The extent of variations
A change in UV exposure by 1 standard deviation, the analysis found, reduced the growth rate of new cases by around 1 percentage point over the following two weeks. A change of 1 percentage point, for context, is approximately equivalent to the change in UV between April and May in Delhi.
Based on changes in UV, the model predicted Covid-19 growth rates for the temperate zones north and south of the tropics. Between January and June, Covid-19 growth rates would increase by 7.3 percentage points in southern temperate locations and decline by 7.4 percentage points in the northern temperate ones. And when the seasons flip, growth rates in December compared with July were predicted to decrease by 7.7 percentage points in southern temperate regions, and jump by 7.8 percentage points in northern areas.
Explained: Why wearing a weak mask may carry more risk than no mask at all
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Women wearing masks during the Covid-19 pandemic in India. (Reuters Photo/File)
When you wear a mask, it is primarily to protect other people around you. From the perspective of your own protection, how does your mask influence the airflow around your face, the particles you inhale, and the way these particles are deposited in your upper airway or lungs? A
Explained: Why pet cats (and possibly lions and tigers) are vulnerable to coronavirus
Next to humans, ferrets, and then cats, are the most vulnerable to coronavirus infection, new research finds. How does it reach this conclusion, and what about big cats? Updated: December 21, 2020 3:07:04 pm
Domestic cats can be infected with the novel coronavirus, new studies show. (File Photo)
Reports at various stages during the pandemic have shown that domestic cats, as well as lions and tigers, can be infected with the novel coronavirus. New research has provided evidence for what makes pet cats vulnerable, adding to the findings of previous studies and the general understanding that felines are susceptible because their cellular structure facilitates coronavirus infection. The latest research comes from the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) headquartered in Barcelona incidentally the same city where four zoo lions were found positive for coronav
Explained: In weird planet 336 light-years away, clues about our own Planet Nine
Like the presumed Planet Nine in our Solar System, newly described exoplanet orbits its star from a great distance, at an extreme tilt, and influences the behaviour of various objects in its system. What have scientists learnt about its formation and behaviour, and how does it mirror Planet Nine? Written by Kabir Firaque , Edited by Explained Desk | New Delhi | Updated: December 21, 2020 3:05:17 pm
Artist’s impression of the exoplanet HD106906 b. Credit: ESA/Hubble
A strange exoplanet, orbiting a double-star 336 light years away, has caught the interest of astronomers. The oddball behaviour of the planet, HD106906 b, provide clues about our own mysterious Planet Nine if it exists. HD106906 b and its behaviour have been described in a study
If someone wore a face shield but no mask, and if someone infected with Covid-19 sneezed in the vicinity, would the face shield offer enough protection on its own?