DIRS.INFO The most relevant business & tech news

☆ A microbiologist explains where and what she won't eat to avoid food poisoning
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-29 | by ( Primrose Freestone | The Conversation Uk | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +8 min

Every year, around 2.4 million people in the UK get food poisoning– mostly from viral or bacterial contamination. Eating outdoorsI rarely eat alfresco – whether picnics or barbecues – as the risk of food poisoning goes up when food is taken outdoors. For barbecues, meat needs to be thoroughly cooked, and a meat thermometer is a good investment to avoid food poisoning. AdvertisementAdvertisementIt is also possible to pick up food poisoning from eating any raw shellfish (clams, mussels, whelks, cockles). The benefits of being a microbiologist are that we know how to avoid food poisoning and, in return, people have confidence our cooking is very safe to eat.

Persons: Primrose Freestone, —, I'm, Silas Stein, Lisa Marion Smith, Francisco Bonilla Organizations: Service, Getty, US Centers for Disease Control, Reuters, University of Leicester Locations: San Pancho, vibriosis

☆ Disney's wildest ride: Iger, Chapek and the making of an epic succession mess
▼ + stars: | 2023-09-06 | by ( Alex Sherman | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +88 min

Iger told Chapek that he lived for those "two-shower days," according to people familiar with the conversation. In January 2020, Iger told Chapek the plan was back on. During his 27 years at the company, Chapek had only attended one annual meeting — as a guest in the audience. Bob Iger, Disney CEO, during a CNBC interview, Feb. 9, 2023. WATCH: Disney CEO Bob Iger's exclusive July 2023 CNBC interviewTake the 'A'During Chapek's tenure as CEO, Disney lost more than a quarter of its market value.

