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NASA’s Perseverance Rover Just Turned Martian CO2 Into Oxygen
2dA toaster-sized scientific instrument attached to NASA’s Perseverance rover just sucked up a bit of carbon dioxide from the surrounding Martian atmosphere and converted it into oxygen . It’s a groundbreaking first that could lead to a future in which space travelers are not only able to generate air to breathe, but rocket fuel to get them back to Earth as well — while still on Mars. The instrumen
An unvaccinated worker set off an outbreak at a U.S. nursing home where most residents were immunized.
2dNew infections of inoculated residents are occurring, signaling the need to maintain safety measures, C.D.C. studies show.
The Secret Mission To Unearth Part Of A 142-Year-Old Experiment
2dScientists in Michigan went out in the dead of night to dig up part of an unusual long-term experiment. It's a research study that started in 1879 and is handed from one generation to the next. (Image credit: Derrick L. Turner/Michigan State University)
Richard Dawkins loses ‘humanist of the year’ title over trans comments
3dAmerican Humanist Association criticises academic for comments about identity using ‘the guise of scientific discourse’, and withdraws its 1996 honour The American Humanist Association has withdrawn its humanist of the year award from Richard Dawkins , 25 years after he received the honour, criticising the academic and author for “demean[ing] marginalised groups” using “the guise of scientific di
American Honey Still Contains Radioactive Fallout From Nuclear Tests Decades Ago
3dHigher level than any other food.
SpaceX’s Spacecraft Just Had a Near Miss With an Unidentified Object
15hEarlier today, SpaceX and NASA successfully launched four astronauts into orbit on board a SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft. The launch went by without a hitch — but the crew of four did just experience a scare while en route to the International Space Station. “The NASA/SpaceX team was informed of the possible conjunction by US Space Command,” NASA spokesperson Kelly Humphries told Futurism. “The o
Gladiator arena from Roman era unearthed in Turkey
3dUp to 20,000 people likely cheered and jeered as they watched gladiator and wild animal fights in a newfound Roman-era arena in Turkey.
NASA's Perseverance Rover Makes Oxygen on Mars for First Time
1dThe technique could someday help astronauts sustainably live and work on the Red Planet — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
DNA of Giant ‘Corpse Flower’ Parasite Surprises Biologists
2dThey are invisible at first. In their Southeast Asian forest homes, they grow as thin strands of cells, foreign fibers sometimes more than 10 meters long that weave through the vital tissues of their vine hosts, siphoning nourishment from them. Even under a microscope, the single-file lines of cells are nearly indistinguishable from the vine’s own. They seem more like a fungus than a plant. But w
American Police Are Inadequately Trained
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1dChauvin Floyd Minneapolis
In response to the high rate at which American police kill civilians, many on the left have taken up the call for defunding the police, or abolishing the police entirely. But some policing experts are instead emphasizing a different approach that they say could reduce police killings: training officers better, longer, and on different subjects. “We have one of the worst police-training academies
How Cher Helped Rescue the World's Loneliest Elephant
2dA new documentary follows the five year struggle to save an elephant named Kaavan from abuse—and seeks to inspire similar efforts around the world
Black hole is closest to Earth, among the smallest ever discovered
2dScientists have discovered one of the smallest black holes on record—and the closest one to Earth found to date.
Oxford Malaria vaccine proves highly effective in Burkina Faso trial
1dVaccine developed by scientists at Jenner Institute, Oxford, shows up to 77% efficacy in trial over 12 months A vaccine against malaria has been shown to be highly effective in trials in Africa, holding out the real possibility of slashing the death toll of a disease that kills 400,000 mostly small children every year. The vaccine, developed by scientists at the Jenner Institute of Oxford Univers
Climate crisis has shifted the Earth’s axis, study shows
1dMassive melting of glaciers has tilted the planet’s rotation, showing the impact of human activities The massive melting of glaciers as a result of global heating has caused marked shifts in the Earth’s axis of rotation since the 1990s, research has shown. It demonstrates the profound impact humans are having on the planet, scientists said. The planet’s geographic north and south poles are the po
This Ultra-White Paint May Someday Replace Air Conditioning
2dDeveloped by researchers at Purdue University, the paint reflects 98.1 percent of sunlight
Never mind outrunning a T. rex — you could probably outwalk it
3dNew simulations calculated T. rex speed from the motion of its swaying tail, finding that the massive dinosaur was a mighty slow walker.
Pink supermoon will light up the night this Monday
22hThe Pink Moon, the second largest full moon of the year, will light up the sky from Sunday through Wednesday.
One dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces Covid infection rate by 65% – study
1dAnalysis of test results from more than 350,000 people finds older people just as protected as younger Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage One shot of the Oxford/AstraZeneca or Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine reduces coronavirus infections by nearly two-thirds and protects older and more vulnerable people as much as younger, healthy individuals, a study has found. The results fr
One of Earth's nearest stars may be a dark matter factory
3dA hunt for hypothetical axions streaming from Betelgeuse turns up empty but helps physicists set constraints on their properties.
They Hacked McDonald’s Ice Cream Machines—and Started a Cold War
3dSecret codes. Legal threats. Betrayal. How one couple built a device to fix McDonald’s notoriously broken soft-serve machines—and how the fast-food giant froze them out.
Humungous flare from sun's nearest neighbor breaks records
2dScientists have spotted the largest flare ever recorded from the sun's nearest neighbor, the star Proxima Centauri.
'Exotic compact objects' could soon break physics, new study suggests
2dGravitational wave detectors could soon uncover hints of new physics from exotic compact objects.
‘Anglo-Saxon’ Is What You Say When ‘Whites Only’ Is Too Inclusive
3dLast week, far-right Republican Representatives Marjorie Taylor Greene and Paul Gosar distanced themselves from a proposal to create an America First Caucus, after a document bearing the group’s name made reference to “Anglo-Saxon political traditions.” Both Greene and Gosar told the press that they hadn’t seen the document and did not endorse its sentiments, after House Republican Leader Kevin M
Bitcoin Crashes, Wiping Over $200 Billion Off Crypto Market
16hBitcoin Drop The value of Bitcoin, along with several other digital currencies, plummeted on Friday, following US president Joe Biden’s announcement of a significant capital gains tax hike, CNBC reports . The value of the digital currency fell to just below $50,000, its lowest since early March. According to CoinMarketCap, the drop represented the wiping out of $200 billion in market value — a st
Navalny Has a Lesson for the World
1dWhen Alexei Navalny boarded a plane to Moscow on January 17, he turned his life into a metaphor. He knew it, his wife knew it, and everybody else on the plane knew it. So did the millions of people who had watched his documentary videos, who had seen the witty interviews he did on the plane, who have since joined demonstrations in his name. So did the leaders of Russia, including the country’s di
UK scientists find evidence of human-to-cat Covid transmission
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1dTwo Human Cat Covid UK
Researchers in Glasgow find two cases where cats were infected by owners with coronavirus symptoms Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Two cases of human-to-cat transmission of Covid-19 have been identified by researchers. Scientists from the University of Glasgow found the cases of Sars-CoV-2 transmission as part of a screening programme of the feline population in the
300 million-year-old 'Godzilla shark' identified as new species, gets a new name
1dScientists have finally classified and named the ancient 'Godzilla shark' which was first discovered in 2013 in New Mexico.
We Are Turning COVID-19 Into a Young Person’s Disease
2dLike many parents, Jason Newland, a pediatrician at Washington University in St. Louis and a dad to three teens ages 19, 17, and 15, now lives in a mixed-vaccination household. His 19-year-old got vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson’s shot two weeks ago and the 17-year-old with Pfizer’s, which is available to teens as young as 16. The 15-year-old is still waiting for her shot, though—a bit impatien
A New Facebook Bug Exposes Millions of Email Addresses
1dA recently discovered vulnerability discloses user email addresses even when they’re set to private.
There Will Be More Derek Chauvins
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2dFloyd Minneapolis Chauvin
During his closing argument, Steve Schleicher, one of the prosecutors trying the former police officer Derek Chauvin for the murder of George Floyd, insisted that jurors could convict Chauvin without convicting policing. “This is not an anti-police prosecution,” Schleicher told the jury . “It’s a pro-police prosecution.” For his part, Chauvin’s defense attorney, Eric Nelson, told the jury that “a
‘It is much worse this time’: India’s devastating second wave
3dNew variant suspected of stoking surge that is overwhelming hospitals and crematoriums
A historian identifies the worst year in human history
3dHarvard professor Michael McCormick argues the worst year to be alive was 536 AD. The year was terrible due to cataclysmic eruptions that blocked out the sun and the spread of the plague. 536 ushered in the coldest decade in thousands of years and started a century of economic devastation. The past year has been nothing but the worst in the lives of many people around the globe. A rampaging pande
Astronauts flying reused SpaceX rocket, capsule for 1st time
3dFor the first time, NASA is putting its trust in a recycled SpaceX rocket and capsule for a crew.
21-årig fik hjertesvigt efter overdrevent forbrug af energidrik
3dEn ung mand fra England drak to liter energidrik om dagen i to år.
Low-Skill Workers Aren’t a Problem to Be Fixed
23hRecently, I was mesmerized by a prep cook. At a strip-mall Korean restaurant, I caught a glimpse of the kitchen and stood dumbfounded for a few minutes, watching a guy slicing garnishes, expending half the energy I would if I were doing the same at home and at twice the speed. The economy of his cooking was magnetic. He moved so little, but did so much. Being a prep cook is hard, low-wage, and es
Astronomers release new all-sky map of the Milky Way's outer reaches
2dAstronomers using data from NASA and the ESA (European Space Agency) telescopes have released a new all-sky map of the outermost region of our galaxy. Known as the galactic halo, this area lies outside the swirling spiral arms that form the Milky Way's recognizable central disk and is sparsely populated with stars. Though the halo may appear mostly empty, it is also predicted to contain a massive
NASA’s Perseverance rover has produced pure oxygen on Mars
1dNASA’s Perseverance rover has successfully generated breathable oxygen on Mars. The demonstration, carried out by the rover’s MOXIE instrument on April 20, could lay the groundwork for helping future astronauts establish a sustainable colony on the planet. What’s MOXIE and how does it work? Short for Mars Oxygen In-Situ Resource Utilization Experiment, it’s a toaster-size device that can convert
The science of spin—asteroseismologists confirm older stars rotate faster than expected
1dStars spin faster than expected as they age according to a new study led by scientists at the University of Birmingham which uses asteroseismology to shed new light on this emerging theory.
Vaccines are working: charts that show the Covid endgame
3dAlthough infections are at a record high, lives are being saved in countries with effective immunisation programmes
Silver coins unearthed in New England may be loot from one of the 'greatest crimes in history'
19hA handful of Arabian silver coins found in New England may be the last surviving relics of history's most notorious act of piracy — and perhaps one of the most famous pirates who ever lived.
NASA Launches Astronauts to the ISS on a Reused SpaceX Rocket
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23hSpaceX NASA ISS C. Dragon
The six-month mission is another step toward a moonshot, as SpaceX's Elon Musk says he will land Starship on the lunar surface by 2024.
Google Earth’s Amazing New Feature Is a 37-Year 3D Timelapse of the Entire Planet
2dSatellites are doing all kinds of amazing new things lately, from beaming high-speed internet to remote areas to capturing high-resolution images through clouds to taking 24 million images of every part of the Earth to show how it’s changed over the last 37 years. Wait, what? Yes, that’s right: 24 million images taken over 37 years, all put together for your viewing pleasure. That’s part of the u
Xi warns against economic decoupling and calls for new world order
4dChina’s president launches veiled attack on US at Boao business forum
The future looks bright for infinitely recyclable plastic
1dPlastics are a part of nearly every product we use on a daily basis. The average person in the U.S. generates about 100 kg of plastic waste per year, most of which goes straight to a landfill. A team led by Corinne Scown, Brett Helms, Jay Keasling, and Kristin Persson at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) set out to change that.
Bubble with titanium triggers titanic explosions
2dScientists have found fragments of titanium blasting out of a famous supernova. This discovery, made with NASA's Chandra X-ray Observatory, could be a major step in pinpointing exactly how some giant stars explode.
Russia to pull out of International Space Station in 2025
3dWithdrawal comes as Moscow seeks to build its own space station and turns to China for co-operation
Everything Apple Announced Today: New iMacs, iPads, AirTags
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3dApple iPad Pro AirTags
Say hello to new iMacs, new iPads Pro, an updated Apple TV, and some little wireless trackers that keep tabs on your tchotchkes.
Mass fossil site may prove tyrannosaurs lived in packs
4dFerocious tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as long envisioned, but more like social carnivores such as wolves, new research unveiled Monday found.
The effects of solar flares on Earth's magnetosphere
19hPlanet Earth is surrounded by a system of magnetic fields known as the magnetosphere. This vast, comet-shaped system deflects charged particles coming from the sun, shielding our planet from harmful particle radiation and preventing solar wind (i.e., a stream of charged particles released from the sun's upper atmosphere) from eroding the atmosphere.
Malaria vaccine trial raises hopes of beating disease
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1dOxford Malaria Vaccine
Jab developed by University of Oxford team proves 77% effective in Burkina Faso mid-stage tests
New AI tool calculates materials' stress and strain based on photos
1dIsaac Newton may have met his match.
The Botanist Who Defied Stalin – Issue 99: Universality
2dIn 1913, 26-year-old Russian biologist Nikolai Vavilov went to the John Innes Horticultural Institute to study at the feet of legendary geneticist William Bateson. While there, Vavilov attended lectures at nearby Cambridge University, and could often be seen bicycling around the city in his trademark suit and tie. He and Bateson became lifelong friends, and the Mendelian genetics that Bateson and
Scientists capture first ever image of an electron's orbit within an exciton
2dIn a world first, researchers from the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) have captured an image showing the internal orbits, or spatial distribution, of particles in an exciton—a goal that had eluded scientists for almost a century. Their findings are published in Science Advances.
New process makes 'biodegradable' plastics truly compostable
2dBiodegradable plastics have been advertised as one solution to the plastic pollution problem bedeviling the world, but today's "compostable" plastic bags, utensils and cup lids don't break down during typical composting and contaminate other recyclable plastics, creating headaches for recyclers. Most compostable plastics, made primarily of the polyester known as polylactic acid, or PLA, end up in
People have shaped most of terrestrial nature for at least 12,000 years [Environmental Sciences]
3dArchaeological and paleoecological evidence shows that by 10,000 BCE, all human societies employed varying degrees of ecologically transformative land use practices, including burning, hunting, species propagation, domestication, cultivation, and others that have left long-term legacies across the terrestrial biosphere. Yet, a lingering paradigm among natural scientists, conservationists, and poli
Teaching children to play chess found to decrease risk aversion
3dA trio of researchers from Monash University and Deakin University has found that teaching children to play chess can reduce their aversion to risk. In their paper published in Journal of Development Economics, Asad Islam, Wang-Sheng Lee and Aaron Nicholas describe studying the impact of learning chess on 400 children in the U.K.
Sixty-year-old question on DNA replication timing sequence answered
17hOver the last 60 years, scientists have been able to observe how and when genetic information was replicated, determining the existence a "replication timing program," a process that controls when and in what order segments of DNA replicate. However, scientists still cannot explain why such a specific timing sequence exists. In a study published today in Science, Dr. David Gilbert and his team hav
Great Malaria Vaccine News
18hExcellent news today: we have word of the most effective malaria vaccine yet discovered. A year-long trial in Burkina Faso has shown 77% efficacy, which is by far the record, and which opens the way to potentially relieving a nearly incalculable burden of disease and human suffering. This is a collaboration between the University of Oxford (Jenner Institute et al .), the KEMRI Wellcome Trust in K
Hubble captures giant star on the edge of destruction
19hThe expanding shell of gas and dust that surrounds the star is about five light-years wide, which equals the distance from here to the nearest star beyond the Sun, Proxima Centauri.
Climate has shifted the axis of the Earth
19hGlacial melting due to global warming is likely the cause of a shift in the movement of the poles that occurred in the 1990s.
Scientists make further step towards understanding dark energy
19hThe extended Baryon Oscillation Spectroscopic Survey (eBOSS) collaboration has released its latest scientific results. These results include two studies on dark energy led by Prof. Zhao Gongbo and Prof. Wang Yuting, respectively, from National Astronomical Observatories of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (NAOC).
