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COVID vaccines: why second boosters are being offered to vulnerable people in the UK – but not young and healthy people yet
nednapa/Shutterstock Until recently, the UK government limited a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine to people with severely weakened immune systems over the age of 16. But, following a resurgence of COVID cases in the UK, the government has followed some other countries such as Israel, Germany and Sweden, andContinue Reading
Covid outbreaks in New York and D.C. infect senior officials as omicron BA.2 variant sweeps the U.S.
A man is given a coronavirus disease (COVID-19) test at pop-up testing site in New York, April 11, 2022. Brendan McDermid | Reuters Covid infections are rising again in the U.S. with outbreaks in New York City and Washington, D.C. resulting in senior government officials coming down with the virusContinue Reading
Ukraine war: the key role played by volunteer militias on both sides of the conflict
One of the features of modern warfare is the role played by non-state militias, and Ukraine is no exception. Reporting of the war has highlighted the role of the Wagner Group on the Russian side, for instance. This 6,000 strong mercenary force, which is usually based in Africa and recentlyContinue Reading
20 Audiobooks You Should Listen to Right Now
With A-list actors narrating and a host of new productions of old favorites, it’s a great time to get into audiobooks. Here are some of the best around.Continue Reading
Russia Is Leaking Data Like a Sieve
Ukraine claims to have doxed Russian troops and spies, while hacktivists are regularly leaking private information from Russian organizations.Continue Reading
Biofuels Are Getting a Second Look—and Some Tough Questions
Bioethanol has been touted as a green way to cut reliance on Russian oil. But new modeling suggests it isn’t the climate solution we’d hoped for.Continue Reading
Melatonin’s role in protecting the heart – the evidence so far
fizkes/Shutterstock Many people know of melatonin as the sleep hormone – and, indeed, that’s what most of the research on melatonin has focused on. However, melatonin is also an antioxidant, protecting cells from harmful “free radicals” that can damage DNA – and this includes protecting cells in the heart andContinue Reading
Could lead makeup really kill you? A scientist recreated centuries-old skin whitening recipes to find out – podcast
The Countess of Coventry, Maria Gunning, was rumoured to have died of lead poisoning from her makeup. Jean-Étienne Liotard via Wikimedia Can makeup really kill you? That’s the myth attached to Maria Gunning, the Countess of Coventry, an 18th-century socialite who reportedly died from her lead-based makeup in 1760, agedContinue Reading
Ukraine: the battle for Donbas will be protracted and bloody – military expert
There will be no peace deals, no ceasefires and no surrenders in Ukraine. The next two months will bring what US defence officials have called “a knife fight” in the area the Ukrainian army call “The Joint Forces Operation” (JFO). We know this region better as Donbas. For eight yearsContinue Reading
Ukraine war: ‘vranyo’ – Russian for when you lie and everyone knows it, but you don’t care
The bloody and terrible war in Ukraine has been accompanied by a war of words. One of the more frequent words heard in the Russian media is vranyo, which means a “lie”. The Russian government and media have hurled it at Ukraine and its allies, accusing them of exaggerating theContinue Reading