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The connection between bats and evil spirits is, unfortunately, a deep, cross-cultural myth that refuses to die, but did you know there is another, more fun spirit they are intricately associated with? Agave plants, the source of tequila and mezcal, depend on bats, especially the Mexican long-nosed bat, for pollination and seed dispersal, says bat…
Read More “‘The more we learn about bats, the less we fear them’” »
New Delhi: Women might be at a 31 per cent higher risk of developing long Covid compared to men, with those aged 40-55 years likely to be at most risk, a study has found. Among the women aged 40-55 years, the risk of long Covid was found to be even higher — 42 per cent…
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Before the COVID pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) had made a list of priority infectious diseases. These were felt to pose a threat to international public health, but where research was still needed to improve their surveillance and diagnosis. In 2018, “disease X” was included, which signified that a pathogen previously not on our…
Read More “After Covid, How Are Scientists Prepping For Potential Pandemic “Disease X”” »
Bengaluru: The MUDA scam that had been occupying headlines in Karnataka has been pushed aside by a new scam – alleged misappropriation of funds to the tune of crores meant to fight Covid during the BJP rule in the state led by then Chief Minister BS Yeddiyurappa – raising allegations of tit-for-tat scams. A preliminary…
More than four years since Covid-19 was declared a pandemic by the WHO (World Health Organization) in March 2020, fear of another mass outbreak looms large. The WHO, on August 14, declared the current upsurge of Mpox or Monkeypox in Central Africa as a global emergency requiring urgent action. The global concern for the virus…
Read More “Is India Really At Risk Of A Monkeypox Outbreak?” »
Students from various organisation protest over the NEET-UG and UGC-NET examinations issue outside Ministry of Education in New Delhi. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP NEET-PG postponed, CBI to probe NEET-UG allegations, NTA chief removed, as panel set up for agency overhaul With questions being raised about the “integrity of certain competitive examinations”, the Health…
The world’s second-biggest economy grew faster than expected in the first quarter. File | Photo Credit: Reuters China’s fiscal revenue in the first quarter fell 2.3% from a year earlier, as some special factors including previous tax cut policies weighed, the Finance Ministry said on April 22. The world’s second-biggest economy grew faster than expected…
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“In 2020, deaths around the world rose by 10.8% compared to 2019, and in 2021, they rose by 7.5% relative to 2020.” | Photo Credit: Reuters COVID-19 (coronavirus) replaced stroke to become the second-leading cause of death globally in 2021, causing 94 deaths per one lakh population and slashing life expectancy by 1.6 years, an…
File photo used for representational purpose only. Children infected with the Omicron variant remain infectious for three days on average after testing positive for the SARS-CoV-2 virus, according to a study. Researchers at the University of Southern California (USC) and Stanford University in the U.S. noted that school policies that require students with COVID-19 to…
Read More “Children infected with Omicron COVID variant remain infectious for three days: Study” »
Climate change, urbanisation and the destruction of forests add to the risk of pandemics. A UK health expert’s warning that a new pathogen could cause a pandemic as deadly as the Spanish Flu – which killed 50 million people – has sent alarm bells ringing in a world that is yet to completely emerge from…
Read More “What Do We Know? Not Much, And That Is The Problem” »