scientists

Script Connect: A New Web-App Bringing Scientists Together

August 13, 2022 2:39 am

What is the place of tech in increasing public engagement in science? How can researchers work with software engineers and developers to give science discoveries a wider reach? Researchers in East Africa seemed to have figured this out with their new web-app, Script Connect, which was developed and funded by Robert Busch Foundation in conjunction with SciDev.net, a UK science publication.

For years, conversations around bridging the gap between ‘the gown and the town’ have been on. These conversations resulted in novel research reporting techniques that are better suited for the digital age. In spite of the progress made, …

Scientists Say Bacteria Might End Plastic Pollution In Water

July 30, 2022 6:37 am

With 40% of plastics manufactured in the world being convenience and single-use plastics, the world is close to a humongous plastic waste menace. In Africa, plastic waste management policies have been relatively unsuccessful considering the pushback from multi-million companies that deal in plastics. Currently, Africa produces nearly 6 million tonnes of plastic wastes and there are very few proper disposal structures in place.

According to a 2016 study, by the year 2050, there will be more plastics than fish in the ocean. Although we are still a few decades from hitting the menace, single-use plastics and plastic bags are still …

Weight Loss: Scientists Discover Substitute for Exercise

July 2, 2022 4:51 am

It is no news that the weight loss and fitness industry is attracting more investors with its multi-billion-dollar market. No thanks to corporate life, more people seem to be sedentary and snacking on junk food in a bid to catch up with schedules.

Nowadays, most people have a workout routine. This routine could be anything from a fifteen-minute walk, to twenty squats a day, to weekly visits to the local gym, etc. Just like treating oneself to a balanced diet, exercising is an important factor for good health. What then becomes of those who do not like the idea of …

Science Sphere With Ehi Ogwiji

June 11, 2022 6:19 am

From Scientists To Superstars, Advancing Science Literacy In Africa

Every now and then, you will stumble on tweets, memes and posts about how much regret people feel when they recall that they solved binomials, simultaneous, quadratic, and other mathematical equations which they ignorantly assume have no practical application. A couple of years ago, I was one of them. I quibbled about how many of my Chemistry classes were a total waste of time.

In fact, it was one decade after I carried out my first titration under the supervision of my Chemistry teacher, that I discovered why there is so …

How False Results Are Complicating COVID-19 Testing

April 11, 2020 12:56 pm

As COVID-19 tests become more widely available across the United States, scientists have warned that there is one growing concern: The tests are not 100 percent reliable, meaning people with negative results might actually have the virus.

That could have devastating implications as a global recession looms and governments wrangle with the question of when to reopen economies shuttered as billions of people were ordered to stay home in an effort to halt the transmission of the deadly disease.

The majority of tests around the world use a technology called PCR, which detects traces of the coronavirus in mucus samples.

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Dogs Being Trained To Sniff Out COVID-19

March 27, 2020 5:54 pm

A British charity has teamed up with scientists to see whether dogs could help detect COVID-19 through their keen sense of smell, they said on Friday.

Medical Detection Dogs will work with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Durham University in northeast England to determine whether canines could help diagnoses.

It follows previous research into dogs’ ability to sniff out malaria and is based on a belief that each disease triggers a distinct odour.

The organisations said they had begun preparations to train dogs in six weeks “to help provide a rapid, non-invasive diagnosis towards the …