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It currently feels like every trip outside the home has the potential to result in getting infected with a cold. They are everywhere. We’re dropping like flies. Some people are saying that they’ve fallen victim to a sniffle so nasty, so vindictive, that it has lingered for weeks and weeks. There’s even talk of this season’s iteration being “the worst cold ever”.
Is there something more virulent about the snot of winter 2021?And if so, is its potency another unexpected and unwelcome side effect of the global pandemic? We asked microbiologist Fidelma Fitzpatrick our most pressing questions about this matter to help us all get through sneezing season.
We published a fascinating and bizarre article this week about the history of resuscitation methods – long thought of as a great way to treat “all kinds of death”. It seems that before the days of CPR and defibrillation, the smoke enema was a popular option for anyone hoping to bring a drowned patient back to life. Not for me, thanks, but great to know someone gave it a go.
There’s a lot to digest from the first week of COP26 in Glasgow. Several important deals have already been agreed, with much more to come in the week ahead. Our network has been following every development in order to bring you the information you need. Here’s an explainer on the plan to end coal power, a close look at the flagship deforestation agreement and an assessment of where things stand halfway through the summit. Follow all our coverage of the climate summit here.
Also this week, the fall of Owen Paterson, the rise of the metaverse and an enduring piece of advice from Charles Darwin about planting trees.
If you value what you’ve read on The Conversation this week please consider making a donation today. Even a small monthly donation helps build a regular income stream that helps The Conversation plan for the future and ensures we can continue to bring you the sharpest insights on the important issues the world faces.
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Laura Hood
Politics Editor, Assistant Editor
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Worst cold ever? People claim that 2021 has delivered longlasting, debilitating colds.
from www.pexels.com
Fidelma Fitzpatrick, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences
Our measures to stay safe during the pandemic may have made us more susceptible to other respiratory illnesses.
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Caitjan Gainty, King's College London
Resuscitation has thankfully come a long way since smoke enemas.
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Rebecca Dobson Phillips, University of Sussex
The Conservative MP has resigned after a chaotic 24 hours and a deeply controversial parliamentary vote.
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Charles Darwin’s ideas about diversity of plants being stronger together is inspiring today’s ecologists: here the Sand Walk outside Darwin’s home in Kent.
Tim Knight/Shutterstock
Rob MacKenzie, University of Birmingham; Christine Foyer, University of Birmingham
Charles Darwin’s ideas about diversity of plants growing together is now inspiring researchers create healthier forests.
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The near future may be similar to the mid-Pliocene warm period a few million years ago.
Daniel Eskridge / shutterstock
Dan Lunt, University of Bristol; Darrell Kaufman, Northern Arizona University
What climate changes in the distant past can tell us about the near future.
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Steve Waters, University of East Anglia
Theatre companies who experimented with outside performances during the pandemic should not abandon them.
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emka74/Shutterstock
Ruth Penfold-Mounce, University of York
Diana is no longer limited to photographs and interviews in her lifetime. She is experiencing a successful posthumous career without her consent.
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COP26
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EPA-EFE/Sascha Steinbach
Alex Clark, University of Oxford
Coal is the dirtiest fuel source – eliminating it is a priority for tackling climate change.
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Brazil, home to the Amazon rainforest and a notable absence in previous deforestation agreements, has signed this time.
Dylan Garcia Travel Images/Alamy Stock Photo
Julia P G Jones, Bangor University
World leaders are slowly learning from decades of failure on tropical forest conservation.
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Wesley Morgan, Griffith University
Week one in Glasgow has delivered more climate action than the world promised in Paris six years ago. But progress still falls well short of what’s required to limit warming to 1.5℃.
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Featured events
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— Museum of London, 150 London Wall, Barbican, London, EC2Y 5HN, London, London, City of, EC2Y 5HN, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Gresham College
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— Egham Hill, Egham, Surrey, TW20 0EX, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Royal Holloway University of London
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— Online, Zoom, Cardiff [Caerdydd GB-CRD], CF10 3BA, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — Cardiff University
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— Online, Southampton, Southampton, SO17 1BJ, United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland — University of Southampton
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