195 articles from TUESDAY 24.3.2020

Changes in surface sugarlike molecules help cancer metastasize

Changes in a specific type of sugarlike molecule, or glycan, on the surface of cancer cells help them to spread into other tissues, according to researchers at the University of California, Davis. Published March 23 in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the work could lead to diagnostic tests and new therapies to slow or stop the spread of cancers.

Coronavirus in the Pacific: weekly briefing

Covid-19-related developments throughout the Pacific IslandsCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe Covid-19 pandemic became very real in the Pacific islands this week, as the region recorded its first death and the total number of confirmed cases climbed to 57, as of Tuesday afternoon.Though the number of cases is relatively small, fear and misinformation surrounding the...

Co-occurring contaminants may increase NC groundwater risks

Contaminants that occur together naturally in groundwater under certain geological conditions may heighten health risks for millions of North Carolinians whose drinking water comes from private wells, and current safety regulations don't address the problem, a new Duke University study finds.

Study supports contested 35-year-old predictions, shows that observable novae are just 'tip of the iceberg'

Almost 35 years ago, scientists made the then-radical proposal that colossal hydrogen bombs called novae go through a very long-term life cycle after erupting, fading to obscurity for hundreds of thousands of years and then building back up to become full-fledged novae once more. A new study is the first to fully model the work and incorporate all of the feedback factors now known to control these...

Why oh why is the pub in Ambridge still open?

Physical distancing on the roads | Geordie greetings | Clocks going forward | Receiving the Guardian | The Archers | Unseen, not herdCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageI wish motorists practised physical distancing when overtaking cyclists. I’ve just returned from my cycling exercise for the day. So many cars hurtled by within inches – some so close that I fear I...

Budding couples in UK told to live together or stay apart

Lockdown may lead to awkward conversations as government issues clarificationCoronavirus – latest global updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe coronavirus lockdown may have unintentionally sparked a wave of awkward conversations within new relationships, after the government told couples who do not cohabit that they must either not meet at all, or else rapidly move in together.The...

How are you doing during the COVID-19 crisis? Scientists want to hear your story

Researchers at the University of Washington are launching a study aimed at answering the question that's on a lot of people's minds as the coronavirus epidemic spreads through the Seattle area: How are you holding up? The King County COVID-19 Community Study, a.k.a. KC3S, is recruiting King County residents to tell their stories. The study is scheduled to collect data through April 19....

Rats give more generously in response to the smell of hunger

How do animals that help their brethren manage to prioritize those most in need? A study publishing March 24 in the open-access journal PLOS Biology by Karin Schneeberger and colleagues of the Universities of Bern in Switzerland and Potsdam in Germany, shows that rats can use odor cues alone to determine how urgently to provide food assistance to other rats in need.

Citizen Scientists Supercharged Data

Eyebrow: Citizen Science NewsBody: You may have heard about the recent discovery of a new planet orbiting a pair of “eclipsing binary” stars led by summer intern Wolf Cukier and his mentor, Veselin Kostov, using data from NASA’s TESS mission. Link: Read...

Simulated 'Frankenfish brain-swaps' reveal senses control body movement

Plenty of fictional works like Mary Shelly's Frankenstein have explored the idea of swapping out a brain from one individual and transferring it into a completely different body. However, a team of biologists and engineers has now used a variation of the sci-fi concept, via computer simulation, to explore a core brain-body question.

Humans are not the first to repurpose CRISPR

In recent years, the development of CRISPR technologies and gene-editing scissors in particular have taken the world by storm. Indeed, scientists have learned how to harness these clever natural systems in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries, among other areas.

How to win more B2B contracts with effective e-sales

Researchers from the University of Nebraska, University of Missouri, and Case Western Reserve University published a new paper in the Journal of Marketing that analyzes B2B e-negotiation communications in order to provide sellers with insights into buyers' behavioral responses to salespersons' communications.

Stuck at home?

Eyebrow: Citizen Science NewsBody: Registration for the Astronomers Without Borders Asteroid Search Campaign is now open. Participation is online and completely free for the participating teams! Link: Read...

Registration for the Astronomers Without Borders Asteroid Search Campaign is now open!

Astronomers Without Borders and NASA’s International Astronomical Search Collaboration (IASC) are sponsoring a special Asteroid Search Campaign as part of Global Astronomy Month. This search campaign is open to schools and teams around the world. Stuck at home? Participation is online and completely free for the participating teams! Visit the registration link below for more information on...