Living with AIDS
In the West, AIDS is slowly evolving from an exotic plague to a normal—and treatable—disease
LAST year there occurred a minor miracle. For the first time since AIDS was identified in 1981, the number of Americans dying from the disease fell instead of rising. The number of deaths in the first half of 1996 was 13% below that for the same period in 1995. In France, the decline was greater, at some 25%. And even in Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city, deaths from AIDS dropped significantly. After years of official pleas for people to change their behaviour to reduce exposure to the disease, the message finally seems to be getting through.
This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Living with AIDS”
Science & technology May 10th 1997
From the May 10th 1997 edition
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Elon Musk is causing problems for the Royal Society
His continued membership has led to a high-profile resignation
Deforestation is costing Brazilian farmers millions
Without trees to circulate moisture, the land is getting hotter and drier
Robots can learn new actions faster thanks to AI techniques
They could soon show their moves in settings from car factories to care homes
Scientists are learning why ultra-processed foods are bad for you
A mystery is finally being solved
Scientific publishers are producing more papers than ever
Concerns about some of their business models are building
The two types of human laugh
One is caused by tickling; the other by everything else