Nanoplastic pollution has been detected in polar regions for the first time, indicating that the tiny particles are now pervasive around the world. The nanoparticles are smaller and more toxic than microplastics, which have already been found across the globe, but the impact of both on people’s health is unknown. ... Read More »
Cards. Candles. Sunsets. For this New York Times correspondent and other children of Beirut in the 1980s, traumatic reminders of the war are still there in everyday activities. When you’re a child, how do you get through a war? A lot of Monopoly, Scrabble, card games, candles and windowless bathrooms ... Read More »
The massive Thwaites Glacier in West Antarctica contains enough ice to raise global sea levels by 65cm if it were to completely collapse. And, worryingly, recent research suggests that its long-term stability is doubtful as the glacier haemorrhages more and more ice. Adding 65cm to global sea levels would have a significant coastline-changing impact. ... Read More »
Scientists have identified antibodies that can target the unchanged parts of the novel coronavirus as it continues to mutate and evolve, an advance that could lead to new therapeutics to neutralise Omicron and other Covid-19 variants. Identifying such “broadly neutralising” antibodies on the coronavirus spike protein, which the virus uses to enter human cells, can help develop better vaccines and ... Read More »
Since the first cases of Omicron were reported in the UK just over a month ago it has spread rapidly across the UK, fuelling a surge of infections. But scientists have also been working at speed. Here is an overview of the expanding scientific knowledge of Omicron. Spread Soon after ... Read More »
‘I think it will protect people through the coming holiday period and through these winter months, when we’re going to see the most severe pressure of Omicron’ A booster dose of the Moderna vaccine generates a strong antibody response against the Omicron coronavirus variant, the company has said. Laboratory testing showed that a half-dose ... Read More »
Common cold is caused by a different strain of virus to Covid-19, while the rapidly-spreading omicron variant of Covid-19 often causes mild symptoms, such as stuffy nose, sore head and sore throat, it is very hard to tell the difference without testing. Professor Tim Spector, from Britain’s Covid Zoe app, ... Read More »
The US scientists who created the first living robots say the life forms, known as xenobots, can now reproduce — and in a way not seen in plants and animals. Formed from the stem cells of the African clawed frog (Xenopus laevis) from which it takes its name, xenobots are less than ... Read More »
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the heavily mutated Omicron coronavirus variant is likely to spread internationally and poses a very high risk of infection surges that could have “severe consequences” in some places. No Omicron-linked deaths had yet been reported, though further research was needed to assess its potential ... Read More »
… Since it was first detected in India in December 2020, the Delta variant of Sars-CoV-2 has become so ubiquitous that it would be easy to assume that the once-rapid evolution of the virus has been replaced by a state of quiescence. According to the World Health Organization, 99.5% of all ... Read More »
Lebanese Ministry of Information