Reading in the news - Thu 20 Jan

COVID-19: expert comment on the pandemic

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) is quoted by the  and on the virus' transmissibility during the return to in-person working and whilst commuting;  and Daily Express (in print) on population-wide immunity;  on the virus' transmissibility in gyms;  on Covid and vulnerable people in hospital, and  on the common cold and Covid protection. He spoke to BBC Radio 2 and Al Jazeera about what living in a world with Covid means; and French TV channel BFMTV, and BBC Radio Berkshire, on the lifting of restrictions in the UK.
• Dr Al Edwards (Pharmacy) answered BBC Radio Berkshire's Covid questions. 

#PlanetPartners: working with global partners to protect the environment 

• Dr Michael Garratt (Agriculture) is mentioned by  (and in print) about research on oilseed rape crops to help UK farming transition to net zero carbon. 
•  and  mentions Reading's de-carbonisation project through renovations on the Whiteknights campus.
• An article co-authored by Dr Velomahanina Razakamaharavo (Politics) on the famine in Madagascar caused by climate change is published by .

Air pollution halts pollinators 

Dr Robbie Girling and Dr James Ryalls (Agriculture) are quoted by The Daily Telegraph (in print), The Times (in print), (and in print), Metro (in print), The Daily Mirror (in print), Daily Record (in print) The Herald (in print), the , , , , , and 11 others on research that revealed the effects of pollution on pollinators' ability to smell crops and wildflowers. ITV Meridian mentioned the findings and Dr Girling spoke to BBC Radio Berkshire about the research. Read our news story. 

Other Coverage:

• Reading is listed by as one of the 68 UK universities expecting to see strike action this term. 
• Dr Mark Shanahan (Politics) is quoted by  and  on the ongoing political feud between Trump and Ron DeSantis for their possible run in the 2024 Republican presidential nominations.
• Dr Emma Street (Henley Business School) is quoted by  on the benefits of an interactive cycling route in Reading. 
• Reading graduate and Portsmouth North's MP, Penny Mordaunt, is named by  as the possible next Prime Minister.
•  mentions a Reading study on the presence of antibiotic-resistant E.coli in the excrement of dairy calves. 
• Research conducted by Henley Business School on the productivity benefits of a four-day workweek is quoted by .
• The development of Shinfield Studios on University land is mentioned by .
• A article that appears on ,  and  includes a mention of Visiting Research Fellow Nigel Larkin (Biological Sciences), who co-led the unearthing of Britain's largest Ichthyosaur, in the accompanying disclosure statement.