Covid vaccines-related blood clots raise concerns as some governments opt out
It has been a difficult month for two Covid-19 vaccines. On April 13, US regulators urged healthcare providers to temporarily stop using a vaccine made by Johnson & Johnson (J&J) of New Brunswick, New Jersey, because of six suspected cases of unusual blood clotting among nearly seven million vaccine recipients....
Ensure genetically modified pork is safe for human consumption – experts
Companies that hope to bring genetically engineered pigs to the mass market may have to demonstrate similar levels of molecular characterisation to Revivicor’s, but the environmental impact assessments will undoubtedly be more onerous – and those stewardship requirements are “still being designed as we’re going.” According to Elena Rice, Community...
GM pork to be on your plate soon, but its makers have transplant organs in mind
The first genetically engineered pig products could soon be coming to a dinner plate – or pharmacy – near you. Late last year, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorised a facility in northern Iowa to raise hogs that lack the gene needed to produce galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-Gal), a sugar...
Staggering rebound of coronavirus infections in India puzzles scientists
The coronavirus pandemic is sweeping through India at a pace that has staggered scientists. Daily case numbers have exploded since early March. The government reported 273,810 new infections nationally on April 18. High numbers in India have also helped drive global cases to a daily high of 854,855 in the...
Forest fires burn down historic South African library and plant collection
Forest fires raging in South Africa’s Table Mountain National Park have reached the University of Cape Town (UCT) and gutted the reading room of its main library, which houses irreplaceable documents and records from the country’s past. Amid apocalyptic scenes on April 18, fire tore through part of the 200-year-old...
Is British supermodel Naomi Campbell preparing to resettle in Kenya?
Away from the madding bigotry in what should be their native countries, Black people in diaspora are gradually but determinedly retracing their ancestors’ footsteps back to Africa. In the words of African-America film actress Mia Speight, there is a growing desire to live among people who look like them. Is...
Ukrainian women and children detained in Syria need consular support
Regional authorities in northeast Syria are unlawfully detaining an estimated 40 Ukrainian women and children in inhuman and degrading conditions in camps. Investigations by Human Rights Watch revealed that the women and children are among more than 43,000 foreigners that have been linked to the extremist armed group Islamic State...
Drink, drugs and disease: From sniffing to breathalysers to fix substance abuse
Until very recently, most of us hardly gave a second thought to breathing. As essential as it is for life and survival, we took it for granted, an act as natural as…well, breathing. Since the Covid-19 pandemic swept the world, however, we have all become more aware of our own...
Scientists grow monkey-human embryos, reignite ethical questions
Scientists have successfully grown monkey embryos containing human cells for the first time – the latest milestone in a rapidly advancing field that has drawn ethical questions. In the work, published on April 15 in Cell, the team injected monkey embryos with human stem cells and watched them develop. They...
India’s coronavirus explosion puts vaccine supplies at risk
India, one of the world’s biggest suppliers of vaccines, is facing a Covid-19 vaccine crunch, partly due to an explosion of cases linked to new variants. This spells trouble for many countries relying on Indian-made vaccines supplied through the World Health Organization’s COVAX initiative for equitable access to vaccines. On...
