Level increased regardless of health but virus ‘picks on’ those already at risk of illness or deathBritain’s first wave of coronavirus raised the risk of death by more than 40% for most adults regardless of their underlying health and other factors, research suggests.Scientists examined medical records for nearly 10 million people aged 40 and over and found that, whatever a person’s risk...
Animals thought to have developed the illness about 200 years ago after bacterial infections gained resistance to natural antibioticsHedgehogs have been harbouring a type of the MRSA superbug since long before the use of antibiotics in humans and livestock, research suggests.Scientists have found evidence of the superbug arising in nature well before the use of the drugs, which have traditionally...
Cases of people infected at same time with both viruses have been reported in some countriesLevels of flu remain low in the UK despite Covid cases rising considerably over Christmas and the new year, official data reveals.The Omicron coronavirus variant has spread rapidly around the UK, leading to a sharp rise in infections and, subsequently, hospitalisations. Continue...
High court to review government’s decision to include subsidiary of Malaysia’s Supermax in £6bn ‘framework’ deal for buying glovesCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe UK government is facing legal action over its decision to keep using a Malaysian company accused of using forced labour as a supplier of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the NHS. Lawyers at...
American biologist and champion of diversity who specialised in the study of ants and was regarded as a modern-day Charles DarwinWhen the naturalist Edward O Wilson was a boy of seven, the dorsal spine of a fish that he was reeling in near his home in Mobile, Alabama, damaged his right eye. He lost the sight of that eye and subsequently suffered partial hearing loss in his teens. These...
Hundreds of new species include pink voodoo lily and an ylang-ylang tree named after Leonardo DiCaprioA ghost orchid that grows in complete darkness, an insect-trapping tobacco plant and an “exploding firework” flower are among the new species named by scientists in the last year. The species range from a voodoo lily from Cameroon to a rare tooth fungus unearthed near London, UK.A new tree...
Dogs react differently to speech and non-speech when listening to human voices, say researchersDogs may appear to have selective hearing when it comes to commands but research suggests they are paying attention to human chit-chat.Researchers – who arranged for headphone-wearing dogs to listen to excerpts from the novella The Little Prince – revealed the brains of our canine companions can tell...
On Wednesday, 194,747 daily confirmed Covid cases were reported for the whole of the UK. But this doesn’t include all the people who have caught the virus for the second, or even third time. In fact, official figures for England, Scotland and Northern Ireland don’t include those who have had Covid before, despite warnings from scientists that up to 15% of Omicron cases could be reinfections....