323 articles from WEDNESDAY 29.7.2020
Coronavirus live news: US deaths near 150,000 as Italy extends state of emergency
Trump blames US case surge on protesters; Pilgrims quarantined in Mecca as hajj begins; WHO warns pandemic is “one big wave”, not seasonal. Follow the latest updatesCovid-19 still accelerating, warns WHO, as restrictions return in EuropeTwitter limits Donald Trump Jr’s account for posting misinformationClapped out of ICU, dead days later: the secondary impact of Covid-19Outbreak in Xinjiang...
Australia's Covid-19 response shows we can confront major crises. Threats to our planet should be next | Ian Chubb
During the pandemic, we saw ideological nonsense and prejudice mostly put aside – and we saw what we could accomplish when it wasCarl Sagan – one of my heroes and a scientist with a gift for communicating complex ideas in accessible ways – wrote back in 1994: “If we continue to accumulate only power and not wisdom, we will surely destroy ourselves … If we become even slightly more...
UBC researchers develop rapid test to detect invasive gypsy moth
The gypsy moth is tiny but it poses an outsized threat to the environment and B.C.'s economy.
Climate change: Coastal erosion 'to threaten more Australian homes'
See the damage done by waves – and the problem will only get worse with climate change, experts say.
Princess Anne: Fly-tipping 'a major irritation'
The Princess Royal is the guest editor of Country Life magazine this week, to mark her 70th birthday.
Ecuador on alert over huge Chinese fishing fleet off Galapagos Islands
Ecuador is on alert due to the appearance of a fleet of fishing vessels off the Galapagos Islands.
What jigsaw puzzles tell us about child development
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 02:16
New research shows that children only learn to do jigsaw puzzles once they have reached a certain stage of development. Three-year-olds use trial and error, but four-year-olds are able to use information in the picture to complete the puzzles. The research team say this understanding is the foundation of learning to draw and paint.
Gorilla relationships limited in large groups
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 02:16
Mountain gorillas that live in oversized groups may have to limit the number of strong social relationships they form, new research suggests.
Decline of bees, other pollinators threatens US crop yields
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 02:15
Crop yields for apples, cherries and blueberries across the United States are being reduced by a lack of pollinators, according to new research, the most comprehensive study of its kind to date. Most of the world's crops depend on honeybees and wild bees for pollination, so declines in both managed and wild bee populations raise concerns about food security, notes the study.
Study: A plunge in incoming sunlight may have triggered 'snowball Earths'
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 02:15
Global ice ages may have been triggered by sharp declines in incoming sunlight, research finds.
Music training may not make children smarter after all
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 02:15
Music training does not have a positive impact on children's cognitive skills, such as memory, and academic achievement, such as maths, reading or writing, according to a study published in Memory & Cognition.
'Once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity for more sustainable food
An independent review of the UK's food policy calls for a new green...
'Once-in-a-lifetime' opportunity for more sustainable food
An independent review of the UK's food policy calls for a new green revolution.
Bringing Mars back to Earth
An audacious mission to bring rock samples from Mars back to Earth is about to begin - find our more with our illustrated...
Bringing Mars back to Earth
An audacious mission to bring rock samples from Mars back to Earth is about to begin - find our more with our illustrated guide
UK studies exploring Covid-19 links with ethnicity awarded £4m
Six projects will help researchers explain the disproportionate BAME death rateCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSpecially tailored public health messaging, the impact of structural racism and whether healthcare workers should be redeployed are among research projects that have been given funding to explore the link between Covid-19 and ethnicity.More than £4m has been...
Decline of bees, other pollinators threatens US crop yields
Crop yields for apples, cherries and blueberries across the United States are being reduced by a lack of pollinators, according to Rutgers-led research, the most comprehensive study of its kind to date.
A plunge in incoming sunlight may have triggered 'Snowball Earths'
At least twice in Earth's history, nearly the entire planet was encased in a sheet of snow and ice. These dramatic "Snowball Earth" events occurred in quick succession, somewhere around 700 million years ago, and evidence suggests that the consecutive global ice ages set the stage for the subsequent explosion of complex, multicellular life on Earth.
Gorilla relationships limited in large groups
Mountain gorillas that live in oversized groups may have to limit the number of strong social relationships they form, new research suggests.
Researchers discover 'Marie Kondo' protein which aids in organizing fruit fly embryos
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 00:25
Researchers have discovered a protein in fruit fly embryos dubbed Marie Kondo, that destroys maternal proteins. Much like namesake, author and clutter consultant Marie Kondo, this gene removes unnecessary molecules, keeping embryos organized.
How Salt Lake's buildings affect its climate future
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 00:25
With climate change, we'll need less natural gas for heat and more electricity for cooling -- but what's the balance? Researchers used hyper-localized climate models and building projections to find out. The answer is that buildings' energy use in the future varies wildly, depending on the climate scenario, and that local building policy now could have a big impact on energy use in the future.
Using artificial intelligence to smell the roses
- ScienceDaily
- 20/7/29 00:25
A pair of researchers has used machine learning to understand what a chemical smells like -- a research breakthrough with potential applications in the food flavor and fragrance industries.
Hopes raised for early blood test to help fight Alzheimer’s disease
Studies measuring levels of the protein tau in blood offer hope of developing treatmentsScientists say they have made progress towards a test for Alzheimer’s that could help researchers in the hunt for treatments for the disease.Several studies, presented at a conference in Chicago, showed it was possible to measure the levels of a protein called tau in the blood. Tau and another protein called...