​​How it changed us all and how we still feel the effects of the Great Plague of the 14th century ● Huge scandal after the Americans created a hybrid of Covid-19 in the laboratory ● Female researchers who publish physics research are cited less than men ● Only active friends are needed to avoid inactivity

How it changed us all and how we still feel the effects of the Great Plague of the 14th century

The Great Plague, Black Plague or Dead Sea, as the wave of bubonic plague from the 14th century was historically known, had and continues to have consequences to this day. Moreover, it changed us humans evolutionarily and led to health problems that are still felt today.

At least this is confirmed in a study published in the journal Nature and signed by an international group of experts. And, according to the study, these scientists wanted to find out if and what changes the bubonic plague caused among survivors and their descendants.

To do this, they analyzed the skeletons of more than 500 people from three historical periods: before, during and after the Great Plague. It found that people who had an identical set of copies of a gene called ERAP2 were about 50% more likely to survive than others. As it turns out, this helped them move on and, being a useful mutation, was passed on to their descendants to make them more resilient.

The downside, the researchers say, is that the mutation is expensive. Accordingly, it modified our genome and today predisposes us to immune disorders, Crohn’s disease or rheumatoid arthritis. This is as an example. In general, changes were inevitable. Both with mutation and without it, it was possible. Now all we can do is learn how such past events affect our lives in the present and how we can prevent such episodes.

A huge scandal after the Americans created a Covid-19 hybrid in the laboratory

A team of researchers from Boston University created a hybrid of Covid-19 in an artificial environment by adding proteins from the Omicron variant to the original virus. And this resulted in an 80 percent mortality rate among laboratory mice infected with the new variant.

Apparently, there were immediately voices denying the experiments of those in Boston, and who claimed that all we now lack is an even more deadly variant of the Covid virus. However, scientists defend themselves and say that he did not understand the world well.

In fact, they created a less lethal variant, given that the original virus, the one in Wuhan, resulted in 100% mortality in guinea pigs. What they really wanted to see was how certain mutations could help the Omicron variant escape immunity from the vaccine and still cause less severe infections.

Then, the researchers say, guinea pigs react somewhat differently than humans. Thus, the mortality rate in the former cannot be compared with the consequences it can have on a person. The point, they say, is that some information is exaggerated and everything was misunderstood. Therefore, the variant created by her does not necessarily have lethal potential for people. You’ve calmed down, haven’t you?

Women researchers who publish research in physics are cited less than men

A team of researchers from the US not only began to study more than 1 million specialized articles published in the past few years, but also published the results in the journal Nature Physics. And their conclusion is that women are discriminated against because they are cited less than men.

In particular, a study is more prestigious, the more authors it cites in its subsequent studies. This is exactly the place where women will be discriminated against. why Men are quoted 4.23% more. I repeat…4.23%! Not 80%, not 50%, 30%. Fixed 4.23%!

Now, to be honest, let’s leave aside that the percentage is small. But sometimes I think it’s gone too far. As someone who has really had to deal with n thousands of specialized studies, the only problem I’ve had is with the author’s box, where they transfer all their files, all nations and all friendships, why do I have to write like a desperate hundreds of thousands of authors to one bibliographic text.

Well, look, if a study were written that analyzed how many authors are included in the bibliography for absolutely nothing, for their pretty eyes or for the simple fact that their function pushes the research forward, it would really be worth reading. Otherwise, let him die with such discrimination, because even the turkeys laugh at it.

To avoid sedentary life, you need only active friends

Don’t know how to become more active? Stop sitting on the couch until you start taking her shape? The solution is closer than you thought. You also need active friends to keep you moving. A study published in PLOS ONE, not anywhere else, was written to do this.

So researchers at Kean University in New Jersey have created several mathematical models to see what works and what doesn’t in the case of low mobility. And these models clearly showed that the lack of social interactions leads to a decrease in physical activity and, subsequently, to chronic sitting.

That changed when active friends came into the equation. With that, everyone around starts to move. The bad thing is that these data are purely mathematical. That’s why I wondered why, if my wife sent me for years only to the market, to wear pansies, until I had a hernia, she didn’t start doing things like that again. But, no, it never occurred to me to make a cabinet out of it.

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