163 articles from FRIDAY 17.7.2020
Israel returns to partial lockdown with immediate weekend shutdown
Government unveils measures after marathon emergency cabinet session as infections riseCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageIsrael has reimposed some lockdown measures following a vigorous second surge in the number of coronavirus infections, putting in place stringent weekend shutdowns in which shops, hairdressers and attractions will be closed.The government announced...
Megaphages harbor mini-Cas proteins ideal for gene editing
The DNA-cutting proteins central to CRISPR-Cas9 and related gene-editing tools originally came from bacteria, but a newfound variety of Cas proteins apparently evolved in viruses that infect bacteria.
UK coronavirus live: Johnson to unveil £3bn plan to get NHS 'battle ready' for winter
News updates: PM set to make announcement in press conference on FridayPM promises extra £3bn for NHSMinisters urged to rescue Covid-hit early years education providersOxford vaccine team aim to start lab-controlled human trial soonUK government withdraws Randox test kits over safety issuesGlobal coronavirus updates - live 8.05am BST Speaking on BBC Breakfast, security minister James Brokenshire...
Pine beetles successful no matter how far they roam—with devastating effects
Whether they travel only a few metres or tens of kilometres to a new host tree, female pine beetles use different strategies to find success—with major negative consequences for pine trees, according to new research by University of Alberta biologists.
Comet Neowise's spectacular journey – in pictures
Comet Neowise was discovered on 27 March by Nasa’s Near-Earth Object Wide-field Infrared Survey Explorer (NEOWISE) mission. Scientists say the comet is about 3 miles across. Its nucleus is covered with sooty material dating back to the origin of our solar system 4.6bn years ago. It is the brightest comet visible from the northern hemisphere in 25 years Continue...
The desperate global search for a coronavirus vaccine! | First Dog on the Moon
Even though all the vaccinologists are flat out like a lizard drinking it’s going to take some time. Hang in there everyoneSign up here to get an email whenever First Dog cartoons are publishedGet all your needs met at the First Dog shop if what you need is First Dog merchandise and prints Continue...
A call to arms: Enlisting private land owners in conservation
In 1872 the United States created Yellowstone, the first National Park in the world. Since then many more parks, monuments, preserves, wildernesses and other protected areas have been created in the USA. Protected areas, like Yellowstone, are invaluable, but are they actually effective at preserving endangered species? And if not, how can future protected areas do better?
A chemical tailor-made suit for Alzheimer's drugs
Over 50 million people worldwide are affected by Alzheimer's disease and it is one of the greatest medical and social challenges of our time. Due to pathological changes in the brain, patients become increasingly forgetful and disoriented as the disease progresses. Alzheimer's is still considered incurable today. Researchers at the University of Göttingen and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell...
Antarctica more widely impacted by humans than previously thought
Using a data set of 2.7 million human activity records, the team showed just how extensive human use of Antarctica has been over the last 200 years
Archaeologists use tooth enamel protein to show sex of human remains
A new method for estimating the biological sex of human remains based on reading protein sequences rather than DNA has been used to study an archaeological site in Northern California. The protein-based technique gave superior results to DNA analysis in studying 55 sets of human remains between 300 and 2,300 years old.
Atomtronic device could probe boundary between quantum, everyday worlds
A new device that relies on flowing clouds of ultracold atoms promises potential tests of the intersection between the weirdness of the quantum world and the familiarity of the macroscopic world we experience every day.
Baleen whales have changed their distribution in the Western North Atlantic
Researchers using passive acoustic recordings of whale calls to track their movements have found that four of the six baleen whale species found in the western North Atlantic Ocean -- humpback, sei, fin and blue whales -- have changed their distribution patterns in the past decade. The recordings were made over 10 years by devices moored to the seafloor at nearly 300 locations from the Caribbean...
Cannabis shows potential for mitigating sickle cell disease pain
Cannabis appears to be a safe and potentially effective treatment for the chronic pain that afflicts people with sickle cell disease, according to a new clinical trial co-led by University of California, Irvine researcher Kalpna Gupta and Dr. Donald Abrams of UC San Francisco. The findings appear in JAMA Network Open.
Chemical thermometers take temperature to the nanometric scale
Scientists from the Coordination Chemistry Laboratory and Laboratory for Analysis and Architecture of Systems, both of the CNRS, recently developed molecular films that can measure the operating temperature of electronic components on a nanometric scale. These patented temperature-sensitive molecules have the distinctive quality of being extremely stable, even after millions of uses. They were...
Clear strategies needed to reduce bushmeat hunting
Extensive wildlife trade not only threatens species worldwide but can also lead to the transmission of zoonotic diseases. An international research team led by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology and the German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research shed new light on the motivations why people hunt, trade or consume different species. The research shows that more...
Climate-friendly Cooling Could Cut Years of Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Save US$ Trillions: UN
Energy-efficient cooling with climate-friendly refrigerants could avoid up to 460 billion tonnes of greenhouse gas equivalent being added to the atmosphere through 2060 - roughly equal to eight years of global emissions at 2018 levels.To meet all needs by 2050, cooling appliances worldwide would almost quadruple in number from 3.6 billion now to 14 billion, contributing greatly to higher world...
Close-up of SARS-CoV-2 protein shows how it interferes with host anti-viral immunity
A detailed study of a SARS-Cov-2 protein, Nsp1, with a central role in weakening the host anti-viral immune response shows that it effectively shuts down production ofproteins in the host.
Coordinated exit strategies crucial to avoid virus second-wave in Europe
Research by the University of Southampton shows European countries need to work together when lifting lockdown measures, to prevent COVID-19 cases rising again on the continent.
Coordination helps avoid continental COVID-19 resurgence, European modeling study shows
Coordinated lockdown strategies among countries is key to preventing resurgent COVID-19 outbreaks in continental Europe, a new modeling study shows.
COVID-19 news from Annals of Internal Medicine
SARS-CoV-2 RNA found in a healthy blood donor 40 days after resolution of symptoms.
COVID-19: Viral shutdown of protein synthesis
Researchers from Munich and Ulm have determined how the pandemic coronavirus SARS-CoV-2 inhibits the synthesis of proteins in infected cells and shown that it effectively disarms the body's innate immune system
CVIA has just published a new issue, Volume 4 Issue 4
Beijing, 10 July 2020: the journal Cardiovascular Innovations and Applications (CVIA) has just published a new issue, Volume 4 Issue 4. This issue brings together important research papers from leading cardiologists in US, China, and Africa, including very important new research on identification of Novel TTN Mutations and discovery of digenic mutation.
Decadal predictability of North Atlantic blocking and the NAO
Decadal predictions are important to study climate evolution on multi-annual to decadal timescales and may represent an unprecedented opportunity for decision-makers to calibrate plans and actions over a temporal horizon of a few years. More insights on this topic may come from a study led by the CMCC Foundation and recently published on NPJ Climate and Atmospheric Science.
Doctors motivated by both health, malpractice concerns when ordering additional tests
A UCLA-led study has found that dermatopathologists, who specialize in diagnosing skin diseases at the microscopic level, are motivated both by patient safety concerns and by malpractice fears -- often simultaneously -- when ordering multiple tests and obtaining second opinions, with a higher proportion of these doctors reporting patient safety as a concern.
Does having Alzheimer's disease and dementia affect severity of delirium?
Recently, researchers published findings from the Better Assessment of Illness (BASIL) study, in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society. They created the study to examine delirium, severe delirium, and its aftermath.