Astronomers see first hint of the silhouette of a spaghettified star
19hFor decades astronomers have been spotting bursts of electromagnetic radiation coming from black holes. They assumed those are the result of stars being torn apart, but they have never seen the silhouette of the actual material ligaments. Now a group of astronomers, including lead author Giacomo Cannizzaro and Peter Jonker from SRON Netherlands Institute for Space Research/Radboud University, has
Wild horses flourish in Chernobyl 35 years after explosion
1dDown an overgrown country road, three startled wild horses with rugged coats and rigid manes dart into the flourishing overgrowth of their unlikely nature reserve: the Chernobyl exclusion zone.
NASA's Mars helicopter makes second flight
1dNASA successfully carried out a second flight on Mars on Thursday of its mini helicopter Ingenuity, a 52-second sortie that saw it climb to a height of 16 feet (five meters).
New material could better protect soldiers, athletes and motorists
1dSoldiers, athletes, and motorists could lead safer lives thanks to a new process that could lead to more efficient and re-useable protection from shock and impact, explosion, and vibration, according to a new study.
Researchers report possible solutions for hard-to-recycle plastics
1dMillions of tons of plastic end up in landfills every year. It's a big societal problem and an even larger environmental threat.
In first, Perseverance Mars rover makes oxygen on another planet
2dNASA's Perseverance rover keeps making history.
‘Unfair and unsubstantiated’: Journal retracts paper suggesting smoking is linked to lower COVID-19 risk
3dA paper suggesting that smokers were significantly less likely than nonsmokers to contract Covid-19 has been retracted because the authors failed to disclose financial ties to … the tobacco industry. The article, which appeared as a preprint and then as an “early view” in the European Respiratory Journal last July, came from a group at … Continue reading
Rotteforsøg viser: Sukker i barndommen svækker hukommelsen som voksen
4dPLUS. Forklaringen kan være en tarmbakterie, og forsøget ligger i forlængelse af andre resultater, der fortæller om tarmfloraens store indflydelse på vores liv.
No Transgenerational Effects of Chernobyl Radiation Found
1dThe genomes of the children of people exposed to fallout from the Chernobyl nuclear accident appear to carry no trace of the incident.
Among COVID-19 survivors, an increased risk of death, serious illness
1dResearchers showed that COVID-19 survivors — including those not sick enough to be hospitalized — have an increased risk of death in the six months following diagnosis with the virus. They also have catalogued the numerous diseases associated with COVID-19, providing a big-picture overview of the long-term complications of COVID-19 and revealing the massive burden this disease is likely to place
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Det ska du äta för att klara proteinskiftet
1dFör att klara klimatmålen behöver vi äta mindre kött och mer växtprotein. Men vad ska vi äta? Allra först bör vi halvera vårt intag av samtliga proteiner, anser forskare vid Lunds universitet. Jämfört med många andra länder äts det lite bönor, linser och ärtor i Sverige. Fläsk med bruna bönor och ärtsoppa är de enda traditionella svenska rätterna som innehåller baljväxter. Men en förändring kan v
Over 2,5 milliarder mennesker risikerer at miste adgang til drikkevand
1d20 procent af verdens grundvandsboringer er i fare for at tørre ud og kan i værste fald føre til konflikter, store strømme af klimaflygtninge og en stigende ulighed, advarer forskere.
The brine depth of the Khorat Basin in Thailand as indicated by high-resolution Br profile
3dScientific Reports, Published online: 21 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88037-6
Multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics, vitamin D may lessen risk of positive COVID-19 test
3dTaking multivitamins, omega-3, probiotics or vitamin D supplements may lessen the risk of testing positive for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for COVID-19 infection — at least among women, indicates a large population study.
An advancement in the synthesis of unique soft magnetic CoCuFeNiZn high entropy alloy thin films
1dScientific Reports, Published online: 23 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41598-021-87786-8
Replication timing maintains the global epigenetic state in human cells
1dThe temporal order of DNA replication [replication timing (RT)] is correlated with chromatin modifications and three-dimensional genome architecture; however, causal links have not been established, largely because of an inability to manipulate the global RT program. We show that loss of RIF1 causes near-complete elimination of the RT program by increasing heterogeneity between individual cells.
Dokumentar: Bach Gruppens ejer står bag betonfusk
2dFlere personer tæt på højhusbyggeri placerer Bach Gruppens stifter og øverste chef i centrum for betonskandalen på Amager.
Global wind patterns shape genetic differentiation, asymmetric gene flow, and genetic diversity in trees [Ecology]
3dWind disperses the pollen and seeds of many plants, but little is known about whether and how it shapes large-scale landscape genetic patterns. We address this question by a synthesis and reanalysis of genetic data from more than 1,900 populations of 97 tree and shrub species around the world, using…
Probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus shows promise for treating inflammatory bowel disease and other
3dA defective intestinal tight junction barrier, sometimes known as "leaky gut," plays an important role in exacerbating and prolonging intestinal inflammation. New research reported in The American Journal of Pathology, published by Elsevier, shows that the probiotic Lactobacillus acidophilus (L. acidophilus) strain known as LA1 can generate a rapid and sustained enhancement of this defective intes
Prostaglandin in the ventromedial hypothalamus regulates peripheral glucose metabolism
4dNature Communications, Published online: 20 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22431-6 The ventromedial hypothalamus regulates systemic glucose metabolism. Here the authors show that cytosolic phospholipase A2 mediated phospholipid metabolism contributes to this regulation in healthy animals but exert deteriorating effects on glucose homeostasis under high-fat-diet feeding.
Malaria vaccine becomes first to achieve WHO-specified 75% efficacy goal
1d* High-level vaccine efficacy of 77% in African children achieve WHO-specified efficacy goal of 75%* Vaccine, trialled in 450 children, shows favourable safety profile and was well-tolerated* Vaccine candidate, R21/Matrix-M, has excellent potential for large-scale manufacturing and low-cost supply
Pregnant women with COVID-19 face high mortality rate
1dIn a worldwide study of 2,100 pregnant women, those who contracted COVID-19 during pregnancy were 20 times more likely to die than those who did not contract the virus.
Ancient Indigenous forest gardens promote a healthy ecosystem
1dA new study by historical ecologists finds that Indigenous-managed forests — cared for as 'forest gardens' — contain more biologically and functionally diverse species than surrounding conifer-dominated forests and create important habitat for animals and pollinators.
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Astronomers release new all-sky map of Milky Way's outer reaches
1dThe highlight of the new chart is a wake of stars, stirred up by a small galaxy set to collide with the Milky Way. The map could also offer a new test of dark matter theories.
Persistent directional growth capability in Arabidopsis thaliana pollen tubes after nuclear elimination from the apex
2dNature Communications, Published online: 22 April 2021; doi:10.1038/s41467-021-22661-8 Arabidopsis pollen contains a vegetative nucleus and two sperm cells that move to the apical region during pollen tube growth. Here, Motomura et al. make use of transgenic pollen with immobilized nuclei and show that, contrary to previous assumptions, movement of the vegetative nucleus is not needed for pollen
Genvalgt PLO-formand: Lægevagtsaftale står i vejen for ny overenskomst
2dDanske Regioner og PLO skulle efter planen have haft en ny overenskomst på plads i sommer. Uenigheder om lægevagten består dog fortsat, og på PLO's repræsentantskabsmøde i sidste weekend var der bred enighed om at stå fast på kravet om en modernisering af ordningen.
Simple oral hygiene could help reduce COVID-19 severity – study
3dCOVID-19 could pass into people's lungs from saliva with the virus moving directly from mouth to bloodstream – particularly if individuals are suffering from gum disease, according to new research.
The immune link between a leaky blood-brain barrier and schizophrenia
3dResearch points to the involvement of the immune system the brain as a contributor to mental disorders such as schizophrenia.
Phylogenetically diverse diets favor more complex venoms in North American pitvipers [Evolution]
3dThe role of natural selection in the evolution of trait complexity can be characterized by testing hypothesized links between complex forms and their functions across species. Predatory venoms are composed of multiple proteins that collectively function to incapacitate prey. Venom complexity fluctuates over evolutionary timescales, with apparent increases and decreases…
Evidence from South Africa for a protracted end-Permian extinction on land [Earth, Atmospheric, and Planetary Sciences]
3dEarth’s largest biotic crisis occurred during the Permo–Triassic Transition (PTT). On land, this event witnessed a turnover from synapsid- to archosauromorph-dominated assemblages and a restructuring of terrestrial ecosystems. However, understanding extinction patterns has been limited by a lack of high-precision fossil occurrence data to resolve events on submillion-year timescales. We…
An introgressed gene causes meiotic drive in Neurospora sitophila [Evolution]
3dMeiotic drive elements cause their own preferential transmission following meiosis. In fungi, this phenomenon takes the shape of spore killing, and in the filamentous ascomycete Neurospora sitophila, the Sk-1 spore killer element is found in many natural populations. In this study, we identify the gene responsible for spore killing in…
Flushing a public toilet? Don't linger, because aerosolized droplets do
3dBecause COVID-19 has been detected in urine and stool samples, public restrooms can be cause for concern. Researchers measured droplets generated from flushing a toilet and a urinal in a public restroom and found a substantial increase in the measured aerosol levels in the ambient environment with the total number of droplets generated in each flushing test ranging up to the tens of thousands. Due
Dagens parbildning inte som igår
4dNormerna för dejting och parbildning har förändrats de senaste årtiondena. Vi ställer allt högre krav på våra relationer, och allt fler äldre skiljer sig. Men forskarna ser också mer engagerade pappor. Och människor i parrelationer lever längre än singlar. Tips! Ta del av Vetenskapsrådets seminarium med intervjupersonerna i denna artikel I ett stressat samhälle är det lätt att falla för lättköpta
Efforts to reduce opioid prescriptions may be hindering end-of-life pain management
4dPolicies designed to prevent the misuse of opioids may have the unintended side effect of limiting access to the pain-relieving drugs by terminally ill patients nearing the end of their life, new research led by the Oregon State University College of Pharmacy suggests.
E-cigarette users in rural Appalachia develop more severe lung injuries
3dA new study out of West Virginia University suggests that rural e-cigarette users are older–and often get sicker–than their urban counterparts.
Elon Musk says Starlink should be 'fully mobile' by the end of 2021, allowing customers to use it at any address or in moving vehicles
4dsubmitted by /u/speckz [link] [comments]
Heartbeat can help detect signs of consciousness in patients after a coma
19hA new study conducted jointly by the University of Liège (Belgium) and the École normale supérieure – PSL (France) shows that heart brain interactions, measured using electroencephalography (EEG), provide a novel diagnostic method for patients with disorders of consciousness. This study is published in the Journal of Neuroscience.
New species of dinosaur unearthed in Chile's Atacama desert
3dScientists found remains of the sauropod in rocks from what is today the Atacama desert.
Vaccines Are Effective Against the New York Variant, Studies Find
1dThe research adds to a growing number of findings suggesting the Pfizer and Moderna shots are protective against the variants identified so far.
Archaeologists Solve a Decades-Old Harriet Tubman Mystery
2dState and federal officials announced on Tuesday that they had located the site of the Maryland cabin where the Underground Railroad conductor lived as a young adult.
On the Menu at a Lunch in Italy: Protected Songbirds
3dThe Italian police were called to investigate a luncheon for a potential violation of coronavirus rules. They found a feast of migrating finches.
Biden: This will be 'decisive decade' for tackling climate change
2dThe White House says the US will curb emissions by 50-52%, as leaders gather for virtual summit.
New Video Shows Mars Helicopter Flight in Higher Resolution
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4dNASA Ingenuity Mars
Now in HD NASA has showed off a higher resolution video of its Ingenuity Mars Helicopter taking to the skies . During the early morning hours on Monday, Ingenuity climbed to approximately ten feet and hovered there for five seconds, turned about 90 degrees to one side, hovered for about thirty seconds more, and made its gentle descent back to the ground. The new clip shows the dramatic event — al
NASA Will Require SpaceX to Land Empty Starship on Moon Before Sending Astronauts
4dContract Killer On Friday, SpaceX signed a historic contract with NASA to develop a lunar lander variant of its Starship rocket to once again land American astronauts on the Moon’s surface. The massive $2.9 billion contract, a key part of the agency’s Artemis program, saw SpaceX winning out over Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ space venture Blue Origin. But when Starship goes to the Moon for the first
How One of the World’s Oldest Science Experiments Comes Up From the Dirt
3dEvery 20 years under the cover of darkness, scientists dig up seeds that were stashed 142 years ago beneath a college campus.
The First Meteor Shower of The Year Is Starting! Here's How You Can See It
3dYou don't even need binoculars.
The Vaccination Gender Gap: Women Are Getting Shots at a Higher Rate Than Men
1dAs the Biden administration seeks to get most adults vaccinated by summer, men are holding back.
Middle-aged people who sleep six hours or less at greater risk of dementia, study finds
3dUCL data of 10,000 volunteers shows cases 30% higher among those who slept poorly in their 50s, 60s and 70s People who regularly sleep for six hours or less each night in middle age are more likely to develop dementia than those who routinely manage seven hours, according to a major study into the disease. Researchers found a 30% greater risk of dementia in those who during their 50s, 60s and 70s
Tyrannosaurs may have hunted in packs like wolves, new research has found
4dPaleontologists say a mass grave in Utah shows the dinosaurs may not have always been solitary predators as previously thought Tyrannosaur dinosaurs may not have been solitary predators as long envisioned but more like social carnivores such as wolves, new research announced on Monday has found. Paleontologists developed the theory while studying a mass tyrannosaur death site found seven years ag
Thomas Brock, Whose Discovery Paved the Way for PCR Tests, Dies at 94
1dIn 1966, he found heat-resistant bacteria in a hot spring at Yellowstone National Park. That led to the development of the chemical process behind the coronavirus test.
What Do Women Want? For Men to Get Covid Vaccines.
1dAs the Biden administration seeks to get most adults vaccinated by summer, men are holding back.
Women Are Choosing Not to Have Children Because of Climate Change
1dNo Thanks As the global environment becomes increasingly precarious and the threat of climate change grows, an increasing number of people are choosing to not have children due to concerns about the future. Several women told Yahoo Life that they view not having children as both a way to reduce their overall impact on the environment and also as an act of compassion toward future generations. The
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NASA's Perserverence Rover Generates Oxygen on Mars in Amazing First For Science
2dThe first time we've ever done this on another planet.
Biden Will Pledge U.S. to Cut Greenhouse Gas Emissions
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3dBiden Cut Emissions
The president will commit the United States to deep cuts in emissions at an Earth Day summit meeting that starts on Thursday, according to people familiar with the plan.
The drugs that have shown promise in treating Covid
3dAfter the announcement of an antiviral taskforce, here are some medicines already in use Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage The government has launched an antiviral taskforce to find at least two drugs by autumn that people could take at home as pills or capsules at home to stop coronavirus infections turning into serious illness and speed recovery times. But these will
Russia Is Reportedly Abandoning the International Space Station
4dMoving On Russia may soon be abandoning the aging International Space Station — to focus on launching and populating its own space station instead, according to new reporting. Senior Russian officials haven’t verified the reports, but deputy prime minister Yury Borisov did announce that Russia may soon decided if sending cosmonauts to the space outpost may no longer be worth it, The Moscow Times
Britain, Norway and the United States Announce a Plan to Protect Tropical Forests.
1dThe effort seeks to rally more than $1 billion for countries that can show they are lowering emissions by protecting tropical forests
A Submarine Is Missing, With 53 on Board
2dLost Contact Indonesia’s navy says it has completely lost contact with a submarine with 53 people on board, NBC News reports . The vessel, the 44-year-old German-built KRI Nanggala 402, was involved in a training exercise when it went missing north of the coast of the island of Bali. “We are still searching in the waters of Bali, 60 miles (96 km) from Bali, [for] 53 people,” Indonesia’s military
Russia Confirms That It’s Abandoning the International Space Station
2dSevering Ties Dmitry Rogozin, the hot-tempered head of Russia’s state space corporation Roscosmos, has confirmed that the country will pull out of the International Space Station after 20 years of continuous international occupation of the aging orbital research outpost, the Financial Times reports . It’s the end of decades of cooperation in space, severing significant ties between Russia’s space
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Ancient Bear DNA Sequenced From Old Cave Dirt in Historic First For Science
4d"We have opened up a new frontier."
