saw the RTS,S malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time – a momentous decision, decades in the making Health 15 December 2021 By Clare Wilson REUTERS/James Keyi/Alamy Decades in the making, October saw a malaria vaccine given the go-ahead for use outside trials for the first time, described … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Learning the pros and cons of working from home during the covid-19 pandemic

The covid-19 pandemic has forced millions to participate in one of the biggest social experiments of our time. Nearly two years in, it’s time to take stock: what happens when workers abandon offices? Humans 15 December 2021 By Alice Klein Working from home has led to rises in productivity for some Experience Interiors/iStock THE covid-19 … Read more

Biggest science news of 2021: Igenuity helicopter flies on Mars, the first time we’ve conducted powered flight on another planet

In April, the Ingenuity helicopter became the first vehicle ever to attempt powered flight on another planet. Theodore Tzanetos tells New Scientist of the exhilaration he felt leading the team Technology 15 December 2021 By New Scientist The Ingenuity helicopter NASA/JPL-Caltech OF ALL the craft that visited the Red Planet this year, perhaps the biggest … Read more

Covid-19 news: Isolation rules for covid cases changed in England

By Michael Le Page, Clare Wilson, Jessica Hamzelou, Sam Wong, Graham Lawton, Adam Vaughan, Conrad Quilty-Harper, Jason Arunn Murugesu and Layal Liverpool The NHS covid-19 app counts down the days left of isolation after a positive test Sara Sadler/Alamy Latest coronavirus news as of 11am on 22 December Officials say isolating for 10 days avoids … Read more