Understanding the nature of science through COVID-19 top reports

The pandemic has exposed our collective ignorance on scientific knowledge as a whole. This is not to say that we have no responsibility for improving the public’s understanding, but that the current state of affairs must be addressed and sustained in order to achieve sustainable growth in society. If there is no awareness among people about how science impacts on them, then how will they know what to do? We can therefore only improve the situation by keeping everyone informed of our current understanding around the nature of science, which includes facts that are either new or old, and provide answers to common questions.

This document provides more than 500 news headlines from various fields covering topics like COVID-19, global warming, climate change, social issues, technology and more. These headlines give us an overview of these important areas of study and provide us with insights into why science plays such critical roles in any country, especially at this time when it comes to healthcare and other emergency services.

Read More on COVID-19 — Top News Headlines | Know Your Coronavirus Status Here

COVID-19: The Story Behind India's First Tragedy During Pandemics

Global Warming: Earth Is On 'Faster Than Thought' And Climate Change Could Be In 10 Years

Health & Medicine: Vaccines Are Making Life Rehappen For Over half of People Who Recovered From A Contagion; WHO Says They May Make Up To 80% Effective

Social Issues: Social Media Companies Should Invest In Helping Underprivileged Communities Increase Their Digital Footprint

Science Education : ‘It Takes Five Minutes To Find 15 Words That Can Improve Your English Knowledge’— Study Shows

Technology: What You Need To Know About Mobile Phones So You Would Not Miss Out On Technology With Your Children

What Kind Of Apps Do I Have To Keep My Phone Near Me to Understand Things Around me? — Get Information Related To App Downloads

The following are the most popular science stories from recent months and the first few years of 2020, according to the World Health Organisation (WHO).

COVID-19: The story behind India's first tragedy during pandemic. The virus was discovered on December 31 last year. It spread quickly across the world and affected almost every corner of the globe. A total of 1.85 billion cases were reported, with over 400,000 deaths recorded. According to the latest data, the death toll is expected to exceed 2 million worldwide.

COVID-19: Why did countries start shutting off their borders in March? As a result, nearly two dozen countries shut their international borders completely and asked citizens to avoid unnecessary travel. Some even had flights banned altogether. At some point, many developed nations also restricted trade with China and other countries. However, despite this restrictions, countries continued to operate in normal ways. Countries like the United States, Europe and China managed to keep their economies safe.

COVID-19: How does COVID-19 cause pneumonia and other respiratory diseases? There are different ways in which viruses could spread. Respiratory droplets are one of the most commonly seen types of coronaviruses and it is believed that they could be carried in aerosol particles in large air circulations, which can linger on surfaces for long periods of time. Respiratory droplets spread rapidly through the air and easily get in contact with human respiratory cells. When these cells come into contact with another cell, they can trigger an immune response that results in inflammation. Other respiratory viruses such as influenza and MERS-CoV are similar.

COVID-19 : SARS-CoV-2 is a newly discovered virus which causes the severe acute respiratory syndrome and the corona virus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is also known as novel coronavirus. Viruses have been mutating regularly throughout history. Some viruses have caused devastating outbreaks such as smallpox, measles, mumps and polio. Scientists have now classified SARS-CoV-2 into three main categories including Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), Middle East Respiratory Syndrome (MERS), and CoV. Once infected, humans would often show symptoms including fever, cough, difficulty breathing and vomiting.

COVID-19: How does mask wearing help prevent the spread of COVID-19? Mask wearing and distancing from others is proven effective means of reducing the spread of the infection. Most COVID-19 cases are spread between family members or friends. But while both face masks and physical distancing are proven to effectively slow down the transmission, some studies suggest that mask wearing and distancing provide better protection rather than simply being worn along with physical distancing. Researchers found that wearing a face mask combined with proper distancing is just as effective as mask wearing alone and that wearing multiple masks may actually be more effective than mask wearing alone. Many studies have shown that mask wearing reduces the severity of infectious diseases by several folds.