Persons: Elham, Bob Iger, Bob Chapek, Iger, wasn't, Chapek, Michael Eisner, —, who's, he's, Clint Eastwood, Eastwood, Arthur Bochner, Jackie Hart, Kareem Daniel, Chapek —, Eisner, Michael Ovitz, Ovitz, Bob, Disney's, Kevin Mayer, Mayer, Bryan van der Beek, he'd, Tom Staggs, Staggs, Staggs —, Steve Jobs, cajoled Ike Perlmutter, George Lucas, Rupert Murdoch, Iger's, Susan Arnold, Arnold, Peter Rice, David Paul Morris, Rice, CNBC's Julia Boorstin, Mark Parker, Mary Barra, Michael Froman, Willow, Parker, John Donahoe, Roy Disney, Walt Disney, Stanley Gold, David A, CNBC Eisner, Big Bob, Little Bob, Christine McCarthy, Patrick T, He'd, McCarthy, Iger —, Coronavirus, Gavin Newsom, Michael Kovac, curtly, Nancy Pelosi, Chuck Schumer, Ben Smith, Smith, Disney, Randy Shropshire, Agnes Chu, Ricky Strauss, Chu, Strauss, Kevin Feige, Kathleen Kennedy, Who's, Alan Bergman, Bergman, Bob Kyncl, Daniel —, Iger didn't, Daniel rankled, Daniel, Chapek didn't, James Pitaro, Jesse Grant, CNBC Chapek, Jimmy Pitaro, Zenia Mucha, didn't, Mucha, Barbara Walters, Charles Eshelman, Scarlett Johansson, Scarlett Johansson —, Florence Pugh, Natasha, Yelena, " Johansson, Bryan Lourd, Johansson, Lourd, Steven Spielberg, Al Michaels, David Muir, Robin Roberts, Michael Strahan, Spielberg, Geoff Morrell, Alan Braverman, Alan Horn, Jayne Parker, Bochner, Claire Lee, Paul Richardson, Josh D'Amaro, Ron DeSantis, Morrell, Disney Animation —, George Floyd, Reba Saldanha, Reuters Chapek, DeSantis, Nicholas Maldonado, Octavio Jones, Chapek she'd, we're, " Morrell, CNN's Chris Wallace, Kristina Schake, John Skipper, Daniel steamrolled, Latondra Newton, Newton, Charles Krupa, Pitaro, NBCUniversal's Peacock, Dana Walden, Thomas Murphy, Josh Kushner, Privately, Schake, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Michelle Obama's, David Dee Delgado, Kara Swisher, hadn't, Netflix's, overhiring, McCarthy hadn't, Safra Catz, Kareem, DMED, Horacio Gutierrez, Justin Warbrooke, Alexia Quadrani, Bryan Castellani, Michael Buckner, Quadrani, Lindsay Lohan, Winnie, Nelson Peltz, Catz, Donald Trump's, they'd, Walden, Gutierrez, D'Amaro, Rich Polk, Walden he'd, Iger she'd, Mickey Mouse, Mark Rightmire, haven't, Indiana Jones, Halle Bailey, Ariel, Hamilton Faber, Rich Greenfield, Bob Iger's, — Mayer, McCarthy —, doesn't, they'll Organizations: Disney, Marvel, CNBC, Bloomberg, Getty, Walt Disney, Indiana University, Michigan State University, Shanghai Disney, Man, Hong Kong Disneyland, Walt Disney Parks, Resorts, Pixar, Fox, Chapek, Nike, General, Mastercard, Foreign Relations, University of Pennsylvania, Grogan, Disney's, Fallon, ABC, ESPN, ABC News, California Gov, New York Times, Disney confidants, Hollywood, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Walt Disney Television, Walt Disney Studios, Hulu, HBO Max, Walt Disney Company, YouTube, Companies, Netflix, Apple, Disney Media, Entertainment, Stanford, Rights, Junior, petulant, Filmmagic, Brunswick Group, Covid, CAA, onetime Defense Department, Century Fox, Human, Florida Gov, Republican, Disney Animation, Reuters, Human Rights, HRC, Walt Disney World, Employees, American Foundation for Equal Rights, AP, Amazon Prime, Paramount, South Pacific, Capital Cities, Dow Jones, CVS, Kingdom, Variety, Trian Partners, Charter Communications, U.S, Comcast, Charter's, MediaNews, Orange, Allen, Co, Candle Media, Advisors Locations: Burbank , California, Midwestern, Brentwood, Los Angeles, Westlake Village, Iger, Hammond , Indiana, Shanghai, China, Hong, Fox, Willow Bay, Raleigh , North Carolina, Orlando, U.S, Hulu, Iger's Brentwood, coronavirus, Brunswick, Hollywood, Hawaii, Disney's, Marvel's, Anaheim , California, Montana, Florida, Rye , New Hampshire, Chapek, Hong Kong, California, missteps, South, DMED, Burbank, New York, India, Atlantic, Sun Valley , Idaho, America

☆ Is It Time to Wear a Mask Again?
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-29 | by ( Dani Blum | More About Dani Blum | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +1 min

As new Covid variants gain traction, reinfections become more common and cases climb in certain areas, a few schools and businesses are reinstating mask requirements. Here’s a refresher on where, when and how to mask. When should you wear a mask inside? Everyone’s risk tolerance varies, Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine, said. “Certainly every time you add another person to the room, particularly people who are within three to five feet of you, that increases your chance of getting infected, exponentially,” Dr. Pekosz added.

Persons: reinfections, ”, Andrew Pekosz, William Schaffner, Pekosz Organizations: Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine

☆ Women and doctors challenge taboos on dangers of HPV in Egypt
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-25 | by ( Nadeen Ebrahim | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

The woman spoke to CNN on condition of anonymity, fearing ostracization from her community where the subject of sexually transmitted infections remains taboo. Cervical cancer is the fourth most common type of cancer among women globally, says WHO, and in 2020 it killed some 342,000 women globally. The ministry has also advised women to take the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine costs between 800 EGP ($25.9) to 1,000 EGP ($32) per dose. Other Middle Eastern countries have added the HPV vaccine to their national immunization programs, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Libya.

