Immunity against Omicron from breakthrough infection is a matter of timing – researchers
Good timing is a key to success – even for riding out the Omicron wave. Research from Japan suggests that Covid-19 vaccination followed months later by a breakthrough SARS-CoV-2 infection offers greater protection against the Omicron variant than do closely spaced vaccination and infection. The finding implies that countries that...
NASA’s outer space engineering wonder flawlessly unfurls its mirrors, sunshield to formally become a telescope
After several tense days of unfurling and clicking its various parts into place, the biggest and most sophisticated space telescope ever launched is now complete. On January 8, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope slowly swung the last three of its 18 hexagonal mirror segments into position, locking them together into...
Reports: Flooding and negligent grassroots state officials will make 2022 South Sudan’s hungriest year ever
Nyayiar Kuol cradled her severely malnourished one-year-old daughter as they travelled for 16 hours on a crowded barge to the nearest hospital to their home in rural South Sudan. For months she had been feeding her four children just once a day, unable to cultivate because of disastrous flooding and...
Clueless Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta under blistering criticism after Gunners crash out of FA Cup
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has been criticised for fielding a weakened team against Nottingham Forest after his side were knocked out of the FA Cup with a 1-0 defeat to the Championship side. Substitute Lewis Grabban’s late winner gave the hosts a deserved third-round win against the slapdash Gunners, who...
Should doctors in Myanmar ‘medically clear’ patients or boycott hospitals to protest oppressive military system?
Myanmar’s doctors are taking a stand. For months, many have joined a widespread civil disobedience movement – refusing to work in public hospitals in order to oppose the February 2021 military coup. They’re showing remarkable courage – and raising important ethical questions – in opposing a regime accused of killing...
By 2080, millions of species will need to migrate to new regions, even new continents to survive
There are laws of nature that relate to the ways in which we, as humans, behave. As laws of human behaviour, they are both narrower and messier than the broader laws of biology; they are as much tendencies as laws. Yet they are tendencies repeated across times and cultures, tendencies...
The dangers of the future: Nature is an afterthought in our contemplation of what comes next
When we humans imagine the future, it is common to picture ourselves nested within an ecosystem populated by robots, devices and virtual realities. The future is shining and technological. The future is digital, ones and zeros, electricity and invisible connections. The dangers of the future – automation and artificial intelligence...
Prevailing uncertainty in South Sudan makes it difficult to resettle millions of returning refugees, IDPs
Political divides are at the root of the displacement of the Shilluk and must be resolved before sustainable and equitable returns can take place. Yet, if returns are to occur – in the run-up to next year’s polls – various electoral processes will likely lead to violent contestations over administrative...
Africa’s political leadership mounted a robust response helped to mitigate impact of Covid
As omicron continues to make its impact across the globe, scientists in Africa are rapidly learning more about the new coronavirus variant. Omicron was first identified in southern Africa in November. Dr John Nkengasong, the director of Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told The World’s host Carol Hills...
Why the return of refugees and internally displaced people is such a thorny issue in South Sudan
South Sudan’s government wants millions of people who fled the country’s devastating civil war to return home ahead of national elections tentatively scheduled for 2023. But some humanitarians worry that returns could be risky as violence continues to flare around the country despite a 2018 peace agreement and the subsequent...
