Science

SpotlightNeedle Attacks: Between Collective Rumor and Stalled Investigations

Bélinda Ibrahim 07/08 17:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Needle Attacks Concerts World Investigations

Concerts, festivals, nightclubs and crowded subway carriages – these lively, bustling venues have, in recent years, become the alleged sites of a phenomenon as disturbing as it is elusive. Since autumn 2021, hundreds of people across France have reported sudden needle pricks in their legs, arms or backs, followed by nausea, dizziness, fainting ...

Q&AWhy Is Everyone Getting Sick This Summer?

Yara Germany 07/08 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Covid-19 rotavirus virus Lebanon Health

Sore throat, vomiting, diarrhea, high fever. It feels like everyone knows someone who's down with something. COVID is back, stomach bugs are spreading and even flu-like symptoms are making a summer comeback. To understand why so many people are falling ill in Lebanon this summer, and how to stay protected, we spoke with Dr. Rola Husni Samaha, ...

SpotlightBrazil: Why Lightning (Almost) Always Spares Christ the Redeemer

Bélinda Ibrahim 06/08 15:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Brazil Christ the Redeemer Lightning Science Rio de Janeiro

Standing 38 meters tall, arms outstretched atop Mount Corcovado, Christ the Redeemer watches over Rio de Janeiro. But this stone guardian, national symbol of Brazil, is also a prime target for lightning strikes. At nearly 710 meters above sea level and perched in isolation, the statue is struck an average of four to six times per year. During ...

HighlightChikungunya in China: What You Need to Know

This is Beirut 06/08 09:25 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

China Chikungunya Virus Mosquito

Cases of chikungunya fever are rising in southern China, prompting local authorities to take measures to curb its spread. Here is what you need to know about the disease: What is chikungunya? Chikungunya is caused by a virus that can be passed to humans by infected mosquitoes, with most cases occurring in Africa, Asia and the ...

Plastic Pollution 'Grave and Growing' Health Threat: Lancet

This is Beirut 04/08 10:55 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

United States USA Pollution Plastic

Plastic pollution is a "grave, growing and under-recognized danger" to health that is costing the world at least $1.5 trillion a year, experts warned in a report on Monday. The new review of the existing evidence, which was carried out by leading health researchers and doctors, was published one day ahead of fresh talks opening in Geneva aiming ...

SpotlightEclipse of the Century: Encounter with Darkness on August 2, 2027

Bélinda Ibrahim 02/08 11:00 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Middle East Africa Lebanon Solar Eclipse World

On August 2, 2027, a narrow band of totality will stretch from southern Spain to the southern Arabian Peninsula, offering a dramatic celestial display already dubbed “the eclipse of the century.” It is set to be one of the most spectacular astronomical events of the 21st century. The eclipse will begin over the Atlantic Ocean shortly after ...

HighlightWhat are All These Microplastics Doing to Our Brains?

This is Beirut 01/08 09:55 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Health Microplastics Brains

Tiny shards of plastic called microplastics have been detected accumulating in human brains, but there is not yet enough evidence to say whether this is doing us harm, experts have said. These mostly invisible pieces of plastic have been found everywhere, from the top of mountains to the bottom of oceans, in the air we breathe and the food we ...

SpotlightPestalotiopsis microspora: The Fungus That Eats Plastic

Bélinda Ibrahim 31/07 12:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Fungus Pestalotiopsis microspora Plastic Amazon

In 2011, during a scientific expedition in Ecuador’s Amazon rainforest, Yale students stumbled upon an unusual fungus. Hidden within the tissues of certain plants in Yasuní National Park, Pestalotiopsis microspora revealed a unique ability: it can break down one of the most common types of plastic, the polyurethane, even in completely ...

SpotlightThe Fantasized Body: When the Image Erases the Woman (2/2)

David Sahyoun 30/07 18:00 - Reading : 5 minute(s)

Psychoanalysis Female Body Fantasy Image

In today’s world, the female body is under constant pressure. It must be smooth, toned, youthful, desirable but not vulgar, slim but not unhealthy, maternal yet flawless. On social media, in advertising and in television shows, a single ideal takes hold: a body that is controlled, edited and put on display. The ideal is now algorithmic. It is ...

ExplainerWhen Losing a Dog Hurts More Than Losing a Loved One

Bélinda Ibrahim 30/07 15:00 - Reading : 4 minute(s)

Dog Grief Suffering Humans Unconditional Love

“It’s only a dog.” This phrase, often said with a hint of condescension, can feel like a harsh blow to those who have just lost their four-legged companion. Yet growing scientific evidence shows that grieving a pet – especially a dog – can be just as intense as, and sometimes even more profound than, mourning a human loved one. The ...

Liver Cancer to Double Worldwide, Most of it Preventable

This is Beirut 29/07 09:20 - Reading : 2 minute(s)

Cancer Liver Hepatitis

The number of people with liver cancer will nearly double worldwide by 2050 unless more is done to address preventable causes such as obesity, alcohol consumption and hepatitis, a study warned Tuesday. New cases of liver cancer -- the sixth most common form of the disease -- will rise to 1.52 million a year from 870,000 if current trends ...

HighlightMotherhood at 35: Empowered Decision or Medicalized Path?

Bélinda Ibrahim 28/07 14:03 - Reading : 3 minute(s)

Motherhood Mothers Children Babies

There was a time when a woman was considered an “older mother” at 35. Today, that age still marks a symbolic and medical threshold. In gynecology wards, the term “geriatric pregnancy” may have disappeared from official manuals, but it’s still whispered behind closed doors. Yet the data is clear: in many Western countries, the average age ...