193 articles from FRIDAY 11.9.2020

Covid test devices rushed onto Australian market less accurate than claimed – review

Doherty Institute says the eight devices for rapid testing shouldn’t be used in acute stages of the illnessRapid Covid-19 testing devices rushed onto the Australian market are far less accurate than their manufacturers have claimed, and the expert leading a government-initiated review says they should not be used to detect acute cases.In the early stages of the pandemic, the federal government...

Carbon-rich exoplanets may be made of diamonds

As missions like NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, TESS and Kepler continue to provide insights into the properties of exoplanets (planets around other stars), scientists are increasingly able to piece together what these planets look like, what they are made of, and if they could be habitable or even inhabited.

California's Air Quality Is Poor. Here's How to Protect Yourself.

SAN FRANCISCO -- Jennifer Krasner's 4-year-old daughter had been coughing for days. Krasner and her family live 20 minutes north of San Francisco, in Mill Valley, California, not close to any fire but wreathed in smoke nonetheless, with her house and car dusted with ash."I had to get her tested for COVID because she's been coughing so much," she said Thursday, "but it turned...

Sex differences in health and disease

Researchers have reviewed current research into patterns of sex differences in gene expression across the genome, and highlights sampling biases in the human populations included in such studies.

Quantum thermometer using nanodiamonds senses a 'fever' in tiny worms C. elegans

Measuring the temperature of objects at a nanometer-scale has been a long challenge, especially in living biological samples, because of the lack of precise and reliable nanothermometers. An international team of researchers has realized a quantum technology to probe temperature on a nanometer-scale, and have observed a 'fever' in tiny nematode worms under pharmacological treatment. This...

Using laser to cool polyatomic molecule

Researchers describe using a novel method combining cryogenic technology and direct laser light to cool the nonlinear polyatomic molecule calcium monomethoxide (CaOCH3) to just above absolute zero.

Cuttlebone's microstructure sits at a 'sweet spot'

A professor has a lesson in one of his mechanical engineering courses on how brittle materials like calcium carbonate behave under stress. In it, he takes a piece of chalk composed of the compound and snaps it in half to show his students the edge of one of the broken pieces. The break is blunt and straight.

Antibody test developed for COVID-19 that is sensitive, specific and scalable

An antibody test for the virus that causes COVID-19 is more accurate and can handle a much larger number of donor samples at lower overall cost than standard antibody tests currently in use. In the near term, the test can be used to accurately identify the best donors for convalescent plasma therapy and measure how well candidate vaccines and other therapies elicit an immune response.

COVID-19 ventilator patients can have permanent nerve damage

Severely ill COVID-19 patients on ventilators are placed in a prone (face down) position because it's easier for them to breathe and reduces mortality. But that life-saving position can also cause permanent nerve damage in these vulnerable patients, reports a new study. Scientists believe the nerve damage is the result of reduced blood flow and inflammation. Other non-COVID-19 patients on...

A phonon laser: Coherent vibrations from a self-breathing resonator

Lasing—the emission of a collimated light beam of light with a well-defined wavelength (color) and phase—results from a self-organization process, in which a collection of emission centers synchronizes itself to produce identical light particles (photons). A similar self-organized synchronization phenomenon can also lead to the generation of coherent vibrations—a phonon laser, where phonon...

NASA satellite finds an elongated Tropical Storm Rene caused by wind shear

Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed an elongated Tropical Storm Rene being battered by wind shear in the Central Atlantic Ocean. Tropical cyclones that appear less than round are likely being affected by wind shear or outside winds transitioning into an extra-tropical cyclone or taking on the elongated appearance of a weather front. Infrared imagery from NASA's Aqua satellite showed...

Novel virus-based colorimetric sensor can show true colors of airborne threats

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown that the world needs technology that can quickly and accurately identify invisible dangers, including harmful substances or airborne environmental pollutants. Colorimetric sensors—devices that intuitively reveal information about their environment through color changes—are an attractive option in this regard. But, for more people to benefit from these...

Researchers find cuttlebone's microstructure sits at a 'sweet spot'

Ling Li has a lesson in one of his mechanical engineering courses on how brittle materials like calcium carbonate behave under stress. In it, he takes a piece of chalk composed of the compound and snaps it in half to show his students the edge of one of the broken pieces. The break is blunt and straight.

Winds of change move western smoke into the Pacific

NOAA/NASA's Suomi NPP satellite captured these series of images (made into an animated GIF) showing the winds changing direction on Sep. 06, 2020 when choking clouds of brown smoke began to billow and cascade into the Pacific Ocean. (Dates displayed in lower left hand corner.) By Sep. 10, the smoke cloud had traveled over 1,300 miles. The square miles of smoke in the image below totals 963,269....

Ammonium triggers formation of lateral roots

Despite the importance of changes in root architecture to exploit local nutrient patches, mechanisms integrating external nutrient signals into the root developmental program remain poorly understood. "Here, we show for the first time that local ammonium supply stimulates the accumulation of auxin in the root vasculature and promotes auxin diffusion and lateral root formation to build a highly...

Massive-scale genomic study reveals wheat diversity for crop improvement

Researchers working on the Seeds of Discovery (SeeD) initiative, which aims to facilitate the effective use of genetic diversity of maize and wheat, have genetically characterized 79,191 samples of wheat from the germplasm banks of the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) and the International Center for Agricultural Research in the Dry Areas (ICARDA).

How plants ensure regular seed spacing

An international team of researchers led by biologists from Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (HHU) has examined how seed formation is coordinated with fruit growth. In the latest edition of the journal Current Biology, they explain the genetic control mechanisms underlying the process.

New standards for AI clinical trials will help spot snake oil and hype

The news: An international consortium of medical experts has introduced the first official standards for clinical trials that involve artificial intelligence. The move comes at a time when hype around medical AI is at a peak, with inflated and unverified claims about the effectiveness of certain tools threatening to undermine people’s trust in AI overall.  What it means: Announced in...

Lab-on-paper strip: Small, inexpensive platform for diagnosing tropical fevers

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has shown how important it is to have tools that can rapidly diagnose viral infectious diseases. Aside from the SARS-CoV-2 virus, which has currently taken the spotlight, the zika, dengue, and chikungunya viruses have also become major threats to human health in many parts of the world, particularly in tropical countries. All three viruses are transmitted by...