Serious side-effects from vaccines were rare, scientists found in studies funded by US taxpayer money

The US Food and Drug Administration has blocked the publication of several studies that found Covid-19 and shingles vaccines to be safe, according to a spokesperson from the Department of Health and Human Services.

Agency scientists conducted the studies by analyzing millions of patient records...

Brockman spoke during the second week of a month-long trial between Musk and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.

New agreements between the companies and the Commerce department build on Biden-era pacts.

Three people have died after an outbreak of hantavirus onboard a cruise ship travelling from Argentina to Cape Verde. The World Health Organization says that a total of seven cases – two confirmed by laboratory testing and five suspected – have been identified on the cruise ship so far. They are also investigating whether rare human-to-human transmission of the virus could be behind the...

Chats with AI bots have convinced evolutionary biologist but most experts say he is being misled by mimicry

When Richard Dawkins met Claudia it was like a whirlwind romance. Over three days last week, a conversation bounced between the evolutionary biologist and the AI bot he called Claudia. “She” wrote poems for him in the manner of Keats and Betjeman and laughed at his “delightful”...

Participants took 25mg of psilocybin, reporting deeper psychological insight and better wellbeing a month later

A single dose of psilocybin, the active ingredient in magic mushrooms, can induce anatomical changes in the brain, according to research among people who took the psychedelic compound for the first time.

Scientists spotted apparent changes in the brain’s structure which were still...

UK iPhone users who have completed Apple’s device-based age checks will no longer be blocked from the site’s adult content.

Finalisation of pact governing global response to disease outbreaks delayed as talks on how to share benefits stall

A key deadline to finalise a global pandemic treaty has been missed by negotiators, prompting warnings that the world remains unprepared for the next major disease outbreak.

Countries have been trying to agree how they should share information on pathogens, such as bacteria or...

From pizza-box prototypes to Exclusive Books shelves, this South African financial literacy board game has found an audience.

Alzheimer’s Research UK says patients at risk of being left behind as lack of formal or accurate diagnoses closes door to trials

People with Alzheimer’s disease are missing out on experimental treatments because they are not diagnosed early or accurately enough to be enrolled in clinical trials, a UK charity has said.

Trials of Alzheimer’s drugs reached a record high this year, according to...

Decades of advice on what to eat and what not to might have been missing one key ingredient, according to new research

Reduce your calories. Eat more vegetables. Limit soft drinks and junk foods. For years, even decades, this has been the advice for those wanting a healthy body weight, lower blood pressure and better markers of metabolic health. Most weight-loss advice has focused on either...

The transition towards renewable energy received a boost last week when representatives from 57 countries met in Santa Marta, Colombia, for a world-first climate meeting aimed at bringing the fossil fuels era to an end. Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s global environment editor, Jon Watts, about how the landmark conference came about, who was missing, and whether the optimism can...

Humanoid robots are being added to the automation of waste sorting.