Persons: CNN —, ”, ostracization, Lobna Darwish, Egypt’s, they’ve, “, Ola Arafa, Rafik Barakat, Arafa, ” Arafa, Barakat, ” Darwish, Nisreen Salah Omar Organizations: CNN, World Health Organization, WHO, World Bank, Egyptian, Personal Rights, Manchester, University of Mansoura, United Arab, Representatives, Mansoura University Locations: Egypt, Cairo, Mansoura, ”, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Libya

Scientists are keeping an eye on the new lineage, named BA.2.86, because it has 36 mutations that distinguish it from the currently-dominant XBB.1.5 variant. So far there is no evidence that BA.2.86 spreads faster or causes more serious illness than previous versions. COVID infections and hospitalizations have been rising in the U.S., Europe and Asia, with more cases in recent months attributed to the EG.5 "Eris" subvariant, a descendant of the Omicron lineage that originally emerged in November 2021. But many countries have drastically reduced testing of patients and their efforts to analyze the genomes of the viruses causing new COVID cases. Updated COVID booster shots now being developed have been designed to target the Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5.

Persons: Emily Elconin, Wesley Long, Eric Topol, Topol, Long, Moderna, Eris, Deena Beasley, Nancy Lapid, David Gregorio Our Organizations: REUTERS, Moderna Inc, Pfizer, World Health Organization, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, CDC, EG, Omicron, Houston Methodist Hospital, Scripps Research, COVID, U.S, Pfizer Inc, Thomson Locations: Waterford , Michigan, U.S, Europe, Asia, United States, Israel, Denmark, La Jolla , California

☆ US CDC tracks new lineage of virus that causes COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-18 | by ( Deena Beasley | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The lineage is named BA.2.86, and has been detected in the United States, Denmark and Israel, the CDC said in a post on messaging platform X. "As we learn more about BA.2.86, CDC's advice on protecting yourself from COVID-19 remains the same," the agency said. The WHO said that, so far, only a few sequences of the variant have been reported from a handful of countries. The new lineage, which has 36 mutations from the currently-dominant XXB.1.5 COVID variant "harkens back to an earlier branch" of the virus, explained Dr. S. Wesley Long, medical director of diagnostic microbiology at Houston Methodist. https://slides.com/jbloom/new_2nd_gen_ba2_variant?ftag=YHF4eb9d17#/12The Omicron subvariant XBB.1.5 is the strain targeted by vaccines in upcoming COVID booster shots.

Persons: Wesley Long, Jesse Bloom, Fred Hutch, Dr, Long, Shivani Tanna, Himani Sarkar, Simon Cameron, Moore Organizations: Science, Trinity College, Reuters, U.S . Centers for Disease Control, CDC, World Health Organization, WHO, Houston Methodist, Fred Hutch Cancer Center, Thomson Locations: Dublin, Wuhan, United States, Denmark, Israel, Bengaluru

☆ New Covid variant: EG.5 is on the rise as coronavirus cases and hospitalizations go up
▼ + stars: | 2023-08-09 | by ( Brenda Goodman | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —There’s a new coronavirus variant topping the leaderboard in the United States: EG.5. And it represents another incremental tweak to the virus rather than a major evolutionary leap like the original Omicron strain. This mutation has appeared in other coronavirus variants before. EG.5 also now has its own offshoot, EG.5.1, that adds a second mutation to the spike. Topol says the US can’t afford to delay its Covid-19 vaccine rollout.

Persons: CNN —, it’s, David Ho, ” Ho, ”, Eric Topol, Anne Hahn, Dan Barouch, virologist, ” Topol, Mandy Cohen, Topol, Dr, Sanjay Gupta Organizations: CNN, EG, US Centers for Disease Control, Columbia University, Scripps, Research, World Health Organization, Yale School of Public Health, Harvard University, US Food and Drug Administration, CDC, CNN Health, FDA Locations: United States, Northeast, FL, Ireland, France, Japan, China, Boston

