For every 10 layoffs the economic slowdown to fight coronavirus has induced, just three new jobs are created, according to new research. The numbers are finally capturing the full magnitude of the economic downturn the coronavirus pandemic has caused. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics, for example, recently announced a 14.7% unemployment rate for April. The working paper is part of a special proj
Despite some fine words about the environmental crisis, ministers are pushing ahead with a trade bill that threatens to damage the planet The dust storms that devastated the US prairie during the Great Depression were the worst ecological disaster in American history. They were also, partly, manmade . Decades of farming in the Great Plains had rid the topsoil of its native grass, leaving nothing
In an interview, the Google and Alphabet CEO discusses working from home, weathering antitrust probes, and how the company needs to do a better job on diversity.
Children's Hospital Los Angeles surgeon Tracy Grikscheit, MD, grows functional nervous system tissue from stem cells. This preclinical study represents an important milestone in research for Hirschsprung's disease.
University of Rochester researchers studied stroke patients who experienced vision loss and found that the patients retained some visual abilities immediately after the stroke but these abilities diminished gradually and eventually disappeared permanently after approximately six months. Early intervention in the form of visual training appears to stop this gradual loss of visual processing that st
In the largest study to examine health of placentas in women who tested positive for COVID-19, findings show placentas from 16 women who tested positive for COVID-19 while pregnant showed evidence of injury, according to pathological exams completed directly following birth.
Malaria drug should not be used to treat coronavirus, scientists say, after study shows high death rate Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Hydroxychloroquine, the anti-malarial drug Donald Trump is taking to prevent Covid-19, has increased deaths in patients treated with it in hospitals around the world, a study has shown. A major study of the way hydroxychloroquine and
Scientists have found that adding cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to standardized medical care gives patients with dissociative seizures longer periods of seizure freedom, less bothersome seizures and a greater quality of life.
A research team led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital has evaluated real-world evidence related to outcomes for COVID-19 patients who were treated with hydroxychloroquine or chloroquine analogues (with or without a macrolide). Investigators found no evidence that either drug regimen reduced the death rate among patients.
CU researcher, Jamie Hodgkins, Ph.D., discovered a new migration pattern (or lack of) at Pinnacle Point, a now-submerged region in South Africa. While it was first believed large omnivores would travel to follow the growth of vegetation to survive, our researcher came to a completely new conclusion through studying antelope teeth! Hodgkins discovered that this region was an Eden to all living spec
The two astronauts who will test drive SpaceX's brand new rocketship are classmates and friends, veteran spacefliers married to veteran spacefliers, and fathers of young sons.
Some wonders of nature continue happening despite the global pandemic, and sea turtle nesting season is no exception. In Florida, those turtles are off to a strong start.
Medical University of South Carolina researchers investigated the effects of mutations altering the structure of an essential protein in an antibiotic-resistant strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae. They report in the Journal of Biological Chemistry that the mutations do not simply block antibiotics from binding to the protein but lock the protein in a shape that reduces its ability to interact with dr
As dentists and their teams across America get back to their regular schedules after a sharp COVID-19-related reduction, a new study shows a key opportunity to reduce the use of opioid painkillers by patients. The analysis of four years' worth of data from two million patients show that those who had dental procedures on a Friday or day before a holiday were much more likely to fill a prescription
Thar Be Gold As humanity pushes to settle the Moon, we'll need to find ways to quickly build shelters and replenish the water supply. As it turns out, the solution to those life-and-death challenges may lie — well , within. When it comes to fulfilling humanity's base needs — food, water, and shelter — on the Moon, the European Space Agency (ESA) thinks that the secret ingredient could be human ur
Some wonders of nature continue happening despite the global pandemic, and sea turtle nesting season is no exception. In Florida, those turtles are off to a strong start.
A new study highlights the need to engage Indigenous communities in managing sea otter population recovery to improve coexistence between humans and this challenging predator.
Take a look inside the cap of your favorite toothpaste, and you might see hard, white residue, a firm version of the smooth paste you squeeze onto your brush.
A new study highlights the need to engage Indigenous communities in managing sea otter population recovery to improve coexistence between humans and this challenging predator.
Cornell researchers have sequenced and analyzed the genome of a single-celled alga that belongs to the closest lineage to terrestrial plants and provides many clues to how aquatic plants first colonized land.
A new study by researchers at Duke University and RTI International finds that reusing oilfield water that's been mixed with surface water to irrigate farms in the Cawelo Water District of California's Kern County does not pose major health risks, as some opponents of the practice have feared.
Cornell researchers have sequenced and analyzed the genome of a single-celled alga that belongs to the closest lineage to terrestrial plants and provides many clues to how aquatic plants first colonized land.
University of California, San Diego researchers have confirmed that climate change helped produce the historic 43-day ocean heat wave that drew big crowds to San Diego beaches during the summer of 2018.
Today's computers use the presence or absence of charge (0s and 1s) to encode information, where the physical motion of charges consume energy and cause heat. A novel alternative is to utilize the wave quantum number of electrons by which information encoding is possible without physically moving the carriers. This study shows that manipulation of the wave quantum number is possible by controlling
Public Access There's a troubling flaw with the coronavirus contact-tracing app used in North Dakota: it violates its own privacy policy by quietly sending users' information to companies likeFoursquare. Consumer privacy app company Jumbo studied the app, Care19, and found that it was transmitting information to third parties including Foursquare and Google, according to The Washington Post . The
Start now so you're ready the next time you see another human being. (Courtney Starr/) The warmth and natural qualities of a handmade charcuterie board make it the perfect way to welcome a guest. This is a simple project that can be completed with a basic set of tools—without electricity, even. You'll find plenty of uses for this piece as you chop veggies on it, serve food to friends and family,
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01506-2 Scientists across the country are battling anti-science sentiment alongside a rapid increase in COVID-19 cases.
A new study finds that the use of chloroquine or hydroxychloroquine is linked to increased rates of mortality and heart arrhythmias among hospital patients with COVID-19. The authors suggest that these drug regimens should not be used to treat COVID-19 outside of clinical trials and urgent confirmation from randomised clinical trials is needed.
A study of 108 adults finds that the vaccine produced neutralizing antibodies and T-cell response against SARS-CoV-2, but further research is needed to confirm whether the vaccine protects against SARS-COV-2 infection.
Cornell researchers have sequenced and analyzed the genome of a single-celled alga that belongs to the closest lineage to terrestrial plants and provides many clues to how aquatic plants first colonized land.
Researchers have experimentally demonstrated a new way to transport energy even through wave-guides that are defective, and even if the disorder is a transient phenomenon in time.
Astronomers have found quasi-periodic flickers in millimeter-waves from the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius (Sgr) A*. The team interpreted these blinks to be due to the rotation of radio spots circling the supermassive black hole with an orbit radius smaller than that of Mercury. This is an interesting clue to investigate space-time with extreme gravity.
Musk Makeover To grab the attention of Tesla CEO Elon Musk, the New York Post reports , a 75-foot statue in Tulsa, Oklahoma just got an Elon Musk makeover. The statue in question is the Golden Driller, a 43,500 pound likeness of an oil worker — the irony doesn't escape us — made from a steel frame covered in concrete and plaster. It's the fifth tallest statue in the United States. Gaze upon its h
In our April Fools' Day Insights puzzle , we offered two paradoxes for Quanta readers to resolve. As you'll see, neither paradox withstands scrutiny, but the exact way in which they fail is interesting to reason out, as several readers discovered in their lengthy responses. Paradox 1 The first problem described an object that I claimed could produce energy forever, in defiance of the second law o
When pollen is in short supply, bumble bees damage plant leaves in a way that accelerates flower production, researchers report. In some areas of the world, spring has sprung earlier than ever before this year, accompanied by temperatures more typical of early summertime. Many plants were already in full bloom by mid-April, about three to four weeks earlier than normal. These types of seasonal an
An international research team discovered the first fossil nursery area of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias in Chile. This discovery provides a better understanding of the evolutionary success of the largest top predator in today's oceans in the past and could contribute to the protection of these endangered animals.
In the largest study to examine health of placentas in women who tested positive for COVID-19, findings show placentas from 16 women who tested positive for COVID-19 while pregnant showed evidence of injury, according to pathological exams completed directly following birth.
Thomas Heine, Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at TU Dresden, together with his team, first predicted a topological 2D polymer in 2019. Only one year later, an international team led by Italian researchers was able to synthesize these materials and experimentally prove their topological properties.
Twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) occurs in around 10-15% of pregnancies with twins that share the same placenta. Typically, this syndrome appears before 24 weeks' gestation due to abnormal vascular communications located on the surface of the placenta. As a result, blood circulation is not balanced between the two twins, dramatically decreasing their chances of survival.
Cements, clays, soils, inks, paints, and even toothpaste. Many paste materials, also known as dense colloidal suspensions, stiffen as they age. Structural dynamics, or changes in the loads the materials undergo over time, are partly responsible for this change, but for decades, experts have suspected that there's more going on inside these materials. Now, a University of Delaware professor and an
Reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction tests were used to assess potential viral shedding among patients who previously had been diagnosed with and had clinically recovered from COVID-19.
Federal officials in the U.S. released new guidance for nursing homes seeking to reopen after months of Covid-19 lockdowns. Urging extreme caution, the guidelines call for widespread testing of nursing home staff and residents, as well as inspections of the most hard-hit elder care facilities.
A new coronavirus video for kids offers scientifically accurate information in an engaging and understandable way. The coronavirus pandemic affects everyone, including children, who may find the complexity of the situation especially difficult to understand, researchers say. "Packaging evidence-based information about the pandemic in a digestible way and delivering it directly to educators and ed
The United States is experiencing its steepest economic slide in modern history. Tens of millions of Americans have filed new unemployment claims as the coronavirus shutters businesses and forces companies to lay off staff.
Women are naturally more cautious: would the government have made so many missteps over the lockdown if it was more inclusive? Coronavirus – latest updates Tell us: have you been affected by the coronavirus? Don't go out alone in the dark. Don't get carried away in the heat of the moment. Work twice as hard in order to be taken half as seriously, but don't work so hard that you somehow forget to
A team of researchers from the Higher School of Economics University and Open University in Moscow, Russia claim they have demonstrated that an artificial intelligence can make accurate personality judgments based on selfies alone — more accurately than some humans. The researchers suggest the technology could be used to help match people up in online dating services or help companies sell produc
No more than ever, when it comes to our overall well being, mental health is just as important as physical health . But even before the pandemic, many factors prevented people from seeking the guidance of actual mental health professionals. Some people have medical conditions that prevent them from leaving the house, or live in areas without a lot of access to mental health resources. Some people
At least 106 people died in the fiercest cyclone to hit Bangladesh and eastern India since 1999, officials said Friday as aerial footage revealed immense flooding in coastal areas.
