22 articles from SUNDAY 16.8.2020

Starwatch: Corona Borealis, crown of the north

One of the earliest recognised constellations, quite small and relatively faint, Corona Borealis forms an unmistakeable semi-circle of starsThis week, head out of the city to a dark sky location and track down the constellation of Corona Borealis, the northern crown. It is a small, relatively faint constellation but one that has been recognised for millennia. Ptolemy listed it in his 2nd century...

How Do You Solve a Moon Mystery? Fire a Laser at It

The moon is drifting away. Every year, it gets about an inch and a half farther from us. Hundreds of millions of years from now, our companion in the sky will be distant enough that there will be no more total solar eclipses.For decades, scientists have measured the moon's retreat by firing a laser at light-reflecting panels, known as retroreflectors, that were left on the lunar surface, and...

Rising R number casts cloud over Northern Ireland’s Covid success

The region’s enviable record of controlling the virus is at risk from complacency over social distancing, scientists warnCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageNorthern Ireland’s chief scientific adviser has warned of the risks of complacency after Covid-19 cases in the region increased rapidly last week. Professor Ian Young said it was “inevitable” that there would...

New diagnostic criteria shine light on early dementia mimics

Experts estimate up to one third of people attending specialist memory clinics in the UK could have a condition that is commonly mistaken for early dementia. In a paper published in the journal, Brain, UK academics and clinicians have collaborated to develop a diagnostic definition of the widely recognised but poorly understood condition, Functional Cognitive Disorder (FCD).

Members of NASA GeneLab’s Analysis Working Group Initiate International COVID-19 Data Analysis Effort

Transmission electron microscope image showing SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19.Credits: National Institutes of Health A Facebook live event brought together nearly 1,450 researchers from 18 countries, representing 100 institutions—to present recent findings about COVID-19 coronavirus transmission, host interactions, screening diagnosis and treatment therapies.  The event, held...