Every once in a while, we are reminded of the wisdom in ancient tales. During the current pandemic, we are specifically reminded of one of the most famous tales of Aesop’s fables, the “tortoise and the hare”, which gave rise to the famous idiom “slow and steady wins the race”. The metaphorical race, in this […]
Badly presented statistics cost lives. The stakes have never been higher: over the past year, the careless misrepresentation of data has brewed uncertainty, conspiracy, and the deaths of loved ones. And so, in our quest to gain true insight into the state of the pandemic, we must be prepared to battle this statistical ineptitude, along […]
For many people, the light at the end of the lockdown tunnel is a Covid vaccine. Multiple trials are underway with promising results and there have been suggestions that a vaccine could be rolled out as early as March next year. However, the problem is not just finding a vaccine which works but also distributing […]
Studying is a bit different for everyone – it might be fun, curiosity-driven, and inspiring, but it can also be daunting or stressful when it is wrapped up in deadlines and assignments. Psychologist Dr Gary W. Wood has spent much of his career studying how people learn and teaching them how to do it better. […]
For such a fundamental and routine feature of our existence, sleep is something that we know relatively little about. Though it has been studied since the 1900s, scientists still do not fully know why sleep is even strictly necessary, or which specific advantages have allowed this seemingly impractical behaviour to evolve. In a competitive environment, […]
Officials have declared a public health emergency in the United States due to a measles outbreak in Washington. The rising number of cases in the state has been linked to travellers returning from Israel and Ukraine where the disease is relatively common. So far there have been 51 confirmed cases within Washington but no fatalities. […]
The prospective male contraceptive gel, known as NES/T, works in a similar way to the women’s combined pill. It’s a hormone-based treatment containing progestogen, which influences the pituitary gland and causes a reduction in the production of follicle stimulating hormone – a key component in the making of sperm. The gel also contains amounts of […]
A landmark study published in Science Advances has found evidence suggesting that the bacterium responsible for gum disease, called Porphyromonas gingivalis, may play a role in the development of Alzheimer’s disease. There have been previous hints from animal studies that this common oral bacteria may be linked in some way to Alzheimer’s disease. Work in […]