☆ Scientists have revived 'zombie' bugs and viruses before that were trapped in ancient ice. One may have been 8 million years old.
▼ + stars: | 2023-07-31 | by ( Marianne Guenot | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Scientists have previously revived ancient bacteria and prehistoric viruses that had been trapped. Scientists have a long record of resurrecting prehistoric viruses and ancient bacteria frozen in ice. However, as the climate crisis is melting ancient ice sheets worldwide, experts are growing concerned that prehistoric viruses could pose a risk to humanity. Other research has found 28 prehistoric viruses dating back 15,000 years in frozen ice cores. It's very difficult to keep samples pristine when extracting ancient ice, and even more difficult to conclusively date the ice.

Persons: Lonnie Thompson, Jean, Michel Claverie, it's, Birgitta Evengård, It's, hadn't Organizations: Service, Privacy, The Ohio State University, Byrd, Climate Research, Umea University, CNN Locations: Yao, Tibetan, French, Antarctica, Russia

☆ Rare octopus discovery made 2 miles below the ocean surface
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-30 | by ( Katie Hunt | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +6 min

CNN —On a rocky outcrop almost 2 miles beneath the surface of the Pacific Ocean off Costa Rica, researchers have documented an active octopus nursery. The discovery of an active community of octopus moms and babies solved a mystery that had perplexed scientists. We saw babies being born.“The researchers also found one other smaller octopus nursery on a low-temperature hydrothermal vent on an as-yet-unnamed seamount. Scientists believe this octopus is potentially a new species of Muusoctopus, a genus of small to medium-size octopus. The scientists also plan to return to the site in December to collect octopus eggs from devices they deposited recently to find out why the creatures like to brood there.

Persons: “, ”, Beth Orcutt, Jorge Cortés, ” Orcutt, Janet Voight, Ocean Institute Voight, Orcutt, Bare, Voight Organizations: CNN, Bigelow Laboratory, Ocean Sciences, University of Costa, university’s Center for Research, Marine Sciences, Ocean, Chicago’s Field, Ocean Institute Locations: Costa Rica, Maine, University of Costa Rica, Dorado, Costa, Pacific Coast, Monterey , California

☆ Metaversity: Could this be the college campus of the future?
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-28 | by ( Rebecca Cairns | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Video Ad Feedback Are 'metaversities' the college campus of the future? 03:14 - Source: CNNCNN —When Muhsinah Morris stepped onto the central quad of the Morehouse College campus in Atlanta, Georgia, she cried. Morehouse College is the world’s first Metaversity, an interactive, virtual learning space based on real or imagined environments. Muhsinah Morris, in person, at the real Morehouse College campus in Atlanta, Georgia. Morehouse’s Metaversity campus and courses are funded by several grantors, including Meta, Qualcomm, and T-Mobile.

Persons: Muhsinah Morris, ”, Morehouse, lockdowns, Morris wasn’t, Morris, Morehouse’s, “, —, Juan Johnson, Morris isn’t, Danny P, Goel, Rose Luckin, it’s Organizations: CNN CNN, Morehouse College, —, CNN, VR, Orthopedic, VictoryXR, University College London Knowledge Lab, Institute, Ethical AI, Morehouse, Meta, Qualcomm Locations: Atlanta , Georgia, Morehouse’s, Vancouver, Canada, “

☆ How to repel mosquitoes, according to science
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-24 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Here’s the lowdown on how mosquitoes hunt us, what attracts them, and what scientists recommend for keeping them at bay. The science of mosquito bitesMost of the time, mosquitoes drink plant nectars and juices, and even help pollinate flowers. “How attractive you think you are to mosquitoes might not necessarily correlate with how attractive you actually are to the mosquitoes,” McMeniman said. The itchiness and discomfort from mosquito bites come later when the perpetrator is no longer at risk of getting swatted. No silver bullet exists to protect yourself from mosquito bites, but get a good bug spray and reapply it as needed.

