Drinking coffee from a paper cup poses health risks

Drinking coffee from a paper cup poses health risks

It's the ultimate treat: a hot drink on a cold winter's morning. But your favourite takeaway coffee could hide dangerous chemicals in its cup.   A research has warned that drinking coffee or tea from a paper cup could lead to ingesting thousands of tiny microplastic particles. Consumed over time, these could pose significant health implications, including higher risks of cancer. The study, due to be published in the Journal of Hazardous Materials, found that drinking three regular cups of tea or coffee daily in a paper cup could lead to ingesting 75,000 tiny microplastic particles.  These particles can contain ions and toxic heavy metals, such as palladium and could also cross into the animal kingdom, the researchers say. Alongside health risks, paper cups are also damaging to the environment. They can't be recycled and don't decompose in a landfill, which means the demand for them can only be met through more deforestation.  All this seems to prove paper cups are a double-edged sword and not...
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Animals and COVID-19: What are the risks?

Animals and COVID-19: What are the risks?

We don't yet know all the animals that can get infected with COVID-19. Although SARS-CoV-2 originated in an animal - most likely a bat - it is not animals that drive the course of the pandemic. Rather, it is us, humans.  It appears the virus can spread from people to animals during close contact. Data from mink farms in Denmark has also shown that the virus can not only be passed between humans and animals, but it can  also mutate in the animal host and then "jump" back onto people, infecting them. While this is definitely a cause for concern, it must be noted that mink are particularly susceptible to coronaviruses and farms provide the ideal environment for them to spread. What about other species? Animals which have been infected with SARS-CoV-2 Cats, dogs and other mammals can get infected, mostly after a close contact with an infected person.  There have been reports of pet cats and dogs contracting the virus in several countries around...
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Why could mink threaten a COVID-19 vaccine?

Why could mink threaten a COVID-19 vaccine?

Denmark is set to cull millions of mink, amid fears a new coronavirus strain in the species could jeopardise a COVID-19 vaccine. They are cute, furry and apparently carrying a mutant form of the coronavirus, which has already spread to humans. Now Denmark will cull 17 million mink to stop the spread of the mutant virus and help protect the effectiveness of a future COVID-19 vaccine.  According to reports, more than 200 mink farms in the country have seen infections of coronavirus, while mink-related versions of it were found in 214 humans since June. However, the most worrying strain of the mutant has so far been found in only 12 people and five mink farms.  What do we know about the mutant? There are multiple mutations of the coronavirus in mink and seven of them have mutations in the spike protein, which helps the virus enter the cells. One of these viruses has four mutations in the spike protein and during laboratory tests proved less...
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Dogs are our oldest friends

Dogs are not only humans' best friend, but also the oldest, a study has revealed.  A DNA analysis has shown that dog domestication can be traced back to the end of the last Ice Age, more than 11,000 years ago. This shows dogs were domesticated before any other known species.  According to the research - which sequenced 27 ancient dog genomes - all dogs derive from a single extinct wolf population.  Cats, on the other hand, became our pets some 6,000 years ago when humans settled in a farm. You can read the full study here....
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Is human contact with wildlife to blame for pandemics?

Is human contact with wildlife to blame for pandemics?

We should curb our contact with wildlife and livestock to prevent future pandemics, a new report says. Our relationship with the environment has been getting more and more complex. Wildfires, floods, extreme weather changes and now, a pandemic – the challenges are multiple and require immediate action. Now, a report by UN established organisation IPBES (Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services) says humankind needs a new approach to stop future outbreaks before they become global. Its authors call on people to stop encroaching on wild land and eat less meat. This is hardly surprising. If you trace back the origin of past pandemics, quite often you will get to an animal source. The virus that caused the 1918 Spanish flu pandemic is likely to have sprung from North American domestic and wild birds. HIV jumped onto humans from chimpanzees, most likely when humans came into contact with the chimpanzees’ infected blood while hunting them. Even recent diseases like Ebola, zika and, of...
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The Quadruple Whammy For Christmas

The Quadruple Whammy For Christmas

The press are predicting a difficult winter period, the so called quadruple whammy of Covid-19, influenza, Brexit and climate change (flooding). We hope it will be much better than that. With good fortune and good behaviour the second spike of coronavirus can be avoided. Flu vaccines are already being shipped and in the Southern Hemisphere, now in winter, measures to prevent Covid-19 infection are reducing the number of flu infections.  The hit to the economy from Covid-19 is many fold greater than anything predicted for Brexit. In any event, the EU is in as much Covid-19 turmoil as we are. With international travel at its highest ever level pre-pandemic, this horrible virus spread around the world quickly and although we had some time to react, the ponderous response by Western Governments was fuelled by liberal economists and a series of experts (herd community?) relying on the precedents of other viruses. Always look outside the box my friends, always. The shutdown was late (but...
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