Covid-19 spike: WHO asks countries to strengthen surveillance
New Delhi: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has urged countries in South-East Asia to strengthen surveillance in view of the increasing cases of respiratory diseases, including due to COVID-19 and its new sub-variant JN.1, and influenza. The WHO also urged people to take protective measures. “The COVID-19 virus continues to evolve, change, and circulate in […]
Sniffing women’s tears found to reduce aggressive behaviour in men
New Delhi: A study has found that sniffing women’s tears leads to reduced aggression in men. The research led by Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel, showed that tears from women contained chemicals that lowered men’s brain activity linked to aggression and thus, weakened aggressive behaviour in them. While this process of social chemosignalling is known […]
Cutting pollution to Covid pandemic level may prevent Himalayan glaciers from disappearing: Study
New Delhi: Reducing air pollution to levels similar to those during the COVID-19 pandemic could protect the Himalayan glaciers and prevent them from disappearing by the end of the century, a study by an international research team from India, Germany and the UK has found. Analysing the situation during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020, the […]
JN.1 Covid variant: Experts allay fears, cite low public health risk
New Delhi: India on Wednesday reported 21 cases of the JN.1 Covid variant, a development that is neither surprising nor particularly worrying, scientists said while allaying fears but also advising adherence to existing precautionary measures. The announcement about the increasing numbers of the new sub-variant, detected in three states, came with the Union Health Ministry […]
Breathing during sleep may be influencing how our brains form memories: Study
New Delhi: Our breathing during sleep may be influencing how memories in our brains are being consolidated, a new study has found. While it is known that sleep-related brain rhythms are linked with reactivation of memory contents during sleep, researchers from Germany and the UK found that these rhythms, such as oscillations and spindles, are […]
CT scans linked to higher risk of blood cancers in young people: Study
New Delhi: Computed tomography (CT) scans are associated with an increased risk of blood cancers in children and young adults, according to a study published in the Nature Medicine journal. The European Pediatric CT (EPI-CT) study, involving nearly a million patients, reveals that the radiation from these scans, which use X-rays and a computer to […]
Progress in ending child marriage stagnating in India: Study
Says 1 in 5 girls, 1 in 6 boys are married New Delhi: One in five girls and about one in six boys in India are married, with the progress made towards eliminating the practice of child marriage entirely stagnating in recent years, according to a study published in ‘The Lancet Global Health’ journal. Between […]
Delivering Covid vaccine directly to respiratory tract may provide higher protection: Study
New Delhi: Delivering the COVID-19 vaccine directly to the respiratory tract — the primary site of entry inS-CoV-2 infection — may lead to improved protection against the disease, a study in monkeys has found. The global COVID-19 vaccination campaign saved an estimated 20 million lives, researchers said. However, while current COVID-19 vaccines provide protection against […]
Scientists generate compounds with diamond-like hardness
New Delhi: Scientists subjected substances containing carbon and nitrogen to extreme heat and pressure to yield a material that they said could rival diamond in its hardness. The international team of scientists led by the University of Edinburgh, UK, exposed these carbon nitrogen mixtures to pressures about a million times the atmospheric – between 70 […]
Scientists find hidden reservoir of Covid virus in body cells
New Delhi: Researchers have identified a potential hidden reservoir of the SARS-CoV-2 virus in body cells that might explain its persistence and reoccurrence. The researchers at the Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences, New Delhi, explored extracellular vesicles (EVs)–microscopic particles released by cells–and uncovered an important piece of information. The RNA or genetic material of […]
