Vaccinations Against Covid Have Started In The UK - William Shakespeare Also Took Part
Margaret Keenan, who received the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine, is the first of 4 million people that are expected to be vaccinated by the end of December. She was administered the jab at the University Hospital in Coventry, which is part of the National Health Service (NHS). She turns 91 next week and is very much looking forward to seeing her family again, after receiving the booster dose in 21 days.
Read the full story here
Scientists Create Artificial Skin That Could Render Wearers Almost Invisible
A team of researchers from Seoul National University and Hanyang University have created an artificial skin that renders the wearer functionally invisible in the visible-to-infrared spectrum of light. Inspired by cephalopods like octopuses and squid, the material is controlled by heat to change the colors on a surface, like skin, to cloak anything behind it.
Read the full story here
The Arctic Had One Of Its Worst Years On Record
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has published its annual Arctic Report Card. The period between October 2019 and September 2020 was the second-warmest year in the 120 years of temperature records in the Arctic. This is part of a worrying trend, with the hottest temperature having all happened in the last six years.
Read the full story here
Sparrows May Be Using Preventative Medicine To Protect Their Nests
New research adds to the evidence that it’s not just humans who benefit from medicinal substances in nature as some sparrows have shown they forage for materials that keep them healthy. The med-savvy birds in question are russet sparrows in China that have been reported using wormwood (Artemisia verlotorum) leaves to keep parasites at bay and protect their young in a paper published in the journal Current Biology.
Read the full story here
Neanderthal DNA Linked To Cancer And Autoimmune Diseases In Modern Humans
It’s been a long time since we had any romantic dealings with Neanderthals, but research suggests that our past inter-breeding with this extinct hominid may continue to influence our health today. According to a new study in the journal Genome Biology and Evolution, Neanderthal DNA within the modern human genome could determine the susceptibility of certain populations to prostate cancer, autoimmune diseases and diabetes.
Read the full story here