Persons: “ We’re, ”, Conor McMeniman, ” McMeniman, Olivier Morin, “, We’re, there’s, Rick Bowmer, Kristen Healy, Healy, ” Healy, they’ve, McMeniman, tantalizing, Kate Golembiewski Organizations: CNN, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Malaria Research Institute, Getty, Louisiana State University, American Mosquito Control Association, Environmental Protection Agency Locations: Baltimore, It’s, AFP, coexisting, Chicago

☆ A prominent vaccine scientist says he was ‘stalked’ in front of home after Joe Rogan Twitter exchange
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-19 | by ( Ramishah Maruf | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +3 min

New York CNN —A prominent vaccine scientist said he was accosted outside of his home after a Twitter exchange with podcaster Joe Rogan, who challenged him to debate Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. over the weekend. “I just was stalked in front of my home by a couple of antivaxers taunting me to debate RFKJr.,” Houston-based scientist Peter Hotez tweeted Sunday. The confrontation came after Hotez tweeted Saturday in support of a Vice article that criticized Spotify’s handling of vaccine misinformation on Rogan’s show. Investor Mark Cuban defended Hotez, jumping in the Twitter debate. “Trying to bully Dr Hotez is ridiculous,” Cuban tweeted, accusing Musk and Rogan of acting in their own self interest.

Persons: podcaster Joe Rogan, Robert F, Kennedy, Jr, “, ”, Peter Hotez, Hotez, I’m, Rogan, “ I’m, “ He’s, Elon Musk, ” “, Bill Ackman, Joe Rogan, Jerry Springer, ” Hotez, vaxer, Mark Cuban, Dr Hotez, ” Cuban, Musk, Neil Young, Joni Mitchell, Daniel Ek Organizations: New, New York CNN, CNN, National, Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, RFK, Twitter, MSNBC, Spotify Locations: New York, ” Houston, Covid

☆ Bill Ackman offered to donate $150,000 if a doctor debated Robert F. Kennedy Jr. about vaccines on Joe Rogan's podcast
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-18 | by ( Ryan Hogg | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +3 min

Bill Ackman offered to donate $150,000 if a doctor debated vaccines on Joe Rogan's podcast. Dr Peter Hotez criticized Rogan for hosting Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on his podcast. Bill Ackman has waded into a vaccine misinformation debate, offering $150,000 to charity if a doctor agrees to debate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Joe Rogan's podcast. Rogan responded to Hotez's criticism by pledging $100,000 to charity if he came on the podcast to debate Kennedy. Rogan signed a $200 million deal with Spotify to bring his hugely popular podcast exclusively to the streaming platform in 2020.

Persons: Bill Ackman, Joe Rogan's, Peter Hotez, Rogan, Robert F, Kennedy Jr, Elon Musk, Dr Peter Hotez, Joe Rogan, Kennedy, Hotez, lockdowns, Ackman, goad, Musk, It's, Neil Young Organizations: Morning, Pershing, Capital Management, Baylor College of Medicine, National, Tropical Medicine, Spotify Locations: Nazi Germany, Houston

☆ Flesh-eating bacteria on beaches: What to know
▼ + stars: | 2023-06-09 | by ( Kristen Rogers | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +8 min

Out of more than 100 Vibrio species, about 12 — the most common in the US being Vibrio vulnificus, Vibrio parahaemolyticus and Vibrio alginolyticus — can cause a human illness known as vibriosis. Vibrio vulnificus is the species that can cause flesh-eating infections, known as necrotizing fasciitis. Vibrio bacteria can enter through even minor wounds, including cuts, scrapes, scratches, recent piercings, new tattoos or surgical incisions. Even though the risk of a Vibrio vulnificus infection is low, if contracted the effects can be severe. Around 1 in 5 people infected with Vibrio vulnificus die, sometimes within a day or two of getting sick.

