Author: EUSci
-
Africa has eradicated wild polio
There were massive challenges faced during the campaign to eradicate wild polio. To be truly effective, vaccination efforts had to reach far out and potentially dangerous regions, which led to deaths among front-line workers and volunteers. Patients who were hardest to reach were usually those most vulnerable, mostly displaced by conflict. Misinformation was combatted in…
-
The colours of nature
The colours most commonly associated with nature are shades of blues and greens. Very rarely does red make a vibrant appearance, and researchers at the University of Cambridge may have explained why. A team from the Department of Chemistry used computational modelling to determine that ‘matt structural colour’ – responsible for the most intense colours…
-
Secrets of the water bear
Tardigrades (also known as water bears or moss piglets) are among the most resilient animals on the planet. They are termed “extremotolerant”, as while they are not true extremophiles – organisms, usually unicellular, which are adapted to thrive in extreme conditions – these incredible micro-animals are found in the most intense conditions our planet has…
-
NASA’s First Nigerien Scientist
Fadij Maina (29) has become the first scientist from Niger, as well as the first African scientist, to work for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Maina earned her PhD in Hydrology in 2016, and joined the US space agency at the end of last month. She will be using mathematical models and data…
-
Sex differences in immune responses to COVID-19
There are a broad range of COVID-19 symptoms, which widely differ in severity between patients. Age quickly emerged as the most significant predictor of this. COVID-19 related deaths are extremely uncommon in those under 50, but for those over 75, the odds of surviving COVID-19 decreases dramatically. Sadly, over 10 percent of this age group…
-
Plan to connect with the Rumble App
AD If you’re like the rest of us, you met your friends through your degree, first year accomodation or a society. Maybe they invited you for a coffee. You exchanged a song or two, maybe a meme if you’re into that. Next thing you know, you’re regular guests at each other’s dinner parties. But at…
-
RZSS share the impact of lockdown on conservation
Talking to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland, who own Edinburgh Zoo and the Highland Wildlife Park, Ailie McWhinnie investigates the vital conservation work in Scotland and around the world that has taken a hit during the pandemic, and what we can do to help. The Cairngorm plateau, a wild and rugged landscape strewn with…
-
Scalable artificial photosynthesis device can produce fuel from sunlight, CO2 and water
A new device developed by a team in Cambridge marks a breakthrough in artificial photosynthesis technology, due to its efficiency and scalability. It converts sunlight, carbon dioxide and water into oxygen and formic acid. Utilising the greatest renewable energy source available to us – the sun – this technology does not require electricity to power…
-
Dissecting BP’s 2050 net-zero carbon pledge
Sami Cheqrouni Espinar examines the credibility of each of the aims outlined by BP to shift its position in a transforming energy sector. On the 12th of February 2020, BP set a company-wide ambition of achieving net-zero emissions by the year 2050. Bernard Looney, the current CEO of BP, stated, “the world’s carbon budget is…
-
Reflections on the history of radiocarbon dating
Alice Spaccasassi explores what the history of radiocarbon dating can teach us about how we celebrate and remember scientific discoveries. Few recent discoveries in chemistry have affected as many scientific fields as radiocarbon dating. Archaeologists, geologists, oceanographers and many others use it to determine the age of objects up to 60,000 years old. For reference,…