Reading in the news - Mon 11 Jan

COVID-19: expert comment on the coronavirus pandemic      

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) is quoted by  and titles around the world, including  and , on whether current vaccines will be effective against new strains of the virus; by  on UK infection rates. He spoke to  about some hospitals becoming overwhelmed;  (35 mins 40 secs), LBC Radio and Heart Radio on infection numbers; and BBC Radio Hereford & Worcester about the third vaccine being approved for roll-out in the UK.
• Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) is quoted by the Guardian, The Sun (print) and  and dozens of titles across the UK, including , on studies into whether the Pfizer vaccine will be effective against new strains; and by  and  on testing methods.
• Professor Ian Jones (Biological Sciences) is also quoted by  and other titles on whether current vaccines will work on virus variants.

UK snow risk: , ,  and titles across the UK, including ,  and , quote PhD student Simon Lee (Meteorology) in articles about the UK being more prone to cold weather this winter due to current atmospheric conditions. He also spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire. .

Mosque history:  quotes Professor Ken Dark on research he is leading into the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul.

Pursuit of Happiness: Articles in  and  refer to Reading psychology research, showing people who chase happiness are less likely to feel happy. .

Other coverage

•  publishes a blog by Professor David Carter (ISLI) on the new Turing scheme proposed to replace the Erasmus+ scheme, which the UK has withdrawn from as part of its Brexit agreement.
• Dr David Rose (Agriculture) is quoted by  on the BBC Two Horizon programme exploring the environmental impact of various dishes.
•  publishes an article written for  by Dr Andrew Urquhart (Henley Business School) on the rise of Bitcoin.
•  reports that a tech company founded by Dr Mimi Zou (Law) has signed a deal with Panasonic to provide AI software that can identify potential disputes before they develop.
•  quotes Dr Nikolaos Antypas (Henley Business School) on the economic impact of Covid and the response by banks.
• BBC Radio Berkshire spoke to Dr Mark Shanahan (Politics & International Relations) about the latest on attempts to remove Donald Trump as US President.
• BBC Radio Shropshire included Lace Tellings by Jackie Oates – written while she was folk musician in residence at The MERL, in its review of various music albums.