# Study
A unique gene variant has been identified that protects from severe COVID-19 infection
Recently, in a work published in Nature Genetics, it was shown that a specific protective gene variant protects us from the severe repercussions of the coronavirus infection. Since the start of the current pandemic, scientists have been focused on better understanding the genetics of the virus and how human genetics affect the severity of the COVID-19 infection.
Study: After speeding up in 2020, Earth’s movement has now slowed
In 2020, Earth was known to have sped up during its rotation on its axis. However, since then, Earth’s rotation has slowed down. An earth day is made up of over 86,400 seconds and is influenced by several factors, including the Earth’s core, atmospheric changes, and oceanic movements. The Universal Coordinated Time (UTC) is followed to regulate the time changes and is based on atomic clocks.
Study: The longest path that can be covered on foot without encountering any waterbody is between China and Portugal
In the United States, the longest continuous route is between northern California to Maine and is about 3,527 miles long, and if set out on foot, it could take anywhere between six to eight months to cover that distance. On the contrary, the shortest route between any two states is between California and Georgia; the space is about 2,339 miles. So if you try walking from one of these two states to the other, you could cover the distance anywhere between three to five months.