Tech

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Florida Department of Health are urging men who have sex with men to get vaccinated for meningitis amid "one of the worst outbreaks of meningococcal disease among gay and bisexual men in U.S. history." Twenty-six cases and seven deaths from meningococcal disease have been recorded in Florida in recent weeks, of which 24 cases and six deaths were in gay and bisexual men. The CDC said in a statement that the outbreak of meningococcal infections was "primarily among gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men, including those living with HIV. Recent data show that about half of the cases associated with this outbreak are among Hispanic men . "This outbreak is mostly affecting people who live in Florida , but has also affected some people who have traveled to Florida." Meningococcal infections include meningitis (an infection of the meninges membrane lining of the brain and spinal cord) and bloodstream … [Read more...] about Florida meningococcal disease outbreak: CDC urges gay men to get vaccine

Twitter is reportedly developing a new feature that allows users to post long-form content on the platform, which currently allows only posts of up to 280 characters. The upcoming feature, called Twitter Notes, will allow users to write articles with formatting and media uploading options that can be tweeted and shared with followers, according to TechCrunch. Currently, users connect a series of posts as threads to convey ideas and thoughts that require more than 280 characters. Some users also post long-form content by writing them on other apps, taking a screenshot of it, and then posting it on Twitter, or sometimes by sharing images of hand-written text. By allowing users to instead write long-form articles directly, Twitter Notes may change the way some people use the social media . Recommended Aliens, layoffs and work from home: Five takeaways from Elon Musk’s Twitter Q&A Elon Musk tells Twitter staff platform should model itself … [Read more...] about Twitter’s new feature to allow direct publishing of long form content on platform

Researchers investigating the genetic make-up of the monkeypox virus have said the virus appears to have mutated far, far more than would normally be expected. The work has been outlined in a new study published in the journal Nature Medicine . As part of the study, Portuguese researchers collected 15 monkeypox virus sequences in total—mostly from Portugal—and reconstructed their genetic data. Monkeypox is a rare disease believed to have its origin in animals. It is from the same family of viruses as smallpox. Usually monkeypox is localized within West and Central African countries but this year has seen the first multi-country outbreak, including cases without known links to West or Central Africa, with more than 3,500 cases reported as of Thursday, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The virus can be transmitted between people by close contact with lesions, body fluids, respiratory droplets—such as via face-to-face contact—and … [Read more...] about Monkeypox has mutated at an unprecedented rate with “accelerated evolution”

The heavily mutated monkeypox virus that is currently spreading globally might have a single origin, a new study has suggested. Researchers from Portugal managed to isolate 15 samples of the virus, mostly from their home nation, in order to research its genetic make-up. Their findings, published in the journal Nature Medicine , have provided an insight into the current strain that is now circulating in at least 44 non-endemic countries. According to CDC data as of Thursday, there are now over 3,500 confirmed cases of monkeypox. In the latest study, researchers made several findings including that the viruses had far more genetic mutations than they would have expected , with around 50 identified compared with related viruses from 2018 and 2019. Another observation is that the ongoing outbreak has a single origin—though this does not mean it came from a single person. "All outbreak monkeypox strains sequenced so far tightly cluster together," the researchers say in … [Read more...] about Extremely mutated monkeypox strain appears to have a single point of origin

A mom with a large family is pushing for a change in U.K. law that would allow her to access assisted dying. Jan Butterworth was diagnosed with terminal endometrial cancer—which affects the lining of the uterus—and clear cell carcinoma in February this year. Knowing that she will die, Butterworth, a former teacher and psychotherapist, wants control over how and when this will be. She says she wants to avoid getting to the stage where she can't manage her basic needs by herself. However, this isn't possible under current law in the U.K., where assisted dying could be prosecuted as murder or manslaughter. That might change in future, though. On July 4—Butterworth's 71st birthday—members of the U.K. parliament are due to debate a public petition calling on the government to legalize assisted dying for terminally ill adults who "have mental capacity." As of Friday this week, the petition—"Legalise assisted dying for terminally ill, mentally competent adults"—had more than … [Read more...] about Mom with cancer pushing for assisted dying: “I don’t want to die in pain”

