Solving the puzzle of Long Covid
Long Covid provides an opportunity to understand how acute infections cause chronic disease
Research Preview: Science Magazine – Feb 23, 2024
Monthly Archives: February 2024
Politics: The Guardian Weekly – February 23, 2024
The Guardian Weekly (February 22, 2024) – The new issue features ‘Ukraine’s Lonely Road’ – After two years, is there a way out of Putin’s war?…
Shaun Walker reports on this week’s big story, the fall of the strategic town of Avdiivka to Russian troops has come at a grim time for Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskiy. While the army is struggling to hold ground, war fatigue is setting in among parts of the population and disagreements among the leadership have been spilling into the open.
At the same time, the death of the jailed Russian critic Alexei Navalny last week – widely seen as another political assassination – appears to emphasise the strengthening hand of Vladimir Putin, who is expected to secure another six-year term as Russia’s president in tightly controlled elections next month. Amid a familiar wave of international outrage, our Russia affairs reporter Pjotr Sauer asks what Putin might do next.
Coupled with the possibility of a Donald Trump victory in the US elections later this year, it all makes for a deeply worrying outlook for Ukraine, reflected in the Kyiv-based illustrator Sergiy Maidukov’s haunting cover artwork for the magazine this week.
“This war is the hardest test of my life, similar to an endless ultramarathon,” writes Sergiy. “It is good to try to not think about the finish when running long distance. This is important knowledge to endure.”
The Economist Magazine – February 24, 2024 Preview
Is Europe ready to defend itself?
Russian aggression and American wavering reveal just how ill-equipped the continent is
Russia is becoming more dangerous, America is less reliable and Europe remains unprepared. The problem is simply put, but the scale of its solution is hard to comprehend. The security arrangements based on nato that emerged from the second world war—and have prevented a third—are so much part of Europe’s fabric that remaking them will be an immense task. European leaders urgently need to jettison their post-Soviet complacency. That means raising defence spending to a level not seen in decades, restoring Europe’s neglected military traditions, restructuring its arms industries and preparing for a possible war. The work has barely begun.
A memo to the chancellor
Pre-budget thoughts for Jeremy Hunt from a fictitious Treasury adviser
The Trump trials explained
The flimsiest of the cases is set to go first, and all face delays
Why sanctions disappoint
There is no substitute for military aid to Ukraine
Middle ages, misunderstood
There was more to the period than violence, superstition and ignorance, argues a new book
The growing peril of national conservatism
It’s dangerous and it’s spreading. Liberals need to find a way to stop it
Europe must hurry to defend itself against Russia—and Donald Trump
The ex-president’s invitation to Vladimir Putin to attack American allies is an assault on NATO. Ultimately, that is bad for America
Research: New Scientist Magazine – Feb 24, 2024
New evidence finally reveals how male and female brains really differ
The strange truth about why thinking hard makes you feel exhausted
Why the brain’s microbiome could hold the key to curing Alzheimer’s
Supercommunicators review: Learning how to change deeply held beliefs
Are you truly healthy? These new tests provide the ultimate check-up
How we will discover the mysterious origins of life once and for all
With privacy concerns rising, can we teach AI chatbots to forget?
Politics: How Poland Is Changing Itself & Europe
The Globalist (February 22, 2024): Broadcast live from the Polish capital to assess the state of the fast-changing nation. We discuss the role that Poland has played in the diplomatic arena, take a look at Warsaw’s green ambitions with architect Marlena Happach and talk about the future of the media industry with voices from Polityka Insight and ‘Gazeta Wyborcza’.
Plus: Polish hospitality with Puro hotel.
The New York Times — Thursday, Feb 22, 2024
Biden Mulling Plan That Could Restrict Asylum Claims at the Border
The action under consideration could prevent people from making asylum claims during border crossing surges. The White House says it is far from a decision on the matter.
