It may sound like a plot from a science fiction film, but NASA and scientists are concerned about alien viruses contaminating Earth. As the first humans prepare for the Mars mission, experts warn that protocols are necessary to keep extraterrestrial pollutants from hitchhiking on space ships and astronauts when returning home from the Red Planet. Stanford … Read more
Creator of the ‘Love Bug’, one of the world’s first global computer viruses that affected 45 million, now works in a phone repair shop in the Philippines and says he regrets unleashing the malignant files in 2000 Onel de Guzman created the Love Bug virus in 2000 to get free internet access The virus spread … Read more
There are two distinct categories of virus. Organic, microscopic living ones that have existed since the earliest stages of life on Earth billions of years ago, and digital computer-based ones that have only become widespread in the past 20 to 30 years. Both organic and digital viruses can potentially cause huge harm and disruption but … Read more
Hong Kong airport trials a disinfection booth that ‘can remotely kill coronavirus on humans using nano needles’ in just 40 SECONDS Sanitising pods at the airport work in a similar way to standard security checks A person would enter the confined cubicle and undergo thorough disinfection It can check temperatures and readings suggesting a viral infection … Read more
Bats carrying viruses that can lead to an AIDS-like disease threaten to wipe out Australia’s koala population Bats are acting as flying carriers for several viruses that are deadly to koalas The virus can trigger the koala retrovirus called KoRV, which can lead to cancer Scientists believe this is a greater threat to the koala … Read more
Superbug-killing viruses could mean Londoners are far less likely to get sepsis Exposure to bacteria that cause sepsis is less than half of those in South Wales This could be due to more superbug-killing viruses circulating in the capital Sepsis kills at least 52,000 a year in UK, but rates vary greatly between regions By … Read more
You may have sprinkled lavender oil on your pillow, invested in blackout blinds or even bought over-the-counter medication in search of a good night’s sleep. All well and good, but you might not have realised that one major way of improving your sleep is to be found in the kitchen, rather than the bedroom or … Read more
A new air filter may be able to kill bacteria and viruses floating in the air in the blink of an eye. The device uses ‘non-thermal plasma’ (NTP), a gas which causes molecules to react with oxygen to create ozone. Ozone is known to be anti-bacterial and destroys pathogens by rupturing their cell walls. But … Read more