plagues

Scientists have discovered in Antarctic ice a strange link between past levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide and centuries-long global pandemics, reminding us of just how easily humans – or the lack thereof – can shape planet Earth.Bubbles of air encased in ancient ice are like teensy time capsules, trapping tiny samples of gases from atmospheres thousands or even millions of years ago.The best records for the past 2,000 years come from just two ice cores that have greatly influenced modeling studies of climate and…

January 26, 20244min readChanges in the climate may have caused disruptions to Roman society that manifested as disease outbreaks, researchers have foundBy Tom MetcalfeJules Élie Delaunay's "Plague in Rome" (1869) The sixth-century C.E. Plague of Justinian was “a pestilence, by which the whole human race came near to being annihilated,” according to the Byzantine historian Procopius.Up to half the population of the Roman Empire and tens of millions of people around the Mediterranean may have been killed in the pandemic,…

The industry saw more than 40,000 job postings in the first five months of 2023, according to a report published by staffing firm TeamLease Digital on 21 June. However, it added that nearly 30% of them remained vacant despite strong demand and rising salaries for such roles. Experts say a shortage of skilled professionals for requisite roles, high attrition levels, and often-extreme stress levels is impacting the industry. Another report by TeamLease…

Hernán Cortés brought smallpox to Mexico, resulting in the total destruction of the Aztec Empire within two years, as illustrated in this 16th-century drawing of Aztec smallpox victims. Credit: Wikimedia Commons "Every once in a while a book lands on your desk that changes the way you perceive the world you live in, a book that fundamentally challenges your understanding of human history." So began the blurb that came with…

A storm is brewing over the U.S. polar research program’s medical qualifications process, which screens hundreds of scientists for physical and psychological ailments each year before they deploy to field sites in Antarctica and Greenland where they will have limited access to medical care. Scientists are too often rejected for questionable reasons, some researchers argue. “We have learned of far too many accounts of unfair treatment,” a group of senior polar…

Art imitates life, and life imitates art World of Warcraft‘s Corrupted Blood pandemic from back in 2005 is one of the most notorious, and yet fascinating, things to ever happen in the game. It even has its own Wikipedia page titled “The Corrupted Blood Incident.” For those who may not be familiar, basically what happened was that there was a debuff associated with a certain boss fight at the end of a raid. The debuff could pass between players in close proximity, and while it was intended to be active only in the boss’…

Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain As the COVID-19 pandemic settled in over the course of the first half of 2020, few works enjoyed as much renewed interest as those of the Algerian-born French existentialist Albert Camus. His classic 1947 novel "The Plague" tells the story of a town beset and isolated by an outbreak of the bubonic plague. The plague drags on and health authorities struggle to contain it. The population…

The U.S. Antarctic research program is rife with sexual harassment and assault, according to a report released last week. Commissioned by the National Science Foundation (NSF), which manages the program, and written by an external firm, the report also found that those working in Antarctica largely don’t trust their employers to take harassment complaints seriously, to protect victims, or to punish perpetrators—and that some groups are less aware of the issue than others.…