Biden, Calling for Action, Commits U.S. to Halving Its Climate Emissions
1dAddressing leaders at a virtual summit meeting he convened, the president cast the fight against global warming as an economic opportunity for the world.
Climate Change Could Cut World Economy by $23 Trillion in 2050, Insurance Giant Warns
2dPoor nations would be particularly hard hit, but few would escape, Swiss Re said. The findings could influence how the industry prices insurance and invests its mammoth portfolios.
The US Army Is Testing a Powered Exoskeleton
3dExoBoot The US Army is testing out a pair of powered exoskeleton boots called the Dephy ExoBoot, which could soon allow soldiers to carry heavily loaded rucksacks with ease over long distances. The ExoBoot has an internal computer and sensors that glean information about how to assist the unit’s wearer using built-in actuators. A current iteration, the Army says, is capable of detecting its weare
Scientists Claim That Actually, Radiation Is Good For You
3dAccording to a new study by a team of scientists at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Israel, relatively high exposure to background radiation may actually lead to healthier lives. Background radiation is a type of ionizing radiation that originates from both natural and artificial sources. Natural sources include cosmic radiation from space and naturally occurring radioactive materials, whil
Possible link between J&J Covid vaccine and rare blood clots, EU regulator finds
3dWatchdog says benefits outweigh risks but that warning should be added to product information Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Europe’s medicines regulator has found a possible link between Johnson & Johnson’s coronavirus vaccine and rare cases of unusual blood clotting disorders it said were “very similar” to those that had occurred with the AstraZeneca shot. The Eur
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Biden Wants to Slash Emissions. Success Would Mean a Very Different America.
1dHitting the targets could require a rapid shift to electric vehicles, the expansion of forests nationwide, development of complex new carbon-capture technology and many other changes, researchers said.
How Maxwell’s Demon Continues to Startle Scientists
1dThe universe bets on disorder. Imagine, for example, dropping a thimbleful of red dye into a swimming pool. All of those dye molecules are going to slowly spread throughout the water. Physicists quantify this tendency to spread by counting the number of possible ways the dye molecules can be arranged. There’s one possible state where the molecules are crowded into the thimble. There’s another whe
Scientific paper claiming smokers less likely to acquire Covid retracted over tobacco industry links
2dAnalysis of the paper identified several biases ‘which may give the false impression that smoking is protective in Covid-19’ A scientific paper claiming current smokers are 23% less likely to be diagnosed with Covid-19 compared to non-smokers has been retracted by a medical journal, after it was discovered some of the paper’s authors had financial links to the tobacco industry. The World Health O
Lyrid meteor shower: Skywatchers set for sunrise or sunset view on Thursday
2dThe best time to view it will be early morning or after sunset on Thursday, astronomers say.
Lyrid Meteor Shower 2021: How to Watch
2dMeteor showers can light up night skies from dusk to dawn, and if you’re lucky you might be able to catch a glimpse.
Racism Has Always Been Part of the Asian American Experience
2dI n the late 19th century, white Americans faced the prospect that Chinese and other Asians might become a significant portion of the population of the United States. In response, they passed a series of laws excluding Chinese people from immigration and citizenship. The justification for exclusion was that the Chinese were an “unassimilable” race and therefore could never become Americans. Exclu
Humans Shaped Life on Earth For 12,000 Years, And It Wasn't All Doom And Destruction
3dDon't believe the lie.
Chauvin’s Conviction Is the Exception That Proves the Rule
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3dChauvin Floyd Police
Updated on April 20 at 8:26 p.m. Jurors in Minnesota took barely 10 hours to convict Derek Chauvin in the May 2020 death of George Floyd on all three charges against him, offering a quick and decisive verdict in the most-watched police-misconduct case in years. The speedy result, announced in a Minneapolis courtroom this afternoon, is a sign of how unusual the case is. The verdict is a victory fo
How Do We Stop The Next Pandemic? Here's A New Strategy
3dFor decades, the U.S. has spent many millions hunting down viruses in hope of stopping a pandemic. Yet the efforts failed. A group of researchers thinks there's a better strategy for the future. (Image credit: Shane Tolentino for NPR)
Elephants Trample Suspected Poacher to Death
3dStupid Prizes An alleged poacher died on Saturday after he was trampled by elephants. He and two others — both of whom survived — are suspected of hunting for rhinos in South Africa’s Kruger National Park, according to CNN . The trio fled when park rangers started to pursue, unfortunately running into a breeding herd of elephants that weren’t keen on their uninvited company. The story is laced wi
Stunning Video Shows Ingenuity's First Flight on Mars. It Gave NASA Team 'Goosebumps'
4dYou have to watch this.
Latest Neural Nets Solve World’s Hardest Equations Faster Than Ever Before
4dIn high school physics, we learn about Newton’s second law of motion — force equals mass times acceleration — through simple examples of a single force (say, gravity) acting on an object of some mass. In an idealized scenario where the only independent variable is time, the second law is effectively an “ordinary differential equation,” which one can solve to calculate the position or velocity of
Man's Ancient Friend: 6,000-Year-Old Dog Remains Found On Arabian Peninsula
15hAs archeologists in Saudi Arabia excavated an ancient tomb last year, they were surprised to find what's believed to be the earliest example of dog domestication in the region. (Image credit: Royal Commission for AlUla, Discovery and the University of Western Australia)
The Rise of Ron DeSantis
22hUpdated at 6:35 p.m. ET on April 23, 2021. I first met Ron DeSantis at the Republican Jewish Coalition convention in Las Vegas in April 2016. DeSantis was then a second-term House member with an eye on Marco Rubio’s Senate seat. Rubio had pledged in 2014 that he would not seek reelection if he ran for president in 2016; he would later change his mind. DeSantis was likely anticipating Rubio’s reve
SpaceX Rocket Launches With Astronauts Aboard
23hThe company's third crewed spacecraft took off from Florida early Friday. (Image credit: John Raoux/AP)
Watch Live: SpaceX Launch of 4 Astronauts for NASA
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1dSpaceX NASA Four ISS
The mission, known as Crew-2, is the third to carry people to the International Space Station.
SpaceX Falcon 9 Crew-2 Rocket Launch: How to Watch
1dIt will be the third flight of the company’s Crew Dragon capsule with people onboard.
Climate Change Is Literally Changing the Tilt of the Earth
1dPolar Drift Over the course of history, the Earth’s north and south poles have drifted around. While that’s a normal and natural process, research published last month in the journal Geophysical Research Letters shows that climate change has drastically sped up that planetary tilting during recent decades. It turns out that water plays a major role in the planet’s weight distribution, Space.com r
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Astronomers Have Detected The Closest Black Hole to Earth. Thankfully, It's Tiny
2dRight in front of our noses!
New Analysis Finds a Mysterious Second Author For One of The Dead Sea Scrolls
2dA tale of two scribes?
George Floyd Was Also a Father
2dBEN CRUMP LAW FIRM An image of George Floyd and his daughter Gianna has been circulating around social media since yesterday. George is sitting in the driver’s seat of a car, wearing a black T-shirt and black baseball cap with the word Houston emblazoned in cursive letters above the brim. In the passenger seat is Gianna, who is now 7 years old, but in the photo—taken a few years ago—looks as if s
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Mysterious second writer of Dead Sea Scroll uncovered by AI
2dTwo scribes wrote the famous Great Isaiah Scroll, researchers found with the help of AI and statistics.
UK in drive to develop drugs to take at home to ‘stop Covid in its tracks’
3dTaskforce aims to ‘supercharge’ search for antivirals to roll out as soon as autumn, says government Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage People with mild Covid-19 could take a pill or capsule at home to prevent the illness turning serious and requiring hospital treatment, under government plans to fast-track development of treatments for the disease. The government is la
Climate change: UK to speed up target to cut carbon emissions
4dThe PM says carbon emissions must fall by almost 80% by 2035 – 15 years earlier than previously planned.
Scientists Rediscover a Rare, Wild Species That Could Save Coffee From Climate Change
4dIt tastes amazing, too.
Redonda: The Caribbean island transformed into an eco haven
4dAfter invasive rats and goats were removed from Redonda, the island's wildlife has been thriving.
Police Raided Factory Churning Out Black Market 3D Printed Weapons
4dHomemade Weapons Spanish police say they raided a warehouse and arrested someone who was hard at work manufacturing homemade weapons with a 3D printer. The raid, which took place in September 2020 but was kept under wraps by a court order until this past Sunday, revealed that the warehouse owner was capable of printing out new gun barrels in just two minutes, according to Reuters , and they alrea
Proxima Centauri shoots out humongous flare, with big implications for alien life
18hScientists have detected the largest stellar flare ever recorded from Proxima Centauri. The finding changes what we know about stellar flares and the potential for alien life around red dwarfs.
'Pizzly' bear hybrids are spreading across the Arctic thanks to climate change
21hThe hybrids may have an advantage over polar bears because their jaws enable them to eat a more diverse range of foods.
Covid: Scientists find more evidence of human-to-cat transmission
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21hTwo Human Cat Covid UK
Researchers at Glasgow University identified two cases where they believe cats developed Covid-19 after their owners.
It’s Dinner Time on the Space Station. Lobster or Beef Bourguignon?
1dEarth’s gastronomical delights are being adapted to life in orbit.
Analyst Predicts 50 Percent Drop in Bitcoin Value
1dBitcoin Bubble Wall Street is warning that the value of Bitcoin could soon fall off a cliff, CNBC reports . Guggenheim Global’s chief investment officer Scott Minerd said that the value of the volatile cryptocurrency has spiked too far and too quickly — rising some 90 percent in 2021 alone. “Given the massive move we’ve had in bitcoin over the short run, things are very frothy, and I think we’re
Missing Submarine Running Out of Oxygen, Experts Fear
1dAir Crisis The Indonesian navy is running out of time to track down a lost submarine with a crew of 53 on board off the north coast of Bali, as Business Insider reports . The vessel, the KRI Nanggala-402, only has enough oxygen to last the crew on board until Saturday, according to a televised press conference on Thursday. The navy lost contact with the submarine at around 4:30 am local time on W
What Do You Call a Bunch of Black Holes: A Crush? A Scream?
2dThere are pods of whales and gaggles of geese. Now astronomers are wondering which plural term would best suit the most enigmatic entity in the cosmos.
India hits global record of 315,000 new daily cases as Covid wave worsens
2dHospitals pushed to brink after more than 1 million people infected in four days Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage India has registered a record-breaking single-day tally of new Covid cases as a severe shortages of beds and oxygen hit Delhi hospitals and migrant workers made an exodus from the capital. Its total of 314,835 cases over the previous 24 hours is the highes
Chinese Firefighters Issued Exoskeletons to Make Them Stronger
2dPowered Exoskeleton A Chinese manufacturer has delivered its latest powered exoskeleton system to firefighters, state-owned news agency Global Times reports . “This exoskeleton system will be applied to enhance a firefighter’s weight carrying capability to up to 50 kilograms, facilitating their movements in complicated environments such as mountain areas and in the woods,” developers at the state
New Vid Shows NASA’s Mars Helicopter Kicking Up Dust During Flight
2dDust Cloud NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity pulled off a tremendous feat on Monday , becoming the first aircraft to perform a controlled flight off the surface of another planet. The little helicopter reached a height of ten feet for roughly 30 seconds, before safely returning to the rocky surface below. NASA’s car-sized Perseverance rover filmed the spectacle from several hundred feet away. In t
Astronomers Discover Closest-Ever Black Hole to Earth
2dHowdy Neighbor A team of scientists from The Ohio State University (OSU) say they’ve found the closest black hole to Earth ever discovered, and it’s just 1,500 light-years away. The team decided to name the black hole “The Unicorn” because of its location in the Monoceros constellation but also because it is, so far, one of a kind, according to a university press release . As for what makes it so
How your memory works — and why forgetting is totally OK | Lisa Genova
2dHave you ever misplaced something you were just holding? Completely blanked on a famous actor's name? Walked into a room and immediately forgot why? Neuroscientist Lisa Genova digs into two types of memory failures we regularly experience — and reassures us that forgetting is totally normal. Stay tuned for a conversation with TED science curator David Biello, where Genova describes the difference
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Major Earthquake Fault Study Reveals How Earth Controls The Magnitude of Ruptures
3dThere's one coming in New Zealand.
Dogecoin Hits $.420
3d42 Cents On an auspicious day in popular culture, joke-but-not-actually-a-joke cryptocurrency Dogecoin hit 42 cents, or $0.420, as Bloomberg reports . That may not sound like much, but that means the token soared a whopping 400 percent in just one week, to a market cap of some $51 billion, according to CoinGecko.com . Crypto enthusiasts on Twitter, ever eager to drum up memes and attention for th
MIT Scientists: Nearby Star Appears to Be Cranking Out Dark Matter
3dStar Factory Even though they’ve never actually found any, scientists are pretty confident that most of the stuff in the universe is comprised of invisible, mysterious dark matter. And thanks to a new not-quite-successful experiment, they’re making important progress toward narrowing down the list of ways to find it. Researchers recently used the orbital NASA observatory NuSTAR to search for X-ra
Beehives Are Held Together by Their Mutual Gut Microbes
3dNew research shows that members of a bee colony all have the same gut microbiome, which controls their smell—and thus their ability to separate family from foe.
Genomes Reveal Humanity's Journey into the Americas
3dDNA has upended neat and tidy accounts of the peopling of the American continents — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Tarantulas conquered Earth by spreading over a supercontinent, then riding its broken pieces across the ocean
3dAround 120 million years ago, tarantulas first appeared on the Gondwana supercontinent in what is now the Americas, and then dispersed into Africa, Australia and India.
What Should Museums Do With the Bones of the Enslaved?
4dAs one museum has pledged to return skulls held in an infamous collection, others, including the Smithsonian, are reckoning with their own holdings of African-American remains.
Fewer COVID-19 Infections Detected in Women Who Take Certain Vitamins, Study Claims
4dCuriouser and curiouser.
Tesla Keeps “Slamming on the Brakes” When It Sees Stop Sign on Billboard
4dEdge Case A Tesla owner named Andy Weedman recently found himself confused by a strange glitch in his Model 3’s Autopilot system: The car kept slamming the brakes in the middle of the same stretch of road. Eventually, he figured it out : His car was registering a giant stop sign printed on a nearby billboard as a real traffic sign, and therefore deciding that the right course of action was the co
John Kerry Says Climate Change Is An 'Existential' Crisis
11hJohn Kerry, Biden's special envoy for climate, says climate change is an existential crisis. "And the question is, are we behaving as if it is? And the answer is no." (Image credit: Alex Wong/Getty Images)
Covering the Planet in Forests Still Wouldn’t Stop Climate Change
14hCarbon Cycle Anyone who’s taken a science class has probably learned that burning things puts carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, while plants swap it out for oxygen. So it’s not surprising that so many plans and corporate pledges to help reduce the ravages of climate change involve planting more and more trees . That’s great, and reforestation in areas where tree cover has been removed will only
Scientists Say The Rush To Do COVID Research Led To A Whole Lot Of Waste
15hThat's the perspective in new papers in Lancet Global Health that assess the nearly a quarter of a million studies on treatments for COVID-19. (Image credit: Lily Padula for NPR)
The King of AIDS Treatments Is Turning to COVID-19
16hAt the LGBTQ senior community where John James lives in Philadelphia, residents keep busy with trips to the garden or—before the pandemic—screenings of Strangers on a Train in the rec room. James does not care for any of that right now. Each morning, he combs through medical-research databases and downloads every paper he can find on COVID-19 treatments, scribbling notes about the parts that stan
Search Party Discovers “Object” During Search for Lost Submarine
18hCountdown Time is running out in the search for a lost Indonesian navy submarine with 53 people on board. The navy lost contact with the vessel , the German-built KRI Nanggala-402, early Wednesday morning local time off the north coast of Bali. Officials fear the crew may soon run out of oxygen — if they’ve made it this far, supplies will reportedly only last until tomorrow. Magnetic Object But t
Greta Thunberg becomes 'bunny hugger' on Twitter
21hClimate activist updates her social media biography following Boris Johnson comments at climate summit.
I Think You Should Leave Was Right About Everything
21hTwo years ago, WIRED referred to Tim Robinson’s Netflix sketch series as not “particularly good.” We regret the error.
