https://www.scmp.com/rss/324578/feed en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Dannie Peng Dannie Peng When Nobel laureate James Watson died at 97 in November, obituaries around the world painted a divided portrait: a scientific visionary who co-discovered the double helix of DNA – and a controversial figure long condemned for making racially charged statements about intelligence and genetics. In the West, the American molecular biologist’s legacy was increasingly overshadowed by the fallout from those remarks, culminating in New York’s Cold Spring Harbour Laboratory (CSHL) severing ties with him... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3332771/why-racist-biologist-james-watson-remembered-china-respect?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3332771/why-racist-biologist-james-watson-remembered-china-respect?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 17 Nov 2025 15:00:12 +0000 A waterspout was spotted on Saturday in Hong Kong’s Victoria Harbour for the first time since records began in 1959. The rare sight wowed witnesses, including dozens of parents and children at an outdoor swimming pool in Hung Hom near where the waterspout was believed to have landed. Social media platforms were awash with photos and videos of the waterspout. The Post takes a look at the phenomenon. 1. What is a waterspout? The weather phenomenon is characterised by a rotating column of water and... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3280435/all-you-need-know-about-waterspouts-after-rare-sighting-hong-kongs-victoria-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3280435/all-you-need-know-about-waterspouts-after-rare-sighting-hong-kongs-victoria-harbour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Sep 2024 13:22:01 +0000 Renowned scientist Professor Dennis Lo Yuk-ming is the sole candidate to take over as head of the Chinese University of Hong Kong from Professor Rocky Tuan Sung-chi, who handed in his resignation in January. The Post profiles the 60-year-old molecular geneticist, described as having a “stellar” reputation, and his connections internationally and with mainland China. 1. What is Lo best known for? Lo is often referred to as the “father” of non-invasive prenatal testing, which uses a pregnant... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3279659/who-hong-kong-scientist-dennis-lo-and-what-sole-candidate-top-cuhk-job-best-known?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/education/article/3279659/who-hong-kong-scientist-dennis-lo-and-what-sole-candidate-top-cuhk-job-best-known?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 23 Sep 2024 14:41:03 +0000 Decarbonising the global economy by mid-century is crucial in the fight against climate change, which requires a major overhaul in the world’s energy systems. Hydrogen has emerged as a viable long-term solution that can reduce emissions in the most carbon-intensive sectors, including power generation, ground, sea and air transport and steel and cement. To make the zero-emission fuel commercially viable, much work and investment lies ahead to enhance efficiency, reduce costs and scale up... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3265291/what-green-hydrogen-and-what-chinas-role-its-production-and-use?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3265291/what-green-hydrogen-and-what-chinas-role-its-production-and-use?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 07 Jun 2024 00:00:09 +0000 Claims by South Korean researchers in late July that they had developed a superconductor, known as LK-99, that works at room temperature and pressure triggered waves of excitement – and scepticism – around the world. From national laboratories in the United States and India to universities in China, teams have scrambled to replicate the experiment. Most have failed, but a couple of exceptions claim partial success. Critics said the manuscripts, uploaded to the preprint platform arXiv and waiting... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3229898/what-are-superconductors-and-why-are-scientists-sceptical-about-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3229898/what-are-superconductors-and-why-are-scientists-sceptical-about-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Aug 2023 14:00:11 +0000 Hongkongers reported feeling the tremors of a magnitude 3.7 earthquake earlier this week, marking the third time in three months the city has experienced such seismic activity. The city’s forecaster said the epicentre of Monday evening’s quake was located in a southern part of mainland China, with some residents in Hong Kong briefly feelings its effects. The Post talks to seismologists and breaks down what readers need to know about the rumbles in Hong Kong’s concrete jungle. Hong Kong team sent... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3226560/hong-kong-shaken-not-stirred-recent-earthquake-tremors-post-learns-more-about-seismic-activity-near?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3226560/hong-kong-shaken-not-stirred-recent-earthquake-tremors-post-learns-more-about-seismic-activity-near?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 Jul 2023 13:39:04 +0000 A new Covid-19 subvariant, Arcturus, has come under the spotlight after it was reported in more countries and regions, including Hong Kong. India was experiencing a spike in infections fuelled by the subvariant and a mask mandate was reintroduced in part of the country. The Post looked into the matter to determine whether the public should be worried. 1. What is Arcturus, the new Covid-19 subvariant? First detected in January, Arcturus, known as XBB.1.16, is a Covid-19 Omicron subvariant. It is... