183 articles from FRIDAY 22.5.2020
NASA gives crucial thumbs-up to SpaceX’s historic crewed flight to space station
NASA today signed off on the first launch to send a crew into orbit from U.S. soil in nearly nine years, and the rocket for that launch had its final test firing. After reviewing mission plans for a day and a half, mission managers cleared SpaceX to send NASA astronauts Doug Hurley and Bob Behnken to the International Space Station at 4:33 p.m. ET (1:33 p.m. PT) Wednesday. "We had a very...
Zoos reopening as COVID-19 restrictions ease
Drive-thru routes, pathways and scheduled visits are among the options zoos are contemplating as they figure out how to safely...
U of Manitoba leads global effort to study effect of decreased human activity on wildlife
A University of Manitoba professor is leading a global effort to study the impact that the scaling back of human activity due to COVID-19 has had on...
NASA gives go-ahead for first crewed SpaceX flight on May 27
NASA gave the green light on Friday to next week's launch of two astronauts aboard a SpaceX vessel—the first crewed space flight from US soil in nine years and a crucial step towards ending American dependence on Russian rockets.
Scientists solve half-century-old magnesium dimer mystery
Magnesium dimer (Mg2) is a fragile molecule consisting of two weakly interacting atoms held together by the laws of quantum mechanics. It has recently emerged as a potential probe for understanding fundamental phenomena at the intersection of chemistry and ultracold physics, but its use has been thwarted by a half-century-old enigma—five high-lying vibrational states that hold the key to...
Mississippi Delta marshes in a state of irreversible collapse, study shows
Given the present-day rate of global sea-level rise, remaining marshes in the Mississippi Delta are likely to drown, according to a new Tulane University study.
Are clear skies a sign that we'll soon retire the combustion engine?
Bob McDonald's blog: Pollution free skies over cities during the pandemic are an opportunity to ponder the next technological...
Nasa SpaceX crew mission cleared to launch
A review panel finds no technical reason to delay the first US orbital crew launch in nine years.
The secret to succesful shiitake mushrooms? Electric shock treatment
Japanese farming folklore says lightning makes mushrooms multiply – and research shows there is truth in itA few years ago, I attempted to grow my own shiitake mushrooms. I purchased a special log, which had been seeded with mushroom spores, and followed the instructions to soak it and then keep it in a shady spot. Sadly no mushrooms ever fruited on my log, but maybe I would have had more luck...
I spent over 40 years in the Australian defence force. Our lack of preparedness concerns me | Chris Barrie
It is time Australian governments started to listen to experts when it comes to climate change and pandemicsThe past 18 years has been a period of significant disengagement and disinterest by the community in Australian political affairs. The political shenanigans described in Malcolm Turnbull’s recent book A Bigger Picture ought to be a wake-up call that as our political leaders have jostled...
A clue as to why it's so hard to wake up on a cold winter's morning
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 21:45
Do you remember the challenge of waking up on winter's cold, dark days? Neurobiologists have uncovered a clue to what's behind this behavior. In a study of the fruit fly, the researchers have identified a 'thermometer' circuit that relays information about external cold temperature from the fly antenna to the higher brain. They show how, through this circuit, seasonally cold and dark conditions...
Scientists solve half-century-old magnesium dimer mystery
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 21:45
Magnesium dimer (Mg2) is a fragile molecule consisting of two weakly interacting atoms held together by the laws of quantum mechanics. It has recently emerged as a potential probe for understanding fundamental phenomena at the intersection of chemistry and ultracold physics, but its use has been thwarted by a half-century-old enigma -- five high-lying vibrational states that hold the key to...
Mississippi Delta marshes in a state of irreversible collapse
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 21:45
A key finding of the study is that coastal marshes experience tipping points, where a small increase in the rate of sea-level rise leads to widespread submergence.
