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Twenty-four clinicians and laboratory technicians have enrolled in a bespoke training programme designed to strengthen the diagnosis and treatment of deadly fungal diseases. With infections soaring globally and two million deaths every year, the programme was hugely oversubscribed as health professionals urgently seek to master early detection techniques that can save lives.  Fungal infections pose a significant and growing threat to global health, with the heaviest burden falling on low- and middle-income countries. The increasing number of new fungal cases appearing in hospitals worldwide is deeply alarming. The challenge is not only the severity of these infections but the difficulty in timely identification and accurate diagnosis. Early detection is critical; knowing whether a patient has a fungal infection is often the first step toward effective treatment. Now, for the second time, an interactive and practical course in Medical Mycology brings together clinicians and laboratory technicians. The course is designed to equip both groups with the skills to identify, diagnose, and treat fungal infections, while also fostering mutual understanding of each other’s roles and the unique challenges they face. By learning side by side, participants gain insight into the diagnostic and treatment processes from both clinical and laboratory perspectives, improving collaboration and resulting in improved patient outcomes.   To address this critical need, the University of Exeter Centre for Medical Mycology Africa Unit, based at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, together with Insititut Pasteur, hosted a second interactive course in…

A new book suggests that the pictures we use to tell stories about climate change fundamentally shape how we respond to the issue. The Visual Life of Climate Change, by Professor Saffron O’Neill from the University of Exeter, says we often rely on a small set of images to illustrate climate change – and these exclude many people and places from the discussion about climate action. Every day, journalists and editors around the world grapple with how to illustrate climate news in ways which bring the topic alive but are still true to the message of their story. Previously, researchers have focussed on how the text of climate stories shapes how we think, feel or act – but mostly ignored the impact of images. In her new book, Professor O’Neill shows that understanding the role of images is critical. “Imagine a foreboding photograph of factory smokestacks pumping out dark clouds of pollution, compared to a photograph of gleaming silver wind turbines in front of an ethereal golden sunset,” Professor O’Neill said. “Both images tell stories about climate change, but can make people feel completely differently about the issue. Professor O’Neill wrote this book to make her research accessible to a wider…