Stray dogs may have been the ‘intermediary animal’ that spread coronavirus from bats to humans — rather than pangolins, as previously thought — a study claimed. Understanding how coronavirus came to infect humans is vital for discerning how the virus works — and for concocting vaccines and treatments to stop its spread. Canadian researchers who analysed … Read more
Cats can become infected with the new coronavirus but dogs appear not to be vulnerable, according to a new study, prompting the WHO to say it will take a closer look at transmission of the virus between humans and pets. The study, published on the website of the journal Science on Wednesday, found that ferrets … Read more
A WILDLIFE MARKET IN WUHAN The most common theory is that the virus leaped to humans from animals – specifically bats – in a live animal market in Wuhan. A menagerie of live animals including koalas, rats and wolf pups were available at the Huanan Seafood Market in central Wuhan – the outbreak’s epicentre. The … Read more
People are more likely to snack faster when someone else is around because humans are hardwired with a ‘forager mentality’ Humans snack on small portions more frequently in the presence of food rivals Social animals adapt to signs of food competition – and humans are no different The behaviour could be an evolutionary trait to … Read more
Coronavirus may have been circulating among people for years or even decades before it became the deadly pandemic that’s killed more than 36,000 people worldwide, a new study suggests. An international team of scientists traced the evolution of the virus and proposed two possible origin stories for it. One was that it might have developed … Read more
It’s not just humans: Female animals live longer than males by an average of 18.6 per cent – a bigger gap than between men and women Researchers studied 101 different mammal species covering 134 populations This included examining the demographics of bats, lions, orcas and gorillas They found that most female mammals live longer … Read more
Prehistoric humans share migration patterns with HYENAS that left Africa two million years ago due to climate change Researchers from Denmark found that hyenas underwent complex migrations The team said that humans and hyenas likely coexisted peacefully at first Yet as humans became more evolved the relationship became bad for hyenas African and Eurasian hyenas … Read more
NASA’s uncertainty over Starliner astronaut capsule made clear as Boeing is told to take 61 ‘corrective actions’ after failed mission sent craft into wrong the wrong orbit Boeing will have to address 61 corrective actions outlined by NASA The mandate comes after a botched mission from Starliner late last year NASA has yet to say … Read more
It is an issue troubling some of the greatest minds in the world at the moment, from Bill Gates to Elon Musk. SpaceX and Tesla CEO Elon Musk described AI as our ‘biggest existential threat’ and likened its development as ‘summoning the demon’. He believes super intelligent machines could use humans as pets. Professor Stephen … Read more
Brain cancer treatment for DOGS could offer hope for humans with the rare, aggressive tumor that killed John McCain, study suggests Researchers compared glioblastoma samples from dog patients and both adult and children patients The rare, aggressive form of brain cancer has a five-year survival rate of only 5% Similarities were seen in the cancer’s gene … Read more