COVID-19: Which regions of the world are facing a second wave of infections or have already taken part in the fight against COVID-19? While most of the world is struggling to contain the virus, Africa and Asia seem to be suffering a huge resurgence of COVID-19 cases. Although the number of confirmed cases in the region has dropped significantly as a result of efforts by the WHO and its partners who provided the African Union (AU) with adequate doses of vaccine, Africa remains the continent where the majority of the cases currently found. It is estimated that the region is home to 40 per cent of all the world’s COVID-19 cases. Many of the leading countries in the world have started imposing lockdowns, quarantining, testing and tracing measures in an effort to curb the spread of the disease. The Democratic Republic of Congo, Ethiopia, Ghana and the Democratic Republic of Congo are among the countries that have reported high rates of COVID-19 cases over the past month. South America and the Caribbean appear to be experiencing a second wave of COVID -19 cases, though, with Brazil registering the highest spike of new cases after Argentina.

Science: The emergence of vaccines is an extremely exciting development, but how do companies like Pfizer, Moderna Inc. and AstraZeneca decide when and where exactly a vaccine takes place? All vaccines are tested in clinical trials to determine if they are safe and effective. Testing involves giving people a placebo jab and seeing whether they develop antibodies that neutralize or destroy specific parts of the virus in the vaccinated person’s body. Afterward, patients receive either the actual vaccine or a placebo. The phase-3 portion is where patients are given the full dose of the vaccine and are monitored for side effects.

Science: Is science real for everyone and is it worth getting worried? Due to advances brought by modernisation and technological advancements, science is now being used to help address issues like climate change, obesity, diabetes, cancer, heart problems, drug addiction and much more. Moreover, the emergence of rapid diagnostic tests and artificial intelligence has made it possible to distinguish between illnesses early on, leading to a healthier lifestyle. For example, IBM Watson has the capability to recognise objects and predict the outcome of medical processes. It is also able to identify patterns in images and videos, making medical diagnosis much easier.

Science : New research shows that the COVID-19 virus’ origin remains unknown, but scientists believe it originated with bats living under an ice age. The researchers believe that the bat poxvirus Sars-CoV-2 jumped from animals to humans via a host that inhabited caves. When the spread took place, human beings evolved to become resistant. However, due to certain mutations in the viral RNA, the pathogen’s genetic code became altered resulting in non-pathogenic strains. Furthermore, several other species of mammals and birds were suspected of carrying the same strain of Sars-CoV-2. Similar findings were reported in Hong Kong, Japan and Taiwan.

Science : The COVID-19 vaccines which began rolling out in India after the outbreak began to generate strong reactions in the UK, but not all of them turned out as planned. Several patients suffered allergic reactions which lead many to question whether the vaccine was safe or whether it was too new. Additionally, the effectiveness of the vaccine was questioned by some quarters. Following all this uncertainty, Britain decided to roll out vaccine trials in a bid to combat conspiracy theories that claimed the government was trying to create an army of superhumans. However, while people were waiting for the vaccine rollout, new variants emerged. Since then, the UK has registered more than 300,000 infections of Corona Virus.

Science : An investigation has revealed that coronavirus has the ability to switch between human cells and other animal cells. This mechanism has become the basis of a biological warfare concept called transhumanism. Scientists have identified potential cures in human cells and are working towards finding an alternative treatment method that does not involve use of stem cells.

Science : The first covid-19 immunoassay kits that provide an easy, quick and accurate test for early detection may find themselves in use by doctors. These devices measure levels of protein markers present in a patient’s blood sample, and are based on antibody-based tests. While the exact role of the molecular diagnostics in disease fighting cannot be known, a lot of information regarding their efficacy has been published through laboratory studies.

Science : Even while countries around the world tried hard to flatten the curve and contain the pandemic’ spread, its impact on the economy has been far from stable. In fact, the global economic growth slowed down during the initial month of lockdown and in the summer, businesses closed down in cities across the world. Currently, the average world growth rate has dropped for the third consecutive quarter.

Science : The global warming phenomenon has