FEATURES

Thursday, 19 August 2021 05:43

Impact of Covid-19 has been lower in Africa. We explore the reasons

There’s been an increase in Covid-19 deaths across Africa since mid-July 2021. But the impact of the pandemic in sub-Saharan Africa remains markedly lower compared to the Americas, Europe and Asia. The reasons for this are not yet clear. Several factors have been suggested as potentially influencing the low burden of Covid-19 illness. These include age demographics, lack of long-term care facilities, potential cross-protection from previous exposure to circulating coronaviruses, limitations of SARS-CoV-2 testing which may have resulted in an undercounting of deaths, and effective government public health responses. In a recent paper our team of public health researchers, led…

Sunday, 15 August 2021 05:51

10 two-minute habits that will change your life

For most of us, mornings are rough. We snooze, wake, repeat. Jump out of bed. Java. And then start firing off emails and Slacks. It’s no way to greet the day and its disruptive energy that carries into our work. To help you kick-start your day the right way, here are 10 tiny, two-minute switches that are easy to implement and can have a major impact on your day. So, what are you waiting for? It’s only your life. 1. Conscious breathing When you feel anxious, you disrupt the ease and flow of your breath. You might not even notice…

Saturday, 14 August 2021 05:23

This is why we can't remember our early childhood memories

Most of us don't have any memories from the first three to four years of our lives — in fact, we tend to remember very little of life before the age of 7. And when we do try to think back to our earliest memories, it is often unclear whether they are the real thing or just recollections based on photos or stories told to us by others. The phenomenon, known as "childhood amnesia," has been puzzling psychologists for more than a century -- and we still don't fully understand it. At first glance, it may seem that the reason…

Saturday, 14 August 2021 05:22

Harvard researchers have identified the 3 secrets to a good life

An 80-year-old Harvard University study of two generations of people may have cracked the code to a good life. The Grant Study and the Harvard Study of Adult Development followed several hundred people throughout their lifetimes and charted different aspects of their lives. They found that while the answer is complex, the happiest of the participants focused on three things: long-term success, emotional intelligence, and relationships. Starting in 1938, Harvard Medical School researcher Dr. Arlie Bock began the project with 268 males in their sophomore year at Harvard. The participants in the study consented to physical, extensive physiological measurements, questionnaires,…

Sunday, 08 August 2021 05:49

5 simple tips to protect your eyesight as you age

Maybe your eyesight is cloudy. Maybe the center of your view is blurred. Maybe you just can’t see as well as you used to. Of course, some changes in vision are normal as we age: most people in their mid-40s and up need to use glasses or contacts. One big reason: at middle age, the lenses in our eyes become less flexible and erode our ability to read and see objects up close. Because of that, it’s also all too common for older adults to write off eye changes as normal — and that’s not always the case. There are…

Saturday, 07 August 2021 05:47

‘Burukutu’ brewers thrive in northern Nigeria despite trouble with ‘Hisbah’ police

In Kano state, Janet Peter stirs a thick and frothy brown liquid inside a large cast iron pot, worrying all the while that religious police will come and chase her from the restaurant where she operates. Peter is among many local people carrying on the tradition of brewing “burukutu”, a popular homemade beer with a vinegar-like flavour made with sorghum. Brewers like her are a target for the Hisbah, the religious police who enforce Islamic sharia law that is in place in 12 northern states. But Peter, and those who consume burukutu, say it is healthy, natural and part of…

Friday, 06 August 2021 05:58

'Everyone's out of cash': Inflation hits Nigeria's internally displaced persons

People who fled their homes and lost their livelihoods due to the ongoing conflict in the North-East of Nigeria struggle to put food on the table because of soaring inflation. The inflation rate reached a four-year record high of 18 percent in March this year, according to the National Bureau of Statistics. People displaced by the conflict are among the most vulnerable and are disproportionally affected by price fluctuations. “Before the prices of things were acceptable. Since they increased, everything has become expensive. And since I sell my merchandise in the camp, I know these people are displaced, the price…