Archaeologists have found the bones of about 60 mammoths at an airport under construction just north of Mexico City, near human-built 'traps' where more than a dozen mammoths were found last year.
PLUS. Forsøgsordning med ladeinfrastruktur uden for byerne viser, at ladestandere ikke kan begå sig på markedsvilkår. Brancheaktører efterlyser endnu flere og langt større investeringer til.
Veterans in the United States take their own lives at an alarming rate. Suggesting new ways to prioritize mental health in the military, veterans advocate Charles P. Smith offers a data-driven plan to help prevent suicide and ensure service members get proper care before, during and after active duty.
Present computers use the presence or absence of charge (0s and 1s) to encode information, where the physical motion of charges consume energy and causes heat. A novel alternative is to utilize the wave quantum number of the electrons by which the information encoding is possible without physically moving the carriers. This study shows that manipulation of the wave quantum number is possible by co
Reusing low-saline oilfield water mixed with surface water to irrigate farms in the Cawelo Water District of California does not pose major health risks, as some opponents of the practice have feared, a study led by Duke University and RTI International researchers finds. This finding only applies to questions about the safety in this water district, however. Oilfield water elsewhere will have dif
A group of Skoltech scientists, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Southampton (UK), developed a fully optical approach to control the couplings between polariton condensates in optical lattices. This study is an important step towards the practical application of optical polariton condensate lattices as a platform for simulating condensed matter phases.
Kidney transplants: Better results can be derived with larger numbers of cases.In clinics where kidneys are transplanted more frequently, the chances of survival are greater.
Metabolite signature composed of sugars, amino acids and lipids can predict with over 85 per cent accuracy whether a women will develop diabetes after pregnancy marked with gestational diabetes.
An elevated pre-pregnancy hemoglobin A1c–which measures average blood glucose concentration–is associated with a higher risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes even in women without known diabetes, according to a new study published this week in PLOS Medicine by Joel Ray of ICES and the University of Toronto, Canada, and colleagues.
It's inappropriate to consider blanket do-not-resuscitate orders for COVID-19 patients because adequate data is not yet available on US survival rates for in-hospital resuscitation of COVID-19 patients and data from China may not relate to US patients, according to a new article published today in Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, an American Heart Association journal.
Cornell researchers have sequenced and analyzed the genome of a single-celled alga that belongs to the closest lineage to terrestrial plants and provides many clues to how aquatic plants first colonized land.
The COVID-19 pandemic is not only affecting almost every aspect of our daily lives, but also the environment. A German team, led by the Max Planck Institute for Chemistry and the German Aerospace Center (Deutsches Zentrum für Luft- und Raumfahrt; DLR), now wants to find out how strong these effects are on the atmosphere. Over the next two weeks, as part of the Bluesky research programme, scientist
Over the course of April and throughout May, while much of the world's attention was trained on the coronavirus's spiraling death toll, hardly a day passed in Hong Kong without news of arrested activists, scuffles among lawmakers, or bombastic proclamations from mainland officials. Long-standing norms were done away with at dizzying speed . In that time, Beijing was undertaking aggressive actions
Documents reveal that PM's current plan was not among those modelled for scientists Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage School leaders said the government's publication of scientific advice failed to make a convincing case for the early reopening of schools in England, as the government's chief scientific adviser said an effective testing and tracking system was necessar
The team of researchers from the project Flora ibericaX(2) have discovered two new native grasses on the Iberian Peninsula and in Menorca, respectively. These two species, which are new to science, have been featured in Systematic Botany. The article is the fruit of the collaboration between the Area of Botany and the University of Seville Herbarium, the Systematic and Evolution Unit for Vascular
The Dark Energy Spectroscopic Instrument (DESI), installed on an Arizona mountaintop, was quickly moving through its testing stages and making headway toward the start of its 5-year observing run as project participants from around the world traveled to attend a DESI collaboration meeting in Tucson, Arizona, in early March.
Thomas Heine, professor of theoretical chemistry at TU Dresden, together with his team, first predicted a topological 2-D polymer in 2019. Only one year later, an international team led by Italian researchers was able to synthesize these materials and experimentally prove their topological properties. For the renowned journal Nature Materials, this was the occasion to invite Thomas Heine to a News
The team of researchers from the project Flora ibericaX(2) have discovered two new native grasses on the Iberian Peninsula and in Menorca, respectively. These two species, which are new to science, have been featured in Systematic Botany. The article is the fruit of the collaboration between the Area of Botany and the University of Seville Herbarium, the Systematic and Evolution Unit for Vascular
That corn was highly important in the Maya culture is something that Genner Llanes Ortiz, himself a Maya from the Mexican province of Yucatan, has always known, right from his childhood. But just how important the role of corn is in the collective memory of his people, is one of the subjects of his research.
If we took a journey from Earth's surface to the center, the midway point is roughly at 1900 km depth in the lower mantle. The lower mantle ranges from 660 to 2900 km depth and occupies 55% of our planet by volume. The chemical composition of the lower mantle is rather simple. It has long been pictured as being made up of 2 major minerals (~95%), namely bridgmanite and ferropericlase. Recently, th
High-entropy alloys (HEAs) are at the frontier of the metal materials community. They are used as alternative materials in the production of high-temperature turbine blades, high-temperature molds and dies, hard coatings on cutting tools or even components of 4th generation nuclear reactors.
When plants grow close together, each individual plant has less chance of doing well—at least, that was the accepted wisdom in environmental research. Now Dr. Ruichang Zhang and Professor Katja Tielbörger from the Institute of Evolution and Ecology at the University of Tübingen are challenging that principle. Their investigation of the combined effects of environmental stress and competition on pl
Run toward these treadmills. (Chuttersnap via Unsplash/) Let's be real, running outdoors is just not always feasible. Perhaps the weather is poor or your neighborhood isn't jogger-friendly. Maybe you've got children at home that can't be left by themselves. Whatever it is that keeps you from stepping out for exercise, a home treadmill can help you kiss your excuses goodbye. With a treadmill at ho
When plants grow close together, each individual plant has less chance of doing well—at least, that was the accepted wisdom in environmental research. Now Dr. Ruichang Zhang and Professor Katja Tielbörger from the Institute of Evolution and Ecology at the University of Tübingen are challenging that principle. Their investigation of the combined effects of environmental stress and competition on pl
Rapid shifts removed out-of-pocket costs that could keep people from getting coronavirus care. That trend may continue. Within the space of weeks, many health care payers made COVID-19 tests, treatments, and even future vaccines free, or nearly free, for the people on their plans. Co-pays for COVID-19 care went by the wayside. For people with a deductible in their insurance plan, they no longer n
Cold, dark, remote, Antarctica is as close to space as you can get on Earth. Humans conduct research in Antarctic bases on a wide range of topics, from climate studies and astronomy to glaciology and human physiology and psychology.
Researchers have succeeded in detecting anti-avian influenza virus antibody in blood serum within 20 minutes, using a portable analyzer they have developed to conduct rapid on-site bio tests. If a suitable reagent is developed, this technology could be used to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19.
The new species belong to the genus Aira, delicate herbaceous plants, which enjoy their greatest diversity in the Mediterranean Region. One of them, Aira minoricensis is a native species of the siliceous sands of Menorca. The other new species is called Aira hercynica and is widely found in the area of the Iberia Peninsula which approximately coincides with the Iberian Massif
An international research team led by Jaime A. Villafaña from the Institute of Palaeontology at the University of Vienna discovered the first fossil nursery area of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias in Chile. This discovery provides a better understanding of the evolutionary success of the largest top predator in today's oceans in the past and could contribute to the protection of thes
Although heart disease is the leading cause of death in women, and older adults are more likely to have heart and vascular disease than young people, randomized clinical trials testing medications to lower cholesterol have historically underenrolled both groups. Randomized clinical trials generate the best evidence regarding the benefits or harms of given drug, and their results are used to shape
There are an estimated 2 million older adults who are homebound or unable to leave their homes due to multiple chronic conditions and functional impairment. Home-based primary care provides access to care for these patients and has been shown to save costs for the Medicare program.
New research published in the HARVARD DATA SCIENCE REVIEW addresses the societal, epidemiological, political, and educational issues that have rapidly emerged from the SARS-CoV2 pandemic
SUTD collaborates with universities in Singapore and China to shine light on HEA manufacturing processes and inspire further research in this emerging field.
Two novel biomarkers have been found to correlate with improved outcomes with immunotherapy in metastatic breast cancer and may help to identify the patients most likely to benefit from this treatment, according to exploratory studies reported at the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020.
Age, male sex, obesity, and underlying illness have emerged as risk factors for severe COVID-19 or death in the UK, according to the largest cohort study to date published by The BMJ today.
An international research team led by Jaime A. Villafaña from the Institute of paleontology at the University of Vienna discovered the first fossil nursery area of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias in Chile. This discovery provides a better understanding of the evolutionary success of the largest top predator in today's oceans in the past and could contribute to the protection of these
Updated at 1:36 p.m. ET on May 22, 2020. The word I keep hearing is numbness . Not necessarily a sickness, but feeling ill at ease. A sort of detachment or removal from reality. Deb Hawkins, a tech analyst in Michigan, describes the feeling of being stuck at home during the coronavirus pandemic as "sleep-walking through my life" or "wading through a physical and mental quicksand." Even though she
An international research team led by Jaime A. Villafaña from the Institute of paleontology at the University of Vienna discovered the first fossil nursery area of the great white shark, Carcharodon carcharias in Chile. This discovery provides a better understanding of the evolutionary success of the largest top predator in today's oceans in the past and could contribute to the protection of these
A group of Skoltech scientists, in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Southampton (UK), developed a fully optical approach to control the couplings between polariton condensates in optical lattices. This study is an important step toward the practical application of optical polariton condensate lattices as a platform for simulating condensed matter phases. The research results we
Progress continues to speed along as NASA's Perseverance rover readies for its launch this summer. On May 11, the rover team at the agency's Kennedy Space Center in Florida received the tubes tasked with holding the first samples collected at Mars for eventual return to Earth. A week later, the Atlas V launch vehicle that will hurl Perseverance to the Red Planet arrived at the launch site. Working
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found quasi-periodic flickers in millimeter-waves from the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius (Sgr) A*. The team interpreted these blinks to be due to the rotation of radio spots circling the supermassive black hole with an orbit radius smaller than that of Mercury. This is an interesting clue to investigate space-time wit
Estimating the amount of seasonal snow is important for understanding the water cycle and Earth's climate system, but establishing a clear and coherent picture of change has proven difficult. New research from ESA's Climate Change Initiative has helped to produce the first reliable estimate of snow mass change and has helped to identify different continental trends.