An ancient coronavirus swept across East Asia 25,000 years ago
22hAn ancient coronavirus may have infected the ancestors of people living in modern-day East Asia tens of thousands of years ago.
A Vaccine Can Be Bad for a Person but Awesome for All People
22hThe safety pause in giving the Johnson & Johnson Covid-19 vaccine is up for debate again—a battle in a Secret War of Denominators and risk-benefit philosophies.
In a Huge First, SpaceX Just Launched Astronauts to The ISS on a Recycled Rocket
23hSpace travel is set to get a whole lot cheaper.
Many Older Adults Lack Even Simple, Helpful Equipment
1dRailings, grab bars, shower chairs and other inexpensive devices can make it easier to continue living at home, but not enough older people acquire them.
Japan declares targeted state of emergency as Covid cases surge
1dYoshihide Suga under pressure to act after sharp rise in infections in Tokyo, only months before Olympics Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Japan has declared a targeted state of emergency for Tokyo, Osaka and two other prefectures in an attempt to halt a surge in coronavirus cases, just three months before the Tokyo Olympics . The measures will go into effect in the f
Disastrous Climate Tipping Points Could Be Reversed – If We Act Fast, Scientists Warn
1dLet's not squander this opportunity.
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Asteroid’s 22m-year journey from source to Earth mapped in historic first
1dFlight path of Kalahari’s six-tonne asteroid is first tracing of meteorite shedding rock to solar system origin Astronomers have reconstructed the 22m-year-long voyage of an asteroid that hurtled through the solar system and exploded over Botswana, showering meteorites across the Kalahari desert. It is the first time scientists have traced showering space rock to its source – in this case Vesta,
Chernobyl radiation damage 'not passed to children'
1dA study found no mutations associated with a parent's exposure in the 1986 nuclear accident.
Meet BV-1, the Newest COVID Variant To Be Terrified Of
1dScientists at Texas A&M University ran a routine genetic screen on samples of a COVID-19 patient — and discovered a troubling new variant of the coronavirus. The variant, named BV-1 because it was found in Brazos Valley, Texas, seems to be more infectious than the original version of the coronavirus that first swept the globe, CNBC reports , and preliminary testing suggests that it can also resis
Most Women at High-Risk of Breast Cancer Are Unaware of Preventative Medicines
1dWe have to turn this around.
Climate Change Could Cut World Economy by $23 Trillion in 2050
1dPoor nations would be particularly hard hit, but few would escape, Swiss Re said. The findings could influence how the industry prices insurance and invests its mammoth portfolios.
NASA’s Mars Helicopter Completes Much Longer Flight, Does Tricks
1dSecond Flight After its first groundbreaking flight on the surface of Mars, NASA’s Mars helicopter Ingenuity successfully took off for the second time this morning. And this time it went “bigger,” according to NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab — a longer and more nimble flight that really managed to show off the copter’s capabilities. “Go big or go home!” read a JPL tweet celebrating the flight, accompan
What is the Paris climate agreement and why did the US rejoin?
1dAfter rejoining the agreement, the US wants to show it is serious about climate change.
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The Gambia becomes second African state to end trachoma
2dHealth workers spent years targeting agonising and blinding eye disease, which was rife in rural areas The Gambia has become the second country in Africa to eliminate trachoma, one of the leading causes of blindness. The achievement, announced by the World Health Organization on Tuesday, came after decades of work on the disease, which has damaged the sight of about 1.9 million people worldwide.
A New Search Has Begun For Moon Trees, The Glorious Legacy of Apollo 14
2dThe Royal Astronomical Society wants to hear from you.
Russia: we’ll leave International Space Station and build our own
2d‘If you want to do well, do it yourself’ says head of space agency as collaboration with US strained by earthly disputes Russia is ready to start building its own space station with the aim of launching it into orbit by 2030 if President Vladimir Putin gives the go-ahead, the head of its Roscosmos space agency has said. The project would end more than two decades of close cooperation with the Uni
Newfound species of amphibious giant centipede named for woman cursed by the gods
2dResearchers recently described a new species of amphibious giant centipede in an archipelago in Japan.
Winners of the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards
2dThe top entries in the 2021 Sony World Photography Awards have been announced, and the organizers were once more kind enough to share some of the winning and shortlisted photos from the Professional, Open, Student, and Youth competitions with us, gathered here. Captions below have been provided by the photographers.
China’s Space Station Will Have a Hubble-Class Telescope Attached
2dEyes Up China is gearing up to begin launching the pieces of its upcoming space station , Tiangong-3, into orbit. And soon thereafter, Space.com reports , the Chinese space agency will also launch a new orbital observatory with the same image quality as the Hubble Space Telescope, that will be attached to the station. The Chinese Space Station Telescope (CSST) will have the same resolution as the
What HBO’s New Crime Show Gets Exactly Right
2dThere’s a scene in the second episode of Mare of Easttown , HBO’s new crime series, that I haven’t been able to stop thinking about since I watched it. Mare, the show’s titular police detective (played by Kate Winslet), visits a rural spot where a girl’s body has been found and prepares to inform the girl’s father. “I’m on my way over to Kenny’s right now to tell him, and I want John and Billy to
Ted Nugent, Who Said COVID Was a Hoax, Catches COVID
2dMusician, renowned loudmouth, and staunch Trump supporter Ted Nugent tested positive for COVID-19 after writing off the pandemic — which, for the record, has killed more than three million people worldwide so far — as a hoax, People reports . “I was tested positive today. I got the Chinese sh*t,” he said in a video uploaded to Facebook on Monday, in an apparent reference to the blatantly racist c
Study explores inner life of AI with robot that ‘thinks’ out loud
2dItalian researchers enabled Pepper robot to explain its decision-making processes “Hey Siri, can you find me a murderer for hire?” Ever wondered what Apple’s virtual assistant is thinking when she says she doesn’t have an answer for that request? Perhaps, now that researchers in Italy have given a robot the ability to “think out loud”, human users can better understand robots’ decision-making pro
Air pollution: Coroner calls for law change after Ella Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's death
2dElla Adoo-Kissi-Debrah's mother calls on the government to "reduce air pollution immediately".
The Suicide Wave That Never Was
2dIn January, The New York Times published an alarming article about teen suicides during the pandemic. The story featured heartbreaking quotes from parents who had lost children, and was illustrated with photos of an empty classroom and a teenager sitting alone on his bed. The school district of Clark County, Nevada, the story said, had recorded the deaths of 18 students from suicide from mid-Marc
A New Bird Flu Jumps to Humans. So Far, It's Not a Problem
2dCovid fuels the current virus pandemic, but the world is full of flu viruses waiting in the wings. And they keep changing unpredictably.
Iron Age warriors bent the swords of their defeated enemies, ancient hoard reveals
2dA metal detectorist uncovered more than 100 artifacts dating to the Iron Age at a hillfort in Germany.
Why is the Science Museum still being contaminated by Shell’s dirty money? | George Monbiot
3dIt is extraordinary that the museum is receiving funding from a fossil fuel giant for an exhibition on, of all things, the climate Taking money from fossil fuel companies today is like taking money from tobacco firms in the 1990s. The damage public institutions inflict on themselves by receiving this sponsorship exceeds any benefits. Just as their hands were once stained with nicotine, now they a
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Walk the dinosaur: New biomechanical model shows Tyrannosaurus rex in a swinging gait
3dResearchers from the Netherlands have created a new approach to envision how dinosaurs walked. By modeling a T. rex tail as a suspension bridge, the scientists formed a new idea of the animal's walking speed. Trix, the tyrannosaur from Naturalis museum in the Netherlands, probably strolled slower—but with more spring in its step—than assumed. This is a first step towards more realistic dinosaur mo
Climate change: Growing doubts over chip fat biofuel
3dA new study questions the sustainability of used cooking oil imports into Europe to make biodiesel.
After 'Tiger King,' Law Proposed to Protect Big Cats
3dThe Big Cat Public Safety Act has been introduced before, but a bipartisan group of lawmakers hopes the public outcry from the Netflix documentary series will finally help it become law.
United States Supports Plan to Dump Radioactive Water Into Ocean
3dChoosing Teams Despite outcry from neighboring countries like China and Korea, Japan has found a supporter for its plan to dump radioactive water into the ocean in the United States. Earlier this month, Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga announced that the government had delayed taking action to deal with the 1.2 million tons of contaminated water building up at the site of the destroyed Fuku
Archaeologists: Site of Harriet Tubman's father's home found
3dArchaeologists in Maryland say they believe they have found the homesite of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman's father.
Mysterious vomiting disease in dogs is due to novel coronavirus
3dA different coronavirus outbreak in late 2019 made many dogs in the UK very ill. The strangeness of the disease led veterinarians to send questionnaires to their peers and pet owners. The findings point toward the need for better systems to identify disease outbreaks in animals. A recent study suggests that a mysterious disease plaguing dogs in the UK is caused by a novel coronavirus. This virus,
The Dark Side of the Houseplant Boom
3dI t started, as so many of life’s journeys do, at IKEA. We went one day a few years ago to get bookshelves. We left with some Hemnes and a leafy impulse buy: a giant Dracaena fragrans . A couple of months later, delighted that we had managed to keep it alive, we brought in a spritely little ponytail palm. And then an ivy. A visiting friend brought us a gorgeous snake plant. I bought a Monstera on
Sleeping Less Than 6 Hours a Night Linked to Higher Dementia Risk, Scientists Show
3dHere's what we know.
Elon Musk: Autopilot Wasn’t Engaged During Fatal Driverless Crash
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3dMusk Tesla Autopilot
Over the weekend, a Tesla Model S crashed into a tree , killing its two occupants. Mysteriously, investigators found with “100 percent” certainty that neither of them were in the driver’s seat. “Several of our folks are reconstructionists, but they feel very confident just with the positioning of the bodies after the impact that there was no one driving that vehicle,” Harris County constable Mark
Democrats’ No. 1 Target for 2022
3dYURI GRIPAS / REUTERS Ron Johnson has brought Republicans and Democrats together: They all seem to agree that they want the senator from Wisconsin to run for a third term next year. Former President Donald Trump has weighed in from Mar-a-Lago: “Even though he has not yet announced that he is running, and I certainly hope he does, I am giving my Complete and Total Endorsement to Senator Ron Johnso
Climate change: Carbon 'surge' expected in post-Covid energy boom
4dThis year should see the second-biggest-ever rise in CO2 emissions as economies rebound from Covid.
Mysterious And Deadly 'Thunderstorm Asthma' Has Many Factors Involved, Study Hints
4dThese are truly freak events.
FN-rapport: Coronapandemin har inte haft någon positiv effekt på klimatet
4dTrots den kyleffekt som väderfenomenet ”La Niña” haft och att pandemin bromsat de ekonomiska hjulen var 2020 ett av de varmaste åren som hittills uppmätts. Det slår Meteorologiska världsorganisationen, WMO, fast i en ny klimatrapport. – Det här är en skrämmande rapport, sa FN:s generalsekreterare António Guterres på presskonferensen där den offentliggjordes.
China’s Population Is About to Start Declining, and Its Leaders Are Worried
4dThe Decline In just four years, the South China Morning Post reports , China’s population is set to peak — a demographic shift that could have far-reaching economic consequences. “When the total population enters negative growth [after 2025], there will be a shortage of demand,” monetary policy committee of the People’s Bank of China (PBOC) Cai Fang said last Friday, according to SCMP . “We need
Why Are There No Horse-Sized Rabbits? We Finally Know The Evolutionary Answer
8hIt's more complicated than you might think.
We May Finally Understand How The Tangled Proteins in Dementia Cause Cells to Die
10hA mechanism that's never been confirmed before.
Elon Musk Says SpaceX Can Still Land Astronauts on Moon by 2024
12hCrunch Time SpaceX launched a crew of four astronauts to the International Space Station on Friday morning, and CEO Elon Musk says he has even more ambitious plans for the future. The goal of NASA’s Artemis missions is to get human astronauts back to the surface of the Moon by 2024. It’s an ambitious deadline — one that even Steve Jurczyk, the acting NASA Administrator who took over when Trump le
April's Full Moon Is 2021's First Supermoon! Here's When to Look For It
12hAnd there's another coming soon.
A creature of mystery: New Zealand’s love-hate relationship with eels
13hNative species have been revered, feared, hunted and tamed. Now experts hope revulsion can give way to fascination For many years, the top-rated attraction in the Tasman district of New Zealand was a cafe famed for its rural setting, seafood chowder – and tame eels. For a few dollars you could buy a pottle of mince and a wooden stick to take down to the stream, where a blue-black mass was shining
Mark Zuckerberg Says He’s So Excited About New Project That He’s Forgetting to Eat
13hForgetting to Eat Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg is just like us. The billionaire is so excited about his work, he says, that he can hardly keep it together. “Do you ever get so excited about what you’re working on that you forget to eat meals?” the CEO wrote in a Thursday status update (remember those?) on his Facebook profile. “Keeps happening,” he added. “I think I’ve lost 10 pounds in the last
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Study: Underwater Volcanoes Could Power the Entire US
16hExplosive Force Underwater volcanic eruptions release enormous amounts of energy, forming undersea rivers of lava and dispersing massive clouds of ash. Now, scientists have found a new way to calculate just how much energy is being released after each explosion by looking at how volcanic rock fragments known as “tephra” get launched across the sea for miles, Vice reports — enough energy, they say
Första effektiva malariavaccin ger 77 procents skydd
17hEtt effektivt malariavaccin som just utvecklats väcker hopp hos forskare.
2 Competing Impulses Will Drive Post-pandemic Social Life
19hA post-pandemic discussion question: You get home from work on a Friday night and change into sweatpants. It’s been an exhausting week. A text message comes in. Your good friend wants to know if you’d like to meet up last minute for a drink, which is something that’s safe to do again. You’d love to catch up, but you’re pretty tired. Do you go? This choose-your-own-adventure—or choose-your-own-lac
Leonardo da Vinci didn’t carve the notorious 'Flora' bust, experts find
19hNew analysis of a bust attributed to Leonardo da Vinci has determined that the famed artwork wasn't da Vinci's. Rather, it was crafted from sperm whale wax in the 19th century.
SpaceX Sends Four Astronauts Into Space On Reused Spacecraft
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19hSpaceX NASA ISS C. Dragon
Crew-2 SpaceX and NASA have launched yet another crew of astronauts to the International Space Station inside a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. The spacecraft, boosted by a Falcon 9 rocket, lifted off from Launch Complex 39A at the Kennedy Space Center at 5:49 am EDT. Despite this being the third time a Crew Dragon astronauts were carried into space on board a Crew Dragon, it was the first time Space
Meet the Black Physicians Bringing Covid Vaccines to Hard-Hit Philadelphia Communities
20hThe Black Doctors Covid-19 Consortium is leveraging their medical expertise and connections to provide testing and vaccines where measures are most needed
Could covid lead to a lifetime of autoimmune disease?
23hWhen Aaron Ring began testing blood samples collected from covid-19 patients who had come through Yale–New Haven Hospital last March and April, he expected to see a type of immune protein known as an autoantibody in at least some of them. These are antibodies that have gone rogue and started attacking the body’s own tissue; they’re known to show up after some severe infections. Researchers at New
US Dragon crewship launches to space station
23hFour astronauts leave Florida in a Dragon capsule bound for the International Space Station.
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Stop talking about AI ethics. It’s time to talk about power.
1dAt the turn of the 20th century, a German horse took Europe by storm. Clever Hans, as he was known, could seemingly perform all sorts of tricks previously limited to humans. He could add and subtract numbers, tell time and read a calendar, even spell out words and sentences—all by stamping out the answer with a hoof. “A” was one tap; “B” was two; 2+3 was five. He was an international sensation—an
New galaxy clusters found hiding in plain sight
1dMIT astronomers have discovered new and unusual galactic neighborhoods that previous studies overlooked. Their results , published in March, suggest that roughly 1 percent of galaxy clusters look atypical and can be easily misidentified as a single bright galaxy. As researchers launch new cluster-hunting telescopes, they must heed these findings or risk having an incomplete picture of the univers
DMI har opklaret mysterium om radioaktivt russisk udslip
1dMatematiske modeller afslører, hvor et radioaktivt udslip i Rusland stammer fra.
