NINE GAA GAMES are live on TV this week as part of a hectic week of action. Mayo and Tyrone face off next Saturday night. Source: Laszlo Geczo/INPHO On Saturday the inter-county action commences with the football league tie involving Tyrone against Mayo, a repeat of last year’s All-Ireland decider, and the hurling league clash…
New data disproves a big concern about Covid-19 lockdowns
Last year, as then-President Donald Trump railed against Covid-19 lockdowns and called on states to reopen their economies, he claimed the shutdowns would lead to a spike in suicides: “You’re going to lose more people by putting a country into a massive recession or depression. You’re going to lose people. You’re going to have suicides…
How a tiny, wobbling particle could unlock mysteries of the universe
It’s an exciting time in particle physics. The results of a new experiment out of Fermilab in Illinois — involving a subatomic particle wobbling weirdly — could lead to new ways of understanding our universe. To understand why physicists are so excited, consider the ambitious task they’ve set for themselves: decoding the fundamental building blocks…
The CDC embraces the power of the vaccines
Over the past few months, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) was criticized for playing it too cautiously with its Covid-19 guidance. The agency had recommended people wear masks outdoors, even kids in the outdoor heat of summer camp. It has overestimated the risk of outdoor spread and surface transmission. It was too…
The next Covid-19 vaccine hurdle: Convincing millions of Americans they want the shot
In the coming months, America could reach a point when it has more Covid-19 vaccines than people want. Between efforts from the federal government and drug companies to step up manufacturing and distribution, the US’s vaccine supply is truly increasing: At least 150 million doses are expected through March — a rate of more than…
How to make this winter not totally suck, according to psychologists
This winter is brutal. The cold weather has made it hard to socialize outdoors, coronavirus variants are spreading, and the US is about to surpass half a million Covid-19 deaths. Many of us are feeling anxious about how we’re going to make it through the lonely, bleak weeks ahead. I see a lot of people…
What it’s like to die from Covid-19
We’ve reached half a million deaths from the coronavirus in the US. But most of these deaths — and the grueling medical ordeals leading up to them — have remained largely hidden from view. The majority of terminally ill Covid-19 patients typically spend their last days or weeks isolated in ICUs to keep the virus…
FDA advisers unanimously recommend Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine
A panel of expert advisers to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) voted unanimously on Friday afternoon to recommend the one-dose Covid-19 vaccine developed by Johnson & Johnson for an emergency use authorization. The next step is for the FDA to accept the recommendation, which could happen as soon as this weekend, clearing the way…
The Senate just took a step toward actually lowering US greenhouse gas emissions
The Senate on Wednesday took an important step forward on limiting emissions — and meeting its commitments to curb global warming — by voting to limit the unbridled release of methane molecules, often a byproduct of natural gas production, into the atmosphere. The 52-42 vote reinstates the Oil and Natural Gas New Source Performance Standards,…
Will Covid-19 vaccines protect you against variants? 9 questions about variants, answered.
The Covid-19 pandemic now appears to be the worst it has ever been, with daily new cases worldwide topping 800,000 several times over the past week. More new cases have been reported in the past two weeks than in the first six months of the crisis. More than one in three of these new cases…