297 articles from WEDNESDAY 26.8.2020

Damage from whopper hurricanes rising for many reasons

A destructive storm is rising from warm waters. America and the world are getting more frequent and bigger multibillion dollar tropical catastrophes like Hurricane Laura, which is menacing the U.S. Gulf Coast, because of a combination of increased coastal development, natural climate cycles, reductions in air pollution and man-made climate change, experts say. It's a mess at least partially of...

Interventions stem antibiotic prescribing rates in telemedicine

Two different interventions both worked to significantly reduce the rate of inappropriate antibiotic prescriptions made by physicians in a telemedicine practice, a new study shows. The finding could offer a new way to stem the growing problem of antibiotic resistance, particularly as telemedicine grows due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Fires 'poisoning air' in Amazon: study

Rampant fires in the Amazon are "poisoning the air" of the world's biggest rainforest, causing a sharp rise in respiratory emergencies in a region already hit hard by COVID-19, said a study published Wednesday.

How low did it go? Scientists calculate Earth's Ice Age temperatures

Guided by ocean plankton fossils and climate models, scientists have calculated just how cold it got on Earth during the depths of the last Ice Age, when immense ice sheets covered large parts of North America, South America, Europe and Asia. The average global temperature during the period known as the Last Glacial Maximum from roughly 23,000 to 19,000 years ago was about 46 degrees Fahrenheit...

New observations of black hole devouring a star reveal rapid disk formation

When a star passes too close to a supermassive black hole, tidal forces tear it apart, producing a bright flare of radiation as material from the star falls into the black hole. Astronomers study the light from these 'tidal disruption events' (TDEs) for clues to the feeding behavior of the supermassive black holes lurking at the centers of galaxies, and new observations help resolve crucial...

Researchers unravel two mysteries of COVID-19

In one study, researchers have identified six molecules that can be used as biomarkers to predict how severely ill a patient will become. In another study, they reveal a new mechanism causing blood clots in COVID-19 patients and potential ways to treat them.

Tethering together type 2 diabetes drugs increases efficacy of combination therapy

Biomedical engineers have shown that the effectiveness of a two-pronged type 2 diabetes treatment increases when the drugs are linked by a heat-sensitive tether rather than concurrently administered. The combination molecule forms a gel-like depot under the skin that slowly releases the drug. These findings suggest that this approach to combination drug design could be applied to disease therapies...

18 whales die in Mauritius stranding

Eighteen melon-headed whales washed up on the shores of Mauritius on Wednesday, the country's fisheries minister said, dismissing any link to a devastating oil spill earlier this month.

Laura strengthens into 'extremely dangerous' Category 4

Laura strengthened Wednesday into a menacing Category 4 hurricane, raising fears of a 20-foot storm surge that forecasters said would be "unsurvivable" and capable of sinking entire communities. Authorities implored coastal residents of Texas and Louisiana to evacuate and worried that not enough had fled.