May the Unknown Force be with you Just when we think we have something like Quantum physics all nicely sorted, along comes some strange new observation and throws everything up in the air. Always expect the unexpected-maybe the UK Government might want to learn from that old adage. From the BBC
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66407099
Weight Buster We are always a little suspicious of prescribing drugs for things like weight loss. Maybe people should eat less and exercise more. However, we would fail in our duty to you, gentle readers, if we did not report the latest on the remarkable semaglutide, from the latest pages of Nature Briefings
A weekly dose of the anti-obesity drug semaglutide, sold as Wegovy, seems to reduce the risk of heart attacks, strokes and death from cardiovascular disease by 20%. This suggests that there’s more than weight loss to semaglutide and other members of a new generation of hormone-mimicking drugs. “It’s hard to think of other [drugs], apart from statins, that have shown such a profound effect,” says cardiologist Martha Gulati. Researchers say the findings, if confirmed, could profoundly change preventive cardiology.Nature | 5 min read
Peace in Ukraine? Sometimes in private conversation, we have been heard to utter the opinion that the Ukraine war will end like Korea in 1953. There’s a deep moral hazard here, for it rewards the aggressor and leaves millions more under the jackboot of a totalitarian regime For a more nuanced discussion, therefore, we offer this from the Conversation
Crooked House The mysterious and wholly inexplicable fire which swept through the Crooked House Pub in Staffordshire recently has produced an avalanche of speculation and conjecture. Here Marina Hyde of The Guardian pulls together the latest deliberation, ensuring a balanced view.
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2023/aug/11/crooked-house-burnt-out-pub-historic-landmark
Well, that’s it for this week. As our honeysuckle is blooming so well, we’ll leave you with this little gem Madreselva, from the great Carlos Gardel who did the definitive version of everything Tango
Learning, Science and Society 