Antibodies in breast milk fend off Covid infection before it takes root in newborns
Researchers have long known that new-born babies don’t effectively produce antibodies against harmful bacteria and viruses; and it can take three to six months for this kind of protection to kick in. To help in those early days, a mother’s breast milk overflows with antibodies capable of staving off potential...
Revealed: Covid vaccine is just as beneficial for breastfeeding moms, pregnant women
Molly Siegel had long awaited a Covid-19 vaccine. As an obstetrician at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, she regularly saw pregnant people with Covid-19 and knew that the vaccine was the best way to protect herself, her family and others in her workplace. But with a seven-month-old baby at home...
Other than booze makers, perfume producers are also in the race for undersea historic yeasts
A few beverage-makers and scientists argue that using more diverse strains of yeast can also strongly influence the flavour and robustness of the finished product. In short, trying an unusual yeast could result in better beer, so many are turning to forgotten strains from the past. Scientists at Brewlab, a...
Brewers go undersea to hunt for long-forgotten yeast strains to add punch and power to their beers
As the diver gently eased himself through a hatch into the sunken hold, he could see the shipwreck’s treasure lying in wait for him. It had been down there for more than 100 years. But now some of it was about to be freed from its resting place. The explorer...
Scientists map out 2,000 stars with own planets from where aliens peep into Earth
Scientists searching for extra-terrestrial life should narrow their hunt to stars and planetary systems that have an occasional view of the Earth as it passes in front of the Sun. Astronomers have pinpointed more than 2,000 stars from where, in the not-too-distant past or future, Earth can occasionally be detected...
Pro-democracy Apple Daily newspaper closed down by Hong Kong strongmen
The Hong Kong edition of Apple Daily, published by the Hong Kong-based Next Digital media group, will print its last paper on June 24. The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) and its affiliate, the Hong Kong Journalists Association (HKJA), expressed deep concern over the dark day for journalism and independent...
East Africa’s trade links with India expose it to the virulent Delta Covid variant
When the first cases of the SARS-CoV-2 Delta variant were detected in the United Kingdom in mid-April, the nation was getting ready to open up. Covid-19 case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths were plummeting, thanks to months of lockdown and one of the world’s fastest vaccination programmes. Two months later, the...
We need to talk: Researchers should always set out terms of engagement from the outset
Research collaborations are the lifeblood of science. But it is often challenging to build an inclusive partnership that stays firm in the face of conflict. Once collaborators lose trust in or respect for one another, it can be difficult, if not impossible, to salvage the team, says sociologist Martin Gargiulo,...
Men invest in step-kids and even biological kids as an asset in their relationships
Anthropologists used to assume that fatherly behaviour could evolve only in monogamous animals, Stacy Rosenbaum, co-author of Annual Review of Anthropology, says. Species like the mountain gorillas undermine that assumption. They also show that, despite what scientists have long thought, male animals don’t have to choose between spending their energy...
Evolution of fathers: While fish and birds co-parent, mammal dads only donate sperms and moms do the rest
Lee Gettler is hard to get on the phone, for the very ordinary reason that he’s busy caring for his two young children. Among mammals, though, that makes him extraordinary. “Human fathers engage in really costly forms of care,” says Gettler, an anthropologist at the University of Notre Dame. In...
