Plague spread four times faster during London’s 1665 epidemic
ISLAMABAD- The Great Plague of 1665 saw disease spread some four times faster in London than it did at the peak of the Black Death in 1348, a study has concluded. Experts from Canada analyzed thousands of pages of historical records and personal documents to determine the plague picked up speed over the centuries. The Black Death is estimated to have wiped out more than a third of the population of Europe during the 14th Century. At this time, the count of the infected doubled around every 43 days, the team calculated — but by the 17th Century the count was doubling every 11 days. This ‘striking acceleration’ in transmission, the researchers said, was a consequence of the increase in people living close together in cramped conditions. The findings could help scientists to better understand how other epidemic and pandemic diseases — such as COVID-19 — spread today.
Discovery of ‘MAGIC’ chemical that makes edges in 2D-materials
ISLAMABAD- Ultrathin materials such as graphene promise a revolution in nanoscience and technology. Researchers at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, have now made an important advance within the field. In a recent paper in Nature Communications they present a method for controlling the edges of two-dimensional materials using a ‘magic’ chemical. “Our method makes it possible to control the edges — atom by atom — in a way that is both easy and scalable, using only mild heating together with abundant, environmentally friendly chemicals, such as hydrogen peroxide,” says BattulgaMunkhbat, a postdoctoral researcher at the Department of Physics at Chalmers University of Technology, and first author of the paper.
Rita Ora nails vampy chic as she poses mirror photoshoot
ISLAMABAD - She’s known for garnering attention with her appearances, whether it’s when she’s dolled up or low-key. And Rita Ora put on a typically fierce display as she posed for a quirky photoshoot recently. The Hot Right Now hit-maker, 29, accentuated her stunning features with a slick of dark red lipstick, while going for minimal eye make-up. Flashing a hint of her toned abs, the Masked Singer UK star teamed a cropped top with khaki green joggers as she gazed at herself in the Hollywood-style mirror. The former ANTM presenter wore her blonde hair in its naturally curly fashion as she pulled sultry facial expressions for the series of images shared to Instagram. ‘Just shot something super fun, can’t wait for you all to see...’, the media personality captioned her posts.