Promising cures found for Ebola and TB, and Bill Hader’s Tom Cruise deep fake goes viral

ScientiFix, our weekly feature, offers you a summary of the top global science stories of the week, with links to the best sources to read them.

A healthcare worker assists a colleague to dress in Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) at an Ebola Treatment Center in Coyah, Guinea. (Representational Image) | Photo: Waldo Swiegers | Bloomberg

Ebola and tuberculosis see potentially revolutionary treatments in Africa

This week, two deadly diseases were in the headlines, but for good reasons — for the promising cures that have been found for them.

A new three-drug treatment has been shown to cure the deadliest strain of tuberculosis. Then, WHO officials announced Monday that two experimental Ebola medicines saved almost 90 per cent of patients who sought early treatment. Read more on The Independent and The Verge.

Huge repository of dinosaur fossils discovered

A gigantic stash of dinosaur fossils has been uncovered in the US state of Wyoming, thanks to a secret dig by palaeontologists. It is the largest excavation ever, described as being ‘industrial scale’. Several new species of dinosaur are expected to be discovered, and a lot more clarity is expected on existing ones. More on BBC.

Viral ‘deep fake’ clip shows Bill Hader morphing into Tom Cruise

Deep fakes are thought to be the next big thing in fraud, as technology allows the realistically realistic manipulation of imagery. A viral video shows Bill Hader morphing into Tom Cruise when answering a question about him. The maker of the video uses deep fakes to spread awareness about image manipulation. More on The Guardian.

Colombia declares national emergency as deadly fungus spreads to banana plantations

The South American nation of Colombia has declared an emergency after the TR4 fungus infected its banana plantations. The region is the world’s largest exporter of bananas. TR4 has previously destroyed tonnes of crops in Asia. It can persist in the soil for ten years. More on Science magazine.

Blue-green algae poisonous to dogs

More and more dogs in the United States are either dying or being poisoned by blue-green algae in water. This algae floats as blooms on water, and produces a toxin that is dangerous to dogs. It can kill smaller dogs within the hour. More on The New York Times.