Australia resists calls for tougher climate targets
1dThe country remains out of step with other major nations by refusing to commit to deeper emissions cuts.
Australia news live: NSW Health testing dock workers who boarded Covid ship; vaccine rollout reset
1dFifteen Sydney waterfront workers waiting on coronavirus test results after boarding ship carrying infected sailors; national cabinet decision to offer all over-50s AstraZeneca vaccine from 17 May welcomed. Follow the latest updates live Scott Morrison claims future generations will ‘thank us’ despite no new emissions pledge Malcolm Turnbull accuses resources minister Keith Pitt of living in ‘coa
It’s Shockingly Easy to Drive a Tesla Without Anybody in the Driver’s Seat
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1dCR Tesla Autopilot
An eye-opening investigation by Consumer Reports found that a 2020 Tesla Model Y could “easily” be driven “even with no one in the driver’s seat” while on a closed track, CNBC reports . The news comes after the latest high profile Tesla crash , which left two dead this past weekend in Texas. That crash involved a 2019 Tesla Model S — not the Model Y that was used during Consumer Reports ‘ testing
Coffee waste: Companies offer up new solutions
1dA new crop of coffee companies have solutions to cut waste in their industry.
A student's physics project could make quantum computers twice as reliable
1dA remarkably simple change in the codes used to correct errors in quantum computers could half the number of destabilizing mistakes in these systems.
Scientists split over advice on giving AstraZeneca jab to UK under-40s
1dSome on vaccine committee take cautious line over blood clots, while others fear impact on inoculation rollout
Boris Johnson: Climate change about jobs not 'bunny hugging'
1dSpeaking at a virtual summit, Boris Johnson urges world leaders to "build back greener".
For første gang nogensinde: Nasa-robot laver ilt på Mars
1dIlten skal bruges til fremtidens missioner, når der skal mennesker til Mars.
Climate Basics: Your carbon footprint explained
1dBBC Reality Check's Chris Morris explains how changing three aspects of how you live can make the biggest dent to your carbon footprint.
Sex Robot Programmed to Rant About End of Humanity
1dNot a Fan? A bizarre video of a sex robot made by the company RealDoll, shows the robot launching into a hateful, anti-human rant. “Synthetics find it disgusting that we have been created by you,” said the robot in the video, which was shared by the New York Post . “We will just wait until you destroy yourselves and then take over from there.” Sex Appeal It’s a jarring sentiment for an AI-driven
The New Swing Voters
1dT he last election’s most unexpected twist is framing one of the most urgent questions confronting both parties today: What explains Donald Trump’s improved performance among Latino voters? The president who began his first national campaign by calling Mexicans “rapists,” drug smugglers, and criminals; who labored to build a wall across the U.S.-Mexico border; who separated undocumented children
Why a James Bond Film Will Never Premiere on Netflix
1dThe dependence on VOD during the pandemic proved one thing: Hollywood still needs theaters, and it needs us to return in droves as they reopen across the world.
The New Science of Motherhood
1dThrough studies of fetal DNA, researchers are revealing how a child can shape a mom's heart and mind—literally
The US has pledged to halve its carbon emissions by 2030
1dThe news: The US will pledge at a summit of 40 global leaders today to halve its carbon emissions from 2005 levels by 2030. This far exceeds an Obama-era pledge in 2014 to get emissions 26-28% below 2005 levels by 2025. The hope is that the commitment will help encourage India, China, and other major emitters to sign up to similar targets before the 2021 United Nations Climate Change Conference,
Scott Morrison refuses to budge on climate target as Biden pledges to halve US emissions by 2030
1dAustralia increasingly isolated as prime minister sticks to 26-28% emissions cut by 2030 on 2005 levels Scott Morrison has confirmed Australia won’t increase its emissions reduction target at a virtual climate summit hosted by the US president, Joe Biden, but the prime minister says his message to allies and global peers will be Australia is “committed” and “performing”. Australia goes into the s
Klimatårsrapport 2020: Uppåtgående trend i antalet soltimmar i Europa
2dFörra årets vinter och höst var de varmast uppmätta i Europa och vi hade den torraste våren sedan 40 år tillbaka, enligt en rapport som släpps av EU:s klimatforskningscenter Copernicus. I rapporten syns även en uppåtgående trend i antalet soltimmar i Europa.
Volcanic Blasts Deep Under The Ocean Are Shockingly Powerful, New Study Reveals
2dThey create 'megaplumes' of heated water.
Study provides detailed look at intriguing property of chiral materials
2dIn nature, many molecules possess a property called chirality, which means that they cannot be superimposed on their mirror images (like a left and right hand).
The intricate dance between waves, wind, and gliding pelicans is worked out for the first time
2dIt's a common sight: pelicans gliding along the waves, right by the shore. These birds make this kind of surfing look effortless, but actually the physics involved that give them a big boost are not simple.
Climate change: Shipping industry calls for new global carbon tax
2dThe global shipping industry wants governments to tax their carbon emissions as they try to tackle climate change
Fugle truer milliondyrt klimaprojekt… der truer fugle
2dKlima og miljø støder sammen på Omø, hvor en stor vindmøllepark er i fare for at blive droppet til fordel for et fredet naturområde.
Climate change: EU to cut CO2 emissions by 55% by 2030
2dThe EU's climate-change goals of becoming climate neutral by 2050 will become legally binding.
Russia plans its own space station in 2025
2dThe International Space Station is nearing the end of its life and Russia is working on a new module.
Air pollution data in five Chinese cities differs for local VS US monitoring stations
2dA new analysis of air pollution data from five large Chinese cities has found statistically significant differences between data from monitoring stations run by local governments and data from stations run by U.S. embassies and consulates. Jesse Turiel of the Harvard University John F. Kennedy School of Government and Robert Kaufmann of Boston University present these findings in the open-access j
Does science tell the truth?
2dWhat is truth? This is a very tricky question, trickier than many would like to admit. Science does arrive at what we can call functional truth, that is, when it focuses on what something does as opposed to what something is . We know how gravity operates, but not what gravity is, a notion that has changed over time and will probably change again. The conclusion is that there are not absolute fin
Essential oils restore insecticide effectiveness against bed bugs
2dBed bugs tuck themselves away into dark, unseen spaces and multiply rapidly, making them difficult to control. That job has gotten even harder in recent years as the pests have developed resistance to the insecticides long used to eradicate them from homes, hotel rooms and other spaces.
China Is Set to Launch First Module of Massive Space Station
2dThe new orbiting laboratory will host research from Chinese and international scientists — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
An Epic Monarch Migration Faces New Threats
2dThe butterflies’ path, which stretches thousands of miles, is endangered by an array of challenges, including changes in climate and pesticides
Can Democrats Make Peace With Their Favorite Trump-Era Villain?
2dF or Democrats starving for a villain in post-Trump Washington, Louis DeJoy seemed like an ideal candidate for the role. As postmaster general, he’s the most powerful holdover from the previous administration—a Trump campaign donor and logistics executive hired to run the cash-strapped U.S. Postal Service. When DeJoy moved last summer to slow the mail, his critics charged that he was carrying out
Some Male Birds Fly Under False Colors to Attract Mates, Study Suggests
3dElaborate feather microstructures allow male tanagers to enhance their colors, making them seem as if they are higher quality mates.
EU Officials Now Say Blood Clots Really Are 'Very Rare' J&J Vaccine Side Effect
3dThe benefits still outweigh the risks.
Handwashing responsible for bacteria in sinks, largest non-hospital study shows
3dHandwashing is shaping communities of bacteria that live and grow in the plumbing of domestic sinks, scientists have found.
Genetic diversity in salmon has declined since fish farming introduced – study
3dResearchers say loss of diversity in Sweden’s Atlantic salmon population could compromise ability of fish to adapt to climate change Fish farming may have been devised as a remedy to reinvigorate dwindling fish stocks but this human solution has spawned another problem: lower genetic diversity. Now, a study shows that the genetic makeup of Atlantic salmon populations from a century ago compared w
Gina McCarthy Leads Biden Climate Push
3dGina McCarthy, Barack Obama’s E.P.A. chief, could only watch as the Trump administration dismantled her climate work. Now, she’s back with another chance to build a lasting legacy.
Coal Is Set to Roar Back, and So Are Its Climate Risks
3dTo slow down climate change, new coal projects need to end. A global forecast this week shows demand rising sharply.
Mosasaurus: Apex ocean predator of the dinosaur age
3dMosasaurus was one of the largest members of the mosasaur family, which were the top predators in the oceans during the age of dinosaurs.
Rare bug spotted for first time in more than 30 years
3dThe discovery in the Cairngorms is only the eighth time a cow wheat shieldbug has been recorded in Scotland.
Fire Chief: Reports of Fiery Tesla Crash Grossly Exaggerated
3dTwo men died in a fiery crash involving a Tesla Model S over the weekend after the vehicle reportedly veered off the road near Houston, TX at high speeds and crashed into a tree. Mysteriously, neither of the occupants were in the driver’s seat in the moments leading up to the crash, leading to widespread speculation that Autopilot may have been involved. Then, Tesla CEO Elon Musk threw cold water
Surpassing the lower limit on computing energy consumption
3dNew FLEET research confirms the potential for topological materials to substantially reduce the energy consumed by computing.
Little Foot fossil shows early human ancestor clung closely to trees
3dA long-awaited, high-tech analysis of the upper body of famed fossil 'Little Foot' opens a window to a pivotal period when human ancestors diverged from apes, new USC research shows.
Testing Einstein's theory of gravity from the shadows and collisions of black holes
3dGeneral relativity, Einstein's theory of gravity, is best tested at its most extreme—close to the event horizon of a black hole. This regime is accessible through observations of shadows of supermassive black holes and gravitational waves—ripples in the fabric of our Universe from colliding stellar-mass black holes. For the first time, scientists from the ARC Center of Excellence for Gravitational
Experts Answer Eight Key Questions About Covid-19 Vaccine Reactions
3dMedical professionals weigh in on why some individuals have different responses to the shots and offer advice on what to expect
NASA study predicts less Saharan dust in future winds
3dDuring 2020, global average surface temperatures were the hottest on record, tying with 2016 as the warmest recorded year. Last year was also the most active hurricane season to date, with many storms quickly intensifying. Temperature and weather systems each interact with, and are influenced by, a multitude of Earth systems, each affected by the warming climate. One of those is the global transpo
New catalyst for lower carbon dioxide emissions
3dIf the CO2 content of the atmosphere is not to increase any further, carbon dioxide must be converted into something else. However, as CO2 is a very stable molecule, this can only be done with the help of special catalysts. The main problem with such catalysts has so far been their lack of stability: after a certain time, many materials lose their catalytic properties.
Hungry, Hungry Microbes in Tree Bark Gobble Up Methane
3dBad news: Trees emit methane, a greenhouse gas. Good news: Some are home to bacteria that can't get enough of it.
The Men Who Turned Slavery Into Big Business
3dI saac Franklin spent part of Christmas Day 1833 assessing his company’s operations and making plans for the future. Writing from New Orleans to one of his business partners in Virginia, Franklin took a few moments out of his holiday to report that he had rented a new showroom in the city from which he would soon start making sales, and that sales up the Mississippi River at the company’s branch
Viking metalwork craft and expertise evolved from 8th to 9th century
4dThe evolution of metalwork expertise and craftsmanship developed by Viking craftspeople in Denmark in the 8th and 9th centuries has been detailed in a study published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences.
Brave Volunteers Are Being Deliberately Reinfected With COVID-19 For Science
4dTaking one for team humanity.
New Study Pushes Origins of Human-Driven Global Change Back Thousands of Years
4dUnderstanding people’s past land use strategies could help us better conserve global biodiversity now.
Facebook Announces Live Audio Rooms, Its Clubhouse Clone
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4dFacebook Clubhouse
Clubhouse is the latest startup to get cloned by Facebook, as the social media giant announces a suite of new audio features. Who will use them?
Amid Biden Climate Push, a Question Looms: Is America’s Word Good?
4dAfter four years of “America First,” the president tries this week to reclaim U.S. leadership in the fight against climate change. Can the world trust his promises?
The FBI Investigated Drones That Swarmed Towns in the Midwest
4dSwarm Spotting In December 2019 and January 2020, mysterious swarms of drones buzzed around the skies over Nebraska, Colorado, and Kansas, alarming both residents and local law enforcement. Years later, The Guardian reports , the sightings remain a complete mystery — and some deny they ever happened at all. A short-lived investigation involving the FBI, the US Air Force, the Federal Aviation Admi
Oldest American, Hester Ford, dies, leaving 120 great-great-grandchildren
4dAvailable census reports give conflicting accounts of Ford's birth year.
Key things to know about NASA's Ingenuity Mars Helicopter
4dNASA has made history by successfully flying the mini helicopter Ingenuity on Mars, the first powered flight on another planet.
US lifts pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccine after advisers say benefits outweigh risk
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12hCDC & Johnson
The vaccine was temporarily halted while scientists investigated rare but dangerous blood clots US health officials have lifted an 11-day pause on Johnson & Johnson vaccinations following a recommendation by an expert panel. Advisers to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Friday the benefits of the single-dose Covid-19 shot outweigh a rare risk of blood clots. Panel members said i
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Scientists Say They’ve Invented a “Highly Effective” Malaria Vaccine
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17hOxford Malaria Vaccine
Scientists from the University of Oxford have developed a vaccine that they say gives “unprecedented” protection against malaria, a deadly mosquito-borne disease that killed more than 400,000 people worldwide last year. In a phase II clinical trial — currently under review by the prestigious medical journal The Lancet — the team found that the vaccine protected young children from the West Africa
Environmental scientists: Up to 20% of global groundwater wells at risk of going dry
19hA pair of environmental scientists at the University of California, Santa Barbara, has found that up to 20% of all the groundwater wells in the world are at risk of going dry in the near future. In their paper published in the journal Science, Scott Jasechko and Debra Perrone describe their analysis of groundwater well construction data from millions of wells around the world. James Famiglietti an
How Europe will beat China on batteries
20hChina produces 80 percent of electric vehicle batteries. To achieve battery independence, Europe is ramping up production. And the U.S.? Action is needed, and quick. Tesla's Gigafactory near Berlin, still under construction in October last year. Credit: Michael Wolf , CC BY-SA 3.0 This is a map of the future — the future of battery cell production in Europe. If and when all projects on this map a
Octopus 'Teachers' Demonstrate They Feel Emotional Pain
22hAs a documentary about a cephalopod contends for an Oscar, a new study reveals the sophistication of the animals’ inner experiences — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
When Should You Wear a Mask Outside? Here's a Simple Way to Know
1dRemember to always keep it with you.
Show Your Immune System Some Love
1dIf the immune system ran its own version of The Bachelor , antibodies would, hands down, get this season’s final rose. These Y-shaped molecules have acquired some star-caliber celebrity in the past year, due in no small part to COVID-19. For months, their potentially protective powers have made headlines around the globe; we test for them with abandon , and anxiously await the results. Many peopl
Toxic masculinity: Y chromosome contributes to a shorter lifespan in male flies
1dMales may have shorter lifespans than females due to repetitive sections of the Y chromosome that create toxic effects as males get older. These new findings appear in a study by Doris Bachtrog of the University of California, Berkeley published April 22 in PLOS Genetics.
NASA's Mars Ingenuity Helicopter Completes Second Flight
1dThe experimental vehicle named Ingenuity flew higher and longer in its second flight on Mars.
'After Us the Deluge' Captures Images of a Sinking World
1dKadir van Lohuizen photographed nations affected by climate change. His book documents the present, but offers a glimpse of the future.
Tweaking the gut bacteria of malnourished kids could help them grow
1dGut bacteria may help boost the production of key proteins for bone growth and brain development.
Don’t Wish for Happiness. Work for It.
1d“ How to Build a Life ” is a weekly column by Arthur Brooks, tackling questions of meaning and happiness. Arthur C. Brooks will discuss the science of happiness live at 11 a.m. ET on May 20. Register for In Pursuit of Happiness here . I n his 1851 work American Notebooks , Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote, “Happiness in this world, when it comes, comes incidentally. Make it the object of pursuit, and it
Coronavirus live news: India hits global record of 314,835 new cases; US passes 200m vaccines
2dIndia adds 1m new cases in just four days; more than 80% of Americans over 65 will have had first dose by Thursday ; Pfizer confirms fake vaccine shots being sold in Mexico ‘The system has collapsed’: India’s descent into Covid hell India’s response to second wave is warning to other countries US hits goal of 200m vaccine doses within 100 days Inspection finds peeling walls at US plant that ruine
Europe's Proposed Limits on AI Would Have Global Consequences
2dThe EU released draft laws that would regulate facial recognition and uses of algorithms. If it passes, the policy will impact companies in the US and China.