Persons: Daniel Slim, Vibrio, vulnificus, it’s, ”, Jae Williams, wasn’t, Tracy Mincer, “, Linda Amaral, Williams, “ It’s, ” Williams, parahaemolyticus, Hurricane Ian, Vibrio vulnificus, Don’t Organizations: CNN, Research, Florida Atlantic University, US Centers for Disease Control, CDC, Florida Department of Health, Florida, Branch Oceanographic Institute, University of Amsterdam Locations: Florida, United States, Africa, Gulf of Mexico, Cancun, AFP, Caribbean, Hurricane, sargassum

☆ A body odor buffet reveals which scents attract mosquitoes
▼ + stars: | 2023-05-19 | by ( Kate Golembiewski | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +7 min

CNN —Anyone who has spent a summer evening swatting away mosquitoes, or a summer day scratching mosquito bites, can agree: Mosquitoes stink. In a scientific report published Friday, scientists helped pinpoint the different chemicals in body odor that attract these insects by building an ice-rink size testing arena and pumping in the scents of different people. Hundreds of mosquitoes in the main 20-by-20-meter facility were then treated to a buffet of the sleeping subjects’ scents. The researchers found what many who have been on a picnic would attest to: Some people attract more mosquitoes than others. (Vosshall said that even scrubbing with unscented soap doesn’t get rid of the natural scents that attract mosquitoes.)

☆ China plans random, spot checks at hospitals to track COVID
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

March 30 (Reuters) - Chinese officials plan random and spot checks at medical facilities in the country to track incomplete and under-reported COVID-19 data, the country's health authority said, amid a wider call by global authorities for more transparency. For months, the country has faced pressure from countries and health experts to reveal and be more forthcoming with COVID data, most notably official numbers around severe hospitalisations and deaths. Recently, advisers to the World Health Organization urged China to release all information related to the origin of the COVID pandemic. Local governments should actively seek financial support to ensure funding for the costs surrounding the random checks, the health authority said. Reporting by Ethan Wang and Bernard Orr; Editing by Raju GopalakrishnanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Antibiotics may not help survival of patients hospitalized with viral infections -study
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-24 | by ( Natalie Grover | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

LONDON, March 24 (Reuters) - Most patients admitted to hospitals with acute viral infections are given antibiotics as a precaution against bacterial co-infection, but this practice may not improve survival, new research suggests. At the height of the pandemic, antibiotics were prescribed for around 70% of COVID-19 patients in some countries, potentially contributing to the scourge of antibiotic-resistant pathogens known as superbugs. In total, 63% of the 2,111 patients received antibiotics for respiratory infection during their hospital stay. Overall, 168 patients died within 30 days, of which only 22 had not been prescribed antibiotics. "Doctors have to dare to not give antibiotics, instead of doubting and giving antibiotics just in case," Hovind said.

☆ Scientists revived a 'zombie' virus frozen for 48,500 years in ice. They learned it could still infect other cells.
▼ + stars: | 2023-03-09 | by ( Chris Panella | Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +5 min

Scientists revived a 48,500-year-old 'zombie' virus from permafrost and found it was still infectious. Some scientists are concerned that climate change thawing permafrost could reawaken ancient viruses. A carcass of an Ice Age cave bear found on Great Lyakhovsky Island, in northern Russia, unearthed by thawing permafrost. How 'zombie' viruses could infect hosts once they emergeThis isn't the first time Claverie has revived ancient viruses, or "zombie viruses" as he calls them. The current research on frozen viruses like Claverie's 'zombie' virus is helping scientists understand more about how these ancient viruses function and whether, or not, they could potentially infect animals or humans.

☆ The Wild World Inside Your Gut
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-22 | by ( Alice Callahan | ) www.nytimes.com time to read: +20 min

The Wild World Inside Your GutWe tackled everything from heartburn, stress, spicy foods and colon cleanses to antibiotics and more. So grab a kombucha, get comfortable and read on for everything you’ve wanted to know about the wild world inside your gut. 3 What are some simple things I can do to improve my gut health? That “really is going to have the strongest impact on our health, including gut health,” she said. (Though for general gut health, Dr. Rao said, most people living in the United States could benefit from eating fewer refined carbohydrates and more fiber.)