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3217475/how-worried-should-you-be-about-new-covid-subvariant-arcturus-reported-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3217475/how-worried-should-you-be-about-new-covid-subvariant-arcturus-reported-hong-kong?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Apr 2023 11:02:04 +0000 In 1969 Ioannis Yannas, then a young scientist at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, toured the paediatric ward at Shriners Burn Institute in Boston, Massachusetts, with Dr John Burke. He was “shocked beyond belief” at the appalling injuries the young patients had sustained. The children were heavily bandaged and they looked so bad it was like a “prelude to death”. On that day, Yannas felt an instant connection with Burke and knew he had to try to help the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3215113/what-artificial-skin-how-its-grown-and-how-it-could-help-skin-cancer-sufferers-having-been-developed?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3215113/what-artificial-skin-how-its-grown-and-how-it-could-help-skin-cancer-sufferers-having-been-developed?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Mar 2023 20:15:18 +0000 China launched its Wentian space station module with a Long March 5 rocket on Sunday. But the huge amount of debris from the Long March 5 rocket has prompted concern about whether it will hit a city when falling back to Earth. The chance of that happening, according to space scientists, is much lower than winning the lottery. Here’s why. What happens to Long March 5 debris falling to Earth? The debris has a mass of about 20 tonnes, including a substage rocket, instrument module, payload support... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3186720/should-we-worry-about-space-debris-chinese-rockets-hitting-earth?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3186720/should-we-worry-about-space-debris-chinese-rockets-hitting-earth?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 Jul 2022 07:00:18 +0000 The hottest day of this year’s heat wave is bearing down on us. The sun’s scorching effect on Earth will be at its peak on the 12th of the lunar calendar’s 24 solar terms - known as Dashu - which falls on July 23 this year. That would add to the number of consecutive “very hot days,” when daily top temperature soars beyond 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit). So far, Hong Kong has experienced nine consecutive such days since July 8, the sixth longest streak since records began at the... https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3186069/what-does-1-degree-thermostat-mean-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/article/3186069/what-does-1-degree-thermostat-mean-climate-change?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 21 Jul 2022 08:30:19 +0000 Hong Kong changed its Covid-19 case reporting criteria on Tuesday, requiring residents who have submitted their positive rapid antigen test (RAT) results to health authorities to undergo a confirmation test before they are included in the city’s daily infection tally. The Post unpacks and explores the impact of this change in policy. What are details of the changes? From Tuesday, people who test positive on RAT kits and report the result on the government’s online declaration platform will not... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3181053/why-hong-kong-has-changed-its-covid-19-case?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3181053/why-hong-kong-has-changed-its-covid-19-case?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 10 Jun 2022 02:00:18 +0000 Leading scientists and policy experts in China have called for greater support for basic research, saying it is a key to cultural confidence. At a TED-like event in Beijing on Saturday, astrophysicist Zhang Shuangnan said science and technology were major components of modern civilisation. “How can Chinese people really be confident in their culture while textbooks are full of the names of foreign scientists, and all the knowledge they grow up learning is from the West?” said Zhang from the... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3175360/think-bigger-and-build-basic-research-chinese-scientist-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3175360/think-bigger-and-build-basic-research-chinese-scientist-says?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Apr 2022 11:30:25 +0000 They are called the “long-haulers” – the millions of people around the world with Covid-19 who develop various symptoms after they recover from the original infection. Their condition is called “long Covid”, or “post Covid-19 syndrome” and there is little research so far into its cause or treatment. It could remain a worrying public health issue after the pandemic is over. Here’s what we know about it so far. What is long Covid? After contracting the virus, some people go on to develop post... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3172217/what-do-we-know-about-long-covid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3172217/what-do-we-know-about-long-covid?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 29 Mar 2022 04:13:06 +0000 With the rampant spread of the Omicron variant around the world, many ask whether primary vaccination doses or boosters are still needed if a person is infected with Covid-19. In theory, infection can induce antibodies that may result in so-called natural immunity. But key questions remain. Can they replace vaccination? And can they protect a person from being infected again? We examine what the regulators and scientific studies tell us. Does someone who has already been infected need to be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3169650/do-i-still-need-vaccine-or-booster-if-ive-already-been-infected?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3169650/do-i-still-need-vaccine-or-booster-if-ive-already-been-infected?