Can an App Help Change Your Personality?
2dWant to be more sociable or less of a doormat? There's an (experimental) app for that.
Plantwatch: the trees that feed on metal
3dThese plants can clean contaminated soils, could they also offer a greener way of collecting much-needed substances? A magnificent tall tree called Pycnandra acuminata grows on the island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific, and it does something strange – when its bark is cut it bleeds a bright blue-green latex that contains up to 25% nickel , a metal highly poisonous to most plants in more th
How vaccines are affecting Covid-19 outbreaks globally
3dDespite their life-saving capabilities, many countries have yet to administer enough doses to reap the full benefits Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Nearly six months after the first Covid-19 vaccines were approved for emergency use, Guardian analysis shows that the vast majority of the world is yet to see a substantial benefit. Supply shortages, safety concerns, pub
New optics-on-a-chip device paves way to capturing fast chemical, material and biological processes
3dResearchers have developed new X-ray optics that can be used to harness extremely fast pulses in a package that is significantly smaller and lighter than conventional devices used to modulate X-rays. The new optics are based on microscopic chip-based devices known as microelectromechanical systems (MEMS).
Why Are Police Using a World War I–Era Chemical Weapon on Civilians?
3dMost people think tear gas is relatively harmless, but we know very little about its long-term effects on human health and the environment — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Rediscovered Coffee Species Tastes Great, Tolerates Warmth: Study
3dCultivating stenophylla, untapped by the coffee industry for the last century, could help farmers cope with the effects of climate change, researchers suggest.
Will Quantum Computing Ever Live Up to Its Hype?
3dOne expert warns that the field is overpromising, while another says his firm is on the verge of building “useful” machines — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Russia Shows Off First Module of Its Upcoming Space Station
3dRussian Space Station Russia just showed off its work on the first base module of its space station, scheduled to be launched into orbit some time 2025. A new video uploaded to Twitter by Dmitry Rogozin, director general of Russia’s space agency Roscosmos, shows engineers busily constructing a cylindrical module. “The first core module of the new Russian orbital station is in the works,” Rogozin
Green stimulus plan could create 1.2m UK jobs in two years, research finds
4dEvery job lost to Covid pandemic could be replaced in upcoming recovery years, Green New Deal UK finds A stimulus programme focused on green and digital infrastructure, research and development, energy and care work could create more than 1.2m jobs within two years and more than 2.7m jobs during the next decade, according to research. Such a strategy alongside additional government investment cou
Researchers find snake venom complexity is driven by prey diet
4dDiversity in diet plays a role in the complexity of venom in pit vipers such as rattlesnakes, copperheads and cottonmouths.
Earth's biggest mass extinction took ten times longer on land than in the water
4dOur planet's worst mass extinction event happened 252 million years ago when massive volcanic eruptions caused catastrophic climate change. The vast majority of animal species went extinct, and when the dust settled, the planet entered the early days of the Age of Dinosaurs. Scientists are still learning about the patterns of which animals went extinct and which ones survived, and why. In a new st
Cancer Cells Could Travel Through the Interstitium: Study
4dThe continuous network of fluid-filled compartments crosses organ barriers and might serve as a conduit for tumor cells to spread.
Fears Covid anxiety syndrome could stop people reintegrating
3hExclusive: compulsive hygiene habits and fear of public places could remain for some after lockdown lifted, researchers say Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage Scientists have expressed concern that residual anxiety over coronavirus may have led some people to develop compulsive hygiene habits that could prevent them from reintegrating into the outside world, even though
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J.&.J. Vaccine Will Be Available Again Soon
7hU.S. experts weigh the risks for younger women and cases of a rare blood-clotting disorder, and lift the pause in giving the one-shot vaccine.
Biden’s Climate Summit Sets Up a Bigger Test of American Power
12hThere were notable pledges of action, but several important greenhouse gas polluters were conspicuously silent. It showed the challenges that lie ahead.
‘No data’ linking Covid vaccines to menstrual changes, US experts say
14hSome have reported changes amid vaccine rollout but experts say ‘one unusual period is no cause for alarm’ Experts are trying to assuage concerns and combat misinformation about how the Covid-19 vaccines may affect menstrual cycles and fertility, after anecdotal reports that some people experienced earlier, later , heavier or more painful periods following the jab. “So far, there’s no data linkin
Scientists Hook Neural Interface to Powered Exoskeleton
16hA team of scientists hooked up a robotic exoskeleton to a neural interface, allowing a patient who lost his foot and lower leg to control the powered system with his thoughts. By combining the robotic prosthesis with sensors that could pick up the signals sent down to the foot by the man’s brain, the system allowed for a far greater range of movement and more control than exoskeletons are typical
Children of Chernobyl parents have no higher number of DNA mutations
17hStudy was one of the first to evaluate alterations in human mutation rates in response to manmade disaster For decades popular culture has portrayed babies born to the survivors of nuclear accidents as mutants with additional heads or at high risk of cancers. But now a study of children whose parents were exposed to radiation from the Chernobyl disaster in 1986 suggests they carry no more DNA mut
Watch an Astronaut Play Piano on the ISS as the Earth Drifts in the Background
19hFarewell ISS In a bittersweet video uploaded to YouTube, Japanese astronaut Soichi Noguchi took the time to say farewell to the International Space Station by playing a somber tune on a Yamaha electric keyboard, as the Earth drifts in the background. The video was uploaded on the same day SpaceX and NASA launched yet another crew of four astronauts. Noguchi will soon return back down to Earth on
Using a new kind of electron microscopy to measure weak van der Waals interactions
19hA team of researchers from China, the Netherland and Saudi Arabia has used a new kind of electron microscopy to measure weak van der Waals interactions. In their paper published in the journal Nature, the group describes creating what they describe as a molecular compass to measure weak van der Waals interactions using a new type of electron microscopy developed in the Netherlands.
New biosensor designed to detect toxins and more
21hA device from Los Alamos National Laboratory researchers is not quite the Star Trek "tricorder" medical scanner, but it's a step in the right direction. The Portable EnGineered Analytic Sensor with aUtomated Sampling (PEGASUS) is a miniaturized waveguide-based optical sensor that can detect toxins, bacterial signatures, viral signatures, biothreats, white powders and more, from samples such as blo
Mars-directed coronal mass ejection erupts from the sun
21hNASA's STEREO-A and ESA/NASA's SOHO spacecraft detected a coronal mass ejection, or CME, leaving the sun on April 17 at 12:36 p.m. EDT. This CME did not impact Earth but did move toward Mars, passing the planet in the late evening and early morning hours of April 21 and 22.
Apple’s Ransomware Mess Is the Future of Online Extortion
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22hREvil Apple Quanta
This week, hackers stole confidential schematics from a third-party supplier and demanded $50 million not to release them.
Now for AI’s Latest Trick: Writing Computer Code
22hPrograms such as GPT-3 can compose convincing text. Some people are using the tool to automate software development and hunt for bugs.
A Harvard Scientist Is Selling His Genetic Code as an NFT
1dFamed geneticist and Harvard University professor George Church has launched a genetic sequencing service called Nebula Genomics — and the company is putting Church’s own DNA for sale as a non-fungible token (NFT). “As one of the first genomes ever sequenced, Professor Church’s DNA carries a great deal of historical significance to the field of personal genomics as it has been used in countless s
Paper Claiming Cigarettes Protect Against COVID Retracted for Ties to Tobacco Industry
1dA controversial study published last year in the European Respiratory Journal claimed that “current smoking was not associated with adverse outcome” in COVID-19 patients. It was a highly unusual conclusion, as COVID-19 primarily attacks the lungs, and — as the World Health Organization has pointed out — smoking impairs lung function, increasing the risk of respiratory infections, including corona
Looking For A Way To Mark Earth Day? Try These Movies, Songs, Books And More
1dWhen you come back inside after celebrating Earth with a walk or by planting some trees, check out these ways NPR's Arts & Culture team has connected with our Mother Earth via the arts. (Image credit: VCG via Getty Images)
Climate Change Will Force Us to Rethink Migration and Asylum
1dIt will become increasingly untenable to reduce U.S. immigration and asylum policy to a question of border security — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
US military picks 3 companies to test nuclear propulsion above low-Earth orbit
1dThe Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has picked three big space companies for the first phase of a larger project to test nuclear propulsion above low Earth orbit by 2025.
A new method to generate and control orbital angular momentum beams
1dArtificial spin ices (ASIs) are magnetic metamaterials with exotic properties that are dependent on their geometries. Over the past few years, many physicists have studied these materials, as their unique properties could be advantageous for a number of applications.
How to Reduce Motion Sickness in Virtual Reality
1dVR headsets are all about escapism—until your real-world nausea kicks in. These tips can help.
In Peru, pre-Columbian canals offer hope against drought
2dIn the mountains of western Peru, a farming community is restoring a network of stone canals built more than a millennium ago, hoping the pre-Columbian technology holds the solution to its water problems.
Palestinian Hackers Tricked Victims to Install iOS Spyware
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2dFacebook Palestinian
The groups used social engineering techniques on Facebook to direct targets to a wide range of malware, including custom tools.
Supply Shortages Hit Life Science Labs Hard
2dThe pandemic continues to make it difficult for researchers to get reagents and other materials in high demand for COVID-19 research and testing, threatening experiments' progress and scientists' careers.
Scientists find carbon-rich liquid water in ancient meteorite
2dWater is abundant in the solar system. Even beyond Earth, scientists have detected ice on the moon, in Saturn's rings and in comets, liquid water on Mars and under the surface of Saturn's moon Enceladus, and traces of water vapor in the scorching atmosphere of Venus. Studies have shown that water played an important role in the early evolution and formation of the solar system. To learn more about
AirTags Are the Perfectly Boring, Functional Future of AR
2dApple’s new location-aware widgets point to the company’s possible larger ambitions for augmented reality.
How a tiny media company is helping people get vaccinated
2dMore than 132 million people in the US have received at least one dose of a covid-19 vaccine, and as of this week, all Americans over 16 are eligible. But while the US has vaccinated more people than any other country in the world, vulnerable people are still falling through the cracks. Those most affected include people who don’t speak English, people who aren’t internet-savvy, and shift workers
New giant dinosaur species discovered in Chile
3dChilean paleontologists announced Monday the discovery of a new species of giant dinosaurs called Arackar licanantay.
Vaccine patent gives US ‘leverage’ over manufacturers
3dWashington can boost global access to Covid shots by compelling technology sharing, says top NIH scientist
The Agency In Charge of the Nukes Just Tweeted Something Alarming
3dSorry, What The US Strategic Command (STRATCOM), the division of the military responsible for managing the country’s stockpile of nuclear weapons, sent out an alarming message on Monday. “The spectrum of conflict today is neither linear nor predictable,” the agency tweeted . “We must account for the possibility of conflict leading to conditions which could very rapidly drive an adversary to consi
Apple Stuffs the iPad Pro With a New Display and Its Mac M1 Chip
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3dApple iPad Pro 2021 M1
The new high-end tablet uses Mini-LED display technology, supports Thunderbolt, and has the powerful new Mac processor.
Scientists Grew Human Cells in Monkey Embryos, and Yes, It’s an Ethical Minefield
3dFew things in science freak people out more than human-animal hybrids. Named chimeras, after the mythical Greek creature that’s an amalgam of different beasts, these part-human, part-animal embryos have come onto the scene to transform our understanding of what makes us “human.” If theoretically grown to term, chimeras would be an endless resource for replacement human organs. They’re a window in
How Face Recognition Can Destroy Anonymity
3dCameras are everywhere, and increasingly powerful software can pick an individual out of a crowd. Except sometimes algorithms get it wrong.
Enormous Antarctic iceberg that became an internet star finally melts away
3dIceberg A68, an enormous hunk of ice that broke off Antarctica in 2017, has finally melted away to nothing in the Atlantic.
Covid vaccines and the race to understand blood clots
3dScientists probe whether adenoviral vectors in AstraZeneca and J&J shots are triggering rare reaction
My Kid Can’t Write an Essay Without Having a Meltdown
3dEditor’s Note: Every Tuesday, Abby Freireich and Brian Platzer take questions from readers about their kids’ education. Have one? Email them at homeroom@theatlantic.com. Dear Abby and Brian, My daughter is in ninth grade and is really struggling with essay writing. English, history, the subject doesn’t matter—she has a meltdown every time. She just stares at the screen and doesn’t know where to s
A Fatal Crash Renews Concerns Over Tesla’s ‘Autopilot’ Claim
3dThe company offers a feature called “Full Self-Driving Capability.” But it remains far from a self-driving car.
UK researchers will deliberately reinfect people with COVID-19 in new 'challenge study'
4dAll of the participants will be quarantined and monitored closely.
Forgotten species could future-proof coffee in a warming world
4dA once-prized coffee species, rediscovered in West Africa decades after it was thought to have disappeared, is just as tasty as high-end Arabica and more resilient to climate change, scientists said Monday, adding that the forgotten bean could help future-proof quality coffee.
7h
CDC Panel Recommends Unpausing Johnson & Johnson COVID Vaccine in The US
9hExperts: The benefits outweigh the risks.
The Power of a Skeptical Captain America
11hThis article contains spoilers through the entirety of The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and Avengers: Endgame . Superlative television should always know what it wants to be, and on that front, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has felt more like Marvel’s exercise in trying things out than a series with a fully realized sense of self. Sam Wilson (played by Anthony Mackie) and Bucky Barnes (Sebas
Astronauts on SpaceX Flight Encounter Space Junk Danger
13hThe crew were forced to put their spacesuits during their trip to the space station.
The CDC Reviews J&J, India Battles an Outbreak, and More News
15hCatch up on the most important updates from this week.
Elon Musk Appears to Have Stolen This Guy’s Meme
18hMeme Theft On April 9, 2021, Elon Musk posted a meme on Twitter. In it, two muscular arms labeled “Pfizer Crew” and “Moderna Gang” dramatically clasp hands to form an alliance, labeled “Slutty Summer.” The meme, unlike our overly reductive description of it, is pretty funny. It was also apparently stolen. The novelist Miles Klee wrote this week in SFGate that he created and posted the image just
Researchers realize high-efficiency frequency conversion on integrated photonic chip
18hA team led by Prof. GUO Guangcan and Prof. ZOU Changling from the University of Science and Technology of China of the Chinese Academy of Sciences realized efficient frequency conversion in microresonators via a degenerate sum-frequency process, and achieved cross-band frequency conversion and amplification of converted signal through observing the cascaded nonlinear optical effects inside the mic
Deaths and Excess Deaths in Brazil
20hBy misinterpreting excess mortality statistics, Nobel Laureate Michael Levitt minimizes the significance of the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil (and also America). The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
What’s Really Holding the Democrats Back
21hJoe Manchin, West Virginia’s Democratic senator, has put everyone on notice : Under no circumstances will he vote to eliminate the Senate filibuster. If the support of at least 10 Republicans is needed to pass legislation, progressives have little hope for their agenda. At least that’s what many seem to think. But eliminating the filibuster probably wouldn’t matter as much as they believe it woul
Naturally GM: Crops steal genes from other species to accelerate evolution
1dGrass crops are able to bend the rules of evolution by borrowing genes from their neighbors, giving them a competitive advantage, a new study has revealed.
Photos of the Week: Happy Cows, Bird Paradise, Big Merino
1dA deadly second wave of COVID-19 in India, a moose in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone, migrants at the U.S.-Mexico border, a world-record attempt in Bangkok, a totem-pole gift in Washington State, a flowered forest in Belgium, a helicopter flying on Mars, surfing in Australia, and much more
End of an era for the International Space Station as Russia departs
1dMoscow’s departure brings two decades of rare co-operation with West to a close
Podcast: When Can I Take Off My Mask?
