-TEDMED Foundation/ The Telegraph ‘Virus hunter’ Peter Piot on the way forward with SARS-CoV2 Boston: Director of London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Peter Piot answers 100 questions on The Virus with Director, TEDMED Foundation 1. TEDMED: Let’s start with the basics. What is a virus? A virus is a very tiny particle of RNA or DNA genetic code protected by an outer protein wrapper. 2. How common are viruses? Viruses are everywhere. It’s amazing...

-The Hindu These cases can expose a large population to the virus than would otherwise occur Chennai: Eighty-six per cent of people in China who were infected with novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) were not tested in the two-week period before travel restrictions came into force on January 23 in Wuhan and other cities. And these undetected cases contributed to the majority of virus spread in the community, says a paper published in the...

-The Hindu It is not data, but lack of transparency and awareness that causes panic during a pandemic China’s initial cover-up of the novel coronavirus outbreak for nearly a month invited worldwide condemnation. Similarly, there were concerns when the U.S. was reported to be barring leading scientist, Anthony Fauci, from speaking publicly about the COVID-19 outbreak without approval. Dr. Fauci has been the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious...

-The Indian Express Makka ki roti aur SARSon ka sag is a popular food item in northern India, in particular, Punjab, Haryana and Western Uttar Pradesh where both maize and mustard are widely grown. All vegetarian dishes made in much of northern, eastern and western India are cooked in mustard (SARSon) oil. Why, suddenly, has mustard taken centre stage? GM mustard has begun to stir both the scientific and activist lobbies,...

-The Indian Express In May this year, a regulatory body under the Ministry of Environment and Forests, had given its go-ahead for cultivation of genetically modified mustard. Earlier, it was Bt cotton that was genetically modified and its ill-effects on the ecology are for all to see. Chandigarh: PEOPLE CONCERNED about changes being made in their food, especially at the genetic level, came together at the Sukhna Lake on Friday morning under...