By Rizwan Nawaz, University of Leeds and Adel Sharif, University of Surrey Almost all scientists agree that burning fossil fuels is contributing to climate change. But agreement is less clear cut on how exactly it’s influencing rising global temperatures. The world is now 1°C warmer than it was in pre-industrial times. Is this solely down […]
what else we're reading
There is no great salt debate: we should be consuming less
By Feng He, Queen Mary University of London The human body needs a tiny amount of sodium to function properly and this is typically found in salt (sodium chloride). But today most people consume way too much salt, increasing the burden of cardiovascular disease around the world. Health professionals have been trying to tackle this […]
Green growth is trusted to fix climate change – here’s the problem with that
By Christine Corlet Walker, University of Surrey You may have missed it, but a recent report declared that the main strategy of world leaders for tackling climate change won’t work. It’s called green growth, and it’s favoured by some of the largest and most influential organisations in the world, including the United Nations and the […]
Why the medical fraternity is protesting against the National Medical Commission Bill
“Why the medical fraternity is protesting against the National Medical Commission Bill” was originally published in The News Minute and has been reprinted here with permission. Read the original article here. By Dr Nimeshika Jayachandran As the Union Cabinet gave its final nod to the controversial National Medical Commission (NMC) Bill on July 17, several […]
Eight ways to halt a global food crisis
By Michael Hamm, University of Oxford There are serious challenges to global food supply everywhere we look. Intensive use of fertilisers in the US Midwest is causing nutrients to run off into rivers and streams, degrading the water quality and causing a Connecticut-size dead zone in the Gulf of Mexico. Chocolate production will soon be […]
Social media can threaten medical experiments
By Niccolò Tempini, University of Exeter and David Teira, UNED – Universidad Nacional de Educación a Distancia Testing new pharmaceutical treatments is a complicated process. Very often, participants have preferences or hopes, either about what the test should measure or about what the outcome should be. Patients often enrol in the trial seeking access to […]
Bat flu can spread to humans: Should we be worried?
Muhammad Munir, Lancaster University Scientists first discovered bat flu viruses in 2012. Although these were influenza A viruses, there was something strange about them – the way they infected their host’s cells seemed to be different from other influenza A viruses. Given the justified fear over zoonotic diseases (those that cross from animals to humans, […]
Antibiotic resistance: Public awareness campaigns might not work
By Marco Haenssgen, University of Warwick Pathogens, such as bacteria, viruses and protozoa, are becoming ever more resistant to drugs. People speed up this natural process by over-using antibiotics and other antimicrobial drugs in medicine and agriculture, and by leaking them into the environment. The World Health Organisation (WHO) regards antimicrobial resistance as one of […]
How mangroves protect people from increasingly frequent and powerful tropical storms
By Adam Moolna, Teaching Fellow in Environment and Sustainability, Keele University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. Mangroves are incredibly productive coastal ecosystems found in the tropics and subtropics. These dense green forests are known for their bizarre-looking roots that poke up into the air […]
Feeding mosquitoes sugar makes them less likely to bite – but don’t go leaving out sugary treats just yet
By Richard Halfpenny, Lecturer in Biological Sciences, Staffordshire University This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article. The teasing temptation of a sugary treat can often get the better of us. But don’t worry, we’re not the only ones. The saccharine substance that our sweet tooth finds […]