193 articles from FRIDAY 26.6.2020
Alumni in the coronavirus conversation
The virus
“I am very wary of simplistic projections about the ongoing outbreak based solely off of its current growth patterns”
—Maimuna Majumder, SM ’15, PhD ’18, faculty, Boston Children’s Hospital Computational Health Informatics Program, and research associate, Harvard Medical School (ABC News, March 16)
“Closing schools, bars, and movie theaters...
Ancient Maya reservoirs contained toxic pollution: study
Reservoirs in the heart of an ancient Maya city were so polluted with mercury and algae that the water likely was undrinkable.
Agricultural fires in central Africa light up in Suomi NPP satellite image
Fires have spread across the majority of the landscape in Angola and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in this NOAA/NASA Suomi NPP satellite image using the VIIRS (Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite) instrument from June 25, 2020. Fires of this number are not uncommon at this time of year in Africa. During the agricultural season of clearing field and planting new ones, farmers set fire...
Suomi NPP satellite analyzes Saharan dust aerosol blanket
Dust storms from Africa's Saharan Desert traveling across the Atlantic Ocean are nothing new, but the current dust storm has been quite expansive and NASA satellites have provided a look at the massive June plume. NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite showed the blanket of dust had moved over the Gulf of Mexico and extended into Central America and over part of the eastern Pacific Ocean.
Amazon looks to self-driving future by acquiring tech company Zoox
Consumer giant Amazon said Friday that it is buying self-driving U.S. technology company Zoox, which is developing an autonomous vehicle for a ride-hailing service that people would request on their phones.
1/3 of parents in 3 states may not send children to school because of COVID-19
Kindergartners in face masks. Closed playground structures. Random COVID-19 testing.
International team of scientists warns of increasing threats posed by invasive species
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 22:12
A new study describes the proliferation of alien invasive species and the dangers they pose.
Growing polymers of different lengths
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 22:12
Researchers have developed a new method for producing polymers with different lengths. This paves the way for new classes of polymer materials to be used in previously inconceivable applications.
Repeated head impacts associated with later-life depression symptoms, worse cognitive function
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 22:11
In the largest study of its kind, an association has been found in living patients exposed to repetitive head impacts and difficulties with cognitive functioning and depression years or decades later.
Ancient Maya reservoirs contained toxic pollution
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 22:11
Reservoirs in the heart of an ancient Maya city were so polluted with mercury and algae that the water likely was undrinkable. Researchers found toxic levels of pollution in two central reservoirs in Tikal, an ancient Maya city that dates back to the third century B.C. in what is now northern Guatemala. New findings suggest droughts in the ninth century likely contributed to the depopulation and...
Microsoft to permanently close all 83 physical stores worldwide
Microsoft said Friday it is permanently closing its physical stores around the world, including seven in Canada - in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The company says it's a "strategic change" motivated by the increasing shift online of sales of its software and computing...
Facebook to change advertising policy as European giant pulls ads
Shares of Facebook and Twitter dropped sharply Friday after British-Dutch multinational company Unilever said it will halt U.S. advertising on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram amid concerns of hate speech on the social media...
Geochemists solve mystery of Earth's vanishing crust
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 20:14
A team of geochemists has found new evidence that Earth has been consistently churning out crust since its formation 4.5 billion years ago and that some crust is made of ancient, resurfaced chunks.
New study examines recursive thinking
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 20:14
A multi-institutional research team found the cognitive ability to represent recursive sequences occurs in humans and non-human primates across age, education, culture and species.
Researchers destroy cancer cells with ultrasound treatment
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 20:14
An international research team has developed a noninvasive technology platform for gene delivery into breast cancer cells. The technique combines ultrasound with tumor-targeted microbubbles.
More evidence of causal link between air pollution and early death
- ScienceDaily
- 20/6/26 20:14
Strengthening U.S. air quality standards for fine particulate pollution to be in compliance with current World Health Association (WHO) guidelines could save more than 140,000 lives over the course of a decade, according to a new study.
Missions to Mars, meteors and astronauts: A summer of space science
Bob McDonald's blog: We may not be travelling much this summer, but there's lots going on above...
Gender bias kept alive by people who think it's dead
Workplace gender bias is being kept alive by people who think it's no longer an issue, new research suggests.
Geochemists solve mystery of Earth's vanishing crust
Thank goodness for the Earth's crust: It is, after all, that solid, outermost layer of our planet that supports everything above it.
International team of scientists warns of increasing threats posed by invasive species
In a new study, scientists from around the world—including a professor at the University of Rhode Island—warn that the threats posed by invasive alien species are increasing. They say that urgent action is required to prevent, detect and control invaders at both local and global levels.