Even though 16 teams are still battling it out in the NCAA Tournament in the Sweet 16, the rest of college basketball has already turned its attention to the transfer portal. The portal officially opened on Monday, and some of the biggest stars from the mid-major level are looking for a new home and a […]
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At long last, Ed Sheeran has announced the release date of his new single, “Azizam,” the lead track from his next album. He took to Instagram to announce that “Azizam” will be released on Friday, April 4, 2025. His post shared the background of the song, which came together after Ilya Salmanzadeh suggested making music […]
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The Tennessee Titans own the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, and no one is 100% sure who they are going to pick. However, after their recent free agent moves and large contingent at the Miami Hurricanes’ Pro Day, quarterback Cam Ward seems like the likely choice. “Titans’ contingent at Miami’s pro […]
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Safe to say, Stephen A Smith doesn’t like the dominance within college basketball and March Madness. While there haven’t been any Cinderella teams, it hasn’t made Smith happy in the slightest. On First Take, he simply said what he feels about the state of college basketball. “If this continues, it will be the death of […]
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The Washington Capitals are hitting the road for two games against the Winnipeg Jets and Minnesota Wild, but they could be without a key player. Defenseman Jakob Chychrun had his wrist cut by a skate during Saturday’s win over the Florida Panthers and as a result, didn’t practice on Monday, per Tarik El-Bashir. His status […]
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A NEW coronavirus discovered in bats in Brazil could pose a serious threat to humans, scientists warn.
The virus, found by scientists in São Paulo and Ceará, shares chilling similarities with the deadly Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), also called camel flu.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), camel flu is less infectious than Covid, but it is more deadly, killing a third of known patients.
The new virus discovered in Brazil has a genetic sequence that’s about 72 per cent similar to the MERS genome, scientists say.
Specifically, its spike protein shares 71.74 per cent similarity with the MERS spike protein.
The spike protein is a part of the virus that helps it attach to and enter human cells, acting like a key that unlocks the door, allowing the virus to infect them.
“Right now we aren’t sure it can infect humans,” study author and PhD candidate Bruna Stefanie Silvério, said.
“But we detected parts of the virus’s spike protein suggesting potential interaction with the receptor used by Mers-CoV,”
While there’s no immediate cause for panic, scientists are ramping up efforts to understand the virus’ potential threat.
Further experiments will be conducted in high-biosecurity labs in Hong Kong to assess its risks to humans.
“This monitoring helps identify circulating viruses and risks of transmission to other animals, and even to humans,” said Ricardo Durães-Carvalho, another author of the study.
Just last month, scientists in Wuhan, China, discovered another new bat virus that could jump straight from bats to humans without another animal in between.
If there is no ‘intermediate ‘middle animal’, it becomes harder to predict and prevent spillover events through interactions such as wildlife trading or hunting.
For the latest study, published in the Journal of Medical Virology, scientists tested 16 different bat species in Brazil for pathogens.
Researchers identified seven coronaviruses in five out of 16 oral and rectal swabs from bats collected in the city of Fortaleza in northeastern Brazil.
Only one had “high similarities” to Mers-related coronavirus strains found in humans and camels.
The virus genome also showed signs of recombination, a process where viruses merge with one another, to create a dangerous mutant strain.
Until now, members of the MERS-CoV family had only been documented in bats of Africa, Europe, and the Middle East.
This suggests that “closely related viruses are circulating in South American bats and expanding their known geographic range,” according to the authors.
“Bats are important viral reservoirs and should therefore be submitted to continuous epidemiological surveillance,” Dr Durães-Carvalho added.
The WHO has previously listed MERS and Covid as two of several diseases – alongside the mysterious disease X – that could spark a pandemic, but for which there is no specific treatment or vaccine.
Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS) is a viral respiratory infection caused by MERS-CoV.
Humans can get MERS-CoV through either direct or indirect interaction with camels.
It does not pass easily between humans but can be caught through prolonged, unprotected contact with a sufferer.
Instances of human-to-human transmission have been observed among close contacts and within healthcare environments.
But outside of health care settings, there has been limited human-to-human transmission to date, WHO notes.
Symptoms range from mild cough and fever to severe respiratory failure and death.
The illness can start with:
In severe cases, the illness may result in respiratory failure and requires treatment in an intensive care unit.
