<p>The Kusuma Neolithic Hall, based on Durrington 68 site, will allow visitors to ‘step back in time’ into the lives of those who built the stone circle</p><p>It may have been a place for ceremony or a barn for pack animals. It could have been a place for weary labourers to rest their heads. Or perhaps there was no building at all.</p><p>English Heritage has unveiled a 7-metre-high reconstruction of what a 4,500-year-old Neolithic hall may have looked like at Stonehenge, offering visitors a glimpse into the lives of the prehistoric builders who raised the world’s most famous stone circle.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2026/may/22/english-heritage-neolithic-kusuma-hall-stonehenge">Continue reading...</a>
Vetenskapsnyheter
<p>Cancer Research UK figures show number diagnosed with most serious form of skin cancer has risen above 20,000 for first time</p><p>The number of cases from the most serious form of skin cancer have reached a record high across the UK, according to analysis by a leading cancer charity.</p><p>Melanoma cases in the UK have risen above 20,000 for the first time ever, with 20,980 people being diagnosed with the form of cancer in 2022, according to analysis of the latest figures by Cancer Research UK.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/22/melanoma-skin-cancer-cases-uk-reach-record">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Eli Lilly says participants in a sizable trial of retatrutide lost much more weight compared to other weight-loss drugs</p><p>A new weight-loss drug has helped participants in a sizable trial lose much more weight than other obesity drugs already on the market – up to an average of 28% of their body weight – Eli Lilly <a href="https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/lillys-triple-agonist-retatrutide-delivered-powerful-weight-loss-in-pivotal-phase-3-obesity-trial-302778859.html">announced</a> on Thursday.</p><p>The Indiana-based pharmaceutical company in a press statement said that retatrutide, a once-weekly triple hormone receptor agonist, led to an average weight loss of 70.3lb (28.3%) over 80 weeks among participants receiving the 12mg dose, with 45.3% achieving at least 30% weight loss.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/21/weight-loss-shot-eli-lilly-glp-1">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Strict restrictions on Americans with exposure to Ebola and hantavirus highlight officials’ previous rhetoric on public health measures</p><p>The US is imposing strict restrictions on American travelers who have been exposed in dual <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/ebola">Ebola</a> and <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/hantavirus">hantavirus</a> outbreaks in ways that experts say could run counter to their legal rights and affect who will volunteer in future public health crises globally.</p><p>The latest restrictions highlight officials’ previous rhetoric on public health measures and their attempts to contain outbreaks now, including reported opposition from the White House to Americans returning home.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/21/us-travel-restriction-ebola-hantavirus-impacts">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Scientists developing vaccines and anti-tick treatments amid growing concern over spread of disease</p><p>Cases of Lyme disease have risen more than 20% in England in the past year, public health experts have revealed, as pharmaceutical companies work to create new vaccines and drugs to tackle the tick-borne illness.</p><p>According to data from the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), published as part of its <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/one-health-vector-borne-disease-vbd-surveillance-report-2025">One Health vector-borne disease surveillance report</a>, there were 1,168 laboratory-confirmed cases of Lyme disease in 2025, up from 959 in 2024 – an increase of 22%. However, the figure is similar to that recorded in 2023, when there were 1,151 confirmed cases.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/21/lyme-disease-cases-england-rise-tick-vaccines">Continue reading...</a>
<p>After more than a decade of global consultation, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/12/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-pmos-symptoms-meaning-treatment-causes-risk-factors-new-name-explained">polycystic ovary syndrome</a> – which affects as many as one in eight women – has been renamed. The condition is caused by high levels of androgens, which can lead to symptoms such as excess hair, weight gain and irregular periods. To understand why campaigners wanted it renamed, and what its new name – polyendocrine metabolic ovarian syndrome (PMOS) – could mean for patients, Madeleine Finlay hears from the Guardian’s science correspondent, Nicola Davis, and Rachel, a campaigner from the charity Verity</p><p><strong><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/ng-interactive/2026/may/12/polycystic-ovary-syndrome-pcos-new-name-polyendocrine-metabolic-ovarian-syndrome-pmos">‘Unprecedented’ global effort leads to renaming of polycystic ovary syndrome – and fresh hope for millions of women</a></strong></p><p>Support the Guardian: <a href="http://theguardian.com/sciencepod">theguardian.com/sciencepod</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/may/21/can-a-name-change-transform-pcos-outcomes-for-women-podcast">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Elon Musk’s rocket and satellite operations company, with extensive contracts with US, to go public next month</p><p>SpaceX unveiled its plans to list publicly on the US stock market Wednesday, disclosing its investor prospectus and revealing details about its financials for the first time. <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/elon-musk">Elon Musk</a>’s rocket and satellite operations company will go public next month at a valuation of around $1.75tn.</p><p>The company, which is the world’s most prominent rocket maker and which has extensive contracts with the US government, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2026/apr/01/spacex-public-offering-stock-market">confidentially filed</a> for an IPO last month. The filing allowed for a period of regulatory review before the details became public.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/20/spacex-finances-stock-market-debut">Continue reading...</a>
