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Health experts are warning that E.coli cases are 'likely to rise' due to an outbreak which is linked to a 'nationally distributed food item' - and it’s already left dozens in hospital.
Cath Rees, professor of Microbiology at the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham, tells Tech & Science Daily everything we know about the situation as it stands.
The UK Health Security Agency has confirmed at least 37 people were admitted to hospital as a result of this outbreak, and testing indicates most of the 113 cases reported across the UK are from a single source. The agency did not give more details on which foods could be responsible.
The UKHSA has ruled out the disease spreading through water, saying there was "currently no evidence linking the outbreak to open farms, drinking water or swimming in contaminated seawater, lakes or rivers".
Elon Musk’s SpaceX Starship, the most powerful rocket ever made, has successfully launched and landed in a crucial test mission.
SpaceX’s Starship lifted off from its base in Texas, its booster separated and then splashed down in the ocean.The spacecraft then flew around the Earth and completed a landing burn as it fell towards the water.
The spacecraft lost many of the tiles that keep it safe from heat, and one of the flaps intended to control its descent was damaged, but SpaceX maintained control of the spacecraft right into the ocean - for the first time.
The Standard’s Saqib Shah joins us to discuss the new game Bodycam which has gone viral because of its ultra-realistic visuals.
A number of streamers who got early access to the game have racked up millions of views from people wanting to get a sneak preview.
It’s thought the title will particularly appeal to people who prefer the older versions of Call of Duty, but with enhanced technology.
And the rest
Why nature groups are launching a legal bid over England’s wildlife loss, and look who’s woofing: why scientists are using AI to interpret the meaning of barks.
You can listen to the episode in the player above, find us on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get your podcasts.
Here’s an automated transcript:
Hi, I'm Rochelle Travers, and this is The Standard's Tech and Science Daily podcast.
Coming up, SpaceX's Starship completes crucial test mission.
Now, let's get into it.
Health experts are warning that E coli cases are likely to rise due to an outbreak which is linked to a nationally distributed food item, and it's already left dozens in hospital.
E coli is a type of bacteria that is normally found in the gut, that this particular type is quite often found in the gut of animals.
Now, we live with E coli all the time, we need E coli in our guts, it's really good for us because it makes vitamins, it keeps us healthy, but there are some certain types, and particularly these ones that come from animal guts, that have some extra genes, which help them survive in animals, doesn't do the animals any harm, but when it gets into us, it causes severe disease because it gets into parts of our body it shouldn't get into normally.
That's Cath Rees, Professor of Microbiology at the School of Biosciences at the University of Nottingham.
We know that the primary sources from feces from animals that can get onto carcasses and get onto meat, but it can get into water supplies and then get into things like irrigation waters for salad vegetables, or it can get into washing in fruit and veg.
People often associate with this going to the environment where you go to farms where there's animals.
So there's all sorts of sources.
So it's really, really difficult to identify exactly where this is coming from.
At the time of recording this podcast, the UK Health Security Agency has confirmed at least 37 people were admitted to hospital as a result of this outbreak.
And testing indicates most of the 113 cases reported across the UK are from a single source.
The agency did not give more details on which foods could be responsible.
Professor Rees says it's important not to speculate about what the source of the outbreak is and to wait until the UK HSA has confirmation because incorrectly guessing could have damaging effects on people's health as well as businesses.
These outbreaks are very rare, but I say when we get these outbreaks, the reason the government is putting out these warnings is because we are concerned because, not like other types of food poisoning where you maybe get an upset tummy for a few days, this type you can have long-term health effects.
So they are going to do everything they can to track this as fast as possible.
The UKHSA has ruled out the disease spreading through water, saying there was currently no evidence linking the outbreak to open farms, drinking water or swimming in contaminated seawater, lakes or rivers.
Due to the wide geographic spread of cases, the agency believes the outbreak is linked to a nationally distributed food item or multiple food items.
Here's Professor Rees' advice for anyone worried about this outbreak.
Cook everything.
Right, so E coli itself is a bit of a pussycat in terms of killing it.
It really isn't difficult to kill.
So eating meat, cook it well.
If eating mince, in particular mince, make sure there's no pink in the middle.
If it's salad and vegetables, even if they're pre-washed and you get them from the supermarket or wherever, wash them again at home with plenty of water.
And don't forget to wash your hands as often as possible when preparing or touching food.
Next.
The sound from the launch of Starship, the most powerful rocket ever made.
And then successfully completing a soft ocean landing.
SpaceX and Starship lifted off from its base in Texas. Its booster separated and then splashed down in the ocean.
The spacecraft then flew around the earth and completed a landing burn as it fell towards the water. The spacecraft lost many of the tiles that keep it safe from heat. And one of the flaps intended to control its descent was damaged.
But SpaceX maintained control of the spacecraft right into the ocean for the first time.
It was the fourth test flight for Starship, which NASA and SpaceX owner, Elon Musk, hope will eventually fly humans to the moon and Mars.
The company said it would be launching its next test mission soon.
Now.
A clip there from Bodycam, a new game that has gone viral because of its ultra-realistic visuals.
Yeah, so Bodycam, it's a PC game that looks a bit like a back to basics version of fall of duty.
What I mean by that is it has more gritty, realistic gunfights, tactical shootouts in almost photorealistic environments.
There's no health regeneration, things like that which are designed to create a more tactical and immersive experience.
That's Saqib Shah, tech and gaming reporter for The Standard.
But the central gimmick or USP here is that the game looks like you're seeing the action from the perspective of a wearable camera.
So the type of bodycams that some police officers wear on patrol, that's supposed to add to the realism.
Gamers are excited about its back to basics multiplayer modes and visceral gunplay.
A number of streamers who got early access to the game have racked up millions of views from people wanting to get a sneak preview.
YouTuber Jack Fragg's preview video of the game has more than 4 million views alone so far.
It's thought the title will particularly appeal to people who prefer the older versions of Call of Duty, but with enhanced technology.
It was made using Unreal Engine 5, which is the latest tech developers are using to create games.
The results tend to be more realistic with more natural lighting and shadows, detailed characters, smoother animation and more intricate 3D worlds.
Bodycam is out in early access later today, Friday the 7th of June on Steam.
Let's go to the ads.
Coming up, why we might be one step closer to understanding what dogs are saying.
Welcome back.
More than 80 nature conservation groups are launching a legal bid to force whichever party is in power after the general election to improve targets on tackling wildlife decline in England.
One in six UK species are currently at risk of extinction and a legally binding target was set by the Conservative government to stop nature loss by 2030.
Organisations including the National Trust, the RSPB and the Wildlife Trust have also joined forces to urge politicians from all parties to pledge to do more to boost biodiversity.
And finally, ever look at your dog and wish you knew what they were thinking?
Well, soon we may actually have an answer.
Scientists are using artificial intelligence to interpret the meaning of dogs barks.
Researchers from the University of Michigan in the US are using AI to better understand what a wolf conveys about whether a canine is feeling playful or angry.
The scientists say they have already made progress when it comes to decoding canine communication by repurposing existing computer models trained on human speech.
You're up to date.
Come back at 4pm for The Standard podcast for all the latest news and analysis.
Tech and Science Daily will be back tomorrow at 1pm.
See you then.