Arizona Refuses to Send Murder Suspect to New York Over Bragg’s Policies
The Maricopa County attorney in Arizona said she would fight to keep a man who authorities believe bludgeoned a woman to death in a New York City hotel.
In Latin America, Guards Don’t Control Prisons, Gangs Do
Intended to fight crime, Latin American prisons have instead become safe havens and recruitment centers for gangs, fueling a surge in violence.
Where Hostage Families and Supporters Gather, for Solace and Protest
A plaza in Tel Aviv has become a home away from home. “If I don’t know what to do, I come here,” one relative said.
Research Preview: Nature Magazine – Feb 22, 2024
Great ‘Stone Age’ wall discovered in Baltic Sea
Megastructure stretching nearly 1 kilometre long is probably one of the oldest known hunting aids on Earth.
The immune markers that predict who can keep SARS-CoV-2 in check
People infected with the virus that causes COVID-19 cleared the virus more quickly if they had high levels of certain immune cells.
Introducing meat–rice: grain with added muscles beefs up protein
The laboratory-grown food uses rice as a scaffold for cultured meat.
Health: Ultra-Processed Foods (UPF) Explained
An evaluation of global dietary guidelines highlights the need for clearer warnings on what common foods fall under the ‘UPF’ banner. Some of them may surprise you. Today, Decomplicated examines what exactly defines ultra-processed foods, the impact they have on both society and the environment, and what can you do to minimize your consumption of them.
Previews: Country Life Magazine – Feb 21, 2024
Country Life Magazine – February 21, 2024: The ‘The Fine Arts Issue’ – Artists who say it with flowers and the AI debate; Wig law, daffodils and how does your hedgerow grow?….
Artificial art
With the technology powering artificial intelligence advancing so rapidly, what can artists do to protect their original work?
Blooming marvellous
Michael Prodger examines how flowers have inspired artists for centuries, from the ancient Egyptians up to the present day
On a wig and a prayer
The periwigs that were a 17th-century status symbol are still a mainstay of our legal system, as Agnes Stamp discovers
Hedge of eternity
They have long been used to contain cattle or define boundaries, but hedges can be beautiful, too, argues Charles Quest-Ritson
Trumpet majors
Alan Titchmarsh takes a wander with Wordsworth as he dreams of spring daffodils ‘fluttering and dancing in the breeze’
Norman Foster’s favourite painting
The architect falls under the spell of a gritty, but humorous work
All in a day’s work
Jamie Blackett is ready to man the barricades to scupper plans for an unwanted national park
Brothers in art
John Goodall applauds the restoration of Leighton House in London, which formed the hub of a 19th-century celebrity circle
Man of the world
Mary Miers follows the globe-trotting Sir John Lavery from Ireland to Africa and beyond
Follow your art
An inspiring oil painting was at the centre of a heist with a happy ending, reveals Carla Passino
Where be dragons?
A protective force in China and Wales, but a symbol of greed and evil in England: Lucien de Guise delves into dragon lore
The good stuff
Hetty Lintell celebrates the best of the Art Deco era with earrings old and new, but always modern
Is this London’s most exquisite hotel room?
The astonishing King’s Lodge suite at The Connaught is fit for a monarch, finds Rosie Paterson
Interiors
Amelia Thorpe shares the very best of London Design Week
A seed of an idea
Tilly Ware meets the wild-seed pioneer ‘nurturing the future’
A tower of thorns
Ben Lerwill finds the salt of the earth on the coast of Scotland
Kitchen garden cook
Melanie Johnson on rhubarb
Love and marriage
A real-life couple are in harmony on stage, finds Michael Billington
Arts/Books: Times Literary Supplement – Feb 23, 2024
Times Literary Supplement (February 21, 2024): The latest issue features ‘The Unknown Leader’ – Fintan O’Toole looks for clues in a biography of Keir Starmer; Zelensky on the ropes; Ukraine’s rock star poet; Habermas and social media and The novel of the Year?….
Boomers Daily 