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Starfish: rare fossil helps answer the mystery of how they evolved arms
Starfish are one of the most recognisable animals on our planet. Yellowj/shutterstock.com A chance discovery of a beautifully preserved fossil in the desert landscape of Morocco has solved one of the great mysteries of biology and palaeontology: how starfish evolved their arms. Starfish are one of the most recognisable animalsContinue Reading
America divided: never has the pursuit of happiness seemed so far off
As Washington hosts a presidential inauguration under strict security lockdown, the US has rarely been more divided and unhappy. The shocking mob invasion of Capitol Hill is the most obvious manifestation of this – but in the background lurks the the COVID-19 pandemic. This has taken a horrific toll onContinue Reading
Sam Mewis on registering hat trick and watching her sister, Kristie, score vs. Colombia
Sam Mewis caught up with the FOX soccer crew following the USWNT’s 4-0 win over Colombia. Hear Sam detail the win, what it was like watching her sister score and what the team’s outlook moving forward is.Continue Reading
Is a vegan diet healthier? Five reasons why we can’t tell for sure
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
Big data can help doctors predict which COVID patients will become seriously ill
The pandemic continues to pose huge challenges to health services worldwide. Hospitals are in crisis as the pace of new COVID-19 cases outstrips their capacity. What makes things particularly difficult is that the coronavirus doesn’t affect everyone in the same way. Being able to better predict which patients will getContinue Reading
Coronavirus variants: how did they evolve and what do they mean?
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
Hospitals are near their limits – computer models can help keep their doors open
The UK has fewer critical care beds per capita than the European average. Gorodenkoff/shutterstock.com Coronavirus is causing a strain on health services around the world. Just last week, over 80% of critical care beds in England were full, with warnings of hospitals hitting their limits in the coming days. BecauseContinue Reading
COVID-19 misinformation: scientists create a ‘psychological vaccine’ to protect against fake news
Alexander Limbach/Shutterstock Anti-vaccination groups are projected to dominate social media in the next decade if left unchallenged. To counter their viral misinformation at a time when COVID-19 vaccines are being rolled out, our research team has produced a “psychological vaccine” that helps people detect and resist the lies and hoaxesContinue Reading
Fake news: bold visual warnings needed to stop people clicking – new research
Shutterstock/dencg A senior doctor in charge of the NHS anti-disinformation campaign has said that language and cultural barriers could be causing people from ethnic minorities to reject the COVID-19 vaccine. Dr Harpreet Sood told the BBC it was “a big concern” and officials were working hard to reach different groupsContinue Reading
We need hard science, not software, to power our post-pandemic recovery
Gorodenkoff/Shutterstock Ten years ago, PayPal founder Peter Thiel condensed the growing sense of disappointment in new technologies down to just nine words. “We wanted flying cars,” he wrote, “instead we got 140 characters”. That these words still ring true a decade later shows just how far short of expectations newContinue Reading