Science News Roundup: COVID shines spotlight on imbalanced approach to death globally - expert panel; China's most used COVID shots effective against Delta variant-study and more

The Lancet Commission – involving patients, community experts, philosophers and theologians as well as experts in health and social care – are calling for change. China's most used COVID shots effective against Delta variant-study China's two most widely used COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Sinovac and Sinopharm, were shown to be effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus, a study based on real-world data in the country showed on Tuesday.

Following is a summary of current science news briefs.

COVID shines spotlight on imbalanced approach to death globally - expert panel

The way we die needs a fundamental rethink, according to a group of international experts, who say COVID-19 has shed a harsh spotlight on care for the dying. Death has been “overmedicalized” and millions around the globe are suffering unnecessarily at the end of their lives as a result, with healthcare workers in wealthy nations seeking to prolong life rather than support death, according to an expert panel convened by the Lancet medical journal. At the same time, around half of people globally die without any palliative care or pain relief, particularly in lower-income countries. The Lancet Commission – involving patients, community experts, philosophers and theologians as well as experts in health and social care – are calling for change.

China's most used COVID shots effective against Delta variant-study

China's two most widely used COVID-19 vaccines, developed by Sinovac and Sinopharm, were shown to be effective against the Delta variant of the coronavirus, a study based on real-world data in the country showed on Tuesday. The two vaccines were 52% effective against Delta infection and 60% for symptomatic disease, researchers wrote in a peer-reviewed paper.

Penguins offer varied clues to Antarctic climate change

Peering through binoculars from an inflatable motorboat bobbing in frigid waters, polar ecology researchers Michael Wethington and Alex Borowicz scan a rocky outcrop on Antarctica's Andersson Island for splatterings of red-brown guano that might signal a colony of penguins nearby. The birds have become far more than an iconic symbol of the earth’s frozen south. Scientists now use them as key indicators for understanding climate change near the South Pole – with certain western regions like the Antarctic Peninsula having undergone rapid warming, while East Antarctica remains cold and capped in ice.

COVID patients face risks after hospital; kids' hearts return to normal after rare inflammatory illness

The following is a summary of some recent studies on COVID-19. They include research that warrants further study to corroborate the findings and that has yet to be certified by peer review. COVID-19 patients face risks after hospital discharge

Science podcaster calls Spotify's support of Joe Rogan a 'slap in the face'

The executive producer and host of Gimlet Media's Science Vs podcast said she would devote her fact-checking show exclusively to contradicting misinformation on other podcasts carried by parent company Spotify. The announcement by Wendy Zukerman builds on protests by Neil Young, Joni Mitchell and others against Spotify's Joe Rogan Experience Podcast. They say Spotify is not doing enough to prevent the spread of COVID-19 misinformation.

Scientists count the world's tree species (spoiler: it's a bunch)

From the monkey puzzle tree of Peru to the Tasmanian blue gum of Australia, from the baobabs of Madagascar to the giant sequoias of California, the world is blessed with an abundance of tree species. How many? A new study has the answer.

Researchers on Monday unveiled the world's largest forest data base, comprising more than 44 million individual trees at more than 100,000 sites in 90 countries - helping them to calculate that Earth boasts roughly 73,300 tree species.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)