Fotomay/Shutterstock Every time the coronavirus replicates, it has a chance to mutate. And given that it is currently rampaging around the world, it has plenty of opportunities to do just that. Many mutations will make little or no difference to the virus’s ability to spread or cause more severe disease.Continue Reading
Many peoples' mental health worsened during the pandemic – but many didn't seek support or treatment. Dragana Gordic/ Shutterstock During the first COVID-19 lockdown in the UK, people were encouraged to help control the virus with the message to “stay at home, protect the NHS, save lives”. While there wasContinue Reading
Zamuruew/Shutterstock In the year since the city of Wuhan, China, went into the world’s first coronavirus lockdown, we have all had to live under some form of pandemic-related restriction. Some countries have opted for strict national lockdowns, like the one currently in place in the UK, while other countries suchContinue Reading
“The scientists have done it,” said the UK prime minister, Boris Johnson in December 2020, hailing the development of the new COVID-19 vaccine. Johnson insisted that this success brought “sure and certain knowledge” that people would soon be able to reclaim their lives. But since this optimistic declaration, the COVIDContinue Reading
Vegan diets are becoming increasingly popular. RONEDYA/ Shutterstock While there are many reasons why a person may choose to go vegan, health is often cited as a popular motive. But although vegan diets are often touted as being “healthier” in the media, this isn’t always reflected by scientific research. WhileContinue Reading
When supplies of oxygen at hospitals in Manaus, Brazil, recently ran out, the airforce was called in for emergency evacuations while healthcare workers frantically tried to save lives with manual ventilation. For those that could not be saved, there was only morphine and a final hand-squeeze. As calamitous as theContinue Reading
The loss of neurons leads to degeneration. adike/ Shutterstock Alzheimer’s disease is a devastating condition that is currently unstoppable and incurable. The main cause of the disease is the loss of neurons and other brain cells in the brain – also know as degeneration. This degeneration is what leads toContinue Reading
Tom Wang/Shutterstock England is deep into its third lockdown, yet the daily tally of new COVID cases and deaths remains sickeningly high. As Chris Whitty, the country’s chief medical officer, said recently, more needs to be done to bring the pandemic under control. Masks, which when worn correctly are highlyContinue Reading
Lightly-browned bacon has less carcinogens than well-cooked bacon. D. Pimborough/ Shutterstock Bacon is a much-loved, comforting breakfast item – during the global pandemic, sales have surged in the US and the UK. But while bacon may be delicious, experts recommend people eat little or no processed meats because of theirContinue Reading
Andrii Vodolazhskyi/Shutterstock A year after the first cases of COVID-19 were found in China, mass vaccination programmes are now offering a chance to end the pandemic. At the same time, new strains, some of which appear to be more infectious than the original one, are threatening to derail progress inContinue Reading