246 articles from MONDAY 4.5.2020

COVID-19 has unmasked significant health disparities in the U.S.

The COVID-19 pandemic has unmasked longstanding racial and ethnic health-related disparities, according to a new article. The essay notes higher rates of COVID-19 hospitalizations, deaths or positive cases among blacks, Hispanic/LatinX and Native Americans are being reported at local and national levels.

Multiple flooding sources threaten Honolulu's infrastructure

Researchers found in the next few decades, sea level rise will likely cause large and increasing percentages of land area to be impacted simultaneously by the three flood mechanisms. Further, they found direct marine inundation represents the least extensive -- only three percent of the predicted flooding, while groundwater inundation represents the most extensive flood source.

Engineers demonstrate next-generation solar cells can take the heat, maintain efficiency

Engineers have developed a next-generation solar cell that takes advantage of the promising elctro-optical properties of perovskite materials. They've made the materials much more stable at high temperatures and demonstrated a consistent, clean way to fabricate them into solar cells. Those could be important steps toward commercial production of new, low-cost, efficient, lightweight and flexible...

Recently recovered COVID-19 patients produce varying virus-specific antibodies

Most newly discharged patients who recently recovered from COVID-19 produce virus-specific antibodies and T cells, a new study suggests, but the responses of different patients are not all the same. While the 14 patients examined in the study showed wide-ranging immune responses, results from the 6 of them that were assessed at two weeks after discharge suggest that antibodies were maintained for...

Novel magnetic field effect in diamagnetic molecules

New research demonstrates that an applied magnetic field will interact with the electronic structure of weakly magnetic, or diamagnetic, molecules to induce a magnetic-field effect that, to their knowledge, has never before been documented. With the experimental application of magnetic fields up to 25 Tesla, molecules with little intrinsic magnetism exhibit magneto-sensitive optical and...

New insight on maternal infections and neurodevelopmental disorders

The immune responses of a female mouse before pregnancy can predict how likely her offspring are to have behavioral deficits if the immune system is activated during pregnancy. The findings could help resolve what role serious infections during pregnancy play in the development of conditions such as autism and schizophrenia.

Two drugs show promise against COVID-19

Korean researchers have screened 48 FDA-approved drugs against SARS-CoV-2, and found that two, that are already FDA-approved for other illnesses, seem promising. The FDA approval for other uses would greatly reduce the time needed to gain FDA approval of use in COVID-19.

Exoplanets: How we'll search for signs of life

An interdisciplinary team of researchers has provided a framework called a 'detectability index' to help prioritize exoplanets to study and provide scientists with a tool to select the best targets for observation and maximize the chances of detecting life.

Google and Apple have laid out rules for contact tracing apps

The news: Apple and Google have announced that their coronavirus tracing technology will ban the use of location tracking. The announcement could create potential complications for some apps that planned to use the two companies’ system for notifying people of potential exposure to covid-19. The what: Contact tracing is the process of tracking and contacting people who have been potentially...

A Short History of STEVE

A citizen scientist working with NASA's Aurorasaurus project has unearthed an exciting piece of scientific history. In the writings of early 20th-century aurora explorer Carl Størmer, citizen scientist Dr. Michael Hunnekuhl noticed mentions of “feeble homogeneous arcs of great altitude” and recognized them as descriptions of the subauroral phenomenon STEVE (Strong Thermal Emission...

TACC COVID-19 twitter dataset enables social science research about pandemic

Of the myriad ways researchers are fighting the spread of the coronavirus, studying Tweets may not be the first that come to mind. But now, as in past crises, tapping into one of the world's leading real-time messaging service can help identify new pandemic hotspots, highlight new symptoms, or interpret how people and communities are responding to orders to practice social distancing.

Study reveals single-step strategy for recycling used nuclear fuel

A typical nuclear reactor uses only a small fraction of its fuel rod to produce power before the energy-generating reaction naturally terminates. What is left behind is an assortment of radioactive elements, including unused fuel, that are disposed of as nuclear waste in the United States. Although certain elements recycled from waste can be used for powering newer generations of nuclear reactors,...

Microorganisms in parched regions extract needed water from colonized rocks

Cyanobacteria living in rocks in Chile's Atacama Desert extract water from the minerals they colonize and, in doing so, change the phase of the material from gypsum to anhydrite. Researchers gained verification of this process through experiments, and the work points to possible strategies for humans to stay hydrated in harsh environments.

