Author: Steven Sahiounie

Kneading is when cats massage an object with the front paws, which extend and retract, one paw at a time.This massaging action, named for its resemblance to kneading dough, is repeated rhythmically. You may have spotted your cat kneading and wondered how on Earth they developed such a behavior.So, why do cats knead? Does it tell us anything about how they’re feeling, and is there anything you can do if they’re painfully kneading you while sitting on your lap?The evolutionary background of kneadingCats first begin to knead when just tiny kittens, still nursing from their mother. Kneading is associated with suckling, which…

Played on a court one third of the size of a tennis court, padel is low-impact and low-intensity compared to other racket sports – something that, together with the satisfying “pock” noise of striking the ball, has contributed to its popularity.In the World Padel Tour, the sport also has a burgeoning professional circuit – though currently padel’s strength in numbers is best exhibited in the amateur game. Could it even reach the same level of global popularity as tennis?“I think recreationally it probably could in terms of the sheer numbers of people playing the game, just from what I’ve seen…

Premier League video assistant referees have made six incorrect interventions this season – and also missed another six incidents when they should have stepped in.A five-person independent panel was introduced this season to conduct a weekly review of Key Match Incidents (KMI) for all top-flight games.BBC Sport understands the panel has gone through hundreds of incidents and identified 48 situations when VAR needed to get involved, with 42 correct decisions made.However, it found six incidents were missed completely and on another six occasions, VAR overturned on-field decisions that had initially been right.It is not known what the individual decisions were…

Planning a trip can be stressful, especially if it’s somewhere you’ve never been before. It requires significant research, determining which flight to take, which hotel to stay at, which tours to book — the list goes on.With all the time and effort you spend booking the perfect vacation, you don’t want to worry about things like delays, cancellations, or unexpected expenses. That’s why some travelers buy travel insurance, which allows you to submit a claim to the insurer for financial reimbursement of up to 100% of your trip cost for a variety of covered reasons.If you’re looking to protect your trip and…

Xiaomi, one of the world’s largest smartphone makers, has begun layoffs in China at a time when the world’s second largest economy is grappling with an enormous unemployment crisis.The Chinese company’s decision to slash jobs comes soon after tech giants across the world, including Meta and Twitter, have laid off thousands of workers.The Beijing-based firm recently conducted a “routine personnel optimization and organizational streamlining,” a Xiaomi spokesperson told CNN. The measure affects less than 10% of its total workforce, the person added.While the company did not share any other details, multiple state media outlets in China have reported this week that Xiaomi would cut thousands of jobs…

After a bruising year, how will Chinese tech giants fare in 2023?It’s been another rough year for China’s tech stocks. Billions have been wiped off the value of the country’s internet giants including Alibabaand Tencentand companies have posted their slowest growth rates on record.A Covid resurgence in China, which the government countered with its strict “zero-Covid” policy of swift and harsh lockdowns in major cities, has hurt the world’s second-largest economy. Chinese internet firms have seen a slowdown as consumer spending was hit and advertising dollars were cut back.Investors are treading with caution into next year with regard to Chinese tech stocks…

What now? There aren’t any monoclonal antibody drugs that can treat the latest Covid-19 variants.December 17, 2022 by Umair IrfanCovid-19 is once again trending upward in the United States, with new cases reaching more than 450,000 and deaths climbing up to 3,000 per week. But hospitals will have to face this year’s winter surge without a valuable tool.In late November, the Food and Drug Administration revoked its emergency use authorization for bebtelovimab, a monoclonal antibody treatment for Covid-19, because it wasn’t effective against the latest variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes Covid-19. Now, there are no monoclonal antibody treatments…

Anti-Tumor Effects Without Toxicities: Researchers Use a Spice To Treat CancerDecember 7, 2022 by Kyoto UniversityThe high conversion rate of curcumin prodrug TBP1901 to curcumin in bone marrow warrants its clinical application for diseases growing in the marrow like multiple myeloma and leukemia. The natural polyphenol curcumin has shown promising efficacy with tumors in a number of preclinical models. Credit: KyotoU / Global CommsProdrug curcumin displays clinical potential. In cancer clinical studies, curcumin, a natural molecule related to turmeric, has been used to treat cancer patients. Despite its known antitumor effects, drug development has lagged due to challenges involving its chemistry. Now,…

December 22, 2022 by RFIFrance is one of several countries facing shortages of the widely used antibiotic amoxicillin and other medications, with surging illnesses among children increasing demand for the drugs.Winter in the northern hemisphere has brought about a particularly nasty influenza season as well as spikes in other viruses.The surge comes after two years in which Covid-19 measures such as quarantines, self-isolation and mask-wearing significantly decreased the rate of such illnesses.Hospitals in France have come under pressure from a rising number of patients as the country faces a “tripledemic” of Covid-19, influenza and the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which causes bronchiolitis…

Who were the winners at Sports Personality 2022? Mead becomes the first women’s footballer to win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awardWho were the winners at this year’s BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards?Sports Personality of the YearName: Beth MeadSport: FootballKey achievement: Mead starred at this summer’s Euro 2022, where she helped the Lionesses to glory at Wembley, England’s first ever major women’s football trophy.The 27-year-old’s stellar performances at Euro 2022 saw her named the Player of the Tournament as well as winning the Golden Boot with six goals and five assists.Name: England’s Lionesses and Sarina WiegmanSport:…