A new analysis of data from USC Dornsife's Understanding Coronavirus in America Study reveals that while economic insecurity has increased overall among Americans who are newly out of work, those receiving unemployment benefits are significantly more economically secure than those who aren't.
A crystalline compound called ruthenium dioxide is widely used in industrial processes, where it's particularly important for catalyzing a chemical reaction that splits molecules of water and releases oxygen. But the exact mechanism that takes place on this material's surface, and how that reaction is affected by the orientation of the crystal surfaces, had never been determined in detail. Now, a
In recent decades, urban populations in China's cities have grown substantially, and rising incomes have led to a rapid expansion of car ownership. Indeed, China is now the world's largest market for automobiles. The combination of urbanization and motorization has led to an urgent need for transportation policies to address urban problems such as congestion, air pollution, and greenhouse gas emis
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01446-x After three months adrift on a ship, scientists with the MOSAiC mission returned with crucial information about the rapidly warming far north.
Experts predict that producing meat in a lab using tissue engineering techniques—or lab-cultured meat—will one day be a much more sustainable, nutritionally equivalent and without the ethical concerns of typical meat production. However, producing meat economically in a lab remains a problem.
Samuel Hulse, a Ph.D. candidate at UMBC, spent a lot of time in waders over the last two years. He traipsed from stream to stream across the eastern U.S., carefully collecting live specimens of small, colorful freshwater fish known as darters and taking photos of their habitats. Then he brought them back to the lab to capture high-quality images of their coloration patterns.
Nonprofits are sending fewer volunteers. Local emergency managers risk being overwhelmed. FEMA is trying "virtual" assistance. And hurricane season starts June 1.
Residents of states with limited access to contraceptives and high rates of unplanned pregnancies are more likely to turn to the internet for information about abortion. These are the findings of a new study of Google search data across all 50 states by researchers at the University of California, Berkeley.
UCLA professor Vickie Mays has been working with members of Congress on a bill that would require better data on the race and ethnicity of people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. She also is conducting research on the data needed to create better models to predict the spread of COVID-19, in order to reduce the number of infections and deaths in Black communities.
A major roadblock to producing safe, clean and abundant fusion energy on Earth is the lack of detailed understanding of how the hot, charged plasma gas that fuels fusion reactions behaves at the edge of fusion facilities called "tokamaks." Recent breakthroughs by researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory (PPPL) have advanced understanding of the behav
Samuel Hulse, a Ph.D. candidate at UMBC, spent a lot of time in waders over the last two years. He traipsed from stream to stream across the eastern U.S., carefully collecting live specimens of small, colorful freshwater fish known as darters and taking photos of their habitats. Then he brought them back to the lab to capture high-quality images of their coloration patterns.
On 14 February, nine National University of Singapore (NUS) researchers hopped onboard a vessel to start a 37-day expedition to explore an understudied area nestled in the Pacific Ocean known as the Clarion-Clipperton Zone (CCZ). Flat and deep—reaching down between 4,000 to 6,000 metres below the surface—the CCZ is often referred to as an abyssal plain.
Experts predict that producing meat in a lab using tissue engineering techniques—or lab-cultured meat—will one day be a much more sustainable, nutritionally equivalent and without the ethical concerns of typical meat production. However, producing meat economically in a lab remains a problem.
Ifølge amerikanske CDC er der meget lille risiko for at blive smittet med corona via overflader. Myndigheden råder dog stadig til grundig rengøring, håndvask og håndsprit
At this point, it's getting hard to see how the idea of a hydroxychloroquine (or hydroxychloroquine/azithromycin) therapy for coronavirus infection can be taken seriously. I reviewed some of the recent studies here , but missed a May 11 preprint from France that had claimed benefit for the combination. No matter, though: this was just withdrawn by the authors, who say that they are revising the m
The gene-editing technology CRISPR has been used for a variety of agricultural and public health purposes — from growing disease-resistant crops to, more recently, a diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19. Now a study involving fish that look nearly identical to the endangered Delta smelt finds that CRISPR can be a conservation and resource management tool, as well. The researchers th
New research is one of the first comprehensive characterizations of poorly formed memories and may offer a framework to explore different therapeutic approaches to fear, memory and anxiety disorders. It may also have implications for accuracy of some witness testimony.
A team of environmental researchers at the Australian Rivers Institute–Coast & Estuaries, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, is suggesting in a Letters piece in the journal Science that the COVID-19 pandemic could represent a new opportunity for a more diverse future—they suggest that with proper planning, we could use what has been learned from the global lockdown to improve
A new study from Western identifies a specific gene in fruit flies that drives female mate acceptance and rejection—a vital discovery for understanding how all species, including humans, survive and thrive on Earth.
Cancer-related fatigue is a prevalent and potentially persistent issue among breast cancer survivors, which can prevent them from returning to their previous life well after treatment ends and they are declared free of disease. A study, to be presented at the ESMO Breast Cancer Virtual Meeting 2020 (23-24 May), has now shown that existing recommendations and proven strategies for reducing fatigue,
In regions at depths greater than 1900 kilometers, scientists found active interactions between water and mantle rocks, which are oxidizing Earth's mantle. Water may have reached and dwelled at the lowermost part of the mantle over geologic time.
Non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) is a chronic liver disease often associated with diabetes. However, it is unclear how NASH develops and there is currently no approved medication for the disease. A research group including Members of Kobe University's Graduate School of Medicine has clarified the mechanism behind NASH and diabetes. It is hoped that the pathway uncovered in this study will prov
Astronomers using the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array (ALMA) found quasi-periodic flickers in millimeter-waves from the center of the Milky Way, Sagittarius (Sgr) A*. The team interpreted these blinks to be due to the rotation of radio spots circling the supermassive black hole with an orbit radius smaller than that of Mercury. This is an interesting clue to investigate space-time wit
The Copernicus Sentinel-2 mission takes us over part of Chile's Atacama Desert, which is bound on the west by the Pacific and on the east by the Andes. The Atacama is considered one of the driest places on Earth—there are some parts of the desert where rainfall has never been recorded.
The existential threat we're facing right now might explain the proliferation of conspiracy theories, extreme political ideologies and #Reopen protests.
The use of carbon dioxide (CO2), which is an ideal one-carbon (C1) building block and is sustainable, abundant, low-cost and nontoxic, has attracted great attention in fine chemical synthesis. However, traditional CO2 fixation usually suffers from high temperature, high pressure of CO2 and the use of strong base.
Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Lausanne (EPFL) and IBM Research Europe recently demonstrated the laser cooling of a nanomechanical oscillator down to its zero-point energy (i.e., the point at which it contains a minimum amount of energy). Their successful demonstration, featured in Physical Review Letters, could have important implications for the development quantum tech
A team of environmental researchers at the Australian Rivers Institute–Coast & Estuaries, School of Environment and Science, Griffith University, is suggesting in a Letters piece in the journal Science that the COVID-19 pandemic could represent a new opportunity for a more diverse future—they suggest that with proper planning, we could use what has been learned from the global lockdown to improve
Modern sustainability practices often encourage resource and energy efficiencies across separate sectors, such as food production or biofuels, but this siloed approach could actually lead to ongoing environmental decay, according to a recent commentary by researchers in the University of Georgia College of Engineering.
A new study from Western identifies a specific gene in fruit flies that drives female mate acceptance and rejection—a vital discovery for understanding how all species, including humans, survive and thrive on Earth.
Researchers have developed a visualization method that will determine the distribution of components in battery electrodes using atomic force microscopy. The method provides insights into the optimal conditions of composite electrodes and takes us one step closer to being able to manufacture next-generation all-solid-state batteries.
Home to some of the richest evidence for the behavior and culture of the earliest clearly modern humans, the submerged shelf called the Palaeo-Agulhas Plain (PAP) once formed its own ecosystem. Co-author Curtis Marean, Ph.D., Arizona State University, has worked with teams of scientists for decades to reconstruct the locale back into the Pleistocene, the time period that spanned from 2.6 million t
Books to bring on an airplane . Books to enjoy at the beach . The classic categories of warm-weather-reading recommendations don't seem to apply to a summer spent mostly at home under the shadow of a pandemic. And yet, as a source of distraction and solace, books are more important than ever —especially when they can serve as portals to the outdoor adventures or social gatherings you might be mis
Most technologies today rely on devices that transport energy in the form of light, radio, or mechanical waves. However, these wave-guiding channels are susceptible to disorder and damage, either in manufacturing or after they are deployed in harsh environments.
A pair of researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology has created a global map that highlights areas where there are likely dangerous levels of arsenic in groundwater. In their paper published in the journal Science, Joel Podgorski and Michael Berg describe combining data from a variety of sources to train a machine learning algorithm to highlight possible hot spot
Since the Indian Ocean tsunami of 2004, disaster recovery plans are almost always framed with aspirational plans to "build back better." It's a fine sentiment—we all want to build better societies and economies. But, as the Cheshire Cat tells Alice when she is lost, where we ought to go depends very much on where we want to get to.
In 1960, Maiman's first demonstration of the ruby laser initiated the beginning of the laser era. Solid-state lasers still comprise one of the most rapidly developing branches of laser science and has improved amazingly during last six decades while the gain media with good characteristics is essential for realizing a highly efficient solid-state laser.
On February 19, 2019, the U.S. Space Force (USSF) was officially created with the signing of Space Policy Directive–4. This effectively broke it off from the U.S. Air Force Space Command (AFSC) and made it into the sixth and youngest independent branch of the armed forces. Since then, the USSF has established a headquarters, taken on staff from the U.S. Air Force, and even produced a recruitment v
Imagine for a moment that you're 6,000 pounds, living in one of the wildest places on Earth, with no schedule, nowhere to be. How do you decide where to spend your time? Where to go next? Do you move where food is most plentiful? Is water your main priority?