NASA Science Virtual Community Town Hall Meeting
NASA’s Science Mission Directorate will hold a community town hall meeting via teleconference with Associate Administrator for Science Dr. Thomas Zurbuchen and his leadership team at 3 p.m. EDT Thursday, May 28, to discuss updates in NASA’s science program and the current status of NASA science activities.
Members of the science community, academia, the media and the public are invited...
'Expect More': Climate Change Raises Risk of Dam Failures
The dam that failed in central Michigan on Tuesday gave way for the same reason most do: It was overwhelmed by water. Almost 5 inches of rain fell in the area in the previous two days, after earlier storms had saturated the ground and swollen the Tittabawassee River, which the dam held back.No one can say yet whether the intense rainfall that preceded this disaster was made worse by climate...
Canadian Hurricane Centre warns to prep for storm season early to avoid lineups amid pandemic
As the Canadian Hurricane Centre warns of another active hurricane season, one of the country's top meteorologists said the COVID-19 pandemic could make it more difficult for people to prepare for a long line of tropical...
‘There are too many’: bones of 60 mammoths found in Mexico
Archaeologists face surfeit of mammoths after bones found at airport under construction north of Mexico CityArchaeologists have found the bones of about 60 mammoths at an airport under construction just north of Mexico City, near human-built “traps” where more than a dozen mammoths were found last year.Both discoveries reveal how appealing the area – once a shallow lake – was for the...
A stitch in time: How a quantum physicist invented new code from old tricks
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 20:51
Building large-scale quantum computers will require suppression of errors. Scientists have used a neat trick to apply powerful 3D error-suppression codes in a 2D architecture, something one industry insider said many thought was impossible.
New urine testing method holds promise for kidney stone sufferers
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 20:51
An improved urine-testing system for people suffering from kidney stones inspired by nature may enable patients to receive results within 30 minutes instead of the current turnaround time of a week or more.
Past is prologue: Genetic 'memory' of ancestral environments helps organisms readapt
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 20:51
Organisms carry long-term 'memories' of their ancestral homelands that help them adapt to environmental change, according to a new study that involved raising chickens on the Tibetan Plateau and an adjacent lowland site.
Blood flow recovers faster than brain in micro strokes
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 20:51
Neurobiologists show that increased blood flow to the brain is not an accurate indicator of neuronal recovery after a microscopic stroke.
Cell reproduction dogma challenged
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 20:51
Meiosis is essential to sexual reproduction. For almost 15 years, it has been commonly held that retinoic acid, a molecule derived from vitamin A, triggers meiosis in mammalian germ cells. Yet new research demonstrates that meiosis in mice begins and proceeds normally even in the absence of retinoic acid. These findings set the stage for new research in the field of reproductive biology.
Covid-19: How do you calculate herd immunity? | podcast
Herd immunity represents the percentage of people in a population who need to be immune to a disease in order to protect those who aren’t. Early on in the pandemic, researchers estimated the herd immunity threshold for Covid-19 to be 60%. Following a question from a listener, Ian Sample speaks to Rachel Thomas to explore the maths and find out exactly how herd immunity is calculated Continue...
Migration patterns reveal an Eden for ancient humans and animals
- ScienceDaily
- 20/5/22 20:02
Researchers have discovered a new migration pattern (or lack of) at Pinnacle Point, a now-submerged region in South Africa. While it was first believed large omnivores would travel to follow the growth of vegetation to survive, our researcher came to a completely new conclusion through studying antelope teeth! They discovered that this region was an Eden to all living species that called it home,...
Researchers discover cell reproduction not triggered by retinoic acid as previously believed
Meiosis is essential to sexual reproduction. For almost 15 years, it has been commonly held that retinoic acid, a molecule derived from vitamin A, triggers meiosis in mammalian germ cells. Yet, in joint articles published in Science Advances, French researchers from the Institut de Biologie Valrose (CNRS / INSERM / Université Côte d'Azur) and the IGBMC (CNRS / INSERM / University of Strasbourg),...