253 articles from TUESDAY 1.9.2020

Can sunlight convert emissions into useful materials?

A team of researchers has designed a method to break CO2 apart and convert the greenhouse gas into useful materials like fuels or consumer products ranging from pharmaceuticals to polymers. Typically, this process requires a tremendous amount of energy. However, in the first computational study of its kind, the research team enlisted a more sustainable ally: the sun.

COVID-19 antibodies present in patients four months after recovery: study

In previous studies, antibody levels dropped sharply within a few months after COVID-19, raising questions about the duration of immunity that infection may provide. The new finding may have implications for reinfection risks and vaccine durability, said Kari Stefansson, chief executive of deCode Genetics, which conducted the study. To get a sense of how many people in Iceland had been infected...

Large antibody study offers hope for virus vaccine efforts

Tuesday’s report, from tests on more than 30,000 people in Iceland, is the most extensive work yet on the immune system’s response to the virus and is good news for efforts to develop vaccines. If a vaccine can spur production of long-lasting antibodies like natural infection does, it gives hope that “immunity to this unpredictable and highly contagious virus may not be fleeting,”...

Fish invasions follow Panama and Suez canal expansions

World maritime trade grows each year, aided by canal waterways that connect oceans and reduce shipping time, energy consumption and carbon emissions. Following recent expansions of the Panama and Suez canals, non-native fish species are invading new habitats according to a new report in Nature Ecology and Evolution by researchers at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI) in Panama and...

As rural western towns grow, so do their planning challenges

A new study examines the planning challenges that residents and officials in the rural mountain American West have been watching unfold for years. The researchers specifically looked at over 1,500 'gateway communities' -- rural communities adjacent to national parks, forests, rivers and other outdoor recreational amenities.

Brazilian Amazon fires near level of 2019 crisis

The number of fires in the Brazilian Amazon last month was the second-highest in a decade for August, nearing the crisis levels that unleashed a flood of international condemnation last year, official figures showed Tuesday.

Terrawatch: how much peat is there on Earth?

Swedish researchers measure the scale of peatlands, and the amount of carbon stored in themHow much of the Earth’s landmass is made of peat? We know that peatlands store as much as a quarter of all soil carbon, and if this were to be released we would face climate havoc. Until now, however, no one had made a comprehensive map of where peatlands occurred and how deep they were. Related: Ultimate...

From Space and in the Air, NASA Tracks California's Wildfires

Portal origin URL: From Space and in the Air, NASA Tracks California's WildfiresPortal origin nid: 464099Published: Tuesday, September 1, 2020 - 16:23Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Earth-observing instruments on satellites and aircraft are mapping the current fires, providing data products to agencies on the ground that are responding to the...

Study identifies effective linguistic styles for restaurant crowdfunding

Online crowdfunding is a multibillion dollar industry, but crafting a compelling pitch that stands out among thousands of projects and lands investors is challenging. This is especially true for small-scale independent restaurant concepts where, due to intense industry competition, risk is high. Kickstarter's food category can have about 30,000 active pitches at any given time, but only about 25%...

Differing diets of bonobo groups may offer insights into how culture is created

Human societies developed food preferences based on a blend of what was available and what the group decided it liked most. Those predilections were then passed along as part of the set of socially learned behaviors, values, knowledge, and customs that make up culture. Besides humans, many other social animals are believed to exhibit forms of culture in various ways, too.

Global report: schools across Europe reopen as Covid cases grow

Parents and teachers fear face masks and other measures not enough to prevent second waveCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTens of millions of pupils, most wearing face masks, have headed back to class in France, Belgium, Poland and Russia, as schools across Europe cautiously reopened amid spiralling numbers of new coronavirus cases in several countries.Parents and...