This story originally featured on Motorcyclist . Raw and thrilling, the sound of combustion is an inextricable part of the appeal of motorcycles. Asked to opine on the best-sounding bikes of all time, the staff of the Barber Motorsports Museum in Birmingham, Alabama, was more than happy to wax poetic on their favorites. (Watch the video above to hear all the listed models on the track.) MV Agusta
Imagine for a moment that you're 6,000 pounds, living in one of the wildest places on Earth, with no schedule, nowhere to be. How do you decide where to spend your time? Where to go next? Do you move where food is most plentiful? Is water your main priority?
When studying the larval morphology of Toramini (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) we found that larvae of the genus Toramus attach their exuviae to their distal abdomen, with each exuvia from the preceding instar attached to the next to form a vertical pile. Exuvial attachment is facilitated by modified hook-like setae with flattened shafts inserted into the exuvia of the previous instar. We discuss the po
Materials scientists study metals, polymers, and other substances at the atomic level in order to find new ways to control a material's physical properties, such as how strong or how malleable it is. One key aspect of this line of study is better understanding how a material's atoms are spatially arranged—most metals, for example, consist of atoms that are arranged in a lattice-like pattern that r
When studying the larval morphology of Toramini (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) we found that larvae of the genus Toramus attach their exuviae to their distal abdomen, with each exuvia from the preceding instar attached to the next to form a vertical pile. Exuvial attachment is facilitated by modified hook-like setae with flattened shafts inserted into the exuvia of the previous instar. We discuss the po
The calcium mineral from which many shellfish, such as cockles, make their shells can be used to form nanoparticles. These nanoparticles can then be "loaded" with small drug molecules, such as anticancer drugs.
A species of river bird is swallowing hundreds of plastic fibers every day via their insect prey, research by Cardiff University and the Greenpeace Research Laboratories at the University of Exeter has shown.
Early Muslim communities in Africa ate a cosmopolitan diet as the region became a trading center for luxury goods, the discovery of thousands of ancient animal bones has shown.
All human cells are enclosed in a greasy membrane that is embedded with thousands of different proteins. These so-called membrane proteins carry out countless functions, from regulating our blood pressure, to coordinating our immune responses, to controlling the firing of neurons in our brains. Membrane proteins are so important that they are targeted and regulated by more than half of all pharmac
When pollen is in short supply, bumblebees damage plant leaves in a way that accelerates flower production, as an ETH research team headed up by Consuelo De Moraes and Mark Mescher has demonstrated.
A bionic eye could restore sight to the blind and greatly improve robotic vision, but current visual sensors are a long way from the impressive attributes of nature's design. Now researchers have found a way to mimic its structure and create an artificial eye that reproduces many of its capabilities. A key part of what makes the eye's design so powerful is its shape, but this is also one of the h
All human cells are enclosed in a greasy membrane that is embedded with thousands of different proteins. These so-called membrane proteins carry out countless functions, from regulating our blood pressure, to coordinating our immune responses, to controlling the firing of neurons in our brains. Membrane proteins are so important that they are targeted and regulated by more than half of all pharmac
When pollen is in short supply, bumblebees damage plant leaves in a way that accelerates flower production, as an ETH research team headed up by Consuelo De Moraes and Mark Mescher has demonstrated.
A team of researchers from the University of Southampton, the University of Bath and King's College London, including Dennis Golm from the University of Southampton, have provided compelling evidence of the impact of adversity in childhood on neuropsychological functioning in adulthood. They also showed that neuropsychological difficulties may explain why early adversity is linked to attention def
Samuel Hulse at UMBC and colleagues have shown for the first time that there is a strong correlation between the complex patterns on male darters and their highly-variable environments. The findings support and expand upon sensory drive theory, which states that the environment influences which sexual signals, like visual patterns, are selected for. Previous sensory drive research looked at simple
Residents of states with limited access to contraceptives and high rates of unplanned pregnancies are more likely to turn to the internet for information about abortion, finds of a new study of Google search data across all 50 states. The same results hold regardless of statewide opinions toward abortion or legal restrictions on abortion access.
A Monash University study has uncovered the role DNA repair plays in preserving egg quality, offering hope for women whose eggs may be damaged through treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy.
Researchers have developed a visualization method that will determine the distribution of components in battery electrodes using atomic force microscopy. The method provides insights into the optimal conditions of composite electrodes and takes us one step closer to being able to manufacture next-generation all-solid-state batteries.
Patients with metastatic pancreatic cancer who had germline or somatic mutations in DNA repair genes had better clinical outcomes after platinum-based chemotherapy, as compared with patients without these mutations.
When studying the larval morphology of Toramini (Coleoptera: Erotylidae) we found that larvae of the genus Toramus attach their exuviae to their distal abdomen, with each exuvia from the preceding instar attached to the next to form a vertical pile. Exuvial attachment is facilitated by modified hook-like setae with flattened shafts inserted into the exuvia of the previous instar. We discuss the po
Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign's Grainger College of Engineering have experimentally demonstrated a new way to transport energy even through wave-guides that are defective, and even if the disorder is a transient phenomenon in time.
Researchers have succeeded in detecting anti-avian influenza virus antibody in blood serum within 20 minutes, using a portable analyzer they have developed to conduct rapid on-site bio tests. If a suitable reagent is developed, this technology could be used to detect antibodies against SARS-CoV-2, the causative virus of COVID-19.
Chinese researchers from The Trauma Center of Peking University People's Hospital and National Institute of Health Data Science at Peking University are using big data to help identify trauma patients who could experience potential adverse health events in the emergency department through the aid of a clinical decision support system. It was developed using a novel real-world evidence mining and e
A new cooling insole developed by UT Southwestern scientists reduced the foot temperature of patients with diabetic neuropathy by several degrees, diminishing a significant risk factor for diabetic foot ulcers.
A new textile coating can not only repel liquids like blood and saliva but also prevent viruses from adhering to the surface, researchers say. Masks, gowns, and other personal protective equipment (PPE) are essential for protecting healthcare workers. However, the textiles and materials used to make such items can absorb and carry viruses and bacteria, inadvertently spreading the disease the wear
Researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have identified a key cell signaling pathway that drives the devastating muscle loss, or cachexia, suffered by many cancer patients. The study, which will be published May 22 in the Journal of Experimental Medicine, suggests that targeting this pathway with a drug already in phase 2 clinical trials for diabetes could prevent this syndrome.
Women continue to be scarce in the halls of power. To rectify this inequality, many countries have imposed female electoral quota systems, or rules designed to increase the representation of women. The catch? Boosting gender may well curtail representation in other respects.
A new study highlights the need to engage Indigenous communities in managing sea otter population recovery to improve coexistence between humans and this challenging predator.
The use of computer models may break down barriers to making lab-grown meat more economical on a larger scale, according to a new review. Experts predict that producing meat in a lab using tissue engineering techniques, or lab-cultured meat, will one day be more sustainable than, nutritionally equivalent to, and less ethically concerning than typical meat production. "To this day cultured meat al
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01537-9 When the coronavirus pandemic struck, field ecologist Nicholas Herrmann adopted a perspective inspired by experiences earlier in his PhD.
Gender quotas in politics may have unintended consequences for other underrepresented groups, a study in India finds. The study looked at India's caste system and female representation in local government, where female-reserved seats have been enshrined in the 73rd and 74th Amendments of the Indian Constitution since the early 1990s. "The effect of electoral quotas for women in India was to reduc
Here is a tiny bit of good news on the climate change front: A new analysis finds that there is more than enough storage space globally to fit the carbon we would need to capture and store if we wish to meet our climate change goals. The found: No more than 2700 Gt of storage resource is required under any scenario to meet the most ambitious climate change mitigation targets. Meanwhile current es
Under-20s appear 56% less likely to contract Covid-19, preliminary evidence suggests Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Children are about half as likely as adults to become infected with coronavirus, according to scientists who reviewed data gathered by contact tracing and population screening studies around the world. The study, which will feed into the debate on when
Debris from what is believed to be a Russian Soyuz rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere created a light show across the sky in parts of Victoria, south-east Australia, on Friday evening. Residents reported seeing a meteor-like streak in the sky above Rochester, Kyneton, Echuca and Cashmore. Continue reading…
Mapping the distribution of life on Earth, from genes to species to ecosystems, is essential in informing conservation policies and protecting biodiversity. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Adelaide developed models based on longstanding evolutionary and ecological theories to explain and map genetic diversity globally, a basal, but previously hidden dimension of
A study by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä demonstrate that the characteristic zig-zag pattern on a viper's back performs seemingly opposing functions during a predation event. At first, the zig-zag pattern helps the snake remain undetected. But upon exposure, it provides a conspicuous warning of the snake's dangerous defense. Most importantly the zig-zag can also produce an illusionary
Mapping the distribution of life on Earth, from genes to species to ecosystems, is essential in informing conservation policies and protecting biodiversity. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Adelaide developed models based on longstanding evolutionary and ecological theories to explain and map genetic diversity globally, a basal, but previously hidden dimension of
A study by researchers at the University of Jyväskylä demonstrate that the characteristic zig-zag pattern on a viper's back performs seemingly opposing functions during a predation event. At first, the zig-zag pattern helps the snake remain undetected. But upon exposure, it provides a conspicuous warning of the snake's dangerous defense. Most importantly the zig-zag can also produce an illusionary
By the end of the current academic year, American schools will have conferred an estimated 3.7 million high-school diplomas, 1 million associate's degrees, and 2 million bachelor's degrees. Many of those 6-million-plus graduates will soon pursue another degree, but many others will enter a historically terrible labor market, and one that's especially brutal for young workers. The class of 2020 ha
If you think about it, "the face mask is the condom of our generation," says Brian Castrucci, the president of the de Beaumont Foundation, a public-health nonprofit. Castrucci spent a decade working in state and local health departments, and he remembers when the HIV epidemic made condoms mainstream in the United States. No one was especially thrilled about it, but as the dangers of unprotected s
T he conservative vying to be North Carolina's next governor has found an unlikely kindred spirit while stuck in a campaign on pause. "It's probably the first time Joe Biden and I have had anything in common," Dan Forest says with a laugh. Forest is North Carolina's lieutenant governor and the GOP's nominee against Democratic Governor Roy Cooper this fall. Four years after Cooper won by a razor-t
Right now, across the country, millions of high-school graduates and their families are facing an undeniable fact: The pandemic has thrown their plans for the future into complete disarray. Some of these families were hoping to send their kids to out-of-state institutions that are now barely operational. Others were hoping their kids would find jobs right out of high school, and those jobs are al
Astronomers believe the meteor-like streak was a Russian Soyuz rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere Debris from what is believed to be a Russian rocket re-entering Earth's atmosphere has delivered a light show across the sky in parts of Victoria on Friday evening. Victorians reported seeing a meteor-like streak in the early night sky in Rochester, Kyneton, Echuca and Cashmore on Friday night, Me
Moss balls seem to roll around glaciers in a coordinated way, and researchers can't explain why the whole group moves at about the same speed and in the same direction. (Image credit: Ruth Mottram)
Disease diagnosis, drug discovery, robot delivery—artificial intelligence is already powering change in the pandemic's wake. That's only the beginning.
