248 articles from MONDAY 2.3.2020

The microbes in your mouth, and a reminder to floss and go to the dentist

Most people know that good oral hygiene - brushing, flossing, and regular dental visits - is linked to good health. Microbiome researchers offer fresh evidence to support that conventional wisdom, by taking a close look at invisible communities of microbes that live in every mouth. Their study found a correlation between people who did not visit the dentist regularly and increased presence of a...

To bee, or not to bee, a question for almond growers

Pollination by bees is vital even when crops are assumed to be pollinator independent. That's according to a study co-authored by Ethel Villalobos, a researcher in the University of Hawaii at Manoa's College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources Department of Plant and Environmental Protection Sciences and lead of the UH Honeybee Project.

Improving shoes, showers, 3-D printing: Research launching to the space station

A variety of science investigations, along with supplies and equipment, launch to the International Space Station on the 20th SpaceX commercial resupply services mission. The Dragon cargo spacecraft is scheduled to leave Earth March 6 from Space Launch Complex 40 at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida. Its cargo includes research on particle foam manufacturing, water droplet formation, the...

To predict an epidemic, evolution can't be ignored

When scientists try to predict the spread of something across populations—anything from a coronavirus to misinformation—they use complex mathematical models to do so. Typically, they'll study the first few steps in which the subject spreads, and use that rate to project how far and wide the spread will go.

Is there a technological solution to aquatic dead zones?

Could pumping oxygen-rich surface water into the depths of lakes, estuaries, and coastal ocean waters help ameliorate dangerous dead zones? New work says yes, although they caution that further research would be needed to understand any possible side effects before implementing such an approach.

To predict an epidemic, evolution can't be ignored

Whether it's coronavirus or misinformation, scientists can use mathematical models to predict how something will spread across populations. But what happens if a pathogen mutates, or information becomes modified, changing the speed at which it spreads? Researchers now show for the first time how important these considerations are.

Swamp wallabies conceive new embryo before birth—a unique reproductive strategy

Marsupials such as kangaroos or wallabies are known for their very different reproductive strategies compared to other mammals. They give birth to their young at a very early stage and significant development occurs during a lengthy lactation period in which the offspring spends most of its time in a pouch. Although in some marsupials new ovulation happens only a few hours after giving birth, the...

Putting a price on the protective power of wetlands

In coastal communities prone to hurricanes and tropical storms, people typically turn to engineered solutions for protection: levees, sea walls and the like. But a natural buffer in the form of wetlands may be the more cost-effective solution, according to new research from the University of California San Diego.

Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office

This blog post originated in the 2018 Science Mission Directorate Science and Technology Report. PROJECT Planetary Exploration Science Technology Office (PESTO) KEY POINTS A new office has been created to manage the development of scientific instruments, space vehicle technologies, and mission support technologies needed for future planetary science missions. The search for life in the...

'It's a safety net': across the UK people stock up amid coronavirus fears

Guardian readers say they are concerned about being forced to self-isolate at homeFood, medicines and other essentials are being stockpiled by people across the UK over fears the coronavirus outbreak may leave them house-bound or unable to buy necessities.As the number of Covid-19 cases continues to rise, Guardian readers said they were concerned about being forced to self-isolate at home, along...