The Conversation
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Coronavirus: is the R number still useful?
A few months ago, most people had never heard of the R number. Now, thanks to the novel coronavirus, we all know – or think we know – what it means. R is the reproduction number of an infectious disease – basically how many people one infected person will transmit… »
Coronavirus vaccine search: how we’re preparing to make enough for the whole world
There are 102 candidate vaccines being explored as a means of ending the COVID-19 pandemic, as of April 30. Eight of these have already made it to clinical trials in humans, and another 94 are in the pre-clinical evaluation stage. These candidates also fall into eight different categories of… »
Zoom fatigue: how to make video calls less tiring
Many new phrases have entered our vocabulary as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown. “Zoom fatigue” refers to the mental exhaustion associated with online video conferencing. We can change how we interact on video calls with adapted social behaviours such as scheduling shorter meetings. But… »
Coronavirus: why you need to wear a face mask in France, but not in the UK
Should you wear a face mask when you leave your house? It’s the question no one seems to agree on. In France, the government originally said masks were unnecessary, but this week has made it mandatory to wear them on public transport and in secondary schools and is distributing… »
Face masks: what the Spanish flu can teach us about making them compulsory
Should people be forced to wear face masks in public? That’s the question facing governments as more countries unwind their lockdowns. Over 30 countries have made masks compulsory in public, including Germany, Austria and Poland. This is despite the science saying masks do little to protect wearers, and only might prevent them from infecting… »
Universal basic income could improve the nation’s mental health
Many people are talking about universal basic income (UBI) these days. Giving everyone a guaranteed income could be the solution to many economic woes. But one factor that hasn’t been mentioned much in discussions of UBI is how it might improve our mental health. Social psychiatry research… »
Coronavirus: are we underestimating how many people have had it? Sweden thinks so
Many countries around the world are now facing the difficult decision of when and how to ease lockdown restrictions due to the novel coronavirus. In the absence of a vaccine, it is likely there will be new waves of the epidemic, unless enough people have been infected to achieve herd… »
Yes, climate change can affect extreme weather – but there is still a lot to learn
The fact that the climate has warmed is hard for humans to actually experience first hand, and we certainly can’t see carbon in the air with our own eyes. For most of us, climate change manifests itself and affects our lives through heatwaves, storms, wildfires, floods and droughts. However, this… »
How a virus brought New York to a standstill in the summer of 1916
A plague from nowhere, which threatens to kill millions worldwide and overturn civilisation. We can’t treat it or protect ourselves against it, and our healthcare systems can’t cope. It’s a nightmare, but one that has visited us before – and this should prompt us to look back and see if… »
Inside the Beatles’ messy breakup, 50 years ago
By Tim Riley -The Conversation Fifty years ago, when Paul McCartney announced he had left the Beatles, the news dashed the hopes of millions of fans, while fueling false reunion rumors that persisted well into the new decade. In a press release on April 10, 1970… »
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