COVID-19 has stifled the world's largest immunization program. Yet polio's vast workforce is also helping in the fight against the new disease — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
COVID-19 has stifled the world's largest immunization program. Yet polio's vast workforce is also helping in the fight against the new disease — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Children, too, have become victims of the pandemic. The problem goes beyond those hospitalized for COVID-19 or diagnosed with a mysterious new inflammatory syndrome associated with the coronavirus. The damage is far more widespread: Although tens of millions of American children show no medical symptoms of COVID-19, their education, mental health, and development have suffered because of the viru
Politicians have become more cautious about immunisation prospects. They are right to be Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage It would be hard to overstate the importance of developing a vaccine to Sars-CoV-2 – it's seen as the fast track to a return to normal life. That's why the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the UK was "throwing everything at it". But while trial
Brandon Moak felt as if a freight train had hit him. It was mid-March, and the cofounder and CTO of the autonomous- trucking startup Embark Trucks had been keeping tabs on the emergence of covid-19. As a shelter-in-place order went into effect throughout the San Francisco Bay Area, where Embark is based, Moak and his team were forced to ground almost all their 13 self-driving semi-trucks (a few s
COVID-19 has mounted a sustained attack on public life, especially indoor life. Many of the largest super-spreader events took place inside—at a church in South Korea , an auditorium in France , a conference in Massachusetts . The danger of the indoors is more than anecdotal. A Hong Kong paper awaiting peer review found that of 7,324 documented cases in China, only one outbreak occurred outside—d
An analysis of fake news shared on social media service Weibo has found that posts flagged as fake news were more like to contain words associated with anger than real news
Det er muligt at holde temperaturstigningen under 1,5 grader i år 2100 med langt mindre indfangning og lagring af CO2 end tidligere beregnet. Men jo længere vi venter, jo mere CCS bliver der brug for.
We've been keeping track of retracted coronavirus papers, but what about corrections? Here's a guest post from Richard Jones of Cardiff University about a paper that earned widespread media coverage but turned out to be wrong. According to our best knowledge, this is the first report on COVID-19 infection and death among medical personnel in … Continue reading
New research suggested a drug championed by President Trump could be harmful. The Fed chief warned the U.S. faced a downturn "without modern precedent." Flags were ordered lowered over Memorial Day weekend for those who died from the virus.
Beijing broke with precedent in abandoning an annual growth target for 2020, a sign of the difficulties of restarting its economy amid the coronavirus pandemic.
It isn't true that dolphins have returned to Venice, but bees are benefitting from lower air pollution, and a drop in ocean traffic could be good for whales
A day in the life of Salesforce workers will look very different when they return to the software company's offices. The San Francisco–based business says all of its 49,000 employees can continue working from home for the rest of the year. But as regions relax stay-at-home rules and the company reopens in phases, employees who are cleared to return will start their day by logging online for a dai
Russian researchers from HSE University and Open University for the Humanities and Economics have demonstrated that artificial intelligence is able to infer people's personality from 'selfie' photographs better than human raters do. Conscientiousness emerged to be more easily recognizable than the other four traits. Personality predictions based on female faces appeared to be more reliable than th
Mapping the distribution of life on Earth, from genes to species to ecosystems, is essential in informing conservation policies and protecting biodiversity. Researchers from the University of Copenhagen and the University of Adelaide developed models based on long-standing evolutionary and ecological theories to explain and map genetic diversity globally, a basal, but up-to-now hidden dimension of
A research team from Monash, Swinburne and RMIT universities in Australia has recorded the world's fastest internet speed from a single optical chip of 44.2 Terabits per second.
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16382-7 Metal-organic framework glasses are gaining interest, but large samples are difficult to fabricate and mechanical properties are not well understood. Here, the authors use experiments and simulations to assess fracture toughness and flexural strength of a zeolitic imidazolate framework glass.
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16406-2 Time horizons for nuclear materials development and qualification must be shortened to realize future nuclear energy concepts. Inspired by the Materials Genome Initiative, we present an integrated approach to materials discovery and qualification to insert new materials into service.
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16246-0 Neuronal identity maintenance is highly regulated. Here, the authors showed that CBP and p300 safeguard neuronal identity through histone acetylation at promoters and enhancers of neuronal specific genes. The loss of both CBP and p300 impairs gene expression, circuit activity, and behavior in mice.
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16359-6 Control of cysteine reactivity is of paramount importance for the synthesis of proteins using native chemical ligation. Here, the authors report a readily cleavable N-selenoethyl group attached to cysteine and apply it to the modular assembly of linear and cyclic polypeptides.
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16477-1 The synthesis of vinylboronates and alkylboronates often suffers from step-tedious and poorly stereoselective procedures. Here, the authors report a bench-stable redox-active reagent for the radical difunctionalization of alkenes and alkynes affording fluorine-containing vinylboronates and alkylboronates.
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16130-x While active matter exhibits unusual dynamics at low density, high density behavior has not been explored. Mandal et al. show that extreme dense active matter, shows a rich spectrum of behaviour from intermittent plastic bursts and turbulence, to glassy states and jamming in the limit of infinite persistence time
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16465-5 Previous methods to generate strain gradient and flexoelectricity are limited to a localized effect or cannot be tuned continuously. Here, the authors achieve macroscale continuously controllable strain gradient in freestanding ferroelectric thin film. Multilevel photoconductance in BiFeO3 films can be achieved b
Nature Communications, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16484-2 The association between leguminous plants and rhizobial bacteria is a paradigmatic example of a symbiosis driven by metabolic exchanges. Here, diCenzo et al. report the reconstruction and modelling of a genome-scale metabolic network of the plant Medicago truncatula nodulated by the bacterium Sinorhizobium melilo
Most of us are staying home to help flatten the curve of COVID-19, but that doesn't mean there isn't learning and fun to be had. It's important to take a break from screen time. Kate the Chemist, professor, science entertainer, and author of "The Big Book of Experiments," has just the activity: Creating a bubble snake using common household ingredients including dish soap, food coloring, rubber b
In "Galileo: And the Science Deniers" and "Natural: How Faith in Nature's Goodness Leads to Harmful Fads, Unjust Laws, and Flawed Science," Mario Livio and Alan Levinovitz, respectively, explore the past and present of anti-science bias, and why it's so hard to shake many of our deep-seated beliefs.
PLUS. Microsoft har i al hemmelighed bygget en ny gigantisk supercomputer på 285.000 CPU-kerner og 10.000 GPU'er, der skal bruges til at træne og forbedre machine learning-algoritmer. De specifikationer bringer den op i top-5 over verdens kraftigste supercomputere.
From drug treatments to preventive measures like wearing masks, we don't yet have the evidence we need for effective policymaking See all our coronavirus coverage Coronavirus – latest updates This pandemic is frightening for many people – especially those at the highest risk – and the need for effective prevention and treatment is pressing. When there is no direct evidence about what is best to d
Latest figures from public health authorities on the spread of Covid-19 in the United Kingdom. Find out how many confirmed cases have been reported in each of England's local authorities Coronavirus – live news updates Find all our coronavirus coverage here How to protect yourself from infection Please note: these are government figures on numbers of confirmed cases – some people who report sympt
Researchers have discovered that anti-obesity medications such as phentermine and topiramate, used individually or in combination, can significantly reduce weight regain in patients after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery, according to a retrospective study published online in Obesity, the flagship journal of The Obesity Society.
Camilla Rathcke er klar til at kvitte jobbet som chef under Søren Brostrøm i Sundhedsstyrelsen for at blive lægeformand. Nej, jeg løber ikke af pladsen, siger hun.
Poverty, hunger and the threat of being shot by police make life under strict lockdown harder for one expectant mother Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Millions of people in the Philippine capital, Manila, have spent more than two months under lockdown. The densely populated city, once notorious for its heaving traffic, has been transformed into a ghost town. Resident
In Europe, Italians have the highest genetic diversity. The gradient of their genetic variability, scattered all over the peninsula, encloses on a small scale the whole genetic variance between southern and continental Europeans. This amazing diversity started to accumulate soon after the Late Glacial Maximum, which ended approximately 19,000 years ago.
In Europe, Italians have the highest genetic diversity. The gradient of their genetic variability, scattered all over the peninsula, encloses on a small scale the whole genetic variance between southern and continental Europeans. This amazing diversity started to accumulate soon after the Late Glacial Maximum, which ended approximately 19,000 years ago.
Wide swaths of coastal India and Bangladesh were flooded and millions were without power Thursday as Cyclone Amphan, the most powerful storm to hit the region in more than a decade, killed over 80 people and cut a path of destruction that is still being assessed.
The gene-editing technology CRISPR has been used for a variety of agricultural and public health purposes—from growing disease-resistant crops to, more recently, a diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19.
Et eventuelt screeningsprogram for lungecancer i Danmark har også kritikere, som anser evidensen for utilstrækkelig, og risikoen høj for, at programmet vil gøre mere skade end gavn.
Hele fem lægefaglige selskaber repræsenteret i Dansk Lunge Cancer Gruppe anbefaler, at midaldrende storrygere – og kun dem – screenes. Her er deres plan for, hvordan det skal ske.
The gene-editing technology CRISPR has been used for a variety of agricultural and public health purposes—from growing disease-resistant crops to, more recently, a diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19.