☆ Infected in the first wave, they navigated long COVID without a roadmap
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-20 | by ( Julie Steenhuysen | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +6 min

Three years later, at least 65 million people worldwide are estimated to have long COVID, according to an evidence review published last month in Nature Reviews Microbiology. An analysis of thousands of health records by the RECOVER trial found that non-Hispanic white women in wealthier areas were more likely than others to have a long COVID diagnosis. Researchers said that likely reflected disparities in access to healthcare, and suggests that many cases of long COVID among people of color are not being diagnosed. She has since been diagnosed with long COVID and can no longer work. Other infections such as Lyme disease can result in long-term symptoms, many of which overlap with long COVID.

☆ ‘Young people are going to teach us to die better’: How ‘human composting,' already legal in 6 states, could help the planet
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Natasha Piñon | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +6 min

The 31-year-old is a client of Return Home, a Seattle-area human composting facility. The first five people to sign up for Return Home's pre-planning services were under age 35, according to CEO Micah Truman. Human composting is legal in six states and countingOn a rapidly warming planet, the somewhat fringe concept is inching toward the mainstream. Human composting, also called "natural organic reduction," is now legal in six states and counting. Detractors are increasingly voicing their concernsNina Schoen first learned about Recompose in 2017, two years before human composting was even legal in Washington.

☆ 'The Last of Us' is based on real science: A fungus pandemic is unlikely, but not impossible
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-16 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

"The Last of Us" on HBO Max depicts a zombie apocalypse caused by a fungus pandemic. Here's the science fact and fiction behind the show, and the possibility of a fungal pandemic. The new scenario, first realized in the video game that the show is based on, is making viewers wonder whether a fungus pandemic can happen in real life. "A fungal pandemic is definitely possible," Norman Van Rhijn, a mycologist researching fungal infections at the University of Manchester, told Insider in an email. Still, fungal infections are on the rise worldwide, and researchers are concerned that more and more people are at risk.

HONG KONG, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The world should "calm down" about the possibility of new COVID-19 variants circulating in China, leading Chinese scientist George Gao said. "The world should completely calm down from the fear that there are new variants or special variants circulating (in China)," Gao, professor at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Reuters. The variants causing infections in China were the same Omicron sub-variants - BA.5.2 and BF.7 - seen elsewhere in the world, he said by email. Gao said China was continuing widespread viral genomic sequencing, and would identify any new variants if they emerged. A total of 13 cases of variants were found, including 1 case of XBB.1, 5 cases of BQ.1.1, 1 case of BQ.1.1.17, 4 cases of BQ.1.2 and 2 cases of BQ.1.8.

HONG KONG, Feb 8 (Reuters) - The world should "calm down" about the possibility of new COVID-19 variants circulating in China, leading Chinese scientist George Gao said. "The world should completely calm down from the fear that there are new variants or special variants circulating [in China]," Gao, professor at the Institute of Microbiology at the Chinese Academy of Sciences and former head of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), told Reuters. The variants causing infections in China were the same Omicron sub-variants - BA.5.2 and BF.7 - seen elsewhere in the world, he said by email. Gao said China was continuing widespread viral genomic sequencing, and would identify any new variants if they emerged. The authors said there were some limitations to the study, including China's decision to end large-scale mandatory testing.

☆ A fungus pandemic is unlikely, but not impossible. There's real science behind the mushroom zombies in HBO's new series 'The Last of Us.'
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-29 | by ( Morgan Mcfall-Johnsen | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +11 min

The new HBO Max series "The Last of Us" depicts a zombie apocalypse caused by a fungus pandemic. Here's the science fact and fiction behind the show, and the possibility of a fungal pandemic. The new scenario, first realized in the video game that the show is based on, is making viewers wonder whether a fungus pandemic can happen in real life. "A fungal pandemic is definitely possible," Norman Van Rhijn, a mycologist researching fungal infections at the University of Manchester, told Insider in an email. Still, fungal infections are on the rise worldwide, and researchers are concerned that more and more people are at risk.

Search resuls for: "Microbiology"

25 mentions found