There is no vaccine, although several are in development.
TAKE a look the park with Ireland’s longest zipline, sky walking and canoeing – and it’s only one hour from Dublin.
Castlecomer Discovery Park in Co Kilkenny is a must-visit for families this spring.
The park is located just an hour from Dublin, making it an ideal spot for a day trip.
With so many outdoor activities to enjoy, it’s the perfect place to visit as Ireland welcomes its first taste of spring weather – and it’s open all year round.
It reads on their website: “At Castlecomer Discovery Park we offer a wide range of fun, challenging and exhilarating activities that can be enjoyed on your own, as a couple, together as a family or as a group of friends, colleagues, teammates, classmates or scouts group etc.”
One of the park’s most popular attractions is the Aerial Adventure & Climbing Wall, which features a thrilling high ropes course that challenges participants with obstacle courses set high up in the trees.
Recently opened in February, this attraction has 40 different games across three levels.
There’s also a free fall at the top of the Skywalk challenge, where visitors are harnessed up and take a daring leap to the park’s grounds.
Another one of the park’s main attractions is the zip lining, which at 300 metres long is the longest in Ireland.
Here, visitors get harnessed up and zip across the forest, taking in the stunning views of the park as they soar through the air.
This experience is suitable for different ages and abilities, making it an absolute must-try for all adventure seekers.
What’s more, the park has lots of different activities for younger children.
This includes a Woodland Playground with swings, slides, and climbing frames, making it the perfect place to bring your little ones during the spring.
And there is also a lovely lake where visitors can enjoy peaceful walks and take part in fun boat and canoeing activities while surrounded by a stunning 80-acre woodland.
For those who prefer staying on the ground, Castlecomer Discovery Park offers a wide range of other outdoor activities.
This includes archery, where visitors are guided by trained instructors in a woodland setting.
What’s more, there’s even axe throwing, mountain biking and camping all available on site – ensuring that there is something for everyone.
Throughout the park there are plenty of seating areas and places to grab a bite to eat.
The on-site canopy cafe serves a variety of meals and snacks, and allows your kids to take a well needed break after a day of fun.
Admission to the park starts from €7.50 per person, however the price of each activity varies.
Visitors to Castlecomer Discovery Park have shared their experiences on TripAdvisor.
One person said: “Great place. Came here for the first time in the summer and been back twice since.”
Another wrote: “The perfect place to go for birthdays, we all had the best time here.”
MICHELLE Keegan’s mum has shared an adorable new snap of baby Palma.
This comes just hours after actress daughter enjoys a cosy date night at home with her husband Mark Wright.
Michelle Keegan, 37, recently gave birth to her newborn daughter, Palma, whom she shares with the Morning Live presenter.
It seems her mother is keen to help her own daughter out as she cares for her baby in her lavish Essex mansion.
Her mum, Jackie Anne Thornton took to her Instagram page as she shared a sweet hugging snap with her granddaughter.
Baby Palma was wrapped in a pastel yellow knitted blanket with her name emblazoned in white.
Her head was carefully rested on her grandmother’s shoulder in a sweet embrace.
A beige bow headband was also delicately wrapped around the young tot’s head.
The caption of the adorable grid post read: “It’s the little cuddles that are the best.”
This comes just hours after the star shared a sneak peek of her cosy date night at home with her husband, Mark, 38.
The Brassic actress has been lying low in recent weeks following the birth of the couple’s first child.
Michelle shared a snap of Mark’s lasagne and homemade garlic bread that they would be tucking into that evening.
She captioned the snap of the mouth-watering meal: “Homemade Lasagne & garlic bread [courtesy] of @wrighty_.”
The former Corrie star then insisted the meal was a “10/10” as she shared another short video clip of her dishing up the scrumptious meal.
Earlier this month, the A-list pairing confirmed the safe arrival of their baby girl.
They announced Palma Elizabeth Wright’s birth in a combined post on Instagram.
Since rising to fame over a decade ago as a reality TV star, popular personality Mark Wright has gone on to enjoy a successful career.
Michelle and Mark posted: “Together we have a new love to share – our little girl.”
The couple named their daughter Palma after recently spending lots of time loved-up at their property in the Majorca capital, which also played host to their pregnancy photo shoot.
