Health

Pollution by governments, companies and consumers is contributing to more deaths globally than Covid-19, a U.N. environmental report published on Tuesday said, calling for “immediate and ambitious action” to ban some toxic chemicals. The report said pollution from pesticides, plastics and electronic waste is causing widespread human rights violations and at least nine million premature...

By Simon Heptinstall An elegant period home hidden among trees next to the church in a quiet English village houses a little-known medical museum. More than 200 years ago, this whitewashed Queen Anne building was the home of a humble country doctor. With its simple collection of artefacts displayed in traditional glass cabinets, it sounds...

Almost a third (32 of every 100) of older adults infected with covid-19 in 2020 developed at least one new condition that required medical attention in the months after initial infection, 11 more than those who did not have covid-19, finds a U.S. study published by The BMJ today. Conditions involved a range of major...

By Irina Ivanova Gas stoves are contributing more to global warming than previously thought because they constantly leak small amounts of methane even while they’re off, a new study has found. The same study also found that home stoves can emit high levels of nitrogen oxides, raising concerns about health and indoor air quality. Even when...

Face coverings and Covid passes are no longer legally required in England, after the relaxation of Plan B rules came into effect on Thursday. Health Secretary Sajid Javid said the measures could be lifted due to the vaccine rollout’s success and a better understanding of Covid treatments. Although the action applies only to England in...

By Andrew Harding South African scientists — praised internationally for first detecting the Omicron variant — have accused Western nations of ignoring early evidence that the new Covid variant was “dramatically” milder than those which drove previous waves of the pandemic. Two of South Africa’s most prominent coronavirus experts told the BBC that Western scepticism...

By Jon Henley, Sam Jones, Angela Giuffrida and Philip Oltermann A row over meat consumption in Spain over the last month is just the most recent eruption of the debate all over Europe, as the continent grapples with making its famous cuisines more sustainable. Food is inextricably intertwined with national identity for countries in continental...

By Molly Taft Humans have produced so many chemicals and environmental pollutants that we’re currently exceeding the limits of a “safe operating space for humanity,” a new study finds. That could mean that the planet, as well as our health and wellbeing, is in serious jeopardy. The study, published Tuesday in Science and Technology, illustrates...

By David Leonhardt and Ashley Wu Some of the timeliest data on Covid-19 outcomes by vaccination status comes from New York City and the Seattle area, and the two are telling a consistent story. Cases for vaccinated and unvaccinated residents alike are rising: They’re rising because vaccination often does not prevent infection from the Omicron...

By Dylan Housman Thanks to the arrival of the Omicron variant, it’s now accurate to say that Covid-19 is “just the flu” – or even less — for the vast majority of the population. The same claim was made, afterall, in early 2020 by former President Donald Trump and Covid skeptics and turned out to...

By Ben Krishna It is controversial whether viruses are alive, but – like all living things – they do evolve. This fact has become abundantly clear during the pandemic, as new variants of concern have emerged every few months. Some of these variants have been better at spreading from person to person, eventually becoming dominant...