Seven ways social distancing will change restaurants

Follow Focus/Shutterstock COVID-19 has had a devastating effect on the restaurant industry. While a few restaurants have found ways to provide takeaway and dine-at-home offerings, the majority of businesses have shut up shop during lockdown. From July 4, restaurants in the UK are permitted to open – but dining outContinue Reading

A more guided visit – how to reopen museums and galleries safely

Takashi Images/Shutterstock Museums and galleries in the UK are opening their doors to the public in July. But reopening will be conditional on their ability to implement safety measures. Social distancing is obviously vital in these institutions, which were often described as overcrowded when life was more normal. To beContinue Reading

Africa waited for solutions to past health crises: will it be different for COVID-19?

A researcher holds a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine at the National Primate Research Center of Chulalongkorn University in Thailand. Chaiwat Subprasom/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images The World Health Organisation (WHO) recently noted that “researchers are working at break-neck speed” to understand SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes coronavirus disease (COVID-19). They areContinue Reading

Africa's scientists set out their COVID-19 research priorities

By setting out the continent's research priorities, scientists can focus better on what needs to be done. Maliutina Anna/Shutterstock In April 2020, about two months after the African continent recorded its first case of COVID-19, the African Academy of Sciences undertook an extensive survey of its members. This allowed hundredsContinue Reading

Academic freedom is sacrosanct. But so is ethical responsibility

shutterstock In 1990 CODESRIA, Africa’s premier social science council, organised a conference in Kampala, Uganda, on academic freedom. The conference was against the backdrop of mounting harassment of academics on the continent. They were subjected to travel restrictions in some countries, arrest, detention, and sometimes even assassination. The idea ofContinue Reading

Pasha 70: Why have I been having weird dreams during the pandemic?

shutterstock Sleep is incredibly important for the body and mind. When we sleep our immune system makes antibodies, which help fight off pathogens. That’s obviously vital during a health crisis. But many people have been having disrupted sleep and weird dreams in recent times. In today’s episode of Pasha, DaleContinue Reading

The Conversation

The world has been worried about pandemic diseases for many years. Before COVID-19, attention was focused on influenza viruses as the most likely cause. A recent paper reminds us that the threat from flu remains very real. It reports that a swine flu virus is circulating in China that hasContinue Reading