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 04:41:01 +0000 A leading Hong Kong medical expert has suggested that residents aged 60 and above should get a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine. Professor Lau Yu-lung, who chairs the government’s Scientific Committee on Vaccine Preventable Diseases, made the suggestion on Sunday, saying the elderly had lower immunity to the virus than younger residents, and an additional dose would offer them better protection. Lau’s committee currently only recommends a fourth dose of Covid-19 vaccine for immunocompromised... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3169566/should-hong-kong-start-rolling-out-fourth-doses?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3169566/should-hong-kong-start-rolling-out-fourth-doses?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Mar 2022 02:00:25 +0000 Engineers for SpaceX, owned by the world’s richest man Elon Musk, are reportedly in Fiji with plans to help restore internet to the Kingdom of Tonga. The devastating eruption in mid-January damaged an undersea telecommunications cable, which experts have said could take a month to repair. National Party MP Dr Shane Reti wrote to Musk, who also produces electric cars under the Tesla brand, asking for help to provide his Starlink satellite technology to the Pacific country. The technology uses... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3166029/elon-musks-spacex-help-tonga-fix-internet-starlink-satellite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/australasia/article/3166029/elon-musks-spacex-help-tonga-fix-internet-starlink-satellite?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Feb 2022 13:34:27 +0000 Oxford researchers announced Thursday the discovery of a highly virulent strain of HIV that has been lurking in the Netherlands for decades, but because of the effectiveness of modern treatments, is “no cause for alarm.” Their analysis, published Thursday in the journal Science, showed that patients infected with what they call the “VB variant” had 3.5 to 5.5 times higher levels of the virus in their blood than those infected with other variants, as well as a more rapidly fading immune... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3165884/new-highly-virulent-hiv-strain-discovered-oxford-researchers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/europe/article/3165884/new-highly-virulent-hiv-strain-discovered-oxford-researchers?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Feb 2022 15:25:18 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. Hong Kong’s Covid-19 situation took a worrying turn after Christmas celebrations last month, when the Omicron variant slipped into the community and sparked the city’s fifth wave of infections. Weeks later, the Delta coronavirus variant also surfaced locally, with infections thought to be spread by hamsters imported from the Netherlands. Growing clusters from... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3164705/when-omicron-and-delta-collide-all-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3164705/when-omicron-and-delta-collide-all-you-need-know?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 02:01:18 +0000 Scientists and health officials around the world are keeping their eyes on a descendant of the Omicron variant that has been found in at least 40 countries. This version of the coronavirus, which scientists call BA. 2, is widely considered stealthier than the original version of Omicron because particular genetic traits make it somewhat harder to detect. Some scientists worry it could also be more contagious. But they say there’s a lot they still don’t know about it, including whether it evades... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3164739/whats-known-about-stealth-version-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3164739/whats-known-about-stealth-version-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:59:12 +0000 Nobody would use the adjectives “lean” or “athletic” to describe China’s roly-poly giant pandas, even though they eat almost entirely bamboo for their entire lives. Despite subsisting on a low-fat, poor-quality diet, these animals are beloved in part because of their heft. Which makes one wonder: why are pandas so chubby? According to a new study published last week in the peer-reviewed journal Cell Reports, the answer may be gut bacteria that helps pandas build up fat despite eating only leaves... https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3164671/why-are-pandas-so-chonky-despite-their-vegan-diet?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/people-culture/environment/article/3164671/why-are-pandas-so-chonky-despite-their-vegan-diet?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 26 Jan 2022 01:00:13 +0000 In this series, we answer frequently asked questions about China’s zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19, including entry restrictions, the length of quarantine and testing requirements for travellers. Is there a question you want us to tackle? Send us an email at chinadeskeditors@scmp.com. Quarantining in China can be unpredictable – travellers often have no choice about where they stay so they could be spending three weeks or more in luxury or a cramped, windowless room. But the construction of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162717/what-it-stay-one-chinas-massive-quarantine-centres-greater-bay?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162717/what-it-stay-one-chinas-massive-quarantine-centres-greater-bay?