Category: Feature Stories

Pope Francis elevated 20 clergies to the rank of cardinals on Saturday. The new cardinals knelt before the Pope, who presented the biretta and cardinal’s ring and assigned each of them a church in Rome. The rite continued with the cardinals’ profession of faith and oath of fidelity and obedience to Pope Francis and his successors. Francis had already announced the names of the new purple bearers at the end of May. Among the new purple bearers are two from Brazil, two from India, one each for Singapore, Nigeria, Ghana,…

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In the past 7,500 years, the Arctic has never been as warm as it is. This is evident from the tree rings of trees. With the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow, and Landscape Research (WSL) collaboration, a study on this topic appeared in “Nature Communications.” As the institute wrote on Thursday, erosion on the Yamal Peninsula in the Arctic exposed ancient trees. Thanks to their annual rings, they can be dated. This allows a reconstruction of the climate. Currently warmest phase in the Arctic for 7,500 yearsThe chronology goes…

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SARS-CoV-2 got “faster and faster” at triggering Covid-19 as its variants evolved. Chinese biostatisticians have now analyzed 142 studies on the incubation period issue. The result they published in their paper online in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA): Between the alpha variants and omicron, incubation time dropped from an average of five days to 3.42 days. “Incubating” a covid infection.Four to five, later five to six days – these were the expert statements at the beginning of the Covid 19 pandemic regarding the “incubation” of a SARS-CoV-2…

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The payout of the €500 bonus has started. The money comes directly to the account or as a voucher by mail, which is essential now. The “super bonus” will be paid out much earlier than initially planned – 300,000 Austrians will receive it immediately, all others in September. Climate Protection Minister Leonore Gewessler and Finance Minister Magnus Brunner made people sit up and take notice on Wednesday with this hammer announcement. For every adult registered in Austria, there are 500 euros, 250 euros each from the increased climate bonus and…

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There have been no deaths from the monkeypox virus in Austria yet.Most recently, WHO declared the monkeypox outbreak an “emergency of international concern.” No deaths from the monkeypox virus have yet been reported in Austria. Monkeypox cases in Vienna are on the rise.So far, Austria has had no death from monkeypox or a life-threatening course of the disease requiring treatment in an intensive care unit. Only in a few cases, affected people have to be treated in hospitals as inpatients, the Ministry of Health announced Wednesday in response to an…

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Starting in September, not October, the government will pay out the climate and anti-inflation bonuses as initially announced. This is possible because preparatory work for the aid payments in the Ministry of Climate Protection and the Ministry of Finance could be completed “earlier than planned,” according to a dispatch from the Federal Chancellery. As a result, transfers and mailing can start as early as September. The first 300,000 recipients will receive the money as early as August 25. They are a pilot group selected by a random generator in which…

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Waking up in the morning and feeling refreshed and fit – that’s how every day should start. Nowadays, there are numerous ways to optimize sleep patterns. Above all, modern technologies make sleeping a little experience and simultaneously analyze the nocturnal rest phase. However, the large amount of data also has its pitfalls. People spend about one-third of their lives asleep. During this resting phase, numerous vital processes occur so the body and mind can regenerate. Precisely because this time is so precious, there is a wide range of products to…

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The most important countermeasure is full primary immunization plus recommended “boosters.” Covid-19 vaccines are the best-studied drugs in medical history. Austrian experts said at a Praevenire Health Forum talk this Saturday night in Alpbach, Tyrol. There will always be waves“The pandemic is certainly here to stay. There will always be waves,” said Gerald Gartlehner, head of the Department of Evidence-Based Medicine and Evaluation at Danube University Krems. He said that if Omicron stays as a “relatively less sickening variant” – exclusive of vulnerable individuals – there will be ever-stronger immunity.…

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U.S. researchers have discovered an antibody that can neutralize all known viral variants. A universal vaccine seems within reach. Since its first appearance just over two and a half years ago in Wuhan, China, Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus has evolved dramatically. Continuous mutations have led to new variants becoming increasingly adept at evading our immune defenses. Most notably, the circulating omicron subvariant BA.5 has modified its receptor-binding site so that antibodies produced by previous infections or vaccination can no longer dock to its spike protein. Therefore, those who have been vaccinated and…

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