Category: Feature Stories

Plastic particles were discovered for the first time in human samples. Microplastic particles have now been discovered in human blood for the first time. Dutch researchers from the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam analyzed blood samples from 22 anonymous donors and found plastic residues in 17 tests. The plastic particles examined in the new study have a size of only 0.0007 millimeters. According to the study published in the journal Environment International, half of the samples contained PET plastic, which is commonly used in beverage bottles. One-third had polystyrene, which is found…

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Pope Francis has placed Russia and Ukraine under Mary’s protection. “May the Mother of God take our path by the hand today: May she leads him along the steep and arduous paths of fraternity and dialogue, may she guide him along the path of peace,” Francis said at a penitential service in St Peter’s Basilica in Rome on Friday evening. Similar prayers were held simultaneously worldwide, including in St Stephen’s Cathedral in Vienna, led by Cardinal Christoph Schönborn. The prayer action took place on the feast of the Annunciation. Francis…

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Daylight Saving Time 2022 begins on Sunday, 27. March 2022. The time change is always a hotly debated topic. Does it make sense? Or should it be abolished? Opinions on the subject differ widely. However, what is clear is that we will soon be turning the clock again. It will be switched to daylight saving time. A mnemonic is particularly popular for remembering whether the time is set forward or back in spring. “In spring, you put the garden furniture outside the door; in autumn, you put it back in…

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The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has recommended approval of a CoV drug from AstraZeneca to protect at-risk patients who cannot be vaccinated from infection. The Committee for Human Medicines recommended marketing authorization for Evusheld “to prevent covid-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12 years and over and weighing 40 kilograms or more”, the agency said today. Evusheld consists of two synthetic antibodies that can dock to different sides of the coronavirus spike protein. In making its decision, the EMA pointed to a study of 5,000 adults whose risk of infection…

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Even in Corona times, tuberculosis remains one of the deadliest infectious diseases in the world. Especially given the pandemic, he said that urgent investment in the fight against it is crucial. 3 million tuberculosis deaths since the beginning of the pandemic A sharp 24 percent drop in registered tuberculosis cases in the WHO European Region between 2019 and 2020 is likely to be related to the Corona pandemic, which has hampered the detection and reporting of such diseases, the European Office of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the EU…

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A new study shows that a corona pandemic broke out in East Asia 20,000 years ago. In a recent study, researchers from the University of Arizona explained that many Asian people could trace their ancestry back to people who survived a Corona pandemic over 20,000 years ago. The scientists discovered that studying descendants‘ genomes can reveal information going back tens of thousands of years. As “DocCheck” explains, the term genome refers to the “totality of all genes” contained in “a complete set of chromosomes.“ Genomes reveal data thousands of years…

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By now, everyone probably knows someone who has or had Corona. In the last 24 hours, more than 34,000 new infections were counted again. The currently rampant Omicron variant BA.2 is characterized by high infectivity but comparatively with mild course of the disease. This can lead to re-infection within a short time after overcoming an infection. How is this possible? “The problem lies in the mucosal surface,” says the expert. The coronavirus enters the body via the respiratory tract, i.e., the nose or mouth, and attaches itself to the mucosal…

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No more quarantine, but “traffic restrictions”: No visits to restaurants, fitness clubs, events – Even visits to hospitals remain prohibited. As of Monday, all contacts without complete Corona immunization no longer have to go into quarantine. Instead, “traffic restrictions” now apply to those affected: An FFP2 mask must be worn when in contact with other people, even outdoors. Visits to establishments where this is impossible, such as restaurants or fitness clubs, are prohibited. But visits to health facilities are also restricted. The government announced the step last Tuesday, but the…

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Unusually high temperatures have been recorded in the east of Antarctica in recent days, which experts say were more than 30 degrees Celsius higher than usual for the time of year. The Dome Concordia research station at an altitude of 3,000 meters registered a “heat” record of minus 11.5 degrees Celsius on Friday, meteorologist Etienne Kapikian of Météo-France announced on Twitter on Saturday. Typically, temperatures in Antarctica drop as summer ends in the southern hemisphere. The Dumont d’Urville station recorded a record temperature of 4.9 degrees Celsius for March. The…

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