Resources for Journalists

Climate change emissions from buildings and construction hit a new high

Publicly released: Wed 9 Nov 2022 at 2301 AEDT, 0101 NZDT

The building and construction sector’s energy consumption and CO2 emissions have rebounded from the COVID-19 pandemic to an all-time high, a new UN Environment Programme report finds. ... peak in Read more about Climate change emissions from buildings and construction hit a new high

When lockdown forced us away from coral reefs, more fish took our place

Publicly released: Wed 9 Nov 2022 at 1101 AEDT, 1301 NZDT

Royal Society Open Science

Popular coral reefs at Moorea, French Polynesia saw an increase in fish visitors during COVID-19 lockdown, according to Australian, French Polynesian and international researchers. ... COVID-19 lockdown Read more about When lockdown forced us away from coral reefs, more fish took our place

Scientists say that COVID-19 increased public attention on research but not public understanding

Publicly released: Tue 8 Nov 2022 at 1053 AEDT, 1253 NZDT

on it, and the pandemic exploded the numbers of people who use research evidence by millions. ... Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on our 2,700+ journals, including The Lancet and Cell; our 43 Read more about Scientists say that COVID-19 increased public attention on research but not public understanding

Kids' screen time during the pandemic increased by more than 50%

Publicly released: Tue 8 Nov 2022 at 0300 AEDT, 0500 NZDT

JAMA Pediatrics

Changes in Child, Adolescent Screen Time During Pandemic JAMA Pediatrics Original Investigation Assessment of Changes in Child and Adolescent Screen Time During the COVID-19 Pandemic About The Study: Read more about Kids' screen time during the pandemic increased by more than 50%

COVID-19 stress may be worsening endometriosis symptoms

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 1101 AEDT, 1301 NZDT

Reproduction and Fertility

Patients with endometriosis reported worse symptoms and impaired mental well-being during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic than before COVID-19 began, according to UK researchers. Read more about COVID-19 stress may be worsening endometriosis symptoms

Adaption gap: Efforts to adapt to climate change are not keeping pace with the growing risks

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 1047 AEDT, 1247 NZDT

International adaptation finance flows to developing countries are also 5-10 times below estimated needs and the gap continues to widen. ... Crises such as the war in Ukraine and the COVID-19 pandemic Read more about Adaption gap: Efforts to adapt to climate change are not keeping pace with the growing risks

A man who had COVID-19 for 411 days is finally cured

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 1016 AEDT, 1216 NZDT

Clinical Infectious Diseases

2022. The researchers conducted a detailed genetic analysis of the virus and found that it was an early COVID-19 variant – a variation of the original Wuhan variant - but with multiple ... Rapid Read more about A man who had COVID-19 for 411 days is finally cured

A gene associated with lupus might protect against severe COVID-19

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 0500 AEDT, 0700 NZDT

PLOS Genetics

Scientists have observed a correlation between the genes associated with severe COVID-19 and those with SLE. ... Future studies will be needed to fully understand the genetic relationships between Read more about A gene associated with lupus might protect against severe COVID-19

One gene variant could increase your risk of severe COVID-19 by more than 5 times

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 0500 AEDT, 0700 NZDT

PLOS Genetics

The team looked at genetic data for nearly 580,000 people across 12 countries, 5,085 of whom had severe COVID-19. ... They suggest larger studies on rare gene variants influencing COVID-19 outcomes could Read more about One gene variant could increase your risk of severe COVID-19 by more than 5 times

A blueprint to bring the pandemic to a close

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 0300 AEDT, 0500 NZDT

Nature

Recommendations on how to end the COVID-19 public health threat are published in Nature this week. ... As of September 2022, more than 620 million cases of COVID-19 and more than 6. Read more about A blueprint to bring the pandemic to a close

