Reading in the news - Mon 11 Jan

COVID-19: expert comment on the coronavirus pandemic      

• Dr Simon Clarke (Biological Sciences) is quoted by Mail Online and titles around the world, including Japan Today and India.com, on whether current vaccines will be effective against new strains of the virus; by The Times on UK infection rates. He spoke to Russia Today about some hospitals becoming overwhelmed; Times Radio (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 Mail Online and dozens of titles across the UK, including Manchester Evening News, on studies into whether the Pfizer vaccine will be effective against new strains; and by Mail Online and Huffington Post on testing methods.
• Professor Ian Jones (Biological Sciences) is also quoted by Mail Online and other titles on whether current vaccines will work on virus variants.

UK snow risk: Mail Online, The Express, Entertainment Daily and titles across the UK, including Manchester Evening News, My London and Lancs Live, 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. Read our news story.

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

Pursuit of Happiness: Articles in The Guardian and Science Times refer to Reading psychology research, showing people who chase happiness are less likely to feel happy. Read our news story.

Other coverage

• Higher Education Policy Institute 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by Professor David Carter (ISLI) on the new Turing scheme proposed to replace the Erasmus+ scheme, which the UK has withdrawn from as part of its Brexit agreement.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 Farmers Guardian on the BBC Two Horizon programme exploring the environmental impact of various dishes.
• Channel News Asia publishes an article written for The Conversation by Dr Andrew Urquhart (Henley Business School) on the rise of Bitcoin.
• Law Gazette 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.
• Public Finance 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.