‘Greener’ tech comes at an invisible human cost, writes journalist Nicolas Niarchos. Plus, the risks of measles outbreaks for vaccinated people and how a five-day break in complete darkness changes your body.
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Measles has been so rare in many countries that some physicians have never seen a case — but that is changing. Dropping vaccination levels mean that the ruthlessly contagious disease is sparking outbreaks in North America, Europe and elsewhere. The good news is that vaccination is highly effective, and the symptoms tend to be mild in the tiny percentage of people who are vaccinated but still get infected. The same is not true for those who don’t have immunity: measles can have severe symptoms, especially in young children. In an outbreak, physicians might recommend giving babies between 6 months and 11 months of age an extra, early dose of the MMR vaccine, “which is not a problem at all, there are no additional side effects”, says Diego Hijano, a paediatric infectious-disease physician.
Nature | 8 min read
Source: US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
The beetle Sceptobius lativentris is trapped in a biological ‘catch-22’ — it must regularly groom velvety tree ants (Liometopum occidentale) or die. Using their hairy arms, the beetles groom the usually aggressive ants to harvest chemicals called cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) from the ants’ exoskeletons. The compounds camouflage them with the ants’ scent and stop them from drying out. This disguise locks the beetles in a symbiotic relationship with the ants: if they produce their own CHCs, the ants will recognize and attack them; if they stop harvesting the ants’ CHCs, their bodies will desiccate.
Science | 5 min read
Reference: Cell paper
Proposals to reform the United Kingdom’s largest funding agency aim to ensure that the country’s research creates jobs and money. Physicist Ian Chapman, who leads UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said that the country’s researchers are an under-used asset “that we need to sweat” to boost economic growth. But some researchers are concerned that the reforms could drain university science of funds and put the nation’s participation in major international science projects — such as the Vera C. Rubin Observatory — in jeopardy.
Nature | 7 min read
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