New study says regular consumption of tomatoes kills bad bacteria in the gut, decongests throat
Rich in the antioxidant lycopene and other essential nutrients, tomatoes are known for their health benefits. But lesser understood are the implications tomato consumption has for gut health. In a new study, researchers examined the effects of a tomato-heavy diet on the gut microbiome using an animal model. Researchers fed...
New study reveals marijuana smokers most at risk of developing lung disease or ‘shortness of breath’
A new study found that airway inflammation and emphysema – or shortness of breath – are more common in cannabis smokers than cigarette smokers. Smoking is the most common cause of emphysema, a chronic lung condition resulting from air sacs becoming stretched and damaged. While many people smoke cigarettes, cannabis...
Non-state actors have the expertise to tackle conflict in northern Kenya but damaged trust in government’s a barrier
Conflict and insecurity have been synonymous with northern Kenya since independence. Thus, in recent weeks, cases of bandit attacks in the region have left villages terrorised and led to several deaths. In October 2022, the government launched a multi-agency security operation aimed at curbing further attacks. Northern Kenya is characterised...
Climate change: Last of glaziers on African mountains are vanishing as ‘Kenya is boiling in these times’
Africa is home to three glacier-capped mountains. Within decades, scientists say, the glaciers will be gone. Mount Kenya’s will be the first to go, with researchers predicting their disappearance as soon as 2030. The mountain would be among the first in the world to entirely lose its glaciers because of...
Holacracy: Unpacking hierarchy overloads to provide linkages at all cadres of an organisation
Continuation…. There are disturbingly similar and the all-too-familiar scenario where executives feel they’ve been incredibly clear about their organisation’s goals and strategies, while those lower down in the organisation chart are positively bewildered – or at least foggy – about the goals. Equally alarming in this exercise is the lack...
Holacracy: Reaping reward of devolved company hierarchy that is executed minus nit-picking boss
The March 2015 announcement by Zappos that they were fully embracing holacracy, an organisational structure that they’ve been experimenting with since 2013, has renewed my interest in hierarchy-induced dysfunctionality. In case you’re not familiar with this approach for structuring teams, you should know that holacracy doesn’t mean chaos. There is...
Bordering life and death: Study computer picked voices of dying people saying ‘apple, pear, banana and fish’
While finishing his medical degree at the University of London in the mid-90s, Dr Sam Parnia watched as doctors attempted to revive a man in cardiac arrest. As he stood there, Dr Parnia wondered whether the patient could hear the medical staff as they worked to revive him. The doctor...
Rohingya: We belong to Myanmar and Myanmar belongs to us…so calling us stateless is dehumanising
The use of the terms “stateless” or “statelessness” when referring to the Rohingya population is demotivating and inaccurate, says Aung Kyaw Moe, who serves as a human rights advisor to Myanmar’s National Unity Government – the civilian government-in-exile formed in the wake of the February 2021 military coup. Aung Kyaw...
Aspirin: Wonder drug medics are prescribing for women who’ve had multiple miscarriages
Dear Readers, The strategy of taking a daily low-dose aspirin tablet has been in the news again this week, with a study that seems to suggest it can make older people more likely to fall over. This is disappointing because the trial was set up in the hope that it...
Thinking innovation: How creativity dumps mediocrity by breaking barriers and embracing social value
People have written about and discussed the concept of “innovation” at organisations extensively over many years. Interestingly, there has been an overly keen emphasis on a set of prescribed steps that are deemed necessary to innovate – as if there’s a process that can be replicated and repeated over and...
