How publishers are coping with push to expedite name changes for ‘transwriters’
In an effort to expand inclusivity for transgender researchers, some scientific publishers and societies worldwide have adopted policies that allow rapid and discreet author name changes to be made on digital editions of published works. These include research articles, conference papers, books and book chapters. Some publishers are also extending...
‘I’m sorry, but it’s too late’: Doctor tells of how emotionally it’s taxing to care for someone who’d have prevented Covid
Dr Brytney Cobia said early this week that all but one of her Covid patients in Alabama did not receive the vaccine. The vaccinated patient, she said, just needed a little oxygen and is expected to fully recover. Some of the others are dying. “I’m admitting young healthy people to...
Graduate student mental health: Boundaries between work and life are blurred, self-care’s key
A graduate student mental health and well-being (CGS-JED) report says many PhD students say they have problems accessing care. This is because counselling centres are often closed after 5pm and at weekends, limiting access for those busy with classes, teaching and research. Some students were also apprehensive about going to...
Researchers and PhD holders want reforms in their fields addressed to rein in wastage
Nations, universities and research institutions around the world must redouble efforts to expand training for PhD students and postdoctoral researchers to prepare them for jobs outside academia. So urges a report from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), an intergovernmental coalition of 38 nations. The report, the result...
Gun violence: Pregnancy or recently having given birth doubles a woman’s risk of being shot dead in US
Maeve Wallace has studied maternal health in the United States for more than a decade, and a grim statistic haunts her. Five years ago, she published a study showing that being pregnant or recently having had a baby nearly doubles a woman’s risk of being killed. More than half of...
Biden vs Facebook: Conservative media sigh with relief as Big Tech accused of ‘killing people’
US resident Biden’s criticism of Facebook is a double win for Fox News. Not only does it draw attention away from the network’s own culpability for the vaccination gap, but it feeds a potent right-wing narrative about government and Big Tech colluding to silence conservatives. ‘ Biden and Facebook have...
South Africa’s unrest hits neighbours as Namibia tells of coffin shortage for burial of Covid victims
South Africa’s neighbours felt the shockwaves of days of unrest and looting, prompting some to rethink their economic reliance on the regional power. In Namibia, the effect was immediate. In commenting on the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic, Health Minister Kalumbi Shangula said the unrest in South Africa threatened...
US President Biden and Facebook feud over Covid vaccine hesitancy as virus ravages Americans
The White House and Facebook got into a feud over the past few days after President Biden and aides repeatedly accused the company of doing too little to combat Covid vaccine misinformation. On Thursday, US surgeon general Vivek Murthy released an advisory about health misinformation that included some fairly banal...
China launches world’s largest carbon market, but questions linger over defiant emitters
China, the world’s largest emitter of greenhouse gases, has launched its first national emissions-trading scheme. Such carbon-pricing mechanisms exist in around 45 countries already, but China’s scheme, which began trading last week, is the world’s biggest. It has been plagued by delays, and researchers argue it might not be ambitious...
Rebellion: Prince Harry announces a book about his highs and lows as a royal will be out next year
Prince Harry is writing a book about his life in the Royal Family to be published in late 2022. The Duke of Sussex, aged 36, is said to have been secretly working on the book for almost a year. A statement from publisher Random House said: “In an intimate and...
