Gigo: Science grapples with tonnes of gibberish ‘research’ literature
Nonsensical research papers generated by a computer programme are still popping up in the scientific literature many years after the problem was first seen, a study has revealed. Some publishers have told Nature they will take down the papers, which could result in more than 200 retractions. The issue began...
Lifting mask mandates: How proper messaging rallied world against Covid
A sign is still posted on the front door of the Wolfeboro Food Co-op that reads, “Face masks required.” Until recently, another sign had hung directly below it, explaining how the New Hampshire market was following federal policy. Erin Perkins, manager of the shop, removed that second sign on 14...
Optogenetics: Injection of light-sensitive proteins restores blind man’s vision
The first successful clinical test of a technique called optogenetics has allowed a person to see for the first time in decades, with the help of image-enhancing goggles. After 40 years of blindness, a 58-year-old man can once again see images and moving objects, thanks to an injection of light-sensitive...
Right to privacy: Human rights court rules UK spy laws violated ECHR convention
Surveillance laws permitting GCHQ to operate its Tempura dragnet mass surveillance system broke the law the European Court of Human Rights has ruled. The judgment, handed down on Tuesday morning in Strasbourg, vindicates the Edward Snowden revelations of 2013. The former NSA contractor in the united states revealed that Western...
Ndombe Opetum: DRC celebrates 9th anniversary of TPOK rumba ‘philosopher’
Nine years ago today, Kinshasa bade farewell to rumba legend Ndombe Opetum, the composer and songwriter whose song Nayebi Ndenge Bakolela Ngai had for nearly 30 years been the subject of intense discussion of what the composer intended to convey. It still is. As a result, there is still...
Wastewater gives clue of public health, South Africa narrowing it to unit area
The ability of wastewater testing technology to identify coronavirus hotspots is governed by the service area of the treatment plant: the wider the spread, the harder it is to pinpoint small outbreaks and at least one facility serves more than 850,000 people. The technology can provide an unbiased snapshot of...
CovidPoops19 Dashboard: How sewage helps keep finger on pulse of coronavirus
Monday is sample-collection day in Cape Town, South Africa and Aqeelah Benjamin is halfway through her shift. At the Green Point wastewater-treatment plant, under the Atlantic coast promenade, she fills a 500-millilitre bottle from a tap of untreated water. She wipes the bottle’s exterior, cleans it with a spritz of...
Why giraffes and some long-necked animals don’t develop hypertension
To most people, giraffes are merely adorable, long-necked animals that rank near the top of a zoo visit or a photo-safari bucket list. But to a cardiovascular physiologist, there’s even more to love. Giraffes, it turns out, have solved a problem that kills millions of people every year: high blood...
Why giraffes and some long-necked animals don’t develop hypertension
To most people, giraffes are merely adorable, long-necked animals that rank near the top of a zoo visit or a photo-safari bucket list. But to a cardiovascular physiologist, there’s even more to love. Giraffes, it turns out, have solved a problem that kills millions of people every year: high blood...
DR Congo government struggles to rescue citizens in Goma as Mt Nyiragongo volcano erupts
The government in the Democratic Republic of Congo has launched an urgent evacuation plan for the eastern city of Goma after a large volcano erupted. Fountains of high lava burst from the Mount Nyiragongo into the night sky forming a thick orange cloud over Goma, which has a population of...
