From the outset, all the evidence suggested that COVID-19 was deadly to the old and infirm, and a bad flu for everybody else. Focused protection for the vulnerable and developing a vaccine to alleviate the burden on them were policies that made the most sense. And given that only a small fraction of the population...
Getty Images Weight loss drugs could help turn the tide on obesity – but there are side effects A study into potential serious side effects of weight loss jabs has been launched after hundreds of people reported problems with their pancreas. The Medicines and Healthcare Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Genomics England are asking people on...
As this year’s United Nations Ocean Conference began in France on Monday, scientists published a study showing that another “planetary boundary,” or barriers that ensure the Earth is a “safe operating space for humanity,” has been crossed. Researchers said in 2023 that 6 of the 9 boundaries — biogeochemical flows, biosphere integrity, the climate, freshwater,...
ADHD is not becoming more common despite the surge in people being diagnosed, research suggests. The review, led by King’s College London, looked at 40 studies in 17 countries and found no clear evidence rates of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) had risen since 2020, despite rising diagnoses and longer waits for assessment. Some blame...
Spoiler alert: Nothing will be learned from it. When Hillary Clinton lost a narrow election to Donald Trump, Democrats and progressives wasted no time in heaping blame on white women as the scapegoat for their own choice of nominees. In the wake of last November’s more humiliating election loss, Democrats found a new cohort to...
An exercise programme for colon cancer patients can cut the risk of dying by a third, a major international trial shows. The researchers said it was “not a large amount” of exercise and any type of workout from swimming to salsa classes counted. The results could change the way colon cancer is treated around the...
Tim Dodd Climate and science reporter Getty Images Cats use their strong sense of smell to identify and communicate with other cats Domestic cats can tell the difference between the smell of their owner and that of a stranger, a new study suggests. The study by Tokyo University of Agriculture found cats spent significantly longer...
In a world first, wildlife researchers have snapped and published a photo of one of the most endangered African animals – a rare and relatively unknown antelope called the Upemba Lechwe. Researchers carried out an aerial survey in the Kamalondo Depression, an area in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, which spotted just 10 of the...
Fishing pots fitted with LED lights catch “significantly” more fish and shrimp, a new study shows. The research, by the University of Exeter and Fishtek Marine, showed pots fitted with lights caught up to 19 times more northern shrimp than unlit pots. Dr Robert Enever, from Fishtek Marine, said it was thought the light attracts...
Study authors seek to attribute climate damages to individual corporate polluters in order to hold them accountable. The world’s top corporations have caused $28 trillion in damages related to the climate crisis, a new study seeking to help attribute climate costs to individual polluters finds. In a peer-reviewed paper published in Nature last week, Dartmouth...
Pamela Tickell BBC News, North East and Cumbria Jake Brooker / Chimfunshi Wildlife Orphanage Trust Chimpanzees consoled each other by embracing, holding hands, and touching, researchers found Chimpanzees comfort each other when in distress, despite typically being referred to as “violent” and “despotic” when compared to other apes. Researchers at Durham University found that chimpanzees...
James Diamond BBC News, Bristol PA Media The research suggests William Shakespeare was closer to his wife than previously thought The relationship between William Shakespeare and his wife Anne Hathaway may have been happier than previously thought, according to new research. For more than 200 years it has been believed that Shakespeare left his wife...
“We’re doing some feasibility work around what it would look like to return to that venue and the investment that it would require.” Darbon was quizzed about Turnberry at the official launch of this year’s Open, which will return to Royal Portrush in July for the first time since 2019 and will be the biggest...
Ticks are more likely to carry the bacteria that can cause Lyme disease in areas where pheasants are released, new research has shown. Researchers studied ticks in 25 woodland areas in the South West where pheasants are released and 25 nearby control sites where no pheasants are released. They found the bacteria that can cause...
France’s President Emmanuel Macron says he will set up a commission to study French-Haitian history and the impact of a huge debt imposed on Haiti in exchange for its independence exactly 200 years ago. Macron said the panel of French and Haitian historians would make recommendations to help build a more “peaceful future”. Haiti gained...