A black bear that got stuck in a hot car in Sevierville, Tennessee , has died from heatstroke , wildlife officials say. The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) said the bear entered the parked car outside a rental cabin, using its teeth or paws to open the door. The door then shut behind it, leaving the bear stuck inside the vehicle . With temperatures outside being nearly 95 degrees that day, the TWRA estimates that the vehicle's interior could have reached over 140 degrees. The owner of the car came back at around 6:45 p.m. local time and discovered the bear had died. Tennessee is currently in the clutches of a heatwave . Temperatures in Sevierville are currently hovering around the 90 degree mark and are expected to climb over the next 10 days. Bears and other furry mammals cannot sweat like humans do, so they are less able to regulate their body temperature when it gets too hot, eventually leading to organ failure and death. Wildlife officials say … [Read more...] about Tennessee bear dies after getting trapped in 140 degree car

The latest TikTok trend, the “put an ice cube on your cat” challenge, is getting attention online, but not entirely for the right reasons. What started as a simple social media moment now has some experts concerned. As reported by Newsweek , feline experts are concerned that the challenge is distressing for the cats involved “as it could appear harmless but may agitate cats and cause them anxiety”. ALSO READ: Your cat could teach you a thing or two about cybersecurity “Cats don’t enjoy getting wet and the extreme cold of the ice could startle your cat, potentially leading them to respond and by redirected aggression onto their owner, for example, by swiping or biting,” JoAnna Puzzo, UK animal shelter Battersea Dog and Cat’s Home’s feline welfare manager, told Newsweek on June 19. The TikTok trend challenges viewers to place an ice cube on their cat and record their pet’s reaction . According to Bissell Pet Foundation’s veterinarian Dr Alana Canupp, it’s a challenge … [Read more...] about Cat experts warn against new viral ice cube TikTok trend

Parasites that eat fish tongues and take their place in the mouth have been found in a batch of seabream arriving at a port in the U.K. The parasites, Cymothoa exigua , were first spotted in the packaging of the imported fish, which was picked up by the Suffolk Coastal Port Health Authority (SCPHA) when they inspected the shipment after the importer failed to complete the correct paperwork. Upon further investigation, the parasites were found inside t he mouths of the fish, in place of their tongues . The shipment, which had arrived at the Port of Felixstowe, was sent back to its country of origin, which the SCPHA did not name in its statement. Also known as the tongue-eating louse, Cymothoa exigua , as well as other related parasite species, infect a wide range of fish species worldwide, including both commercially fished species and species of no commercial value. They enter a host fish via the gills , whereupon the female attaches to the tongue, while the … [Read more...] about Infestation of tongue-eating parasites discovered in fish shipment

Back when hunting was legal, Priya Singh’s great-grandfather, a land-owner with a large vision, advised his son, “Shoot anything you want but not the hyena.” Little did he know those words would become part of family lore and set his great-granddaughter on a lifelong quest. The directive was unusual for that time, since striped hyenas were held in disdain as carrion-eaters. This was precisely why he wanted them spared, because the scavengers kept the periphery of the Rajasthani village clean. Three generations later, as a postgraduate student of wildlife sciences, Singh set out to study the species in southern Rajasthan. This was meant to be, as far as she was concerned, but the local villagers were dismayed. According to superstition, witches descended from their lairs in khejri trees in the dead of the night, and mounted the waiting hyenas. They sat astride the beasts whose hind legs were shorter than their forelegs and together, they scoured the countryside for the deceased. The … [Read more...] about The last laugh: Where are India’s striped hyenas?

COVID-19 vaccines prevented over 42 lakh potential deaths in India in 2021, said a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, which based its findings on estimates of "excess" mortalities in the country during the pandemic . Globally, the mathematical modelling study found that COVID-19 vaccines reduced the potential death toll during the pandemic by nearly 20 million or more than half in the year following their implementation. In the first year of the vaccination programme, 19.8 million out of a potential 31.4 million COVID-19 deaths were prevented worldwide, according to estimates based on excess deaths from 185 countries and territories, the researchers said. The study estimates a further 5,99,300 lives could have been saved if the World Health Organisation's target of vaccinating 40% of the population in each country with two or more doses by the end of 2021 had been met. The study estimated the number of deaths that were prevented between December 8, … [Read more...] about Over 42 lakh deaths in India prevented by COVID-19 vaccines in 2021: Lancet study