COVID: lambda variant is now in 29 countries, but what evidence do we have that it’s more dangerous?: Peru has the highest number of COVID deaths per capita, by far. For every 100,000 of the population, 596 have died of COVID. This is almost double the next hardest-hit country, Hungary, which has 307 deaths per …
No evidence links autism with terrorism, but ill-judged statements and headlines will lead to stigma: Articles suggesting a link between autism and radicalisation can lead to unfair targeting UK Police/Alamy Recent observations from Jonathan Hall QC, the independent reviewer of terrorism legislation, suggest that “a staggeringly high” number of autistic people are referred to the …
COVID-19: why lab-leak theory is back despite little new evidence: Reuters/Alamy Stock Photo President Biden has ordered the US intelligence agencies to deepen their investigation of whether the coronavirus emerged naturally from animal-to-human transmission or leaked accidentally from the Wuhan Institute of Virology. The lab-leak theory had been floated by President Trump and others in …
Insect population collapse: new evidence links it to dams: Over 40% of all insects, like this tropical dragonfly, are in decline Scottslm/Pixasbay Insects are the most numerous group of animals on the planet. There are an estimated 5.5 million species, 80% of which remain to be discovered. Yet insects are experiencing steep, widespread declines across …
Beeswax in Nok pots provides evidence of early West African honey use: Excavating Nok terracotta figurines at the research site. Peter Breunig The honeybee is the world’s most important pollinator of food crops and beekeeping plays an important global economic role. Around 1.6 million tonnes of honey is produced annually and wild honey is also …
Dominic Cummings: how the UK ignored evidence that the virus is airborne: “I think we are absolutely fucked. I think this country is heading for disaster. I think we’re going to kill thousands of people.” According to Dominic Cummings, those were the words spoken by the then deputy cabinet secretary Helen MacNamara on March 13 …
Dominic Cummings evidence: five key questions that must be investigated: h In seven hours of testimony to MPs, Dominic Cummings, former ally of Boris Johnson, gave a scathing report on the government’s handling of the pandemic. He directed much of the blame on Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Health Secretary Matt Hancock. With so much …
‘AI’ is being used to profile people from their head vibrations – but is there enough evidence to support it?: Does technology more about us than we know about ourselves? Trismegist san/Shutterstock Digital video surveillance systems can’t just identify who someone is. They can also work out how someone is feeling and what kind of …
Low trust in authorities affects vaccine uptake: evidence from 22 African countries: A health worker administers an injection to a child below the age of one year during a routine immunisation at a health center in Kampala, Uganda. Xinhua/Nicholas Kajoba via Getty Images In a time when the world is focusing on COVID-19 vaccines, the …
South Africa in the news: Doctor says there’s ‘good evidence’ COVID-19 booster shots may not be necessary: “It’s important to say public health needs to decide about booster shots, not the heads of these companies making the vaccines,” says an infectious disease expert.: “South Africa” – BingNews South Africa’s University of Cape Town salvages books …
A new force of nature? The inside story of fresh evidence from Cern that’s exciting physicists – podcast: Scientists think they may have found a new clue about the subatomic world around us. Ezume Images via Shutterstock In this episode of The Conversation Weekly, the inside story of how scientists working at Cern’s Large Hadron …
Graffiti threatens precious evidence of ancient life on South Africa’s coast: Graffiti obscures beautiful curved invertebrate traces on a rock surface in South Africa. Charles Helm The rocky outcrops that dot much of South Africa’s coastline contain hidden treasure: the cemented remains of the dune and beach surfaces that existed hundreds of thousands of years …
Does coffee burn more fat during exercise? What the evidence tells us: Participants consumed the equivalent of a tall brewed filter coffee 30 minutes before exercise. Pavel3d/ Shutterstock Coffee, green tea and other caffeinated drinks are a popular way to start the morning. Not only does it give many people a much-needed boost, but caffeine …
Care homes: evidence emerging of inappropriate use of ‘do not attempt CPR’ orders during pandemic: Shutterstock/YuganovKonstantin Imagine that death is just around the corner. How will you spend your final moments? Quietly with loved ones? With a priest giving last rites? Perhaps listening to your favourite music? Or how about being subjected to 300-joule electric …
Evidence of brand new physics at Cern? Why we’re cautiously optimistic about our new findings: Particle collisions are starting to reveal unexpected results. vchal/Shutterstock When Cern’s gargantuan accelerator, the Large Hadron Collider (LHC), fired up ten years ago, hopes abounded that new particles would soon be discovered that could help us unravel physics’ deepest mysteries. …
Child abuse and neglect: new evidence they can cause mental health problems: Our study is the first to show that childhood maltreatment, at least in part, causes poorer mental health. Master1305/ Shutterstock It’s not surprising to learn that people who experience maltreatment in childhood – such as abuse or neglect – are more likely to …
South Africa in the news: Hunt for MH370 may be BACK ON as bombshell evidence pinpoints new search zone in the Indian Ocean: THE head of the hunt for missing jet MH370 says there should a new search after fresh evidence pinpointed the likely wreckage site. It comes seven years to the day after the …
How well does the AstraZeneca vaccine work? An expert reviews the current evidence: When the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine was first authorised by the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, it was hailed as a milestone in turning the tide on the coronavirus. But in the time since, this highly efficacious vaccine has suffered a lot …