World’s oldest music tool: How early artistes modified conch shell into a ‘flute
Some 18,000 years ago, in a cave in what we now call France, a human being left behind something precious: a conch shell. It was not just any conch shell. Its tip had been lopped off – unlikely by accident, given that this is the strongest part of the shell...
Abortions can happen safely and entirely at home
Last year, over concerns of exposure to Covid-19, a federal judge ended the US Food and Drug Administration’s requirement that mifepristone, a medication necessary to terminate an early pregnancy, must be obtained directly from a hospital or provider’s office. On January 12, the Supreme Court reinstated that requirement, over the...
Researchers piloting system that alerts users of possible coronavirus infection
Stanford University is piloting a system that alerts wearable-device users to possible Covid-19 infection, using a two-alarm system. If signals surpass a certain threshold, it produces a yellow alarm. If they remain elevated for 12 hours, it produces a red alarm, strongly suggesting testing or isolating. If there were only...
Technology: Sprint to adapt smartwatches to help detect Covid, other infections
Five years ago, on a flight to Norway, Stanford University biologist Michael Snyder noticed that his body wasn’t behaving as it should. According to the multiple fitness trackers he happened to be wearing at the time, his heart rate was unusually high and his pulse ox – a measure of...
Testing psychedelics and translating clinical research into actual therapy is tricky
The idea behind psychedelic therapy is that the receptive state that the drug confers opens the door to fresh ideas about how to think about the past and future, which the therapist can reinforce. “There is a growing evidence base to the principle that this is very much about a...
Regulators grapple with how to administer powerful psychedelics for depression
On a sunny day in London in 2015, Kirk Rutter rode the Tube to Hammersmith Hospital in hopes of finally putting an end to his depression. Rutter had lived with the condition off and on for years, but the burden had grown since the death of his mother in 2011,...
Manchester United signs deal with StarTimes to offer MUTV in Africa
Millions of Manchester United fans in Africa will gain access to Manchester United TV under an agreement with StarTimes, a digital TV operator. StarTimes will distribute MUTV to subscribers in over 30 countries across sub-Saharan African, representing the biggest agreement of its kind by Manchester United in the region. Viewers...
WHO mission revisits theory that coronavirus is spread through frozen meat
Momentum is growing for the suggestion that the coronavirus can spread from infected frozen wildlife. A World Health Organization (WHO) fact-finding mission in China did not rule out the idea that this mode of transmission contributed to early outbreaks of Covid-19 – although investigators say it is unlikely to have...
Africa needs pragmatic free market policies to attract capital into gas markets
When I spoke at the International Petroleum (IP) Week on February 25, 2021, I commended Nigeria for its efforts in driving gas monetisation. However, we have to be clear that the oil and gas industry and hardworking people remain frustrated by the delays and inability to pass and sign the...
Energy Chamber resolves to raise funding for new projects in Africa
Investment committee of the African Energy Chamber has prioritised capital mobilisation for investment in new energy projects on the continent. The committee, which met virtually for the second time since its inception last year, resolved to make capital mobilisation a top agenda of the industry in the post-Covid era. The...
