Does wearing contact lenses put you at greater risk of getting COVID-19?
Jun 21, 2020 04:07 am UTC| Health
Can the SARS-CoV-2 virus, responsible for COVID-19, be transmitted by tears or by touching the eyes? Are contact lens wearers therefore more at risk? As these questions arise, heres what you need to know. A Chinese...
Rural America is more vulnerable to COVID-19 than cities are, and it's starting to show
Jun 21, 2020 03:49 am UTC| Health
Rural areas seemed immune as the coronavirus spread through cities earlier this year. Few rural cases were reported, and attention focused on the surge of illnesses and deaths in the big metro areas. But that false sense...
One metre or two? The science behind social distancing
Jun 21, 2020 03:46 am UTC| Health
What constitutes a safe distance when it comes to the spread of COVID-19? The answer depends on where you live. China, Denmark and France recommend social distancing of one metre; Australia, Germany and Italy recommend...
Living near active oil and gas wells in California tied to low birth weight and smaller babies
Jun 21, 2020 03:45 am UTC| Health
The Research Brief is a short take about interesting academic work. The big idea In a California study, we found that pregnant women living near active high-production oil and gas wells have an elevated chance of...
Coronavirus can cause lasting lung damage – but the effects may ease over time
Jun 21, 2020 03:40 am UTC| Health
We know a lot about the symptoms of severe COVID-19, but relatively little about what happens after someone recovers. Could there be long-term effects? Lets look at what we know so far about the effect of COVID-19 on the...
So you think investing in fever screening can curb the spread of COVID-19? Think again
Jun 15, 2020 12:42 pm UTC| Health
As lockdowns are lifted, procedures are being put in place to reduce the spread of COVID-19. Along with physical distancing, hand sanitisation and wearing of masks, fever screening is increasingly being set up as a...
Will flu or cold viruses push the new coronavirus out of circulation this winter?
Jun 14, 2020 12:17 pm UTC| Health
SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is here to stay for the summer. What happens next, though, is unclear. One possibility is a major second wave in the autumn or winter. This scenario would reflect the behaviour...
Johannesburg in a time of darkness: Ivan Vladislavić’s new memoir reminds us of the city’s fragility
Economist Chris Richardson on an ‘ugly’ inflation result and the coming budget
Biden administration tells employers to stop shackling workers with ‘noncompete agreements’
IceCube researchers detect a rare type of energetic neutrino sent from powerful astronomical objects