Is the reporting of media outlets biased in favor of firms that advertise with them? A new study looked at the relationship between advertising by car manufacturers in U.S. newspapers and news coverage of car safety recalls in the early 2000s. The study found that newspapers provided less coverage of recalls issued by manufacturers that advertised more regularly in their publications than of recal
Xu Yi, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Virginia, collaborated with Yun-Feng Xiao's group from Peking University and researchers at Caltech to achieve the broadest recorded spectral span in a microcomb.
Alternative to nasal swab to be tested on police and army staff in next two weeks Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage A potentially "game-changing" spit test for coronavirus is set to be trialled by the government on 5,000 police and army staff amid growing concern about the accuracy of invasive nasal swabs. The two-minute test requires someone to spit in a tube, and is
Around the corner from Dublin's historic St. Stephen's Green lie Ireland's Government Buildings. Here sit the offices of the Irish prime minister—or Taoiseach . Since February, political ownership of this most prized piece of real estate has been up for grabs, following a general-election result that left no party with a clear claim to power. Then the pandemic struck. Ireland looked up from its o
Amid pomp and propaganda in Beijing, the pandemic is weighing on efforts to restart the economy. Britain said it would quarantine everyone flying into the country, including citizens.
Skiing in the French Alps, flooding in Michigan, a drive-through burlesque in Las Vegas, disinfecting streets in Buenos Aires, a ballet performance in Mexico, street protests in Chile, social-distancing rings in Turkey, a fawn rescue in Germany, and much more
In time for the International Day for Biological Diversity 2020, the date set by the United Nations to recognize biodiversity as 'the pillars upon which we build civilizations', a new study published in the peer-reviewed open-access journal ZooKeys describes two new to science species and one subspecies of crocodile newts from Vietnam. This manifestation of the incredible diversity of life hosted
Flere hospitalsdirektører har 'Åben Telefon' for at tage snakke med patienter og pårørende. Men OUH har det ikke og lægeformand advarer mod at lade enkeltsager styre hospitalsdriften.
Efter en række sager i Region Midtjylland ønsker Dagens Medicin at sætte fokus på lægers ret til at ytre sig offentligt om kritisable forhold på deres arbejdsplads.
Af frygt for repressalier lægger mange læger bånd på deres ytringsfrihed og undlader at ytre sig offentligt om kritisable forhold på arbejdspladsen, viser undersøgelse, Dagens Medicin har foretaget.
Her et par måneder inde i coronakrisen burde vi have lært, at det kan give problemer, hvis vi nægter at tale om praktiske problemer og det muliges kunst.
God håndhygiejne og fokus på rengøring har sikret en kraftig reduktion i antal COVID-19-smittede både indenfor og udenfor sygehusene. Det skal vi lære af, skriver Mads Koch Hansen.
Mange, ikke mindst diabetikere, vil gerne have svar på, om fedt særlige steder øger risikoen for hjertekarsygdom. Et dansk forskerhold har bragt verden et skridt nærmere mod afklaring af den rolle, hjertefedt spiller.
Hidtil har læger manglet internationale retningslinjer for diagnostik og behandling af diabetisk nyresygdom, men nu har dansk forsker været med til at udstikke dem. De kommer til august.
Corona-epidemien har skabt bekymring blandt patienter med diabetes – bl.a. på grund af skiftende meldinger fra Sundhedsstyrelsen, viser et dansk studie baseret på en spørgeskemaundersøgelse.
Steno Diabetes Center Copenhagen vil i et stort forskningsprojekt screene 900 personer med type 2-diabetes for risiko for at udvikle hjertekarsygdom. Målet er at få en bedre forståelse af, hvilken betydning hjertets små blodkar har for at udvikle hjertekarsygdom.
En kost med væsentligt færre kulhydrater samt mere protein og fedt hjælper type 2-diabetikere til at holde blodsukkeret nede, og gør det måske lettere at tabe sig, viser ny forskning fra Bispebjerg og Frederiksberg Hospital.
Hungriga humlor har kommit på ett sätt att få växter att slå ut i blom flera veckor i förväg. De gör hål i bladen och triggar på så vis blomningen, visar ny forskning. Spela videon ovan för att se hur de gör.
Et nyt Nationalt Center for Overvægt skal samle og formidle viden om forebyggelse og behandling af overvægt. Målet er at bremse væksten i den stadigt større andel af danskere, der bærer rundt på for mange kilo.
Nyt stort forskningsprojekt skal afsløre, hvorfor nyrefunktionen falder hos patienter med diabetisk nyresygdom. Formålet er at kunne levere mere individualiseret behandling af patienter.
PLUS. Fem medlemmer af SSI's modellerings-ekspertgruppe foreslår for egen regning en alternativ strategi, som skal gøre covid-19-epidemien mere udholdelig for de mest udsatte.
WHO udråbte i 2019 vaccineskepsis som en af de 10 vigtigste trusler mod verdens sundhed. Også i Danmark har vi oplevet betydelig folkelig skepsis og mytedannelse ved introduktion af nye vaccinationer til børnevaccinationsprogrammet, senest HPV-vaccinen.
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/d41586-020-01543-x Researchers looking to make tests widely available worry as regulators freeze the team that first identified US community spread.
Plasmodium vivax, the most widely distributed human malaria parasite, causes severe clinical syndromes despite low peripheral blood parasitemia. This conundrum is further complicated as cytoadherence in the microvasculature is still a matter of investigations. Previous reports in Plasmodium knowlesi, another parasite species shown to infect humans, demonstrated that variant genes…
Tissue-resident memory CD8 T (TRM) cells are a unique immune memory subset that develops and remains in peripheral tissues at the site of infection, providing future host resistance upon reexposure to that pathogen. In the pulmonary system, TRM are identified through S1P antagonist CD69 and expression of integrins CD103/β7 and…
Malignant melanoma has one of the highest mortality rates of any cancer because of its aggressive nature and high metastatic potential. Clinical staging of the disease at the time of diagnosis is very important for the prognosis and outcome of melanoma treatment. In this study, we designed and synthesized the…
The nucleation of Alzheimer-associated Aβ peptide monomers can be catalyzed by preexisting Aβ fibrils. This leads to autocatalytic amplification of aggregate mass and underlies self-replication and generation of toxic oligomers associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. However, the nature of the interactions between the monomeric species and the fibrils during this…
Social bonds are an essential part of the human experience. We bond with our parents, our children, our romantic partners, and our friends; these bonds not only shape our emotional well-being but have profound consequences for our health and longevity (1). Perhaps because these bonds are so profoundly important, we…
We calculated a phylogenetic analysis network of the 160 severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) complete genomes submitted to the international Global Initiative on Sharing Avian Influenza Data (GISAID) database by early March 2020, to produce a snapshot of the beginning of the SARS-CoV-2 epidemic (1). Phylogenetic network analysis…
Decisions about when to act are critical for survival in humans as in animals, but how a desire is translated into the decision that an action is worth taking at any particular point in time is incompletely understood. Here we show that a simple model developed to explain when animals…
The conventional outflow pathway is a complex tissue responsible for maintaining intraocular pressure (IOP) homeostasis. The coordinated effort of multiple cells with differing responsibilities ensures healthy outflow function and IOP maintenance. Dysfunction of one or more resident cell types results in ocular hypertension and risk for glaucoma, a leading cause…
Around 19,000 years ago, after the Late Glacial Maximum, the surprisingly heterogeneous diversity of Italians' genomic background started to develop. It is the first time that a group of scientists manages to go that back in time in retracing Italians' genetic history.
Genetic adaptations of early Italian ancestors to environmental changes, such as those that occurred soon after the Last Glacial Maximum, may explain some of the genetic differences between northern and southern Italian populations today, according to a study published in BMC Biology. The research suggests that northern and southern Italian populations may have begun to diverge genetically as earl
Mosquitoes that like to bite at night are being thwarted by bed nets, leading to the rise of populations that prefer to bite when the nets are not up yet.
Every weekday evening, our editors guide you through the biggest stories of the day, help you discover new ideas, and surprise you with moments of delight. Subscribe to get this delivered to your inbox . Getty / The Atlantic This pandemic is a reminder that, despite all the American cultural lore around them, colleges are most fundamentally physical spaces, where people gather to learn and, somet
The Prorace cervical cap took off in England in 1915. (Science Museum, London/) Donna J. Drucker is senior adviser in English as the Language of Instruction at Technische Universität Darmstadt, Germany. She's most recently the author of Contraception: A Concise History . This story originally featured on MIT Press Reader . Women have used internal barriers in an attempt to prevent pregnancies as
President Trump, visiting a Michigan factory, again refused to wear a mask in public. Flags were ordered lowered for Memorial Day weekend in memory of those who died from the virus.
Mosquitoes that like to bite at night are being thwarted by bed nets, leading to the rise of populations that prefer to bite when the nets are not up yet. — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
A new app would enable medical staff to take a picture of a patient's inner eyelid with a smartphone to get an idea of whether they have anemia, researchers report. A doctor can quickly get an idea of whether someone is anemic by pulling down the person's eyelid and judging its redness, a color indicating the number of red blood cells. But even a doctor's eye isn't precise enough to give a diagno
New research from the University of East Anglia (UEA) recommends changes to the system which sees drug companies strike deals with competitors to stop them producing cheaper generic alternatives.
Mosquitoes that like to bite at night are being thwarted by bed nets, leading to the rise of populations that prefer to bite when the nets are not up yet. — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Hundreds of trials are testing known antiviral drugs, as well as those that block immune responses to coronavirus, but we may need to build a covid-19 treatment from scratch
A team led by investigators from Brigham and Women's Hospital has conducted an analysis to estimate the potential benefits of using a comprehensive regimen for heart failure patients compared to using a more conventional regimen, finding that comprehensive therapy could extend lifespan up to six years and eight years free from cardiovascular death or first hospital admission for heart failure.
University of Melbourne researchers have quantified the toll that having multiple chronic diseases takes in China for the first time, which could have significant implications for its economic and health systems. Researchers say is also timely as COVID-19 has placed further pressure on the public health emergency management system in China.
We can't, and shouldn't, expect healthcare professionals without adequate personal protective equipment (PPE) to risk their lives to care for patients with COVID-19 infection, contends an expert in a stinging rebuke, published in the Journal of Medical Ethics.
More than half of moms-to-be who are at risk of the dangerously high blood pressure condition, preeclampsia, are missing out on preventive aspirin treatment, says an expert in an editorial published online in Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.