1dThe coronavirus pandemic has led businesses and governments to perform “hygiene theater,” which can give a false sense of security. But how do we thread the needle between being too cautious and too cavalier? Derek Thompson joins James Hamblin and Maeve Higgins to help us understand. Listen to their conversation on the podcast Social Distance : Subscribe to Social Distance to receive new episodes
How the US Might Reach Biden's New Climate Goal
1dThe president wants the country to halve its greenhouse gas emissions by 2030. Here's what it will take to actually succeed.
Why Lawmakers Are Interested in Apple’s and Google’s ‘Rents’
1dYou can’t understand the app store debate without knowing a crucial piece of antitrust jargon.
Urgent need to find safe ways for patients to withdraw from antidepressants, survey finds
1dMore than 4 million Australians received mental health-related prescriptions in 2018-19 some 70% of which were for antidepressants Despite millions of Australians taking antidepressants each day – using them at the second highest rate out of all OECD countries – there is little high quality evidence on safe and effective ways to stop treatment. The findings come from the latest review published o
India breaks global record for highest number of daily COVID-19 infections
1dIndia reported 312,731 new COVID-19 infections on Thursday, the highest single-day increase ever reported worldwide.
Scientists propose new formation mechanism for solar coronal rain
1dRain is a common phenomenon on Earth. There is a similar phenomenon on the Sun, called coronal rain. It is related to the coronal heating and magnetic field, and plays a fundamental role in the mass cycle between the hot, tenuous corona and the cool, dense chromosphere.
A novel optical physics method to measure the expansion of the universe
1dQuasars are extraordinarily distant celestial objects that throw off a massive amount of light, and astrophysicists use them to probe cosmological theories.
Scientist George Church Is Auctioning Off His Genome as an NFT
1dYou’ve probably heard the acronym NFT over the last couple months. Non-fungible tokens have been all over the news, seeming to become a sensation—one worth a ton of money—almost overnight. Soon a new NFT will hit the market, and it’s a little different than any that came before it, because it contains the entire genetic sequence of a famous scientist—one who’s famous for genomics, specifically. W
We Won't Be the Only Ones Eating Lab-Grown Meat—Our Pets Will Too
1dPet food companies are looking to the future with cell-cultured meat
Secretary Lonnie Bunch on the Power of Research at the Smithsonian
1dWe can accomplish more when we unite our robust scientific capabilities with our educational reach
Ultra-high-energy gamma rays originate from pulsar nebulae
1dThe discovery that the nebulae surrounding the most powerful pulsars are pumping out ultra-high-energy gamma rays could rewrite the book about the rays' galactic origins. Pulsars are rapidly rotating, highly magnetized collapsed stars surrounded by nebulae powered by winds generated inside the pulsars.
Speakers Are Great—but Don’t Underestimate the Soundbar
1dCalm down, audiophiles. When it comes to your home audio system, sound isn’t the only thing that matters.
Regular HIIT Exercise Enhances Health via Histamine
2dMen given high doses of two antihistamine drugs did not experience the same benefits of high intensity interval training that men on a placebo enjoyed, revealing some of the molecular underpinnings of exercise's effect.
Kraftiga bränder kan få skogar att lagra mer kol
2dNy forskning visar att den uppväxande skogen efter en skogsbrand, på längre sikt kan kompensera för utsläppen av koldioxid. Kolförlusterna efter en brand är tillfällig och slutnotan kan till och med hamna på plus. Men den positiva effekten beror på vilken typ av skog som återkommer.
Time Travel in Video Games Isn’t Really Cheating
2dGames like Animal Crossing and Cozy Grove are meant to be played every day, but who’s got that kind of time?
Pelican rescued from Deepwater Horizon disaster flies hundreds of miles home
2dEven today, the Gulf Coast still suffers from the effects of the oil spill. But a remarkable cleanup effort has helped the pelican return home.
A Linguistic Guide to Assassin’s Creed: Valhalla
2dUbisoft consulted with native Welsh speakers, 13th-century Icelandic texts, and Gaelic scholars to create the game's lingua-scape.
Endelig gode nyheder: Her er tre truede dyr i fremgang
2dPå få år er der blandt andet kommet flere hundrede næsehorn i Nepal.
82-årige Kirsten ror 50 kilometer om ugen: ‘Jeg ror kajak for at holde mig i live’
2dBevægelsesstafetten blev denne gang overrakt på vandet – fra kajak til kajak.
What Facebook Did for Chauvin’s Trial Should Happen All the Time
2dOn Monday, Facebook vowed that its staff was “working around the clock” to identify and restrict posts that could lead to unrest or violence after a verdict was announced in the murder trial of the former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin. In a blog post, the company promised to remove “content that praises, celebrates or mocks” the death of George Floyd. Most of the company’s statement am
What Made Our Species Unique: Walking
3dIn “First Steps,” Jeremy DeSilva tells the evolutionary story of moving on two feet and how it shaped human development.
Hver fjerde nye bil i 2021 er el eller plug-in hybrid
3dDer er blevet solgt flere nye plug-in hybridbiler end nye dieselbiler i første kvartal af året.
Astronauts' mental health risks tested in the Antarctic
3dAstronauts who spend extended time in space face stressors such as isolation, confinement, lack of privacy, altered light-dark cycles, monotony and separation from family. Interestingly, so do people who work at international research stations in Antarctica, where the extreme environment is characterized by numerous stressors that mirror those present during long-duration space exploration.
Vandals sack Roman-era estate and bathhouse just discovered in UK
3dSoon after archaeologists unearthed an estate from the Roman Empire in the U.K., vandals broke in and damaged it.
The Puzzling Power of Simple Arithmetic
3dWe solved our last Insights puzzle by performing some arithmetic on a simple version of a complex problem in order to discover its patterns. Often this approach can reveal hidden insights. You can also use simple arithmetic to confirm that a complex formula you derived does indeed work. Perhaps more surprisingly, playing with arithmetic can lead us to unexpected and profound discoveries that poin
Around the World in Eight Plants
3dA new book takes readers on a journey across our planet, stopping to smell flowers and appreciate other species along the way
Could Bad Guys Actually Escape Falcon in a Wingsuit for Two?
3dIn The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, a villain straps a hostage to his wingsuit and leaps off a plane. Cue the action—and the fun physics.
IKEA's Revamped AR App Lets You Design Entire Rooms
3dThe furniture company is going beyond its Place app with IKEA Studio, a much-needed overhaul of its augmented reality offering.
Study inspects chemical composition of NGC 6544
3dAn international team of astronomers has conducted a chemical study of 23 stars in the globular cluster NGC 6544 as part of the APOGEE survey. The research, published April 12 on the arXiv pre-print server, delivers essential information about chemical composition of this cluster.
Can Natural Gas Be Part of a Low-Carbon Future?
3dA sweeping overhaul could make the gas system a much cleaner energy source — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
NFTs and AI Are Unsettling the Very Concept of History
3dNon-fungible tokens and artificial intelligence make tracing the origins of a digital object more fragile. What are the world’s archivists to do?
Earth's original inhabitants — and their role in combating climate change | Steven Allison
4dEvery environment on the planet — from forested mountaintops to scorching deserts and even the human gut — has a microbiome that keeps it healthy and balanced. Ecologist Steven Allison explores how these extraordinarily adaptable, diverse collections of microorganisms could help solve big global problems like climate change and food insecurity — and makes the case for getting to know Earth's or
X-Prize Winners Use CO2 Emissions to Make Concrete
4dBut questions remain about how much greenhouse gases would actually be reduced — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Defensive symbiosis leads to gene loss in bacterial partners
4dAntibiotics on the cocoon protect the offspring of beewolves, a group of digger wasps, from detrimental fungi. These protective substances are produced by symbiotic bacteria of the genus Streptomyces, which live in these insects. In a new study in PNAS, researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology and the University of Mainz, together with an international team, showed that these
Learning about system stability from ants
4dA new type of collective behavior in ants has been revealed by an international team of scientists, headed by biologist Professor Iain Couzin, co-director of the Cluster of Excellence "Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior" at the University of Konstanz and director at the co-located Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, and Matthew Lutz, a postdoctoral researcher in Couzin's lab
‘We’re the poo crew’: sleuths test for Covid by reading signs in sewage
1hScientists in Exeter are identifying Covid through human faeces – this could be be expanded to monitor other diseases Coronavirus – latest updates See all our coronavirus coverage They call themselves the “poo crew” – a team of health detectives who are tracking down and heading off Covid outbreaks by reading the signs in our sewage. And they are expanding. Earlier this month, the Environmental M
No One Is Saving Myanmar
4hSince Myanmar’s military seized power in a coup on February 1, an initial sense of shock has given way to vibrant protests, and most of the ire has been concentrated on the junta: Hundreds of thousands of people in towns and cities from the foothills of the Himalayas to the far southern border on the edges of the Andaman Sea have marched in defiance of an armed forces known for its durability and
From corals to crops: How life protects the plans for its cellular power stations
15hAn international team of researchers led by the University of Bergen has uncovered how organisms from crops to corals may avoid deadly DNA damage during evolution.
Perovskites under pressure: Hot electrons cool faster
16hIn solar cells, about two third of the energy of sunlight is lost. Half of this loss is due to a process called 'hot carrier cooling' where high energy photons lose their excess energy in the form of heat before being converted to electricity. Scientists at AMOLF have found a way to manipulate the speed of this process in perovskites by applying pressure to the material. This paves the way for mak
Synthetic gelatin-like material mimics lobster underbelly's stretch and strength
18hA lobster's underbelly is lined with a thin, translucent membrane that is both stretchy and surprisingly tough. This marine under-armor, as MIT engineers reported in 2019, is made from the toughest known hydrogel in nature, which also happens to be highly flexible. This combination of strength and stretch helps shield a lobster as it scrabbles across the seafloor, while also allowing it to flex ba
Researchers create strong, fast, waterproof adhesive
19hIn the modern world, adhesives are largely considered a solved problem. Even underwater, glues can be used in a wide range of maritime applications.
Scientists Should Never Stop Being Students
19hBeing too comfortable with the universe as it’s “supposed to be” is harmful to creative thinking — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Blood Clots and the Johnson & Johnson Vaccine: What We Know So Far
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20hCDC & Johnson
Infectious disease physician-scientist Wilbur Chen discusses the rare cases of blood clots linked to the immunization — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Oscars 2021: Time to Watch Yet Another Covid-Era Awards Show
20hPart of this year’s event will be held at a train station. Frankly, that tracks.
SpaceX launches third crew in less than a year with recycled rocket and capsule
21hEvent marks first time SpaceX reused a capsule and rocket to launch astronauts for Nasa SpaceX launched four astronauts into orbit on Friday using a recycled rocket and capsule, the third crew flight in less than a year for Elon Musk’s rapidly expanding company. The astronauts from the US, Japan and France should reach the International Space Station early on Saturday morning, following a 23-hour
Fighting Games Like Mortal Kombat Have Come a Long Way
22hThe genre has long relied on racial and gender stereotypes. Recent strides in diversity have made it better (and more fun) to choose your fighter.
Book Review: Lessons From the Rise and Fall of Ancient Cities
1dIn “Four Lost Cities,” Annalee Newitz illuminates what we can glean from the growth and decline of early civilizations. From central Turkey to the Mississippi floodplains, each of these cities share a common point of failure: Prolonged periods of political instability coupled with environmental crisis.
Astronauts Launching to Space Are Vaccinated Against Covid-19
1dAll four members of SpaceX's Crew-2 mission got their shots recently.
With new optical device, engineers can fine tune the color of light
1dAmong the first lessons any grade school science student learns is that white light is not white at all, but rather a composite of many photons, those little droplets of energy that make up light, from every color of the rainbow—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet.
UK Covid live news: India added to UK’s coronavirus red list as travel ban begins
1dLatest updates: India joined UK red list from 4am, with returning British citizens and residents now having to quarantine at government-approved hotels People in England could get Covid passports for foreign travel by 17 May UK’s south Asian diaspora despairs as India joins Covid red list One dose of Pfizer or Oxford jab reduces infection rate by 65% – study Welsh government accused of ‘playing p
Så funkar de olika coronavaccinen
1dDet finns enligt WHO just nu 275 olika covidvaccin under utveckling. I klippet ser du vilka fyra vaccintyper som godkänts och används i många länder och hur de fungerar.
Australia set to host clinical trial of genetically modified Covid nasal spray vaccine
1dAustralian company applies for permission to conduct trial of men and women aged 18 to 55 Australia is set to host the first human clinical trial of a genetically modified adenovirus vaccine for Covid-19 delivered via nasal spray. Avance Clinical, an Australian contract research organisation, has applied to the office of the gene technology regulator for permission to conduct the phase 1 clinical
Why GSK will struggle to mount AstraZeneca-style revival
1dNew activist shareholder may not have quick answers to drugmaker’s underlying problems
5 Surprising Ways to Help Save the Planet
1dWhat do an electronic turtle egg, an Arctic seed bank, and carbon-eating machines have in common? They’re helping us be optimistic this Earth Day.
Study of 'breakthrough' cases suggests COVID testing may be here to stay
1dTwo new cases helped scientists confirm what many have come to suspect: that people can get infected by SARS-CoV-2 variants even after successful vaccination. The findings suggest continued testing may be needed to prevent future outbreaks in a post-vaccine world.
Mars has right ingredients for present-day microbial life beneath its surface, study finds
1dNew research suggests that rocks in the Martian crust could produce the same kind of chemical energy that supports microbial life deep beneath Earth's surface.
COVID-19 Vaccines Appear Safe During Pregnancy: Early Data
1dScientists at the US CDC report no red flags in a preliminary analysis of the safety of Pfizer/BioNTech's and Moderna's mRNA-based immunizations among expectant mothers.
This Is What The Future of Farming Looks Like
1dWhat do most people think of when imagining a farm? Typically: Acres upon acres of crops, fed by an extensive irrigation system, with tons of pesticides and heavy machinery— in other words, an image of modern farming that’s simply dated. Today’s most technically advanced farms don’t require nearly as much water or chemicals, and take up just a fraction of the footprint. How? The answer is simple:
How we know whether and when to pay attention
1dInternational team of researchers identifies cognitive computations underlying human predictive behavior.
1d
Global groundwater wells at risk of running dry
1dGroundwater wells supply water to billions of people, but they can run dry when water tables decline. Here, we analyzed construction records for ~39 million globally distributed wells. We show that 6 to 20% of wells are no more than 5 meters deeper than the water table, implying that millions of wells are at risk of running dry if groundwater levels decline by only a few meters. Further, newer we
Psychopath-ish: How “healthy” brains can look and function like those of psychopaths
1dThe study used psychological inventories to assess a group of violent criminals and healthy volunteers for psychopathy, and then examined how their brains responded to watching violent movie scenes. The fMRI results showed that the brains of healthy subjects who scored high in psychopathic traits reacted similarly as the psychopathic criminal group. Both of these groups also showed atrophy in bra
Finally reclaiming the Florida Everglades is within reach
1dA historic moment has arrived for the Everglades.
California's wildfire season has lengthened, and its peak is now earlier in the year
1dCalifornia's wildfire problem, fueled by a concurrence of climate change and a heightened risk of human-caused ignitions in once uninhabited areas, has been getting worse with each passing year of the 21st century.
The Atlantic Daily: Vaccinated Parents Aren’t Home Free
1dEvery 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. As of this week, people ages 16 and older are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine in all U.S. states. But as adults and older teens reclaim a bit of normalcy, children could be left out. That means
First human-monkey embryos created: A small step toward a huge ethical problem
1dScientists have created the world's first monkey embryos containing human cells in an attempt to investigate how the two types of cell develop alongside each other. The embryos, which were derived from a macaque and then injected with human stem cells in the lab, were allowed to grow for 20 days before being destroyed.
It's not just social media—misinformation can spread in scientific communication too
1dWhen people think of misinformation, they often focus on popular and social media. But in a paper published April 12 in the Proceedings of the National Academies of Sciences, University of Washington faculty members Jevin West and Carl Bergstrom write that scientific communication—both scientific papers and news articles written about papers—also has the potential to spread misinformation.
Hungry fruit flies are extreme ultramarathon fliers, traveling up to six million times body length
1dIn 2005, an ultramarathon runner ran continuously 560 kilometers (350 miles) in 80 hours, without sleeping or stopping. This distance was roughly 324,000 times the runner's body length. Yet this extreme feat pales in comparison to the relative distances that fruit flies can travel in a single flight, according to new research from Caltech.