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 09 Jan 2022 23:00:21 +0000 Israel recently reported its first case of a simultaneous Covid-19 and seasonal influenza infection, refreshing fears of a more such co-infections. While the case – involving an unvaccinated pregnant woman – has received global attention, this is not the first time that such a co-infection, dubbed “flurona”, has occurred. Given the busy winter flu season and the continued spread of Covid-19, including highly transmissible variants like Omicron, experts say more cases are a matter of time. So how... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162534/how-dangerous-flurona-covid-19-and-flu-double-whammy-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3162534/how-dangerous-flurona-covid-19-and-flu-double-whammy-omicron?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 08 Jan 2022 04:00:21 +0000 In November, the United States government added 12 more Chinese companies to its export blacklist, citing national security concerns. This time, quantum computing firms were among them. According to the US Commerce Department, some of the firms added to the blacklist aided the Chinese military’s “counter-stealth and counter-submarine applications, and the ability to break encryption or develop unbreakable encryption”. These are all applications that have been linked to quantum technology, which... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161830/quantum-technology-how-it-works-applications-and-why-us-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161830/quantum-technology-how-it-works-applications-and-why-us-and?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 02 Jan 2022 07:00:31 +0000 China’s space programme is one of the fastest growing in the world. Less than 20 years after its first astronaut went to space in 2003, the country has launched satellites, space stations and rovers to Mars and the moon and has plans to explore Jupiter around 2030. For this year, Chinese space agencies have already announced several key milestones they aim to hit. Here are some of the most exciting. 1. Completion of Tiangong space station’s basic structure China launched its first experimental... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161736/china-space-programme-4-key-missions-2022-include-finishing-core?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3161736/china-space-programme-4-key-missions-2022-include-finishing-core?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 01 Jan 2022 00:00:22 +0000 Chinese scientists have had a fruitful year, with a series of breakthroughs that range from the technology of the future to archaeological discoveries that could rewrite ancient Chinese history. As we head towards the end of the year, we reflect on some of the biggest talking points in Chinese science over the past 12 months. Space: an ISS rival, space junk, and landing on Mars This year was China’s busiest year ever for space launches. Notable missions included the launch of the core module of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3160838/china-science-2021-round-breakthroughs-space-hypersonic-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3160838/china-science-2021-round-breakthroughs-space-hypersonic-weapons?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Dec 2021 06:00:09 +0000 In this series, we answer frequently asked questions about China’s strict zero-tolerance approach to Covid-19 including current entry restrictions, the length of quarantine and which tests travellers have to take. Have a question you want us to tackle? Drop us an email at chinadeskeditors@scmp.com. As the Covid-19 pandemic rolls on to its third year, regular tests for the coronavirus are part of many people’s daily lives. People travelling to China, which has a strict zero-tolerance approach to... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157158/pandemic-travel-tests-covid-19-which-ones-china-recognises-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/science/article/3157158/pandemic-travel-tests-covid-19-which-ones-china-recognises-and?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 29 Nov 2021 01:00:20 +0000 You probably know someone with this disease; you may even have it yourself: diabetes. This remarkably, frighteningly common condition is a new kind of pandemic, affecting one in 10 adults worldwide. The International Diabetes Federation expects the number to rise 11 per cent by 2030. Already it contributes hugely to global health costs: an estimated US$966 billion this year. In Hong Kong, diabetes is a major cause of morbidity and mortality, and was the 10th most common cause of death in the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3155677/world-diabetes-day-2021-trillion-dollar-year-disease?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3155677/world-diabetes-day-2021-trillion-dollar-year-disease?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Nov 2021 00:45:23 +0000 Across 25 UN climate conferences since 1995, only twice have more than 110 world leaders joined the fray to confront the spectre of global warming. As they do so again Monday in Glasgow, an unspoken question looms: Copenhagen or Paris? Will COP26, in other words, more closely resemble the Danish diplomatic debacle of 2009, or the triumph that six years later led to the first climate treaty in which all nations vowed to shrink their carbon footprint and collectively cap Earth’s rising... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3154410/cop26-glasgow-handy-guide-key-climate-facts-and-terms?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3154410/cop26-glasgow-handy-guide-key-climate-facts-and-terms?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Nov 2021 05:25:31 +0000 When Blue Origin launches people into space for the first time, founder Jeff Bezos will be on board. No test pilots or flight engineers for Tuesday’s debut flight from West Texas, just Bezos, his brother, an 82-year-old aviation pioneer and a teenage tourist. The capsule is entirely automated, unlike Richard Branson’s Virgin Galactic rocket plane that required two pilots to get him to space and back a week ago. Branson’s advice? “Just sit back, relax, look out of the window, just absorb the view... