Elon Musk’s net worth has surpassed $300-billion on bets his close ties with Donald Trump will bolster Tesla.

Questions raised about potential for undue influence after appointment of Ruth Dempsey, formerly of Philip Morris

A former director at the tobacco giant Philip Morris International (PMI) was handed a role on an influential expert committee advising the UK government on cancer risks, the Observer can reveal.

Ruth Dempsey, the ex-director of scientific and regulatory affairs, spent 28 years at...

If all vehicles could be made locally, using clean energy, there would be tremendous economic benefits for the region.

Communications minister Solly Malatsi has withdrawn the SABC Bill, arguing it does not adequately address the public broadcaster’s funding model.

A portrait of mathematician Alan Turing is thought to be the first artwork by a humanoid robot to be sold at auction.

Australian researchers propose a new model to reduce ‘mum shaming’ over body size, which has negative health outcomes for mother and child

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When Ahlia* was waiting to check in for a routine pregnancy appointment, she says a receptionist walked by calling out directions to gestational diabetes education – then looked at her, waiting...

Bestselling author Paula Hawkins set her new book on a fictional tidal island. Here she examines the power and appeal of islands

There is something about an island that stirs the imagination. Or, in any case, it seems to stir mine.

A few years ago, on a trip to the Côte de Granit Rose in Brittany, I walked along seaweed-strewn sands towards one of the many tidal islands dotted along that...

Process for interpreting hair-strand tests can be misleading and carries a risk of racial bias, according to campaigners in England and Wales

Children are at risk of being wrongly removed from their parents’ care by the family courts because drug tests are being misinterpreted, experts have warned.

Life-changing decisions about whether a child should be placed in the care of a local authority...

If Trump’s re-election is getting you down, these innovations in medicine and technology should cheer you up

Ian Sample

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From inappropriate behaviour to encouraging patients to stop medication, reckless therapists can cause real damage

Government urged to regulate psychotherapists and counsellors

When Karin Blak’s troubled marriage ended, she was recommended a therapist by a friend. But she grew increasingly uncomfortable as he made inappropriate personal disclosures, including around his sexual health, touched...

Customers of Atlas Biomed are angry and worried about what’s happened to the highly sensitive data they shared.

Nasa ‘still piecing things together’ two weeks after return from ISS but crew members cite medical privacy

Three Nasa astronauts who were taken to a Florida hospital after returning to Earth from the International Space Station two weeks ago told reporters on Friday that they were all in good health following the medical ordeal – and that the agency was “still piecing things together”...

Watching a pumpkin, crayons or a Furby get squashed isn’t just fun – it can also serve as an emotional release

There are lots of ways to unwind. You can go on a walk, call a friend or read a book. But sometimes it rains, friends are busy or your book is boring. What then?

I have a suggestion: watch random, unrelated objects get mercilessly crushed in the mechanical jaws of a hydraulic press.

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An elephant at Berlin zoo used its trunk to interrupt flow of water from hose used by another elephant

If you get frustrated by the shower hog in your house you’re not alone: research suggests such behaviour might even irritate elephants.

Scientists say they have not only discovered an elephant with an astonishing ability to shower with a hose, but spotted another cutting off the flow of water...