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How studying fruit flies might help us prevent age-related hearing loss in humans
Around one in three people over 65 is affected by hearing loss. Vova Shevchuk/ Shutterstock Hearing loss is a common age-related ailment, affecting nearly one in every three people over the age of 65. The World Health Organization expects that by 2050, more than 900 million people will suffer fromContinue Reading
Black Lives Matter: four lessons in white allyship from the South African anti-apartheid movement
As Black Lives Matter protests, triggered by the killing of George Floyd, spread across the world in response to systemic racism and police brutality, questions are being asked about how white people can lend their support. Our previous and ongoing research into the South African anti-apartheid movement provides four keyContinue Reading
Coronavirus: misinformation is leading to ‘fake news’ anxieties in Dutch refugee communities
Shutterstock/RohaneHamilton The coronavirus pandemic has led to a crisis among asylum seekers and refugees in the Netherlands. According to our research, the start of the pandemic saw an information vacuum within this community, leading to a general atmosphere of confusion and anxiety and the spread of fake news. When ourContinue Reading
Babies born prematurely are at higher risk of heart problems throughout life – new study
goodbishop/Shutterstock The weeks and months after a baby is born are a critical time for the growth of the heart of premature babies. This is largely because they are faced with major blood flow changes and increased oxygen demands as they transition to the outside environment during a time whereContinue Reading
Most people carry remnants of a chemical pollutant – ultrasound technology can help clean it up
Pimen/Shutterstock There’s a type of synthetic chemical which has been so widely used over the last 70 years that its remnants can be found in 99% of humans. Even low level exposure to this pollutant is known to increase the risks of several cancers (including breast, testicular and kidney) birthContinue Reading
Modern monetary theory: the rise of economists who say huge government debt is not a problem
Don't fret. 3DDock There is no limit to the quantity of money that can be created by a central bank such as the Bank of England. It was different in the days of the gold standard, when central banks were restrained by a promise to redeem their money for goldContinue Reading
Do cricket balls really spread coronavirus?
Cricket is now back on in England, despite Boris Johnson declaring cricket balls a “natural vector of disease”. His statement has frustrated cricket fans and players, but has also raised the wider question of which activities spread COVID-19. After all, unlike other activities that the UK government is actively encouraging,Continue Reading
The pandemic shows we need more Black scientists – but who will pay the cost?
Maliutina Anna/Shutterstock The cumulative effects of structural racism were the major contributing factor in the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on groups described as Black, Asian or other minority ethnic (BAME) in the UK. That was the overwhelming message from the recent Public Health England review on the issue. The centralContinue Reading
How countries get away with hoarding drugs in a pandemic
The news that the US has bought the global supply of remdesivir – a drug that can treat COVID-19 – has rightly been criticised as “treatment nationalism”. But the US is not the only country acting selfishly. The UK recently banned the export of dexamethasone – the only drug provenContinue Reading