21 articles from SUNDAY 21.3.2021

Benjamin Abeles obituary

My father, Benjamin Abeles, who has died aged 95, was a renowned physicist whose research led to the technology used to power the Voyager spacecraft. An incredibly hard-working man, he overcame tremendous obstacles in his youth.Born in Vienna, the youngest of two children of Selma (nee Kronberger), a leather artisan, and Ernst Abeles, a businessmen, Benjamin arrived in the UK from Prague as a...

Large asteroid to (safely) zip past Earth

The largest asteroid to pass by Earth this year will swing closest on Sunday, giving astronomers a rare chance for a good look at a space rock that formed at the dawn of our solar system.

Sherry Turkle: 'The pandemic has shown us that people need relationships'

The acclaimed writer on technology and its effect on our mental health talks about her memoir and the insights Covid has given herSherry Turkle, 72, is professor of the social studies of science and technology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology. She was one of the first academics to examine the impact of technology on human psychology and society. She has published a series of acclaimed...

Vets warn of new Covid variant's possible link to heart problems in pets

Specialist hospital stresses: ‘We have strong suspicion of transmission from human to pet, not vice versa’Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageVets are warning of a possible link between a new variant of coronavirus and heart problems in cats and dogs after a increase in pets presenting with myocarditis at a specialist veterinary hospital in Buckinghamshire during the...

Call for UK to share spare doses as Unicef launches global vaccine drive

Wellcome Trust director speaks out as Brits are urged to back huge fundraising campaign to deliver jabs to 190 other countriesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIt is time Britain began sharing its stores of Covid vaccine doses with other less developed nations, the director of the Wellcome Trust, Jeremy Farrar, has warned.The medical researcher spoke out yesterday after...

Covid: why has the fall in UK infection rate stalled despite vaccinations?

Hospital admissions and deaths are declining as priority groups vaccinated but number of new diagnoses has stabilisedCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK’s Covid-19 statistics remain encouraging despite continuing rows over vaccine deliveries in Europe. Admissions to hospital and daily deaths from the disease continue to decline with numbers in the latter category...

Climate fight 'is undermined by social media's toxic reports'

Scientists warn that Nobel summit and long-term decisions to save the planet are at risk from targeted attacks onlineFake news on social media about climate change and biodiversity loss is having a worrying impact in the battle to halt the growing environmental threats to the planet, a group of scientists and analysts have warned.In a report published by the Royal Swedish Academy of Science, they...

Readmission rate high for adults hospitalized for diabetic ketoacidosis

One in five adults with type 1 diabetes who require in-hospital treatment of the life-threatening condition diabetic ketoacidosis has an unplanned repeat hospital visit within a month and is twice as likely to die during the second hospitalization, a new study finds. The results, which will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, also identified several factors that...

Weekly insulin helps patients with type 2 diabetes achieve similar blood sugar control to daily insulin

A new once-weekly basal insulin injection demonstrated similar efficacy and safety and a lower rate of low blood sugar episodes compared with a daily basal insulin, according to a phase 2 clinical trial. The study results, which will be presented at ENDO 2021, the Endocrine Society's annual meeting, compared an investigational drug called basal insulin Fc (BIF) with insulin degludec, a...