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3141631/how-jeff-bezos-will-soar-space-higher-richard?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3141631/how-jeff-bezos-will-soar-space-higher-richard?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jul 2021 05:44:58 +0000 This story has been made freely available as a public service to our readers. Please consider supporting SCMP’s journalism by subscribing. The recent emergence of local cases with coronavirus variants has set Hong Kong on edge, amid fears the city could suffer a surge in infections that would bring back the strictest social-distancing measures. The more transmissive Covid-19 variants, first reported overseas late last year, have also been suspected to be behind waves of recent outbreaks in other... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3132387/coronavirus-whats-difference-between-variants-and?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3132387/coronavirus-whats-difference-between-variants-and?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 06 May 2021 02:00:09 +0000 There are few film lines that are more iconic than “may the Force with you”. Say it a few times fast (or make a young child say it a few times) and it can sound like “may the Fourth be with you”. Apparently enough people said it this way that now May the Fourth, May 4, is the designated day for celebrating all things “Star Wars”. The year 2021 especially is a big year, as it’s the 44th anniversary of the US premiere of the first “Star Wars” film by George Lucas. Just in time for this... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3132155/force-may-not-be-us-what-about-tech-star-wars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3132155/force-may-not-be-us-what-about-tech-star-wars?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 04 May 2021 02:54:32 +0000 You must have felt them? Those strange involuntary spasms over which you apparently have no control: a leg that kicks out as you drop off to sleep and startles you so that you are briefly wide-awake again? A shiver that runs down your spine and makes you tremble despite being safe and in the sunshine, or a lump that hardens in your throat as you struggle to swallow and hold back tears? What causes these peculiar, and strangely common, bodily reflexes? That shiver-down-the-spine sensation may... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3116790/human-body-101-why-do-we-spasm-shiver-or-feel-lump-our?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3116790/human-body-101-why-do-we-spasm-shiver-or-feel-lump-our?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 Jan 2021 12:15:17 +0000 China fleshed out some of its plans for new technology with the release of a summary of its next five-year plan, which covers the period until 2025. Technology is one of the most contentious areas in Beijing’s relationship with Washington and a field that China sees as critical to its drive for modernisation and self-reliance over the next decade and a half. In the new document, Beijing has signalled a shift in focus from “integrating and assimilating” foreign innovations to investing in... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3109316/chinas-hi-tech-direction-next-five-years?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/politics/article/3109316/chinas-hi-tech-direction-next-five-years?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 11 Nov 2020 13:30:19 +0000 Most diets involve restricting certain types of food, with the aim being to lose weight. But those on the macro diet don’t have to give up their favourite foods to meet their health goals. All they have to do is count their macros. Celebrities including American actress and singer Hilary Duff follow this diet, and with good results. The 32-year-old mother of two posted on Instagram: “I’ve still been counting my macros [ …] and it’s truly helped me stay lean even while eating bread, chocolate and... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3099188/macro-diet-hilary-duff-counts-lets-you-eat-your-favourite?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3099188/macro-diet-hilary-duff-counts-lets-you-eat-your-favourite?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 30 Aug 2020 11:15:15 +0000 The deadly coronavirus pandemic has sent scientists around the world racing to identify potential treatments, as Covid-19 cases continue to soar. With more than 9 million infected and 480,000 dead, doctors have tried a range of methods, including medication used to treat Ebola and malaria, and cocktails of HIV drugs. But with limited success and governments now concerned that the development of a vaccine or cure is still a far-flung dream, researchers are now turning to a new method: antibody... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3090582/which-asian-labs-are-working-antibody-treatments-fight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/health-environment/article/3090582/which-asian-labs-are-working-antibody-treatments-fight?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Jun 2020 00:00:19 +0000 Death and infection tolls from the coronavirus pandemic spreading around the world point to men being more likely than women to contract Covid-19 and to suffer severe or critical complications if they do. Here are some insights from research and experts: Are men more susceptible to infection with the new coronavirus? It looks that way, yes. In Italy, an analysis of more than 127,700 Covid-19 cases found that 52.9 per cent of all infected people were men and 47.1 per cent women. Among Italy’s... