Air pollution a co-factor in COVID-19 mortality

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By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 03.11.2020 (SciDev.Net): Long-term exposure to air pollution generated by human activity is linked to about 27 per cent of COVID-19 related deaths in East Asia, and 15 per cent mortality in South Asia and worldwide. These deaths could be largely prevented by adopting air quality regulations, says a new study.

Published in Cardiovascular Research on 27 October, the study estimates for each country the proportion of deaths from coronavirus that could be attributed to anthropogenic pollution.

Ninety-one per cent of the world’s population lives in places where air quality exceeds the World Health Organisation guideline limits. Around 2.3 billion people in the Asia Pacific region, which has some of the highest recorded levels of air pollution, are exposed to air pollution levels several times the WHO guideline for safe air.

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Mimicked red algae enzyme has potential to improve crop production

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Paddy fields near Battambang, a city on the Sangkae River in northwestern Cambodia. Photo Credit: © Neena Bhandari

By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 05.10.2020 (SciDev.Net): Australian scientists have discovered a way to engineer more efficient versions of the plant enzyme Rubisco by using a red algae-like Rubisco from a bacterium, which has the potential to improve production of crops like sorghum, wheat and rice in the Asia Pacific region and the world.

The research, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) on 29th September 2020, aims to improve the process of photosynthesis to increase growth and yield of major crops.

Rubisco (Ribulose-1,5-bisphosphate carboxylase/oxygenase), the most abundant enzyme on earth, performs the carbon dioxide fixing step of photosynthesis and its slow activity often limits the growth rate of plants. The Rubisco from red algae and Rhodobacter sphaeroides, a kind of purple bacterium that can obtain energy through photosynthesis, share a common lineage, say researchers.

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Nations can learn from others on lifting lockdowns

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By Neena Bhandari

Sydney, 02.10.2020 (SciDev.Net): As the second wave of COVID-19 infections sweep many countries, governments are facing the challenge of when and how to ease restrictions and lockdowns while balancing health with socio-economic consequences.

A health policy paper published in The Lancet medical journal on 24 September recommends that governments consider five key factors — knowledge of infection levels, community engagement, public health capacity, health system capacity, and border control measures — while lifting restrictions.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned that a premature lifting of lockdowns could spark a resurgence of infections and cause worse damage to the economy than caused by lockdowns.

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