Category: Feature Stories

Based on previous studies on the COVID-19 pandemic, it is known that a special form of white immune cells, the natural killer cells (NK cells), make an important contribution to the early antiviral immune response against SARS-CoV-2. However, researchers at the University of Bonn and the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) were able to investigate how and why affected individuals no longer breathe. The researchers examined blood samples from 205 subjects at regular intervals, in some cases from the first to the sixth week after infection. This allowed them…

Read More

New findings could be generated nationwide with an antibody study without much effort: testing 5,000 people at representative locations would already be enough, said Innsbruck virologist Dorothee Von Laer in an interview in the Sunday edition of the Tiroler Tageszeitung. “Studies on this are currently underway, and it will be possible to set a clear threshold, as with hepatitis B, for example, above which one is considered protected,” she explained. Previous studies have found “that from the World Health Organization (WHO) standardized antibody level of 100 BAU/ml (Binding Antibody Units),…

Read More

As of Friday, Covid-19 is no longer classified as a disease “threatening the whole of society” in Denmark. This is accompanied by a virtually complete opening of daily life. The high vaccination rate was the deciding factor. Sweden will soon follow suit. On to the nightlife! With the opening of social life, Copenhagen is once again crowded outside a downtown nightclub. Photo taken on September 3.On to the nightlife! With the opening of social life, Copenhagen is once again crowded outside a downtown nightclub. Photo taken on September 3. “We…

Read More

Recently, the Phone Number Abuse Hotline has seen a drastic increase in complaints about fake SMS that pretend the imminent delivery of a package.“Ignore these text messages! Under no circumstances click on the link they contain!” warns Dr. Klaus M. Steinmaurer, RTR’s managing director for the Telecommunications and Postal Division, explaining, “The dubious package notifications usually contain a link as a lure, smuggling a malicious app onto cell phones.” Since the beginning of September, 1,900 complaints have been registered with the number abuse hotline within a few days, with over…

Read More

Brown bananas taste sweeter than yellow ones. But do ripe fruits also have more calories? It’s true of all fruits, but it’s especially noticeable with bananas: the riper they get, the sweeter they taste. You can take particular advantage of this when baking banana bread: completely brown bananas make any added sugar superfluous. But do ripe fruits therefore also have more calories? First of all, it’s important to note that when it comes to fruit, there’s no need to worry about calories as part of a healthy, figure-conscious diet. It…

Read More

On Wednesday, the government presented new Corona measures. Now the ordinance is ready: 3G rule also applies to private parties. Corona numbers continue to rise dramatically in Austria. Also in the hospitals more and more beds are occupied. The government therefore announced on Wednesday a new package of measures for the fall. It is a step-by-step plan that is linked to a factor, namely the nationwide utilization of intensive care units with Corona patients. Depending on the “percentage hurdle,” i.e., whether 10, 15, or 20 percent of Corona patients fill…

Read More

On Wednesday, the federal government presented a “phased plan” for Corona protections. This depends on the occupancy of intensive care units and will apply from September 15. New Corona rules to take effect Sept. 15The first steps of the Corona step-by-step plan will already be put in place from September 15, including a tightening of the mask requirement. The following is an overview of the details. Corona stage plan from September 15 in detail STEP 1: Beginning Sept. 15 or 10 percent occupancy (200 beds), the FFP2 mask requirement will…

Read More

There will be no more lockdown for vaccinated citizens. This has already been announced by Chancellor Sebastian Kurz on Monday evening in the ORF summer talk. Instead, there will be tough measures only for the unvaccinated – to protect them and the health system from being overburdened. For example, there will be a FFP2 mask obligation for unvaccinated in the trade. After a meeting with state governors, the federal government today, Wednesday, unveiled the whole “toolbox” – all the measures that are planned. Essentially, a phased plan will apply, based…

Read More

Plastics not only pollute the oceans or harm health as microparticles, they also cause 1.8 billion tons of greenhouse gases each year.Microplastics measured in the DanubeThey also cause billions in follow-up costs. If plastic were a state, it would be “the fifth largest CO2 offender worldwide,” a WWF release said Monday on the findings of a study with the self-explanatory title “Plastic: The Costs To Society, The Environment And The Economy.” Plastic caused costs of 3,100 billion euros in 2019The consequential costs of plastics on society, the environment and the…

Read More