171 articles from FRIDAY 28.8.2020

The abandoned illness: schizophrenia and how it took seven years to get a diagnosis | Anonymous

It is unlikely Sunny will ever work again. How could he explain to any potential employer that his only crime was the ‘crime’ of schizophrenia?As a child, his grandmother nicknamed him Sunny because he was always so bright and happy. On leaving primary school, he achieved a “band 6” in both maths and English. His mother was optimistic; perhaps he would be a scholar like his grandfather. It...

Australian researchers condemn 'groundless vilification' of their work with China

Without global collaboration, the nation would be ‘in really serious trouble’, Universities Australia head saysAustralian scientists have been vilified for working with Chinese researchers even though the nation would be “in really serious trouble” without international partnerships, top representatives of the sector have warned.In an emphatic defence of global research efforts, the...

Mother Nature on steroids: Early signs point to devastating California fire season

Record temperatures have exacerbated the state’s ongoing drought and triggered dry-lightning that started more than 700 fires, some in redwood rainforests and Joshua trees that do not normally burn. Firefighters had a grip on the three largest blazes on Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area but warned residents to prepare for fall winds that typically drive the state’s largest fires. With...

Mother Nature on steroids: Early signs point to devastating California fire season

Record temperatures have exacerbated the state’s ongoing drought and triggered dry-lightning that started more than 700 fires, some in redwood rainforests and Joshua trees that do not normally burn. Firefighters had a grip on the three largest blazes on Friday in the San Francisco Bay Area but warned residents to prepare for fall winds that typically drive the state’s largest fires. With...

Fossil Reveals 'One of the Cutest Dinosaurs' Ever Found

Some 20 years ago, someone smuggled dinosaur eggs from Argentina to the United States illegally. The smuggler probably had little clue that inside one of the eggs was one of the best-preserved skulls of a dinosaur embryo ever found, which is now giving us new insights into the facial appearance of one line of our planet's erstwhile rulers."When I had a look at this specimen, I quickly...

You Can't Escape Lice, Even 6,500 Feet Below the Ocean

Darling, it's better under the sea, unless you're an insect. You might find some bugs skimming the surface of a pond or even creating their own scuba bubble to dive beneath the surface of inland lakes. But insects are virtually absent from the open ocean.If you look at the hind flippers of southern elephant seals, however, you will find some insects that have made their way to a partially...

Pubs will shut before schools in a Covid upsurge, says PM

Boris Johnson says in video Q&A that English schools will close as a last resort this winter Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageBoris Johnson has stressed that ministers will prioritise keeping schools open this winter as they tackle any upsurge in coronavirus cases.The government intends to continue using local lockdowns to control the spread of the virus in the...

Cellular energy audit reveals energy producers and consumers

Adenosine triphosphate, or ATP, is the cellular energy currency that is as valuable to the human body as the dollar is to the US economy. Too high or too low levels of ATP in some cell types have been linked to a variety of diseases. However, scientists have lacked an understanding of how cells regulate ATP levels on a broad scale and how cells' energy levels can be protected or restored in the...

Researchers dramatically downsize technology for fingerprinting drugs and other chemicals

As new infectious diseases emerge and spread, one of the best shots against novel pathogens is finding new medicines or vaccines. But before drugs can be used as potential cures, they have to be painstakingly screened for composition, safety and purity, among other things. Thus, there is an increasing demand for technologies that can characterize chemical compounds quickly and in real time.

Farmers' quick sale of poultry during outbreaks may increase deadly virus transmission

Small-scale poultry farmers in Vietnam tend to respond to viral outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) by rapidly selling their birds as a way to avoid financial loss, according to a new study by an international team of researchers. As these birds are commingled with other birds in markets and trading networks, this practice may increase the likelihood of widespread disease...

Vietnam farmers' poultry sales during outbreaks may increase virus transmission

Small-scale poultry farmers in Vietnam tend to respond to viral outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) by rapidly selling their birds as a way to avoid financial loss, according to a new study. As these birds are commingled with other birds in markets and trading networks, this practice may increase the likelihood of widespread disease transmission.

Fossil trees on Peru's Central Andean Plateau tell a tale of dramatic environmental change

On an expedition to the Central Andean Plateau, researchers from the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) and colleagues were astounded to find a huge fossil-tree buried in the cold, grassy plain. The plant fossil record from this high-altitude site in southern Peru contains dramatic reminders that the environment in the Andes mountains changed drastically during the past 10 million...