Mental health issues among police officers are a 'substantial health concern,' with around 1 in 4 potentially drinking at hazardous levels and around 1 in 7 meeting the criteria for post traumatic stress disorder and depression, finds a pooled data analysis of the available international evidence, published online in Occupational & Environmental Medicine.
The German study, due to presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Virtual Congress, found that those who are socially isolated are almost 50% more likely to die from any cause.
On the latest episode of the Social Distance podcast, James Hamblin and Katherine Wells ask the infectious-disease expert Stephen Thomas to explain the medical and ethical issues involved in developing a new vaccine. Listen to the episode here: Subscribe to Social Distance on Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or another podcast platform to receive new episodes as soon as they're published. What follows
Nature, Published online: 22 May 2020; doi:10.1038/s41586-020-2351-4 Author Correction: The wide-binary origin of (2014) MU 69 -like Kuiper belt contact binaries
The authors of a preprint on use of hydroxychloroquine — the controversial drug heavily promoted by, and now apparently taken by, President Trump, at least for a few more days — along with azithromycin for COVID-19 have withdrawn the paper. The preprint, "Hydroxychloroquine plus azithromycin: a potential interest in reducing in-hospital morbidity due to COVID-19 … Continue reading
COVID-19 has magnified the challenges that underserved communities face with regard to higher education, such as widening social inequality and sky-high tuition. At College Unbound, where I am president, we get to know students individually to understand what motivates them, so they can build a curriculum based on goals they want to achieve. My teaching mantra: Everything is permitted during COVI
In an analysis of blood and urine samples from 46,748 US adults, elevated levels of seven environmental chemicals were associated with markers of kidney disease.
America has 90,000 damns listed in its national inventory, including the Hoover Dam, seen here. However, many of them are in need of repair. (Pixabay/) Two broken dams in midland Michigan have prompted the evacuation of more than 10,000 residents. The Edenville and Sanford dams were expected to reach peak flooding around 8 pm Eastern Time last night, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer told report
Children's National Hospital study finds that family-centered pediatric advance care planning interventions are needed to close the gaps in families' knowledge of adolescents' end-of-life treatment preferences
Xu Yi, assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at the University of Virginia, collaborated with Yun-Feng Xiao's group from Peking University and researchers at Caltech to achieve the broadest recorded spectral span in a microcomb. Their peer-reviewed paper, "Chaos-assisted two-octave-spanning microcombs," was published May 11, 2020, in Nature Communications.
NASA's ANITA observatory searches for neutrinos traveling with cosmic rays as they arrive on, and crash into, Earth. ANITA detected high-energy particles that seemed to be coming out of the Earth, which isn't supposed to be possible. After years of inconclusive hypotheses, the ANITA team published a paper claiming the particles reveal a parallel universe where time runs backwards. An Antarctic pa
Using SLAC's high-speed 'electron camera,' scientists simultaneously captured the movements of electrons and nuclei in a light-excited molecule. This marks the first time this has been done with ultrafast electron diffraction, which scatters a powerful beam of electrons off materials to pick up tiny molecular motions.
Using SLAC's high-speed 'electron camera,' scientists simultaneously captured the movements of electrons and nuclei in a light-excited molecule. This marks the first time this has been done with ultrafast electron diffraction, which scatters a powerful beam of electrons off materials to pick up tiny molecular motions.
A new study looked at the relationship between advertising by car manufacturers in US newspapers and news coverage of car safety recalls in the early 2000s. The study found that newspapers provided less coverage of recalls issued by manufacturers that advertised more regularly in their publications than of recalls issued by other manufacturers that did not advertise, and this occurred more frequen
First Contact With China's Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical radio Telescope (FAST) in place, astronomers say the country is positioning itself as the new leader in the search for extraterrestrial life. Traditionally, SETI research has been a largely Western pursuit, scientists told Space.com . But FAST bucks that trend — if there's any first contact to be made with alien civilizations, resea
If you have a phone number, you're probably bombarded by scammers , spammers, telemarketers, and robocalls on a daily basis. In fact, you're probably resigned to the fact that they're an inevitable part of life. But in fact, there's a way to eliminate them entirely with a one-time payment of as little as $10 per device. It's called Uncall , and you can get started right now for free. The first st
There are many benefits to developing one's vocabulary beyond just sounding smarter. A stronger vocabulary can boost confidence, improve comprehension, and make you a better communicator. The entire family can learn and practice new words with these fun games. Building a larger vocabulary is about much more than being able to impress people with big words. Francie Alexander, VP and chief academic
Several seemingly blank fragments of the Dead Sea Scrolls have been found to have writing on them. The text was found accidentally, and only confirmed with multispectral imaging. The newly found text seems to relate to the book of Ezekiel. According to the findings of The University of Manchester, the famous Dead Sea Scrolls have a little more to tell us. A collection of scroll fragments once dis
Scientists have created a detailed map that describes the many ways in which environmental chemicals can trigger breast cancer. Using ionizing radiation as a model, the researchers identified key mechanisms within cells that when disrupted cause the disease. Because the findings can be generalized to other environmental carcinogens, they could help regulators identify chemicals that increase breas
In a new study in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), senior author, Steven J. Mentzer, MD, thoracic surgeon at Brigham and Women's Hospital, and a team of international researchers examined seven lungs obtained during autopsy from patients who died of COVID-19.
Ohio has seen a growing disparity between abortion rates in rural and urban communities, later abortions, and less use of medication abortion care as the state has heavily regulated abortion and clinics have closed, a new study has found.
The ability to restore sight to the blind is one of the most profound acts of healing medicine can achieve, in terms of the impact on the affected patient's life — and one of the most difficult for modern medicine to achieve. We can restore vision in a limited number of scenarios and there are some early bionic eyes on the market that can restore limited vision in very specific scenarios. Researc
Researchers zeroed in on a key step of photosynthetic oxygen production. What they learned brings them one step closer to obtaining a complete picture of this natural process, which could inform the next generation of artificial photosynthetic systems that produce clean and renewable energy from sunlight and water.
In the bone marrow, blood stem cells via precursor cells give rise to a variety of blood cell types with various functions: white blood cells, red blood cells, or blood platelets. In which cell type a cell develops depends on various factors. The correct dosage of the enzyme MOF at the right time triggers developmental programs in blood stem cells and precursor cells, and the cells differentiate i
A new study shows how an effective but largely abandoned treatment for Type 2 diabetes could be used again in combination with another drug to eliminate problematic side effects.
Buckling, the sudden loss of structural stability, is usually the stuff of engineering nightmares. But, as anyone who has ever played with a toy popper knows, buckling also releases a lot of energy. When the structure of a popper buckles, the energy released by the instability sends the toy flying through the air. Researchers have harnessed that energy and used buckling to their advantage to build
For the first time, seismologists can characterize signals as a result of some industrial human activity on a continent-wide scale using cloud computing.
Researchers have developed a deep-learning model that maps fuel moisture levels in fine detail across 12 western states, opening a door for better fire predictions.
Childhood environment and socioeconomic status affect cognitive ability and brain development during adolescence independently of genetic factors, researchers report. The study demonstrates how important the family environment is, not just during early infancy but also throughout adolescence.
You might have heard the advice to avoid eating a poppy seed bagel or muffin before a drug screen, lest you test positive for opiates. This urban legend is rooted in truth because the tiny black seeds contain small amounts of morphine and codeine that can show up in a drug test. Now, researchers have studied how different treatments affect levels of opiates in poppy seeds.
When researchers asked prospective study participants who they would like to see in videos promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors, the answer was unequivocal: They wanted to see themselves — that is, other mothers living in low-income households who were overweight or obese. The researchers obliged. And the intervention they designed produced the desired results when it came to improving participa
A new study has shown no correlation between obesity and how close you live to fast food restaurants or gyms. Studies from other countries have previously indicated that these factors may be important in adult obesity.
The world's growing population will necessitate a 30-70% increase in food production over the next 3 decades. If we are to succeed, it will require a complete overhaul of the way we produce food. Researchers have now created an overview of solutions that include a number of new technologies that can collectively address this global challenge.
The gene-editing technology CRISPR has been used for a variety of agricultural and public health purposes — from growing disease-resistant crops to, more recently, a diagnostic test for the virus that causes COVID-19. Now a study involving fish that look nearly identical to the endangered Delta smelt finds that CRISPR can be a conservation and resource management tool, as well. The researchers th
Dinosaur fossils aren't minerals under state law, a divided Montana Supreme Court said in a ruling Wednesday that has implications in an ongoing legal battle over the ownership of millions of dollars of fossils unearthed on an eastern Montana ranch.
Using a high-speed "electron camera" at the Department of Energy's SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, scientists have simultaneously captured the movements of electrons and nuclei in a molecule after it was excited with light. This marks the first time this has been done with ultrafast electron diffraction, which scatters a powerful beam of electrons off materials to pick up tiny molecular moti
New research published on Thursday shows that bumblebees make small moon-shaped incisions in plants' leaves — and those damaged plants appear to flower earlier than plants the bees don't visit.
As spring and summer temperatures return to the Northern Hemisphere, winter's snow is melting, releasing precious fresh water into Earth's streams, rivers and oceans. This annual change provides liquid water for drinking, agriculture and hydropower for more than one billion people around the world. In the future, NASA plans to use a satellite mission to measure how much water the world's winter sn
High-intensity fires can destroy peat bogs and cause them to emit huge amounts of their stored carbon into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, but a new Duke University study finds low-severity fires spark the opposite outcome.
The Democratic presidential candidate responds to the internet's most searched questions, including his stances on immigration, education, and gun control.
Hungry bumblebees can make plants flower up to a month earlier than usual by cutting holes in their leaves, which may help them adapt to climate change
Additional Pylons A team of scientists and engineers is hard at work building nuclear reactors to provide energy to settlements on the Moon and Mars . As space agencies around move to establish a permanent human presence on other worlds, the question of how to provide them with power has long lingered unsolved, Chemical & Engineering News reports . Because resupply missions are challenging and su
We're starting to get a clearer picture of how the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus works when it infects the body, and there are some surprises emerging. This new paper in Cell is an example ( here's a writeup on it at Stat ). We already know the RNA sequence of the virus very well, naturally, and that's allowing us both to track mutations and to lay out exactly what proteins it forces a cell to make once
High-intensity fires can destroy marshy peatlands and cause them to emit huge amounts of their stored carbon into the atmosphere as greenhouse gases, but a new Duke University study finds low-severity fires spark the opposite outcome. By creating a decay-inhibiting crust on clumps of moist soil particles within the peatland, the smaller surface fires help protect the stored carbon and enhance peat
How should orthopaedic surgeons respond to the COVID-19 pandemic? A review in The Journal of Bone & Joint Surgery analyzes evidence and strategies for managing the novel SARS-CoV-2 virus – including critical lessons from past pandemics. The journal is published in the Lippincott portfolio by Wolters Kluwer.
