307 articles from TUESDAY 5.5.2020

UK could relax lockdown for millions if over-70s are shielded, say scientists

Plan involves beefing up protection for vulnerable people while easing controls on othersCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBritain could exit the coronavirus lockdown by relaxing restrictions on more than half of the population and beefing up protection for those over 70 and vulnerable people, scientists have said.The strategy from researchers at Edinburgh University,...

Astronomers find Jupiter-like cloud bands on closest brown dwarf

A team of astronomers has discovered that the closest known brown dwarf, Luhman 16A, shows signs of cloud bands similar to those seen on Jupiter and Saturn. This is the first time scientists have used the technique of polarimetry to determine the properties of atmospheric clouds outside of the solar system, or exoclouds.

Coronavirus and airborne transmission: scientists warn Australia to be on guard

Although the science is not yet settled, researchers say government should be acting on ventilation and other measures nowSign up for Guardian Australia’s daily coronavirus emailDownload the free Guardian app to get the most important news notificationsA collective of Australian researchers across scientific disciplines will call on the government to introduce minimum requirements for building...

Four years of calculations lead to new insights into muon anomaly

Two decades ago, an experiment at the U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory pinpointed a mysterious mismatch between established particle physics theory and actual lab measurements. When researchers gauged the behavior of a subatomic particle called the muon, the results did not agree with theoretical calculations, posing a potential challenge to the Standard Model—our...

An AI can simulate an economy millions of times to create fairer tax policy

Income inequality is one of the overarching problems of economics. One of the most effective tools policymakers have to address it is taxation: governments collect money from people according to what they earn and redistribute it either directly, via welfare schemes, or indirectly, by using it to pay for public projects. But though more taxation can lead to greater equality, taxing people too much...

Number of key workers getting Covid-19 overtakes positive tests in hospitals

Figures prompt renewed calls to ensure health and social workers have PPE needed The number of key workers and members of their families who are testing positive for Covid-19 has overtaken the number of sick people testing positive in hospitals.New figures showing that 2,067 key workers had tested positive at a new daily count prompted calls for a greater focus on how and why health and social...

Even if it works, this coronavirus tracking app is no get-out-of-jail-free card | Gaby Hinsliff

Tracing the path of the virus is vital, but so is people’s continued willingness to cooperate and isolate if necessaryYour country needs you. Or to be specific, it needs your phone.The new NHS coronavirus tracing app is to be trialled from this week on the Isle of Wight and ministers are pushing it with all the fervent appeal to moral duty they can muster. Since it’s being sold as the nearest...

Electrical activity in living organisms mirrors electrical fields in atmosphere

Most electrical activity in vertebrates and invertebrates occurs at extremely low frequencies, and the origin—and medical potential—of these frequencies have eluded scientists. Now a Tel Aviv University study provides evidence for a direct link between electrical fields in the atmosphere and those found in living organisms, including humans.

Norwegian Cruise Line warns of 'substantial doubt' it will survive

World’s third-largest cruise operator says coronavirus crisis threatens firm’s futureCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNorwegian Cruise Line, the world’s third-largest cruise operator, has warned there is “substantial doubt” that it will be able to stay in business.The company, which is listed on the New York stock market, said: “Covid-19 has had, and is...

A hydrological model leads to advances in the creation of a world water map

Water is a global resource which is essential for life on our planet, thus hydrological research and the study of its management has also become crucial work for the continuity of life on Earth. The availability of public data on water behavior such as data about river flow and rainfall are key for the research community in order to create a world water map. When drawing this map, the public and...

Cognition and gait speed often decline together, study shows

Measures of cognition and gait speed largely paralleled each other in a San Antonio study of 370 participants that included 9½ years of follow-up. One-fifth of participants were classified into a cognitive and physical vulnerability group. Mexican American participants were almost four times more likely than European Americans to be in the cognitive and physical vulnerability group.

Evidence that human brains replay our waking experiences while we sleep

When we fall asleep, our brains are not merely offline, they're busy organizing new memories -- and now, scientists have gotten a glimpse of the process. Researchers report the first direct evidence that human brains replay waking experiences while asleep, seen in the brains of two participants who had been implanted with microelectrode arrays as part of a brain-computer interface pilot clinical...

Broadband enhancement relies on precise tilt

If a photon source could be placed on a single chip and made to produce photons at a high rate, this could enable high-speed quantum communication or information processing. A simple on-chip photon source using a hyperbolic metamaterial is proposed, and investigators carried out calculations to show that a prototype arranged in a precise way can overcome problems of low efficiency and allow for...

Fossil fuel-free jet propulsion with air plasmas

Humans depend on fossil fuels as their primary energy source, especially in transportation. However, fossil fuels are both unsustainable and unsafe, serving as the largest source of greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers have demonstrated a prototype device that uses microwave air plasmas for jet propulsion, generating the high-temperature, high-pressure plasma in situ using only injected air and...