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079072/are-men-more-vulnerable-coronavirus-infection?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3079072/are-men-more-vulnerable-coronavirus-infection?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 08 Apr 2020 17:45:08 +0000 The new coronavirus outbreak is now a pandemic. So what does that mean? “Pandemic” has nothing to do with how serious the illness is. It just means a disease is spreading widely. The head of the World Health Organisation, which made the declaration Wednesday, said the UN health agency is deeply concerned about the alarming levels of spread. But at the same time WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesushe made clear the declaration didn’t mean that countries should give up trying to contain... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3074861/coronavirus-what-who-pandemic-declaration-means?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/article/3074861/coronavirus-what-who-pandemic-declaration-means?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 12 Mar 2020 06:51:48 +0000 As the coronavirus death toll rises, health authorities are trying to control or even halt the spreading epidemic by tracking down “patient zero” – the first person to have been infected by the disease. Covid-19, the official name of the illness caused by the virus, has infected more than 82,000 people worldwide and killed at least 2,800. It has spread to at least 44 countries outside China. But the World Health Organisation (WHO) said on Monday that the coronavirus was “not yet” a worldwide... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3052558/coronavirus-hunt-patient-zero-and-why-worlds-health-may-depend?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3052558/coronavirus-hunt-patient-zero-and-why-worlds-health-may-depend?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 27 Feb 2020 03:32:13 +0000 Iran has been thrust to the forefront of rising global concern about the spread of the novel coronavirus after reporting by far the most deaths of any country apart from China. Iranian health officials have confirmed 15 deaths from the Covid-19 disease among 61 cases in the country, while a parliamentarian representing the city at the centre of the outbreak in the country has claimed the death toll stands at 50. Either figure would dwarf death tolls in South Korea, Japan and Italy, until now the... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3052143/coronavirus-how-irans-death-toll-came-be-highest-behind-only?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/explained/article/3052143/coronavirus-how-irans-death-toll-came-be-highest-behind-only?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Feb 2020 12:17:26 +0000 The panic buying of surgical face masks cleaned out store shelves across Asia in people’s scramble to protect themselves against the coronavirus outbreak. Most doctors agree that the masks offer protection, but mainly from a wearer’s own hands rather than from airborne pathogens. The primary purpose of surgical face masks is to prevent surgeons infecting patients during surgery, not to protect the wearer, William Schaffner, an infectious disease specialist at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee,... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3050539/surgical-masks-protect-more-germs-fingers-viruses-air-experts-say-after?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/article/3050539/surgical-masks-protect-more-germs-fingers-viruses-air-experts-say-after?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Feb 2020 05:00:12 +0000 A new virus that was first reported in the central city of Wuhan is spreading from person to person and has infected health workers.  The previously unknown coronavirus infected people across China and spread to almost every continent. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has declared the spread of the Covid-19 disease caused by the coronavirus outbreak as a pandemic. Here is what we know so far: What is a coronavirus?  Medical experts in China identified the virus as a new strain of... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3047066/what-do-you-need-know-about-new-coronavirus-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/society/article/3047066/what-do-you-need-know-about-new-coronavirus-china?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Jan 2020 22:00:08 +0000 That sound can have an effect on our emotional and mental state should not come as any surprise. We know inherently that certain sounds can make us more relaxed, or more productive. That’s why we put on classical music while we work, why it is easier to go to sleep to the sounds of the ocean than, say, a construction site and why lifts play smooth jazz instead of heavy metal. But, as our understanding of the brain becomes more and more sophisticated, it is becoming clear that there is more to... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3046391/how-binaural-beats-work-sounds-said-tune-our-moods-boost?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3046391/how-binaural-beats-work-sounds-said-tune-our-moods-boost?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Jan 2020 12:00:16 +0000 Some people awoke from their sleep and more than 1,200 felt vibrations when a magnitude 3.4 earthquake struck near the coast of Hong Kong early at 6.55am last Sunday. It was the second tremor in a month. There were rumbles from an earthquake of 1.4 magnitude on December 5, with the epicentre near the outlying island of Cheung Chau. Hong Kong has long been regarded as blessed for being affected by few natural disasters, but the recent tremors have prompted questions, not least whether they are a... https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3045486/recent-earthquakes-hong-kong-not-signal-more-or?