Zoom meetings can feel more taxing than face-to-face meetings, a psychologist says. Video conferencing offers a way to stay connected with coworkers, family, and friends during the coronavirus pandemic. But too much of it can tax our brains to the point of "Zoom fatigue." Priti Shah , a psychology professor at the University of Michigan, studies cognitive tasks that require managing multiple goal
While increasing aridity is already a clear trend across the western United States, at the same time, human-caused warming is also driving increased aridity eastward across North America, with no end in sight, researchers report. Climate change is contributing to declining river flows, drier soils, widespread tree death, stressed agricultural crops, catastrophic wildfires , and protracted drought
Scientists have identified specific compounds from the Brazilian peppertree — a weedy, invasive shrub in Florida — that reduce the virulence of antibiotic-resistant staph bacteria. Scientific Reports published the research, demonstrating that triterpenoid acids in the red berries of the plant "disarm" dangerous staph bacteria by blocking its ability to produce toxins.
Transitioning from on-site interpretation of imaging studies to remote interpretation via home PACS workstations requires a careful balancing of hospital and departmental finances, engineering choices, and educational and philosophical workflow issues, according to an open-access article published ahead-of-print by the American Journal of Roentgenology (AJR).
Using SLAC's high-speed 'electron camera,' scientists simultaneously captured the movements of electrons and nuclei in a light-excited molecule. This marks the first time this has been done with ultrafast electron diffraction, which scatters a powerful beam of electrons off materials to pick up tiny molecular motions.
Trial for test, separate to antibody test, involves 4,000 people and will run for six weeks Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The government has announced the start of trials for a new test to see if people have coronavirus, with results processed on site within 20 minutes. The news came as the health secretary, Matt Hancock, said the UK had made a deal to receive up t
Researchers have developed a deep-learning model that maps fuel moisture levels in fine detail across 12 western states, opening a door for better fire predictions.
Federal forecasters expect 3 to 6 major hurricanes during the 2020 hurricane season, which runs from June 1 to November 1. Rising seas and a warmer climate make storms of all sizes more damaging. (Image credit: NOAA via AP)
In a study published in Current Opinion in Structural Biology, MIPT biophysicists explained ways to visualize membrane receptors in their different states. Detailed information on the structure and dynamics of these proteins will enable developing effective and safe drugs to treat many sorts of conditions.
With varying lockdowns in place, and safety measures enacted by local communities, the Muslim holy month of Ramadan has been observed very differently around the world this year. Large gatherings at mosques have been canceled, communal iftar meals have been reduced to smaller family groups in their homes, and visits to extended family have been cut short. Gathered here, some images from the past
In a study published in Current Opinion in Structural Biology, MIPT biophysicists explained ways to visualize membrane receptors in their different states. Detailed information on the structure and dynamics of these proteins will enable developing effective and safe drugs to treat many sorts of conditions.
It's challenging. (Photo by dylan nolte on Unsplash/) Jump ropes are more complex than you may realize. They range from the classic, nostalgia-inducing beaded ropes of playgrounds, to speed ropes equipped with a light, thin metal wire that can cost north of $100. With the pandemic keeping so many people at home, a good rope will allow you to exercise within whatever space you have available. Plus
Scrub Hub SpaceX may well make history on May 27, launching the first astronauts to space from American soil since the retirement of NASA's Space Shuttle program in 2011. But bad weather could end up delaying the historic launch. "I would expect there to be a very high chance of scrub due to the weather," SpaceX Director of Crew Mission Management Benji Reed told Click Orlando . "And given the ti
Army researchers have discovered a way to monitor the performance of 3D printed parts, which tend to have imperfections that affect performance in ways traditionally-machined parts do not.
has been a matter of extreme and under-examined urgency for far too long. I hope our work opens a new avenue of research into understanding, relieving, and preventing it in our community.
Nearly half of parents of children under age 18 say their stress levels related to the coronavirus pandemic are high, with managing their kids' online learning a significant source of stress for many, according to a new survey by the American Psychological Association.
Results of a comprehensive analysis of exercise and its protective role for high-risk breast cancer patients show that women who exercise not only live longer, but also are more likely to remain cancer-free after their treatment. What's more, the study suggests that even a modest amount of exercise can be beneficial.
Regions of Italy with higher family fragmentation and a high number of residential nursing homes experienced the highest rate of COVID-19 infections in people over age 80, according to a new study published May 21, 2020 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Giuseppe Liotta of the University of Rome, Italy, and colleagues.
Tropical forests face an uncertain future under climate change, but new research published in Science suggests they can continue to store large amounts of carbon in a warmer world, if countries limit greenhouse gas emissions.
In lieu of a vaccine or reliable preventative medications, the only approaches currently available to help prevent the spread of COVID-19 are behavioral — handwashing, mask-wearing and social distancing, for example.
Up to 220 million people worldwide, with approximately 94% of them in Asia, could be at risk of drinking well water containing harmful levels of arsenic, a tasteless, odorless and naturally occurring poison.
A long-term assessment of the sensitivity of hundreds of tropical forest plots to increasing temperatures brings encouraging news: in the long run, Earth's tropical forests may be more resilient to a moderately warming world than short-term predictions have suggested.
Facing a scarcity of pollen, bumblebees will nibble on the leaves of flowerless plants, causing intentional damage in such a way that accelerates the production of flowers, according to a new study, which reports on a previously unknown behavior of bumblebees.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used state-of-the-art atomic clocks, advanced light detectors, and a measurement tool called a frequency comb to boost the stability of microwave signals 100-fold. This marks a giant step toward better electronics to enable more accurate time dissemination, improved navigation, more reliable communications and higher-res
In a paper publishing May 21 in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, researchers have interviewed Sierra Leonean journalists about their experiences reporting during the 2014-2015 Ebola outbreak. The experiences of these journalists may be able to help inform current efforts to communicate about COVID-19.
Public health officials report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases that the elimination of human African trypanosomiasis as a public health problem is within reach, with fewer than 1,000 new cases reported in 2018.
On the Antarctic Peninsula, so-called snow algae are turning the snow green. The algae thrive on temperatures just above freezing, which are increasingly common. Antarctica's green snow could lay the groundwork for a whole new ecosystem. First ever map With COVID-19's stranglehold on the news cycle, it's enough to wax nostalgic about the other varieties of existential dread that used to stalk our
Red blood cells sometimes rupture when blood is sent through faulty equipment, such as a dialysis machine. This is called hemolysis. Hemolysis also can occur during blood work when blood is drawn too quickly through a needle, leading to defective laboratory samples. Researchers have now developed a method to monitor blood damage in real-time.
Poaching is up, zoos are running out of money and conservation funding has been slashed. But there's hope the pandemic could make biodiversity a higher priority
An estimated 2000 premature births seem to have been prevented by widespread HPV vaccination in Australia, possibly by protecting against damage to the cervix
In order to find and treat cancerous tumors, a team of scientists is working on an aggressive new approach that involves a swarm of tiny, cancer-killing robots . The idea is to inject the nanobots, which are engineered to look and travel like white blood cells, into a patient's veins and move them around inside the body with powerful magnets. "Our vision was to create the next-generation vehicle
Tropical forests face an uncertain future under climate change, but new research published in Science suggests they can continue to store large amounts of carbon in a warmer world, if countries limit greenhouse gas emissions.
Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have used state-of-the-art atomic clocks, advanced light detectors, and a measurement tool called a frequency comb to boost the stability of microwave signals 100-fold. This marks a giant step toward better electronics to enable more accurate time dissemination, improved navigation, more reliable communications and higher-res
Naturally occurring arsenic in groundwater affects millions of people worldwide. We created a global prediction map of groundwater arsenic exceeding 10 micrograms per liter using a random forest machine-learning model based on 11 geospatial environmental parameters and more than 50,000 aggregated data points of measured groundwater arsenic concentration. Our global prediction map includes known a
Single-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) may enable the fabrication of integrated circuits smaller than 10 nanometers, but this would require scalable production of dense and electronically pure semiconducting nanotube arrays on wafers. We developed a multiple dispersion and sorting process that resulted in extremely high semiconducting purity and a dimension-limited self-alignment (DLSA) procedure
Topological protection is a universal phenomenon that applies to electronic, photonic, ultracold atomic, mechanical, and other systems. The vast majority of research in these systems has explored the linear domain, where interparticle interactions are negligible. We experimentally observed solitons—waves that propagate without changing shape as a result of nonlinearity—in a photonic Floquet topol
It is urgent to understand the future of severe acute respiratory syndrome–coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) transmission. We used estimates of seasonality, immunity, and cross-immunity for human coronavirus OC43 (HCoV-OC43) and HCoV-HKU1 using time-series data from the United States to inform a model of SARS-CoV-2 transmission. We projected that recurrent wintertime outbreaks of SARS-CoV-2 will probabl
The sensitivity of tropical forest carbon to climate is a key uncertainty in predicting global climate change. Although short-term drying and warming are known to affect forests, it is unknown if such effects translate into long-term responses. Here, we analyze 590 permanent plots measured across the tropics to derive the equilibrium climate controls on forest carbon. Maximum temperature is the m
Precise fabrication of semiconducting carbon nanotubes (CNTs) into densely aligned evenly spaced arrays is required for ultrascaled technology nodes. We report the precise scaling of inter-CNT pitch using a supramolecular assembly method called spatially hindered integration of nanotube electronics. Specifically, by using DNA brick crystal-based nanotrenches to align DNA-wrapped CNTs through DNA
Biofabricated semiconductor arrays exhibit smaller channel pitches than those created using existing lithographic methods. However, the metal ions within biolattices and the submicrometer dimensions of typical biotemplates result in both poor transport performance and a lack of large-area array uniformity. Using DNA-templated parallel carbon nanotube (CNT) arrays as model systems, we developed a
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