Delivered, not signed or sealed. Tomsickova Tatyana/Shutterstock England and Wales are currently full of babies that, in the eyes of the state, do not exist. That’s due to a huge backlog in birth registrations, after councils around the country halted the process during lockdown. Birth certificates are only now beginningContinue Reading
Lucas Photo/Shutterstock Homeless people are being forced to sleep rough to avoid giving up their pets, our recent study found. We conducted an online survey of homelessness accommodation providers in the UK to find out if they accepted pets on their premises. Although 77% of the 117 providers who tookContinue Reading
Ti Vla/Shutterstock If a surgeon arrived at the operating theatre wearing a mask they had made that morning from a tea towel, they would probably be sacked. This is because the equipment used for important tasks, such as surgery, must be tested and certified to ensure compliance with specific standards.Continue Reading
Seismic activity doesn’t just come from earthquakes, volcanoes and landslides. Everyday human activity also gives rise to vibrations that travel through the ground as seismic waves, something we call “anthropogenic noise”. When pandemic lockdown measures brought daily life to a standstill, it didn’t just change life at the surface andContinue Reading
Pixabay, CC BY-SA The UK supreme court has just heard an appeal from Uber that has far-reaching implications for UK drivers and the wider gig economy. Uber wants to overturn an employment tribunal ruling from 2016, which improved the lot of its drivers by classifying them as “workers” instead ofContinue Reading
Many people believe that warm weather protects us from respiratory illnesses such as COVID-19. The concept of “catching a cold” in summer is counter-intuitive. Yet what does the data say about the effect of the weather on the spread of the coronavirus? In our research, we set out to analyseContinue Reading
People in the UK will be soon be required by law to wear masks in shops to prevent the spread of coronavirus. This follows the introduction of mandatory face coverings on public transport in June. There is evidence that supports the public health benefits of wearing face coverings in public.Continue Reading
FamVeld/Shutterstock Many countries were already turning to domiciliary care as an alternative to residential care homes before the pandemic. The closure of care homes due to the well-publicised issues caused by COVID may hasten this change. Domiciliary care allows people to stay in their own homes, which they often prefer.Continue Reading
During lockdown, we saw how the pandemic was leading to new forms of social solidarity. In addition to claps for carers and rainbow pictures, the very act of staying home was a demonstration of a collective responsibility to protect the vulnerable. It was a sacrifice for the “greater good”, adheredContinue Reading
Christoph Burgstedt/Shutterstock To get the upper hand on the coronavirus, we first need to understand how our immune system reacts to it. Understanding this will lead to better treatments, effective vaccines and knowing how near we are to herd immunity – and if it’s even achievable. Every day, new researchContinue Reading
