Exclusive: Archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis accuses Manhattan DA’s office of abusing intellectual propertySince 2017, when the Manhattan district attorney’s office announced the formation of its first antiquities trafficking unit, it has recovered nearly 4,500 artefacts stolen from 29 countries, with a combined value of more than $375m (£307m).It is an impressive track record, made possible by specialists such as the Cambridge-based Greek archaeologist Christos Tsirogiannis, a leading expert in looted antiquities and trafficking networks. Continue reading...

Researchers found the fat and protein in yoghurt bind the odour-producing compounds in garlic if eaten directly afterwardsIf you’ve ever skipped the garlic for fear of romantic rejection, take note: You can have your date and eat garlic – provided you follow up with a spoonful of yoghurt. Research suggests that the fat and protein that yoghurt contains prevents almost all of the smelly volatile compounds in garlic from escaping into the air.Manpreet Kaur and Prof Sheryl Barringer at the Ohio State University in Columbus, US, tested the capacity of yoghurt – and the water, fat and protein...

Get your brain on trackBy day, Shyam Sunder Gupta was Principal Chief Engineer of Indian Railways. By night, he was a guru of recreational mathematics.For decades, Gupta spent his free time exploring patterns in numbers, his numerical curiosities finding their way into journals, magazines and books. Continue reading...

Probiotic supplements claimed to ‘support the vaginal flora’ are being promoted online. But is there even a problem to be fixed?‘Us girls, we have a lot of problems down there and it’s an absolute nightmare,” one influencer says on TikTok, like a seasoned teleshopping host. She reels off a list that includes thrush, bacterial vaginosis (BV) and urinary tract infections – common issues that many women are too shy, insecure or squeamish to talk about. But she has an answer to these woes: vaginal probiotic pills. These are being touted on the social media site as magical new...

Billions were sunk into the Human Genome Project and the promise of precision treatments personalised to the individual. Now many believe the money might have been better spent on public health interventionsAfter spending 13 years and $2.7bn, the Human Genome Project announced in 2003 that it had successfully mapped our DNA, paving the way for a new era of medicine that would deliver “the right treatment, for the right patient, at the right time”.The UK’s then health secretary, John Reid, welcomed the news by echoing a popular belief at the time. “Genetics promises a more personalised...

Josh Green, the state governor, approved $25m for business recovery and said Maui will reopen for tourism on 8 OctoberOne month after the deadliest US wildfire in more than a century leveled the historic town of Lahaina, the governor of Hawaii, Josh Green, said Friday that the number of missing has dropped to 66, the confirmed death toll remains at 115 and authorities will soon escort residents on visits to their property.Tens of millions of dollars in aid will make its way to families and businesses as they recover, Green said, and beginning 8 October, travel restrictions will end and West...

An MP, a standup comic, a barrister, a divorce expert and a debating coach give tips on the art of debate – and why you need to listen, not just argueWhether or not history will determine that we are living in an ever more divided culture, it certainly feels that way. Perhaps there is just more to argue about when facing a never-ending Ninja Warrior course of crises. The culture wars, meanwhile, strip words of their meaning and debates of their nuance, further pitting communities, generations, families and friends against each other.Among the many casualties of this 21st-century slanging...

The UK’s limited vaccine offer ignores the serious threat of long Covid – and the knock-on effects on the economyRecent headlines have been flagging that Covid may be coming back, but, as weary as we all may be of this pesky virus, the truth is that it never really went away. Unlike viruses such as flu, there is no evidence that Covid has settled into a seasonal pattern. Its constant presence means that it has plenty of opportunity to gather new mutations that continue to make it worrisome.While we can limit the likelihood of exposure by enhancing ventilation or wearing masks, vaccination...

Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s east Africa global development correspondent, Caroline Kimeu, about the challenges and tensions at play at the inaugural climate summitRead more reporting from Caroline Kimeu here Continue reading...

Tiny structures are not identical to human embryos but could have various uses in medical researchResearchers have created “complete” models of human embryos from stem cells in the lab and grown them outside the womb, in work that paves the way for advances in fertility, pharmaceutical testing and transplants.The tiny balls of tissue were made by combining stem cells that arranged themselves into structures that mimic the 3D organisation of all the known features found in human embryos from one to two weeks old. Continue reading...

Nine in 10 of all cancers affect people over 50 but research shows a worrying rise in early onset casesThere are many upsides to growing old, but one of the downsides, unfortunately, is a higher risk of developing cancer. Increasing age is a key risk factor. And with more of us living longer worldwide, millions of older people will have to contend with the disease.Now a new study adds weight to previous work warning of a grim trend in global health: cancer in people under the age of 50 is becoming more common. Continue reading...

More than a million under-50s a year dying of cancer and figure projected to rise by another 21% by 2030The number of under-50s worldwide being diagnosed with cancer has risen by nearly 80% in three decades, according to the largest study of its kind.Global cases of early onset cancer increased from 1.82 million in 1990 to 3.26 million in 2019, while cancer deaths of adults in their 40s, 30s or younger grew by 27%. More than a million under-50s a year are now dying of cancer, the research reveals. Continue reading...

The monument dates to between 4000 and 3000BC and is thought to be the only complete example in BritainBelow the rolling heath on the Isle of Arran’s south-west coast, overlooked by harriers and the occasional peregrine, a monument to ancient ceremony is being uncovered.In August, archaeologists working alongside local volunteers began their excavation at Drumadoon of what is almost certainly the only complete Neolithic cursus monument found in Britain. Continue reading...

A new variant and waning immunity mean surveillance that had been wound down since pandemic will be increasedCoronavirus testing and monitoring are set to be scaled up for the winter, the UK’s public health agency has said, as pressures on the health service are expected to rise in the coming months.Scientists warned last month that the UK was nearly “flying blind” when it comes to Covid, because many of the surveillance programmes that were in place at the height of the pandemic have been wound down. Continue reading...

The broadcaster’s first disinformation correspondent spends her time pursuing trolls and dismantling conspiracy theories. In return she is abused, slandered, threatened. She talks about battling cranks, extremists – and Elon MuskOn my way into Broadcasting House, the BBC’s London HQ, I saw some graffiti on the building – “BBC Covid Liars”. I had just finished Marianna Spring’s most recent podcast, Marianna in Conspiracyland, and there was something neat and droll about seeing its proposition in real life: Covid hoaxers are real and they are alive with their own righteousness. Not...

Discovered by an amateur astronomer in August, C/2023 P1 is likely to be visible to the naked eye this weekYou may already have read about the recently discovered comet that could become a naked-eye object in September. For those in the northern hemisphere, this is the week it could happen.Hideo Nishimura, a Japanese amateur astronomer, discovered what is now known as comet C/2023 P1 (Nishimura) on 12 August. Computation of its orbit showed it would make its closest approach to Earth on 12 September at a distance of 78m miles (125m km), just five days ahead of its closest approach to the sun...

The elusive substance holds the key to discovering how the Universe was formed.

Ancient timber preserved in a riverbed suggests humans were building wooden structures 500,000 years ago.

Plans could include delaying a ban on sales of new petrol cars and the phasing out of gas boilers.

The Royal Society's scheme comes after black scientists tell the BBC they feel unsupported and overlooked.

Creating the world's first cloned mammal was arguably one of the greatest scientific achievements of the 20th Century.

UK-based scientists and institutions will have access to the £85bn fund from today.

The rare spectacle, not expected again until 2037, lit up the skies - here are the best views from around the world.

A photo of a stargazer fish is one of several highly commended in Wildlife Photographer of the Year.

More than 440,000 people are still without power as Idalia, now a tropical storm, moves into Georgia.