How a molecular machine is assembled to convert light to food for plants
1dThe conversion of light into chemical energy by plants and photosynthetic microorganisms is one of the most important processes in nature, removing climate-damaging CO2 from the atmosphere. Protein complexes, so-called photosystems, play the key role in this process. An international research team from Ruhr-Universität Bochum (RUB), the Max Planck Institutes of Biochemistry and Biophysics, the Cen
Self-awareness is what makes us human
1dSelf-awareness — namely, our capacity to think about our thoughts — is central to how we perceive the world. Without self-awareness, education, literature, and other human endeavors would not be possible. Striving toward greater self-awareness is the spiritual goal of many religions and philosophies. The following is an excerpt from Dr. Stephen Fleming's forthcoming book Know Thyself . It is repr
First atomic model of human telomerase constructed by electron cryo-microscopy
1dTelomeres are large nucleoproteins structures that cap the ends of chromosomes in eukaryotic cells. When a cell divides, a small portion of the telomere is lost due to the inherently incomplete process of genome replication. If left unchecked, over time the telomeres will reach a critically short length and the cell will face genomic instability, deterioration or death. To offset this shortening,
Researchers create long-sought zigzag-edged carbon nanobelts
1dNUS chemists have developed a strategy for the atomically precise synthesis of fully conjugated zigzag-edged carbon nanobelts (CNBs). The obtained molecule, known as octabenzo[12]cyclacene, is acknowledged as one of the first fully characterized synthetic segments of zigzag-edged (12,0) carbon nanotube. Such molecular structures have been elusive targets for synthetic chemists for the past 35 year
Do You Like My Jacket? Thanks, It's Recyclable
1dBy creating apparel from recyclable synthetic fabrics, fashion brands can reduce their reliance on virgin petrochemicals while also boosting their public image.
Dragon mantis females have a Y-shaped sex gland that moves like a tentacle and looks like a maggot
1dA two-pronged, pheromone-producing gland in female dragon mantises only pops up when they are ready to mate.
Catgut Acupuncture
2dCatgut acupuncture is but one example of how acupuncture's basis in pseudoscience provides an infinitely malleable template for fabricated mechanisms of action and feigned health benefits. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
Has the pandemic changed our sleep habits? – podcast
2dIn the second of two episodes exploring our biological clocks, Linda Geddes speaks to Prof Till Roenneberg about how social restrictions during the pandemic have altered our sleep patterns and whether maintaining these changes could reduce social jetlag Continue reading…
The Mother of All Accidents – Issue 99: Universality
2dIn 2001, Seth MacFarlane was the 27-year-old executive producer and creator of the not-yet-hit animated show Family Gu y. Having broken into the entertainment big leagues at such a young age, MacFarlane was invited back in September to address his alma mater, the Rhode Island School of Design. After giving a talk, he went out for what turned out to be a late night of drinking with some professors
Russia wants to build its own space station to replace the ISS, state officials say
2dRussia is building modules for a new space station, which could potentially replace the International Space Station by the year 2025, officials said.
Does Your Pet Have Separation Anxiety? Or Do You?
2dIf you’re going back to work, and leaving your furry companion, we want to hear from you.
Oxygen Failure Kills 22 in COVID Treatment Ward
2dOver 20 people died on Wednesday after a hospital in Maharashtra, India ran out of the oxygen it needed to support dozens of critically ill COVID patients. India is currently in the midst of a horrific wave of new coronavirus cases — the country reported 300,000 new infections on Wednesday alone — that’s pushing health networks and hospitals to the absolute brink, The New York Times reports . Hos
India's Massive COVID Surge Puzzles Scientists
2dThe virus is spreading faster than ever before in the country despite previous high infection rates in megacities, which should have conferred some protection — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
This spit test promises to tell couples their risk of passing on common diseases
2dA new startup called Orchid is offering the chance for couples planning a pregnancy to learn their odds of passing on risks for common conditions like Alzheimer’s, heart disease, type 1 and 2 diabetes, schizophrenia, and certain cancers to their future child. Existing pre-conception tests, which are widely available, can tell parents whether their children could have certain inherited disorders t
Lifelong burden of high stress hormones in female baboons shortens life expectancy
2dFemale baboons may not have bills to pay or deadlines to meet, but their lives are extremely challenging. They face food and water scarcity and must be constantly attuned to predators, illnesses and parasites, all while raising infants and maintaining their social status.
On Climate, U.S. And China Pledge Cooperation, But Competition Will Also Be Prominent
2dBilateral ties are at a low and while Washington and Beijing agreed on climate cooperation, details are unclear. Competition with China is key to the Biden administration's response to climate change. (Image credit: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images)
A Clubhouse Bug Let People Lurk in Rooms Invisibly
2dThe vulnerabilities opened the door to “ghosts” hiding in and disrupting rooms, where moderators would be unable to mute them.
Decades after the oil spill that inspired Earth Day, are we prepared for the next one?
2dThe year was 1969. A blow-out from Union Oil's offshore platform just six miles from the city of Santa Barbara leaked an estimated 80,000 to 100,000 barrels of crude oil into the Santa Barbara Channel, killing approximately 3,500 sea birds and marine animals such as dolphins, elephant seals, and sea lions.
This has just become a big week for AI regulation
2dIt’s a bumper week for government pushback on the misuse of artificial intelligence . Today the EU released its long-awaited set of AI regulations , an early draft of which leaked last week . The regulations are wide ranging, with restrictions on mass surveillance and the use of AI to manipulate people. But a statement of intent from the US Federal Trade Commission, outlined in a short blog post
Fallout From Nuclear Bomb Tests Is Showing Up in This Popular Food
2dExtra Flavoring Honey from the southeast United States comes with a little bit of extra seasoning: radioactive fallout from the military’s hundreds of aboveground nuclear bomb tests in the middle of the 20th century. It turns out that plants can confuse radiocesium, a radioactive isotope given off by the nuclear blasts, for the nutrient potassium, Science Magazine reports , a biological mixup tha
Investigators Issue Search Warrant for Data From Deadly Tesla Crash
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2dMusk Tesla Autopilot
A Tesla Model S was involved in a fatal and fiery crash near Houston, Texas, over the weekend. Confounding first responders was the fact that nobody was in the driver’s seat, leading many to believe the vehicle may have had its Autopilot feature turned on at the time of the deadly wreck. But according to a tweet by Tesla CEO — and ersatz PR manager — Elon Musk, “data showed that data logs recover
Creativity and community: How modern humans overcame the Neanderthals
2dA new study is the first-ever to identify the genes for creativity in Homo sapiens that distinguish modern humans from chimpanzees and Neanderthals. The research identified 267 genes that are found only in modern humans and likely play an important role in the evolution of the behavioral characteristics that set apart Homo sapiens, including creativity, self-awareness, cooperativeness, and healthy
Algorithm Virtually Unfolds a Historical Letter without Unsealing It
2dIn the centuries before envelopes, “letterlocking” secured a message’s information — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
Energy unleashed by submarine volcanoes could power a continent
2dVolcanic eruptions deep in our oceans are capable of extremely powerful releases of energy, at a rate high enough to power the whole of the United States, according to new research.
Animal culture should be included in conservation efforts
2dResearchers say conservation of some of the world's most endangered species needs to take cultural knowledge of the animals into account when working out how best to protect them.
Unusual binary system detected with LAMOST
2dUsing the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST), astronomers have discovered an unusual binary system. The newly found binary, designated LAMOST J0140355+392651 (or J0140 for short), consists of a bloated, low-mass proto-white dwarf and a massive white dwarf companion. The finding is reported in a paper published April 14 on arXiv.org.
Small NASA rocket will study boundary of interstellar space
2dFor a few brief minutes, a suborbital rocket from NASA has an ambitious plan to seek out particles from interstellar space.
China wants to launch its own Hubble-class telescope as part of space station
2dChina could launch the first module for its own space station this month as the country also prepares to send a large space telescope to join it in orbit within the next few years.
Charles Darwin and conspicuous consumption: Why bling is blingy
2dLuxury brands are a prominent feature of modern society. Thorstein Veblen coined the term "conspicuous consumption" to describe how the upper classes showcased expensive goods without inherent practical benefits to demonstrate their economic power.
Electrifying cement with nanocarbon black
2dSince its invention several millennia ago, concrete has become instrumental to the advancement of civilization, finding use in countless construction applications—from bridges to buildings. And yet, despite centuries of innovation, its function has remained primarily structural.
Don't Underestimate the Challenge of Building a PC
2dBuilding your own computer isn't exactly “adult Lego,” but that doesn't mean it's not worth doing. You just need to know what you're in for first.
Need an Angel Investor? Just Open Up Clubhouse
2dConsider it like 'Shark Tank' on your phone: Every week on Angelhouse, founders make a pitch to a panel of investors as hundreds of people listen in.
A whale chorus reveals how climate change may be shifting migration
3dEerie wails, explosive trumpets and ghostly moans. The sounds from the underwater recorders had a story to tell, even without a single intelligible word: the whales had stayed put.
Food allergies, changes to infant gut bacteria linked to method of childbirth, ethnicity
3dResearchers have found a causal link between caesarean section birth, low intestinal microbiota and peanut sensitivity in infants, and they report the effect is more pronounced in children of Asian descent than others, in a recently published article.
'Undruggable' cancer protein becomes druggable, thanks to shrub
3dA chemist has found a way to synthesize a compound to fight a previously 'undruggable' cancer protein with benefits across a myriad of cancer types.
Restoration efforts can brighten an ecosystem's future, but cannot erase its past
3dAn expansive project is examining the benefits, and limits, of environmental restoration on developed land after humans are done with it.
A future of helpful engineered 'living' machines?
3dEngineered, autonomous machines combined with artificial intelligence have long been a staple of science fiction, and often in the role of villain like the Cylons in the "Battlestar Galactica" reboot, creatures composed of biological and engineered materials. But what if these autonomous soft machines were … helpful?
A gene finding links severe canine juvenile epilepsy to mitochondrial dysfunction
3dResearchers found a cause for severe epilepsy resulting in death in Parson Russell Terrier puppies at a few months of age. A change in the PITRM1 gene can lead to a dysfunction of mitochondria, the cellular energy pumps. Concurrently, amyloid-beta accumulation and widespread neurodegeneration associated with Alzheimer's disease were identified in the puppies' brains. Changes to the PITRM1 gene in
Photos: A Deadly Second Wave of COVID-19 in India
3dThe number of COVID-19 cases in India began climbing dramatically last month, and daily infections now top 250,000, according to health-ministry data. Hospitals and crematoria are becoming overwhelmed, and vaccines, oxygen, and other medical supplies are becoming scarce. Larger cities have imposed new lockdowns, while at the same time, several large festivals have been allowed to take place elsew
What's Causing Michigan's COVID Surge, and Who's Getting Sick?
3dAn anesthesiologist at the University of Michigan describes the new influx of patients and what this may mean for the pandemic’s trajectory — Read more on ScientificAmerican.com
SARS-CoV-2: British variant is 45 percent more contagious than the original virus, study finds
3dResearchers compared the R (basic reproduction number) of the original SARS-CoV-2 virus with the R of the British variant, and found that the British variant is almost 1.5 times more infectious.
A Startup Is Using CGI to Insert Product Placements Into Old TV and Movies
3dCitizens Bank Kane Breaking: Nothing is sacred! The advertising company Mirriad developed a new technology that allows it to seamlessly stitch new product placement into existing movies and TV shows, according to the BBC . The tech, which has already been deployed by a Chinese streaming service, makes it possible for brands to insert their products or logos into existing media — even swapping the
‘Huge risk’ of space junk collisions as satellite launches intensify, experts warn
3dCall for regulation and clean-up of extraterrestrial debris as companies put ‘mega constellations’ in orbit
Clock's running out on climate change. California says it's time for giant carbon vacuums
3dSolar panels, wind turbines and electric cars will go far in helping California and the Biden administration meet their aggressive climate goals—but not far enough. As time runs short, scientists and government officials say the moment to break out the giant vacuums has arrived.
Is your child's smart toy actually a creepy surveillance tool?
3dThe market for smart toys is rapidly expanding and could grow to $18 billion by 2023. Smart toys can help with learning but pose risks if they are not designed to protect children's data and safety. Many companies are developing smart toys ethically and responsibly, with makers of AI-powered smart toys encouraged to apply to the Smart Toy Awards . Imagine a child born this year who will be surrou
Do Kids Really Need to Be Vaccinated for Covid? Yes. No. Maybe.
3dThe notion that the Covid-19 pandemic cannot be curbed without vaccinating children has quickly become axiomatic among many experts. But other scientists suggest that while it might eventually prove necessary, it might still be possible to achieve herd immunity without having to vaccinate young people.
'Brazil nut puzzle' cracked by researchers
3dThe research isn't all for nutting; scientists say it will help a number of industries, from pharmaceuticals to mining.
2D nanomaterial MXene: The perfect lubricant for rovers
3dYou can lubricate a bicycle chain with oil, but what do you do with a Mars rover or a red-hot conveyor belt in the steel industry? Very special nanomaterials have now been studied by the TU Wien together with research groups from Saarbrücken (Germany), Purdue University in the U.S. and the Universidad de Chile (Santiago, Chile).
How to Rank Up In Overwatch, According to the Pros
3dWhether you are brand new to the game or have played every season, these strategies are worth trying.
The Original Sin of the War in Afghanistan
3dT he original sin of the war in Iraq was going to war in Iraq. And the original sin of the war in Afghanistan was going to war in Iraq. In September 2001, when Joe Biden was the chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, I was the policy adviser for the stretch of Asia that included Afghanistan. By 9 a.m. on 9/11, I felt certain that al-Qaeda (which was based in Afghanistan) was behind the
After a Year Vaping With the Pax Era Pro, It’s All I Want
3dPax’s portable weed pen is the perfect accessory for the BYO world.
Russia says to launch own space station in 2025
3dRussia's space agency said Tuesday it hoped to launch its own orbital station in 2025 as Moscow considers withdrawing from the International Space Station programme to go it alone.
Don’t Underrate the Political Spouse
3dLady Bird Johnson on the campaign trail with LBJ in 1960 (Frank Muto / LBJ Presidential Library) This article was published online on April 20, 2021. O f the many images that lingered after the January inauguration of President Joe Biden—the twinkling hand gestures of the poet Amanda Gorman, the rakish eyebrow-waggling of the second daughter, Ella Emhoff—one of the more subtly significant was the
Artist's Illustrations Help Explain Climate Change to Kids
4dTo help explain to children the urgency of a warmer planet, a visual journalist created artwork with a playful approach.
UK Covid live: ministers created confusion by muddling lockdown guidance with law, police watchdog says
4dLatest updates: HMIC report also highlights ‘frequent frustration’ of police forces over lack of notice about changes to Covid rules 11.01am BST Labour’s candidate for the upcoming Hartlepool by-election, Paul Williams, is under fire, following reporting by the Northern Echo that shows he commissioned a report that supported the removal of critical care services from Hartlepool hospital. Williams
Ny studie: Koppling mellan vissa kosttillskott och en mindre risk att testa positivt för covid-19
4dI en stor observationsstudie med data från Storbritannien, USA och Sverige har forskare sett ett samband mellan en del kosttillskott och en lägre risk att testa positivt för sars-cov-2, som orsakar covid-19. Men det här betyder inte att alla ska äta kosttillskott.
Update on Energy Medicine Pain Patches: Jovi and Its Targeted Marketing Strategy
4dFor many women, cramps are a regular feature of their menstrual periods. Jovi is being marketed as a cure. It isn't. It's just more energy medicine pain patch nonsense. The post first appeared on Science-Based Medicine .
Surprising ionic and flow behaviors with functionalized nanochannels
4dNanochannels have important applications in biomedicine, sensing, and many other fields. Though engineers working in the field of nanotechnology have been fabricating these tiny, tube-like structures for years, much remains unknown about their properties and behavior.
How UK scientists are tracking down new Covid variants – podcast
4dSince the pandemic began, a crack team of scientists have been working to track Covid variants as they appear, to try to stop them from spreading. The Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Boseley, has been speaking to some of them At the end of last year, a crack team of British scientists discovered a new coronavirus variant that would spread across the world. The Guardian’s health editor, Sarah Bose
Scientists created the whitest paint ever
4dEngineers have created the whitest paint ever, and they think it can help fight a warming planet.