Friday, 06 August 2021 05:53

Alcohol linked to more cancers than previously thought, study finds

Consuming alcohol increases the risk of getting more cancers than previously thought, according to a major study, which also found that drinking coffee protects against liver cancer. Alcohol consumption is linked to several cancers including those of the head and neck – mouth, pharynx and larynx – oesophageal and bowel, along with the more widely known connection with breast and liver cancer, according to an international team led by Imperial College London. The study also showed that drinking at least one cup of coffee daily is associated with a lower risk of developing liver cancer and basal cell carcinoma of…

Sunday, 01 August 2021 06:01

Dietary supplements causing severe liver injuries, study shows

The number of patients being admitted to hospital with severe liver injuries caused by herbal and dietary supplements claiming to promote muscle growth or weight loss is increasing, with some people harmed so severely they required a liver transplant. A study led by Dr Emily Nash from the Royal Prince Alfred hospital examined hospital records of 184 adults admitted to the AW Morrow Gastroenterology and Liver Centre with drug-induced liver injury between 2009 and 2020. She and her co-authors found liver injury cases linked to herbal and dietary supplements increased from two out of 11 patients (15%) during 2009–11, to…

Saturday, 31 July 2021 06:00

‘We need to have security in our country first - education can follow when that's been achieved’, parents say as children are withdrawn from schools in Northern Nigeria

More than 300 children kidnapped from school are still in the hands of criminal gangs in Nigeria, with many now missing for nearly two months. Some of those abducted are just two years old. While many of the more than 1,000 children taken have been released, often after extortionate ransom amounts were reportedly paid, hundreds of families are still desperately waiting for news of their children. Some parents spoke to BBC News about the anguish they are experiencing and shared their thoughts about the struggle to educate children in the face of such danger. 'They are the children of nobodies'…

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Saturday, 31 July 2021 05:51

Flight attendants narrate the wildest things they’ve had to deal with

As the pandemic eases in the US, Americans are traveling once more. TSA data shows almost 2 million passengers went through airport security checkpoints each day in early June, compared to less than 500,000 for the same time last year. But as people take to the sky, reports of bad behavior are also on the rise. The Federal Aviation Administration has said there’s been a significant increase in disruptive behavior in recent months. The agency has received approximately 2,500 reports of unruly passengers since Jan. 1, most of which involved people refusing to comply with mask mandates. At least two…

Saturday, 31 July 2021 05:49

8 genius sleep ideas that mental health pros give their most anxious patients

Anxiety can impact every aspect of your life. It can affect how you manage from day to day — and night to night. Because, of course, anxiety can also alter how you sleep. Little Rock, Arkansas-based psychiatrist Rhonda Mattox, M.D., compares anxiety before bed to the boogeyman. “It’s just an object or garment that [a person’s]brain has magnified and made scary,” she says. The good news is you don’t just have to suffer through insomnia, which can worsen your anxiety, since lack of sleep can negatively impact your moodand cause a nasty cycle. We asked mental health pros for the…

Thursday, 29 July 2021 05:45

Non-rich people are sharing things rich people do that are annoying

Here's what they said: 1."I've known some fairly rich people complain that they have too much money. Give it to me then — I'll put it to good use." —u/Bigglez1995 2."When rich leaders have fake philosophies like, 'We're in this together,' and, 'First to arrive, last to leave,' etc." —u/siva-pc 3."When they act poor to seem 'relatable,' like Shane Dawson." —u/ukuleo 4."When they lack perspective. It's shown through the advice they give ('Just borrow money from your parents,' and, 'Go back to school'). It shows that they have no idea how so many people live." —u/Stellaaahhhh 5."When they act like…

Tuesday, 27 July 2021 05:44

How the Delta variant upends assumptions about the coronavirus

The Delta variant is the fastest, fittest and most formidable version of the coronavirus that causes Covid-19 the world has encountered, and it is upending assumptions about the disease even as nations loosen restrictions and open their economies, according to virologists and epidemiologists. Vaccine protection remains very strong against severe disease and hospitalizations caused by any version of the coronavirus, and those most at risk are still the unvaccinated, according to interviews with 10 leading Covid-19 experts. But evidence is mounting that the Delta variant, first identified in India, is capable of infecting fully vaccinated people at a greater rate…

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