![CDATA[The bookmakers have had their say on who could succeed the Portuguese at Old Trafford.]]

Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we examine how the White House’s war on vaccines has left the future of a key technology uncertain ... Read more Over the holiday period, the Guardian leader column is looking ahead at the themes of 2026. Today we examine how the White House’s war on vaccines has left the future of a key technology uncertain and up for grabsThe late scientist and thinker Donald Braben argued that 20th-century breakthroughs arose from scientists being free to pursue bold ideas without pressure for quick results or rigid peer review. The rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines seemed to validate his claim: emergency conditions sped up trials, relaxed regulatory sequencing and encouraged scientists to share findings before peer review. Out of that sprang one of the great scientific success stories of our age: mRNA vaccines. These use synthetic genetic code to train the immune system to defend itself against viruses. Katalin Karikó and Drew Weissman, whose work enabled the mRNA Covid vaccine, went on to win the Nobel prize. Their breakthrough suggests that loosening traditional constraints could accelerate major scientific advances.The extensive scientific and logistic infrastructure built during that period is now occupied with turning the technology towards other diseases: flu, HIV and even cancer. Until very recently, the US, which put more than $10bn into mRNA development, appeared primed to reap the scientific and commercial rewards. Despite the deregulatory zeal that birthed mRNA, the second Trump administration has rejected it. Instead, it has been remarkably steady in its commitment to the radical anti-science and anti-vaccine agenda of the US health secretary, Robert F Kennedy Jr. He has spent the past year undermining and outright sabotaging the US’s own success. Over the summer, the US Department of Health and Human Services announced a “coordinated wind-down” of federal funding for mRNA research, cancelling an additional $500m in funding for 22 projects.Do you have an opinion on the issues raised in this article? If you would like to submit a response of up to 300 words by email to be considered for publication in our letters section, please click here. Continue reading... Show less

Hypervelocity stars have, since the 1920s, been an important tool that allows astronomers to study the properties of the Milky Way galaxy, such as its gravitational potential and the distribution o... Read more Hypervelocity stars have, since the 1920s, been an important tool that allows astronomers to study the properties of the Milky Way galaxy, such as its gravitational potential and the distribution of matter. Now astronomers from China have made a large-volume search for hypervelocity stars by utilizing a special class of stars known for their distinct, regular, predictable pulsation behavior that makes them useful as distance indicators. Show less

Graptopetalum sinaloensis R. Vega,  in Vega Aviña, Vargas et Pío León, 2020.  DOI: 10.21829/abm127.2020.1550   Researchgate.net/publicati... Read more Graptopetalum sinaloensis R. Vega,  in Vega Aviña, Vargas et Pío León, 2020.  DOI: 10.21829/abm127.2020.1550   Researchgate.net/publication/345773954ABSTRACT Background and Aims: The genus Graptopetalum includes about 20 species of branched or acaulescent rosette herbs that grew in little accessible semiarid environments (mountains or ravines) of Mexico and Arizona. The authors have developed continuous work to document the flora of Sinaloa and the present article reports a taxonomic novelty in the genus Graptopetalum.Methods: In the municipality of Culiacán, Sinaloa, Mexico, a small population of plants of the genus Graptopetalum with dry inflorescences was found in June 2013, and some plants were collected and cultivated, they flowered in March. Plants with flowers were collected from the same location in February 2014. Morphological data of wild and cultivated material were compared with that of herbarium specimens, literature, and cultivated Graptopetalum species; and it was determined that collected material is a new species for science.Key results: The new taxon Graptopetalum sinaloensis, section Graptopetalum, is described. Its differences and similarities with the closest species are discussed. Moreover, a new and updated dichotomous key is provided for the eight species of this section.Conclusions: Graptopetalum sinaloensis is endemic to south-central Sinaloa, Mexico. It grows in very localized areas, on rocky walls of streams and at the foot of hills, forming small populations in reduced areas of 5 to 10 m2. Graptopetalum sinaloensis differs from other Graptopetalum species from Sinaloa by its 5-merous flowers vs. G. rusbyi with 6-7-merous ones, and by its paniculate inflorescence, vs. G. occidentale with cymose ones. Additionally, the geographical distribution of the three species does not overlap.Key words: Byrnesia, flora of Sinaloa, Graptopetalum rusbyi, Graptopetalum occidentale, Sedum, tropical deciduous forest.Graptopetalum sinaloensis R. Vega. A. plantas colectadas en campo (28.II.2014); B. y C. inflorescencias y planta en floración en medio silvestre (3.III.2019); D. planta sin floración registrada (7.XI.2018). Fotos de Rito Vega-Aviña (A) y Juan Fernando Pío-León (B-D).Graptopetalum sinaloensis R. Vega, sp. nov.Rito Vega Aviña, Francisco Delgado Vargas and Juan Fernando Pío León. 2020. Graptopetalum sinaloensis (Crassulaceae), una nueva especie de Sinaloa, México [Graptopetalum sinaloensis (Crassulaceae), A New Species from Sinaloa, Mexico]. Acta Botanica Mexicana. 127; e1550. DOI: 10.21829/abm127.2020.1550  Researchgate.net/publication/345773954_Graptopetalum_sinaloensis_una_nueva_especie_de_Sinaloa_Mexico facebook.com/ActaBotanicaMexicana/posts/3190615780955458 Show less

![CDATA[If you're thinking about fast food this weekend, think again]]

Peter Foreshaw Brookes says worry about falling sperm counts is misplacedThe Italian “demographic winter” has a number of causes, but rising male biological infertility is not one (A child is born:... Read more Peter Foreshaw Brookes says worry about falling sperm counts is misplacedThe Italian “demographic winter” has a number of causes, but rising male biological infertility is not one (A child is born: Italians celebrate village’s first baby in 30 years, 26 December).A lot of worry about falling sperm counts has been generated by some studies, but a more recent meta‑analysis found, through inclusion of regional controls, an increase in US sperm counts between 1970 and 2018. Sperm counts may be falling in places like the Chinese province of Henan, which has substantial air and water pollution, but there is limited evidence that sperm counts are falling in the developed world. Continue reading... Show less

![CDATA[He let himself be bitten so many times ]]

Happy New Year! Need something low-key to watch while you recover? How about a couple hours of Aaron and I shooting the shit as we look back on 2025's best and worst dad jokes in Breaking Change's ... Read more Happy New Year! Need something low-key to watch while you recover? How about a couple hours of Aaron and I shooting the shit as we look back on 2025's best and worst dad jokes in Breaking Change's 2nd annual Punsort! https://justin.searls.co/casts/feature-release-v48.1-2nd-annual-punsort/ Show less

BRISTOL CITY are in line for a significant payday should Antoine Semenyo make an anticipated January move. The Robins sold the Ghanaian to Bournemouth in 2023 for a fee of £10million. But they are ... Read more BRISTOL CITY are in line for a significant payday should Antoine Semenyo make an anticipated January move. The Robins sold the Ghanaian to Bournemouth in 2023 for a fee of £10million. But they are expected to make even more than that fee back again thanks to a clever clause inserted into the deal. The Championship... Show less