<p>UK scientists find tocilizumab, used for rheumatoid arthritis, may help antidepressant-resistant patients</p><p>Immunotherapy could be used to treat depression among patients who have not responded to conventional antidepressants, according to the results of an early clinical trial.</p><p>Researchers at the University of Bristol investigated whether tocilizumab, an anti-inflammatory drug commonly used for immune conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, could improve symptoms of difficult-to-treat depression.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/20/immunotherapy-drug-tocilizumab-potential-treatment-depression-uk-trial">Continue reading...</a>
<p>UK report argues people have greater control over longevity than widely understood, but others say claim is simplistic</p><p>Individuals bear at least 80% of the responsibility for their ill health in old age, according to a report aimed at challenging the belief that physical decline is either inevitable or primarily the responsibility of the state.</p><p>The <a href="https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5d6cdfd06e3c86000161675c/t/6a0d60a36dd49d5589f16bf5/1779261603177/e-OLP+Report.pdf">report</a>, launched at the Smart Ageing Summit in Oxford last week, argues that individuals have far greater control over their longevity than is commonly understood. The authors call on the government to take legislative action on alcohol comparable to restrictions on smoking.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/20/responsibility-ill-health-old-age-oxford-longevity-project-study">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Vibrating flowers uses huge amounts of energy, forcing bees to choose which plants to visit and affecting which ones are pollinated</p><p>Bees use as much energy collecting pollen through “floral buzzing” as they do taking off in flight, a study shows.</p><p>Scientists have found the vibrations bumblebees use to shake pollen loose from flowers are among the most exhausting behaviours they perform, forcing bees to “carefully choose” which flowers are worth visiting.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/20/bees-pollen-collection-floral-buzzing-exhausting-as-flight-take-off-study-shows">Continue reading...</a>
<ul><li><p>Golfer makes appearance on Katie Miller’s podcast</p></li><li><p>Two-time major champion questions Nasa narrative</p></li></ul><p>As someone who has made much of <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/blog/2020/sep/23/bryson-dechambeau-science-art-golf-us-open-champion">his devotion to science</a>, Bryson DeChambeau isn’t foolish enough to fall for any old conspiracy theory. But he does believe the moon landings may not have been all they seemed. And that interdimensional beings may be visiting Earth.</p><p>The two-time major champion appeared this week <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8oR3wflAiyk">on a podcast hosted by Katie Miller</a>, the wife of White House senior adviser <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/news/audio/2025/aug/18/stephen-miller-trumps-immigration-mastermind-podcast">Stephen Miller</a>. During the interview DeChambeau spoke about conspiracy theories, golf and his friendship with Donald Trump.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2026/may/19/bryson-dechambeau-questions-moon-landing-footage-but-believes-in-interdimensional-beings-for-sure">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Whale first photographed off the coast of Brazil in 2003 spotted off north-east Australia in September 2025</p><ul><li><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/live/2026/may/20/federal-budget-tim-wilson-reply-national-press-club-coalition-liberal-national-angus-taylor-labor-anthony-albanese-jim-chalmers-ntwnfb">Follow our Australia news live blog for latest updates</a></p></li><li><p>Get our <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/email-newsletters?CMP=cvau_sfl">breaking news email</a>, <a href="https://app.adjust.com/w4u7jx3">free app</a> or <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/series/full-story?CMP=cvau_sfl">daily news podcast</a></p></li></ul><p>A humpback whale has made a 15,000km journey from Brazil to Australia, marking what researchers believe is the longest distance ever documented between sightings of an individual humpback.</p><p>The whale was first photographed in 2003 at the Abrolhos Bank, Brazil’s main humpback whale nursery, off the coast of the north-eastern state of Bahia. In September 2025, it was spotted again in Hervey Bay off the Queensland coast, representing a travel distance of about 15,100km.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/20/humpback-whale-journey-15000km-brazil-hervey-bay-australia">Continue reading...</a>
