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Coronavirus infection rates have plummeted by more than two thirds since January, new figures show in proof that lockdown is working even against the fast-spreading Kent variant of the virus. The country’s largest surveillance testing study yesterday found just one in 196 people in England were infected with the virus during the first half of … Read more
Boost for NHS as 60,000 people apply to be nurses: Record number seek medical training after being inspired by staff heroics during Covid-19 pandemic Sign ups rose by 32 per cent this year to a total of 60,130 applicants, says UCAS Number of those opting for nursing straight after leaving school has increased by 27 … Read more
Covid-19 can lead to GANGRENE: Virus causes the body to ATTACK itself leading to severe, long-term muscle and joint pain, MRI scans reveal MRI scans visualised the causes of muscle and joint pain in Covid-19 patients They suggest Covid-19 can cause issues including gangrene and arthritis Virus triggers the body’s immune system to attack itself, … Read more
Africa’s fairy circles in grasslands are formed by a plant that releases a toxic sap into the soil when it dies, a new study reveals. Between southern Angola and northern South Africa, there are hundreds of thousands of these circles, ranging in diameter from seven to 50 feet (2-15 metres). Researchers are convinced they have … Read more
Common UK garden animals like hedgehogs, rabbits and even the domestic cat have the potential to harbour new strains of coronavirus, a new study reveals. UK researchers used machine learning to predict associations between 411 strains of coronavirus and 876 potential mammal host species. Their machine learning model integrated characteristics extracted from genomes, such as protein structure, as … Read more
There is probably no ‘Planet Nine’ at the edge of the solar system, astronomers claim, after a study found unusual orbits used to predict its existence ‘may be an illusion’. Experts from the University of Michigan examined the results of a number of solar system surveys to look for evidence of the long-theorised ‘super Earth’ … Read more
Chemicals in cocoa can boost memory abilities in older people, a new study suggests. US researchers found flavanols – plant chemicals that are abundant in cocoa beans – improved performance in a list-learning task for people aged between 50 and 75. Flavanols belong to a group of compounds called polyphenols, which are also abundant in red … Read more
There is no evidence that having schools open drives the spread of coronavirus in the wider community in the UK, SAGE scientists have found. In a study of pupil and teacher absences caused by positive Covid tests, researchers said confirmed infections in schools did not lead to bigger outbreaks. Instead, they said there were small … Read more
Eighties pop is the best musical genre for reducing blood pressure, due to its ‘positive nostalgia’, researchers have found. Turkish researchers hooked up 1,540 volunteers aged between 18 and 65 to blood pressure and heart rate monitors and played them a variety of music on Spotify. Music from the hit TV series It’s a Sin, … Read more
Two doses of Pfizer’s coronavirus vaccine is 94 per cent effective at stopping over-55s from falling unwell with the disease, according to a major study in Israel. The data of more than half a million people who received two shots of the jab found patients were also 92 per cent less likely to develop severe … Read more