September 2023

Neanderthal genes made Covid more severe

Pubblicato il 18/09/2023

A primitive man with a spear, blazer and briefcase

The Origin study from the Mario Negri Institute has identified genetic variants from Neanderthals in the DNA of those who had the most severe form of the disease.

Image credits: Crawford Jolly/Unsplash

Genetics

A small group of genes that we inherited from the Neanderthal man - and from his romantic relationships with our sapiens ancestors - exposes us today to the risk of developing severe Covid. This is the unique conclusion of the Origin study by the Mario Negri Institute, presented yesterday in Milan and published in the journal iScience.

We cannot archive Covid-19 yet

di Stefania Salmaso

Pubblicato il 15/09/2023

Coexistence with Covid-19 cannot yet be said to be stable, especially due to the great variability of SARS-CoV-2. For this reason, as the number of cases in Italy is increasing, it is necessary to limit the impact of infections by acting on two fronts, which are not alternatives to each other: reduce the share of people who have become partially susceptible and limit the likelihood of the emergence of new variants.

Image credits: Prasesh Shiwakoti (Lomash)/Unsplash

Global Health

Several attempts have been made to archive Covid-19, trying to leave behind an experience worthy of the worst dystopian novel (about 770 million officially registered cases worldwide and an estimated 18 million deaths), but it seems that the anticipated "coexistence" with the family of viruses has not yet stabilized, and it will take several years to get there.

Europe votes on the new air quality directive

di Luca Carra

Pubblicato il 15/09/2023

The European Parliament's vote (and subsequently the Council of Europe's) on the new European Directive on air quality is expected for September 13. This directive updates the allowed atmospheric pollutant limits, bringing them closer to those established by the WHO in 2021. Resistance to the new objectives, mainly coming from the industrial world and established economic interests in certain regions, makes the outcome of the vote uncertain. However, there are no serious scientific or political reasons to oppose or attempt to dilute the more ambitious limits proposed by the new directive.

Image credits: JC Gellidon/Unsplash

Global Health

The new European Directive on air quality, currently under discussion in the European Parliament, updates the concentration limits of major air pollutants, bringing them closer to those set by the new guidelines of the World Health Organization (2021). The outcome of the vote, scheduled for September 13, is uncertain.

Healthy Lungs for Life: lung health starts with clean air

di Natalia Milazzo

Pubblicato il 15/09/2023

Gathering support for policies that promote clean air, with particular attention to the EU Directive on air quality being discussed in the coming days: this is the goal of the Healthy Lungs for Life campaign, this year focused on the importance of combating air pollution.

Global Health

According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is the fourth leading cause of disease and premature death worldwide (after hypertension, smoking, and malnutrition). It is estimated that due to pollution, the European population loses an average of almost one year of life.

Oppenheimer, a film that equally addresses science and ethics

di Fabio Terragni

Pubblicato il 14/09/2023

The story of the physicist Robert Oppenheimer is a controversial one, filled with both highlights and shadows. Although it has already been the subject of numerous biographies, it is now the focus of the eponymous film directed by Christopher Nolan. Fabio Terragni reviews it for 'Scienza in rete'.

Pace

It's true: Robert Oppenheimer didn't "invent" the atomic bomb. The most tragic achievement of 20th-century science and technology was the result of the first example of Big Science: the Manhattan Project, an unprecedented effort by the American government to outpace Nazi Germany, which cost over two billion dollars and involved tens of thousands of top-tier physicists, engineers, and technicians.