Health & Science

• Friday, April 1st 2022 - 09:55 UTC

  RRS Sir David Attenborough completes ice trials during maiden voyage to Antarctica

  

  Falklands' flagged RRS Sir David Attenborough is completing ice trials during its maiden voyage to Antarctica – a critical milestone in the commissioning of Britain’s new polar ship. This is the first in a series of trials to get the ship ready for multi-disciplinary science missions.

• Thursday, March 31st 2022 - 10:15 UTC

  International team researching complex pattern of sea ice around Antarctica

  

  A £5m project funded by the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) to investigate the complex changes seen in sea ice around the Antarctic begins this month (March 2022) as the sea ice extent around the continent drops to a record low level.

• Thursday, March 31st 2022 - 10:12 UTC

  Argentine-developed COVID-19 vax to start phase 1 trials

  

  The first vaccine against COVID-19 developed in Argentina is to be tested on humans during phase 1 trials, it was announced Wednesday in Buenos Aires.

• Thursday, March 31st 2022 - 09:00 UTC

  After restrictions lifted, Britons advised to stay at home in case of COVID-19

  

  As the UK plans to lift all sanitary restrictions this coming Friday, health authorities have urged the citizenry to try to “stay home and avoid contact with other people” in case of symptoms of a respiratory illness.

• Monday, March 28th 2022 - 21:28 UTC

  COVID-19 forces cruise ship back to port

  

  A Princess Cruise vessel that had left San Francisco on a 15-day voyage to the Panama Canal and back has been gripped by COVID-19. According to the shipping company, 100% of passengers and crew were vaccinated. The Port of San Francisco also requires that at least 95% of both passengers and crew members onboard are vaccinated.

• Monday, March 28th 2022 - 09:59 UTC

  Researchers concerned over ice shelf disintegrating in East Antarctica

  

  The Conger Shelf, a 460-square-kilometers mass of ice has disintegrated in East Antarctica, it was reported over the weekend. It was the first to break up in four decades of satellite observations. The event took place on March 15.

• Saturday, March 26th 2022 - 09:59 UTC

  Plant dynamics in Antarctica because of climate change

  

  Rising temperatures in Antarctica have seen two species of plants grow quicker, in a ten year period, because of climate change, according to an article published in Current Biology under the heading of “Acceleration of climate warming and plant dynamics in Antarctica”

• Saturday, March 26th 2022 - 09:55 UTC

  Falkland Islands reviews Covid-19 measures; changes to be enacted from 4 May

  

  As previously communicated, the Falkland Islands Government has recently reviewed all available options in terms of making changes to Covid-19 measures in a careful and measured way. This week Executive Council met to evaluate the proposed options, which included the latest public health guidance and legal advice. As a result, it has been agreed that from 4 May 2022, the existing Infectious Diseases Control (Coronavirus: International Travel, Operator Liability, and Quarantine) Regulations 2022 will be revoked, providing that specific conditions can be met.

• Saturday, March 26th 2022 - 09:40 UTC

  Dutch researchers find microplastics in human blood

  

  A peer-reviewed study published this week in Environment International has reported traces of microplastics had been found in the human blood of 17 of the 22 volunteers, thus raising questions about the possible penetration of these particles into organs.

• Friday, March 25th 2022 - 22:01 UTC

  Mercosur health ministers agree sanitary measures need to be unified

  

  Health Ministers from all four Mercosur full member countries in addition to Chile's Thursday agreed during a meeting in Montevideo to work on unified sanitary requirements regarding COVID-19 for international travel.