120 confirmed cases of monkeypox sends scientists into a spin as US guards against potential bioterrorism
More than 120 confirmed or suspected cases of monkeypox, a rare viral disease seldom detected outside of Africa, have been reported in at least 11 non-African countries in the past week. The emergence of the virus in separate populations across the world where it doesn’t usually appear has alarmed scientists...
NASA’s Voyager 1 spacecraft ‘feels confused’ after 45 years in orbit, logging 23 billion kilometres away from Earth
NASA’s Voyager 1 mission launched in 1977, passed into what scientists call interstellar space in 2012 and just kept going – the spacecraft is now 14.5 billion miles (23.3 billion kilometres) away from Earth. And while Voyager 1 is still operating properly, scientists on the mission recently noticed that it...
Africa’s burden: Report says monkeypox is related to smallpox, a dreaded disease that was eradicated in 1980
The rapid accumulation of monkeypox virus cases is ringing alarm bells. On Tuesday this week, the US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signalled it was worried about the state of the outbreak in the UK and the potential that cases would be found in other countries. “We do...
Ukraine war: Tale of two atrocities – international relations and barbarity of racism aimed at Africans
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine is a tale of two atrocities: One engages the attention of the world as an international relations priority, the other, the barbarity of racism, receives little official acknowledgement. This unaddressed crime involves African students in Ukraine, and the anti-Black hate they have faced trying to flee...
Stereotyping? Strain of monkeypox virus detected in Canada, US and Europe in gays, lesbians…then linked to Africa!
The United States confirmed a case of monkeypox infection on Wednesday in a man who recently travelled to Canada. It is not yet clear if the man, who lives in Massachusetts and who traveled to Canada by car, is connected to the growing outbreak of monkeypox cases in Europe. The...
Chelsea manager heaps praises on midfielder N’Golo Kante, but signals Frenchman’s reign in north London is ending
Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel bemoaned his team’s missed chances in the 1-1 Thursday night draw against Leicester, but had special praise for midfielder N’Golo Kante, whom he compared with Liverpool’s Mo Salah in terms of the pivotal role he players in the middle of the pack. However, in a more...
Fasting: Studies on monkeys and mice show total calorie intake control slows down ageing, extends lifespan
Studies in worms, flies, rodents and monkeys have demonstrated that diets that severely restrict total calorie intake, while providing all the essential nutrients, extend average lifespan. The research shows that in all these organisms, food shortages trigger physiological changes that promote longevity and delay the onset of age-related disease. Calorie-restricted...
World recorded 15 million Covid deaths, but working out size of health burden is challenging – report
How do you count the cost of a pandemic? Covid-19 has killed an estimated 15 million people since it emerged at the end of 2019, but its impact on health reaches much further. For hundreds of millions of people around the world, infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 has brought a...
Second coming: New Somalia president Mohamud returns to power, but has to grapple with terrorism
Last Sunday, Hassan Sheikh Mohamud made history as the first person to be elected president twice in Somalia’s nascent democracy after a landslide victory against the incumbent Mohamed Abdullahi Mohamed, aka Farmaajo. In a contest of more than 36 candidates, both men made it to the third round of what...
Congo wants Ugandan troops to remain in east of the country to fight rebels and Islamist invaders
The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) government has described as “premature” the call to withdraw Ugandan troops in the east, where they are battling the ADF rebel group. Kinshasa says such a decision that has already been made by Ugandan military officers, is the prerogative of the presidents of the...