Rethinking tsunami defense

Careful engineering of low, plant-covered hills along shorelines can mitigate tsunami risks with less disruption of coastal life and lower costs compared to seawalls.

Single-step strategy for recycling used nuclear fuel

A typical nuclear reactor uses only a small fraction of its fuel rod to produce power before the energy-generating reaction naturally terminates. What is left behind is an assortment of radioactive elements, including unused fuel, that are disposed of as nuclear waste in the United States. Although certain elements recycled from waste can be used for powering newer generations of nuclear reactors,...

Targeting depression: Researchers ID symptom-specific targets for treatment of depression

For the first time, physician-scientists have identified two clusters of depressive symptoms that responded to two distinct neuroanatomical treatment targets in patients who underwent transcranial magnetic brain stimulation (TMS) for treatment of depression. The team's findings shed new light on the brain circuitry underlying specific symptoms of depression and may facilitate personalized TMS...

Q&A with the Student Who Named Ingenuity, NASA's Mars Helicopter

Vaneeza Rupani was chosen by NASA from the finalists for the agency's "Name the Rover" contest for the Mars 2020 mission, Ingenuity is an apt description for the history-making spacecraft, which launches with NASA's Perseverance rover this summer. Here, we ask Rupani what it's like to be part of a pioneering experiment. News Article Type: Homepage ArticlesPublished: Monday, May...

Five Eyes network contradicts theory Covid-19 leaked from lab

No current evidence to suggest coronavirus leaked from Wuhan research lab, agencies sayCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThere is no current evidence to suggest that coronavirus leaked from a Chinese research laboratory, intelligence sources have told the Guardian, contradicting recent White House claims that there is growing proof this is how the pandemic began.The...

How many jobs do robots really replace?

In many parts of the U.S., robots have been replacing workers over the last few decades. But to what extent, really? Some technologists have forecast that automation will lead to a future without work, while other observers have been more skeptical about such scenarios.

Blood flows could be more turbulent than previously expected

Blood flow in the human body is generally assumed to be smooth due to its low speed and high viscosity. Unsteadiness in blood flow is linked to various cardiovascular diseases and has been shown to promote dysfunction and inflammation in the inner layer of blood vessels, the endothelium. In turn, this can lead to the development of arteriosclerosis—a leading cause of death worldwide—where...

Scholes finds novel magnetic field effect in diamagnetic molecules

The Princeton University Department of Chemistry publishes research this week proving that an applied magnetic field will interact with the electronic structure of weakly-magnetic, or diamagnetic, molecules to induce a magnetic-field effect that, to their knowledge, has never before been documented.

Five friends, five victims: how Covid-19 tore a hole in one Pakistani community

Loved by their 41 grandchildren, the men died within 17 days of each other. Their loss highlights the virus’s brutal toll on minoritiesIn photographs together and with their families, the five men smile, or hold their loved ones close. All 50 or older, their friendships ranged over decades, their passions running from philanthropy to cycling, their duties from activism to business. A little over...

World leaders pledge €7.4bn to research Covid-19 vaccine

EU-hosted talks tout cooperation but is not addressed by India, Russia or USCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageUK data from the Office for National Statistics has revealed that men are almost twice as likely to die from the disease as women. The trend was first seen in China, where one analysis found a fatality rate of 2.8% in men compared with 1.7% in women. Since then,...

Rival Sage group says Covid-19 policy must be clarified

Government must state whether aim is to suppress or manage infections, say experts convened by Sir David KingCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageThe government has fundamental questions to answer about its approach to tackling Covid-19, an independent body of experts have said.The Independent Sage committee – a body of 12 scientists and experts set up in parallel to the...

No 10 facing fresh calls for transparency over Sage pandemic advice

The government published names of 50 members who sit on the group but the list is incompleteCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageDowning Street is facing fresh calls for transparency over the expert advice it receives after it published the names of 50 experts that sit on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) which discusses how to handle the coronavirus...

The Guardian view on Italy’s lockdown: no storybook endings | Editorial

After nine weeks of confinement, Italians are back in the streets. But the most difficult decisions have yet to be made“We are living in the night of the virus,” wrote one academic, soon after Europe’s first Covid-19 lockdown was imposed in Italy. “Living in the dark, because it’s difficult to see what’s happening out there, since we are shut up in our homes.”On Monday Italians...