Diagnosing and managing Long COVID is a complicated business

Publicly released: Fri 4 Nov 2022 at 0200 AEDT, 0400 NZDT

JAMA Network Open

They say there are no known tests or detectable markers for Long COVID, which can lead to ongoing monitoring, COVID-19 testing and medical referrals for patients thought to have the ... condition. They Read more about Diagnosing and managing Long COVID is a complicated business

Marsden Fund supports leading researchers in Aotearoa to explore new ideas

Publicly released: Thu 3 Nov 2022 at 0800 AEDT, 1000 NZDT

These grants support excellent research in the humanities, engineering, mātauranga, mathematics, science, and the social sciences for three years. ... Of course, the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic Read more about Marsden Fund supports leading researchers in Aotearoa to explore new ideas

Chronic pain associated with poor health - and higher COVID-19 risk - decades later

Publicly released: Thu 3 Nov 2022 at 0500 AEDT, 0700 NZDT

PLOS One

The team also found chronic pain was associated with lower life satisfaction, pessimism about the future, and poor sleep at age 55, as well as a higher risk of COVID-19 ... Chronic pain associated with Read more about Chronic pain associated with poor health - and higher COVID-19 risk - decades later

3 years in, COVID-19 may still be able to spread from humans back into bats

Publicly released: Wed 2 Nov 2022 at 1101 AEDT, 1301 NZDT

Royal Society Open Science

US scientists say the SARS-CoV-2 virus may still be able to spread from humans to other mammals, including back into the bats we think it came from, despite three ... Persistent cross-species SARS-CoV-2 Read more about 3 years in, COVID-19 may still be able to spread from humans back into bats

Gun violence across America: unexpected trends revealed

Publicly released: Wed 2 Nov 2022 at 0200 AEDT, 0400 NZDT

Chaos

Only a handful of U. S. states showed a surge in gun violence incidents in mid-2020 during civil unrest at the start of COVID-19 lockdowns and the murder of ... S. media reported widespread violence and Read more about Gun violence across America: unexpected trends revealed

‘A silent killer’ - COVID-19 shown to trigger inflammation in the brain

Publicly released: Tue 1 Nov 2022 at 1200 AEDT, 1400 NZDT

Molecular Psychiatry

Our team grew human microglia in the laboratory and infected the cells with SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19. ... Professor Woodruff said while the similarity between how COVID-19 and dementia Read more about ‘A silent killer’ - COVID-19 shown to trigger inflammation in the brain

EXPERT REACTION: Power prices - why are they so high and what can we do about it?

Publicly released: Mon 31 Oct 2022 at 1545 AEDT, 1745 NZDT

With electricity prices projected to increase by as much as 50% in coming months, Australian experts comment on the state of Australia's electricity market and how people can reduce their Read more about EXPERT REACTION: Power prices - why are they so high and what can we do about it?

The pandemic may not have hurt babies' brain development, but it has hurt their communication

Publicly released: Sat 29 Oct 2022 at 0200 AEDT, 0400 NZDT

JAMA Network Open

regardless of whether the mother had COVID-19. ... They did however find a higher risk of communication delay, which the researchers suggest could be related to external factors like parental stress and a Read more about The pandemic may not have hurt babies' brain development, but it has hurt their communication

Vaccination, Omicron and being a man could reduce your risk of long COVID

Publicly released: Fri 28 Oct 2022 at 1130 AEDT, 1330 NZDT

JAMA Network Open

About 14% of people surveyed in the US say they had lingering COVID-19 symptoms past two months, according to international researchers. ... About The Study: In this study of more than 16,000 individuals, Read more about Vaccination, Omicron and being a man could reduce your risk of long COVID

COVID-19 rebound: 1/3 of people report symptoms coming back

Publicly released: Fri 28 Oct 2022 at 1033 AEDT, 1233 NZDT

JAMA Network Open

The study tracked symptoms over 29 days in around 150 people who had COVID-19 and were only receiving a placebo as part of a clinical trial of COVID-19 treatments. ... Over one-third of participants who Read more about COVID-19 rebound: 1/3 of people report symptoms coming back