Jerusalem, Israel | XINHUA | Israeli researchers have found that low levels of vitamin D in the blood is associated with an increased risk of contracting coronavirus, Leumit Health Services and Bar Ilan University (BIU) in central Israel said on Sunday. In a comprehensive study, published in the journal FEBS, …
Read More »Dexamethasone becomes first drug to show highest efficacy in COVID-19 treatment
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Results of a study released on Tuesday show that if common anti allergy drug dexamethasone is given in low doses to patients battling serious COVID- 9, a third of them can be saved from death. Conducted by researchers at Oxford university and part of a …
Read More »Researchers eye tech wearables as virus early warning system
Washington, United States | AFP | Can your Fitbit or Apple Watch detect a coronavirus infection before the onset of symptoms? Researchers are increasingly looking at these devices and other such wearables as a possible early warning system for the deadly virus. Last month, scientists at the West Virginia University Rockefeller …
Read More »First COVID-19 vaccine expected in June 2021
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | The closest date that a COVID-19 vaccine can be ready is June 2021 according to scientists and researchers. Over 100 vaccines are being developed globally in laboratories in the United Kingdom, the United States, Europe and even China. 76 of these are being followed by …
Read More »Coronavirus can circulate in the air for 2 hours -New Study
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A study published in the journal Nature Research shows that the coronavirus can stay and rotate within the air for two hours in crowded or places that have limited ventilation. In a study carried out in two hospitals in Wuhan China at the height of …
Read More »Researchers become prime targets in Mideast power plays
Paris, France | AFP | Authoritarian governments in the Middle East are increasingly willing to seize researchers and academics, who are seen as valuable bargaining chips in their joustings with Western nations, analysts warn. “The risks now facing researchers in the Middle East are unprecedented,” said Jean-Pierre Filiu, a historian at …
Read More »Uganda’s oil sector suffering from political interference – researchers
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s oil sector is dominated by political interference, with many players forced to have the president’s say before making any important decisions, researchers have said. Writing a chapter in a recently published book on Uganda’s oil sector, Dr Badru Bukenya, an academic at Makerere University …
Read More »Tensions flare in French protests as pension dispute grinds on
Paris, France | AFP | Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to streets across France on Thursday in the latest mass protests against a pensions overhaul that critics say could cut benefits even while requiring people to work longer before retiring. Tensions flared in Paris and other cities as some black-clad …
Read More »Uganda ranked among countries with bad sim-card registration policies
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Uganda’s Sim-Card registration policies have received a poor ranking, getting same score as North Korea. Comparitech, a technology research company in England and Wales, said Uganda was among the top 15 countries with poor Sim-Card registration policies – only better than Tanzania and Saudi Arabia. …
Read More »Government sponsorships favour male students –Mak Professors
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | Researchers from Makerere University have called for comprehensive interventions to increase the female intake in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) disciplines. They argue that that the affirmative action policy which awarded 1.5 bonus points to girls qualifying to enter public universities, remains insufficient …
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