<p>De-extinction firm Colossal Biosciences hopes incubation system can be scaled up but other scientists are sceptical</p><p>The flightless moa, an extinct bird of New Zealand, stood more than 3 metres tall, weighed over 200kg and had eggs larger than those of any bird now living. Now the de-extinction company Colossal Biosciences says it is a step closer to resurrecting the moa after creating an artificial eggshell.</p><p>Colossal hopes the artificial incubation system, which it successfully used to hatch chickens, could be scaled up to create a bird as big as the moa in future. “We’ve created a novel shell-less culture system that is fully scalable and biologically accurate,” said Prof Andrew Pask, the chief biology officer at Colossal.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/19/artificial-eggshell-giant-flightless-moa-deextinction">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Study of Channel finds levels of toxic Pfas in Solent at 13 times safe limits in some places, with much coming from treated sewage</p><p>Scientists have found high levels of toxic <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/article/2024/may/25/what-are-pfas-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-forever-chemicals-surrounding-us-every-day">Pfas, or “forever chemicals”</a>, in soil, water and throughout the marine food chain in the UK’s Solent strait, including at protected environmental sites, according to a <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marenvres.2026.108094">new study</a>.</p><p>In some samples, pollution was 13 times the safe threshold for coastal waters. Others, which were below legal limits for individual chemicals, failed tests for combined toxicity.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/may/19/toxic-pfa-forever-chemicals-channel-southern-england-solent">Continue reading...</a>
<p>An outbreak of Ebola has emerged in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda, leading to nearly 400 confirmed cases and more than 100 deaths. To find out how the outbreak might have begun, what authorities can do to contain it and why this outbreak is causing particular concern, Ian Sample hears from Daniela Manno, a clinical epidemiologist at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine</p><p>Support the Guardian: <a href="http://theguardian.com/sciencepod">theguardian.com/sciencepod</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/may/18/ebola-outbreak-what-do-we-know-and-can-it-be-contained-podcast">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Pandemic report warns of growing global threat as health teams in Africa move to contain Ebola outbreak </p><p>The world is becoming less resilient to outbreaks of infectious diseases, experts have warned, as health authorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda scramble to contain an outbreak of Ebola.</p><p>The <a href="https://www.gpmb.org/">Global Preparedness Monitoring Board</a> (GPMB) said in a report <a href="https://gpmb.org/reports/report-2026">published on Monday</a> that “as infectious disease outbreaks become more frequent they are also becoming more damaging”, warning that pandemic risk is outpacing investments in preparedness and “the world is not yet meaningfully safer”.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2026/may/18/infectious-diseases-hantavirus-ebola-more-frequent-damaging-pandemic-outbreak">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Participants who got single dose of psilocybin were more likely to abstain from cocaine than those who got placebo</p><p>Results from a new clinical trial show that a single dose of psilocybin could be an effective treatment for cocaine addiction.</p><p>The study, published in Jama Network Open this month, showed that 19 participants who received a single dose of psilocybin were more likely to abstain from cocaine than 17 participants who received a placebo of diphenhydramine, a common antihistamine.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/18/magic-mushrooms-treatment-cocaine-addiction-study">Continue reading...</a>
<p>The slim arc of a two-day-old moon will pass Venus shining brightly</p><p>Keep an eye on the western sky after sunset this week to watch a beautiful sequence unfold over several evenings. A young crescent moon moves first past Venus and then Jupiter, creating a chance to track the moon’s movement through its orbit around the Earth.</p><p>The chart shows the view on 18 May looking west from London at 22.00. The moon will be just 2.4 days old, and just 6.2% of its visible surface will be illuminated. Close to this slim arc of light, Venus will be shining brightly, unmistakable even in twilight.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/18/starwatch-a-young-crescent-moon-journeys-past-venus-and-jupiter">Continue reading...</a>
<p>It is hardly a surprise that outbreaks can occur and experts say many of the factors involved are not easy to change</p><p>It was a voyage that promised such stuff as dreams are made of, yet within weeks the Atlantic expedition of the MV Hondius had become a nightmare, with <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/03/three-passengers-dead-after-suspected-hantavirus-outbreak-on-cruise-ship">three passengers dead</a> from hantavirus and more showing symptoms.</p><p>Meanwhile, an <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/13/france-confines-passengers-cruise-ship-norovirus-death-bordeaux">outbreak of norovirus</a> is under investigation on another cruise ship, while flu, <em>E coli</em> and varicella – the virus that causes chickenpox – have also caused problems in such settings. Perhaps most memorably, in 2020 <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2020/mar/06/inside-the-cruise-ship-that-became-a-coronavirus-breeding-ground-diamond-princess">the Diamond Princess</a> became a breeding ground for Covid, with passengers and crew quarantined for two weeks off the coast of Japan and more than 700 of the 3,711 people onboard eventually testing positive.