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/hong-kong/health-environment/article/3045486/recent-earthquakes-hong-kong-not-signal-more-or?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Jan 2020 01:00:13 +0000 Today, 425 million people live with diabetes worldwide – about 1 in every 11 adults – according to the International Diabetes Federation, and that number is set to balloon. By 2045, the number is expected to be almost 630 million, a rise of close to 50 per cent and roughly six times the 108 million estimated by the World Health Organisation to have diabetes in 1980. And every year, the average age for being diagnosed with diabetes gets younger. These numbers are daunting, not just for people... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3035850/new-diabetes-breakthroughs-could-change-lives-and-type-1?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3035850/new-diabetes-breakthroughs-could-change-lives-and-type-1?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 Nov 2019 09:00:07 +0000 Do we have free will? That question was once the preserve of philosophers and theologians, but is now a subject of inquiry for neuroscientists. With the aid of advanced functional magnetic resonance imaging, or fMRI – scans that can measure brain activity in detail – neuroscientists are confident that they can answer the question. What exactly is free will? Whenever we make any kind of decision – whether it’s a trivial one, like what jacket to wear, or a more important one, like what university... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3034182/do-we-have-free-will-what-neuroscience-can-tell-us-about?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3034182/do-we-have-free-will-what-neuroscience-can-tell-us-about?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Oct 2019 14:00:11 +0000 Gout is often deemed a disease of the rich, the indulgent, the overweight. Historically, it was referred to as “the disease of kings” because it affected those who consumed rich food and alcohol. Today, however, gout affects individuals from all socioeconomic backgrounds (my husband is a sufferer and last time I checked, he wasn’t a king – or, for that matter, rich). It is also a growing problem globally. So what are the true causes of gout and how is it best prevented and treated? Gout was... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3030675/gout-explained-why-it-no-longer-disease-decadent-west-its?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3030675/gout-explained-why-it-no-longer-disease-decadent-west-its?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:00:07 +0000 It’s time to own up to passing wind – because we all do it. Whether loud, silent or smelly (or silent and deadly-smelly), flatulence is a natural part of daily life. But why do we do it? Why are some emissions smellier and louder than others? And why have they become such a source of shame in today’s society? Let’s get to the bottom of some of these secrets and suss out the facts on flatulence. According to the UK’s National Health Service, the average person passes wind five to 15 times a day.... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3026909/why-we-pass-gas-what-causes-dreaded-sound-and-reason?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3026909/why-we-pass-gas-what-causes-dreaded-sound-and-reason?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 13 Sep 2019 17:00:08 +0000 Rare earth elements could be a point of leverage that China may deploy against the United States as a trade war between the world’s two largest economies escalates, particularly after Chinese President Xi Jinping visited a production facility this week. The Trump administration has threatened to place tariffs on the imports of Chinese-produced rare earths several times in the past year, but has so far left them off any tariff lists, given their uses from Apple iPhones to hi-tech missile guidance... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3011108/explainer-used-iphones-guided-missiles-does-chinas-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3011108/explainer-used-iphones-guided-missiles-does-chinas-dominance?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 May 2019 06:58:26 +0000 The brain is the last human organ to develop fully, but only recently has science established that it isn’t fully grown until a person reaches about 30 years of age. This helps to explain why behaviour during the teenage years – when an adolescent body is also exploding with hormonal changes – may sometimes be erratic, apparently unreasonable and often frustrating. The fact is their brains are trying to keep up with the rest of their bodies. Philip Watkins, an Australian-trained, Hong Kong-based... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3010038/understanding-teenage-brain-how-parents-can-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3010038/understanding-teenage-brain-how-parents-can-avoid?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 May 2019 21:00:12 +0000 Microbiome. You’re hearing the word a lot now, right. But what does it mean? Dr Paul Ng, a Hong Kong based specialist in gastroenterology and hepatology, says the microbiome, or microbiota, refers to the myriad microorganisms living inside the human gut, mainly in the colon. “It’s not a new discovery. For decades, doctors had thought that there are strains of bacteria living parasitically in the colon. But we actually need these bacteria to function properly,” Ng says. While the knowledge of the... https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3002891/microbiome-explained-how-army-gut-bacteria-regulates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3002891/microbiome-explained-how-army-gut-bacteria-regulates?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 24 Mar 2019 12:45:04 +0000