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/2026/may/17/limits-of-reducing-infection-risk-on-cruise-ships">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Experts say slashed funding and growing misinformation are some of the greatest challenges facing public health</p><p>The hantavirus outbreak, while unlikely to spark the next big pandemic, is shining a spotlight on the ways public health has deteriorated in the US: its ability to test for rare diseases, its expertise on outbreak prevention and response, its ability to battle misinformation and restore trust.</p><p>“Assuming everything goes well in containing this outbreak, which I hope it does, the takeaway from that should not be ‘we’re fine,’” said Stephanie Psaki, former White House global health security coordinator. “We’re not ready for this type of threat.”</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026/may/17/pandemic-preparedness-after-covid">Continue reading...</a>
<p>The person was onboard the MV Hondius, the center of the outbreak that has claimed three lives</p><p><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/canada">Canadian</a> officials said on Saturday that a test for one of the four Canadians currently quarantining in British Columbia after being exposed to the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/hantavirus">hantavirus</a> while on board the cruise ship where the outbreak occurred indicated a positive result.</p><p>Speaking at a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WF1cAcvC20M&t=1s">news conference</a>, Dr Bonnie Henry, British Columbia’s provincial health officer, said the individual developed mild symptoms, including fever and headache, two days ago, and that the individual and their partner, who had also been on board the cruise ship where they had been isolating together, were transferred to a hospital in Victoria for assessment and testing.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2026/may/16/canada-first-hantavirus-case-british-columbia">Continue reading...</a>
<p>The US supreme court dealt a devastating blow to the 1965 Voting Rights Act when it ruled in Louisiana v Callais in April that states cannot consider race in redistricting. Southern states from Tennessee to Alabama have rushed to erase majority-Black districts, sparking chaos for the midterm elections. Kai Wright talks to <a href="https://www.staceyabrams.com/">Stacey Abrams</a>, a voting rights activist and former Georgia house minority leader, about the fallout from the decision, and why, despite it all, she still believes the way forward lies in engaging more voters to participate in democracy. ‘They have fractured communities and said we’re going to scatter these seeds. Our job is to grow,’ she says</p><p>Support the Guardian: <a href="http://theguardian.com/sciencepod">theguardian.com/sciencepod</a></p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/science/audio/2026/may/16/stateside-with-kai-and-carter-stacey-abrams-us-voting-rights-act-podcast">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Researchers say daily exposure to cold activates brown fat and could help speed up body’s burning of calories</p><p>Wearing an ice vest or taking daily cold showers could help people lose weight, according to researchers.</p><p>Despite the growing popularity of cold-water swimming and freezing plunges, to date there is minimal data on the health benefits of cold exposure. But a study of 47 adults with obesity or overweight has found that regular exposure to cold temperatures led to fat loss.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/15/ice-vest-daily-cold-showers-weight-loss">Continue reading...</a>
<p>In antiquity, women were considered the more sexual sex – hornier, more libidinous and lust-fuelled than men. Why did that perception change?</p><p>All across the world, you will probably have read, people are having less sex. In Britain and the US, in France and Australia, frequency of sex has been on the decline (although <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2026/feb/19/denmark-no-sex-recession">Denmark appears to be bucking the trend</a>). In 2018, the US magazine the Atlantic declared a <a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2018/12/the-sex-recession/573949/">“sex recession”</a>, while last December the Telegraph ran a piece headlined “<a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2025/12/17/sex-is-dying-out-this-is-why-it-matters/">Sex is dying out. This is why it matters</a>”.</p><p>As an ancient historian with a particular interest in the history of sex, this drought is fascinating to me – not least because some of the articles I have read seem keen to hark back to the historical period I spend most of my time researching. “Sex should be more wild and plentiful than it has been since ancient Greece,” reported the Telegraph. But antiquity was no bastion of sexual freedom – especially for women.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/15/nymphomaniacs-sex-droughts-what-i-learned-while-studying-womens-pleasure">Continue reading...</a>
<p>Although blood test reduces deaths by two for every 1,000 men screened, many could face unnecessary treatment </p><p>Screening for prostate cancer with a blood test can save men’s lives, but the “absolute benefit is small” and many men could face unnecessary treatment and medical complications, according to the most comprehensive study yet.</p><p>In a review that analysed six trials involving nearly 800,000 men, screening with the prostate-specific antigen (PSA) test reduced prostate cancer deaths by two for every 1,000 men screened, meaning 500 men must be screened to prevent one death from the disease.</p> <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/society/2026/may/15/prostate-cancer-screening-save-lives-benefit-small-study">Continue reading...</a>