211 articles from FRIDAY 18.9.2020
NASA Invites Media to Launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite from West Coast
Portal origin URL: NASA Invites Media to Launch of Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich Satellite from West CoastPortal origin nid: 464623Published: Friday, September 18, 2020 - 17:56Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Media accreditation is open for the launch of the Sentinel-6 Michael Freilich satellite, an international collaboration between NASA and several...
Thousands of people say they are suffering from lingering symptoms of COVID-19 months after testing positive
Coronavirus "long-haulers" are still experiencing symptoms like fevers, brain fog, memory loss, nosebleeds, shortness of breath, and blurry...
How the seasons might influence brain size
Research suggests that changes in air pressure can cause changes in brain volume, in humans as well as in animalsA study by New England researchers looks at how weather and season influence brain size, comparing over three thousand MRI scans and finding small but distinct effects. “Basically, on a stormy day or in the winter, the cerebellum is larger than normal, while the rest of the brain is...
Massive damage of rare plants probed at Nevada mine site
State and federal authorities are investigating the mysterious loss of a significant swath of a rare desert wildflower that's being considered for federal protection at a contentious mine site in Nevada with some of the largest untapped lithium deposits in the world.
A better informed society can prevent lead poisoning disasters
Six years after it began, the Flint, Michigan, water crisis remains among the highest-profile emergencies in the United States.
NASA confirms development of record-breaking tropical storm Wilfred, ending hurricane list
The list of hurricane names is officially used up with the development of the 23rd tropical cyclone of the year. Tropical Storm Wilfred just formed in the Eastern Atlantic Ocean today, Sept. 18. Using a NASA satellite rainfall product that incorporates data from satellites and observations, NASA estimated Wilfred's rainfall rates.
NASA estimates powerful hurricane Teddy's extreme rainfall
Using a NASA satellite rainfall product that incorporates data from satellites and observations, NASA estimated Hurricane Teddy's rainfall rates. Teddy is a major hurricane in the Central North Atlantic Ocean.
NASA-NOAA satellite sees tropical depression 22 strengthening in gulf of Mexico
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite provided an infrared image of Tropical Depression 22 in the Gulf of Mexico during the early morning hours of Sept. 18. TD22 is expected to become a tropical storm, according to the National Hurricane Center (NHC).
NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite finds tropical storm Noul fading over Laos
Tropical Storm Noul made landfall in central Vietnam on Sept. 17 and NASA-NOAA's Suomi NPP satellite captured an image of the storm over Laos. Noul was weakening as it moves toward Thailand where it is forecast to dissipate.
Aqua satellite helps confirm Subtropical Storm Alpha
Subtropical Storm Alpha has formed near the coast of Portugal, becoming the first named storm using the Greek Alphabet list, now that the annual list of names is exhausted. NASA's Aqua satellite obtained visible imagery of the new storm.
A better informed society can prevent lead poisoning disasters
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 21:45
An article address unresolved scientific questions that can help avert future lead poisoning disasters. A better-informed society can prevent such disasters from happening through improved risk assessment, anticipation and management of factors affecting lead release.
Like humans, chimpanzees can suffer for life if orphaned before adulthood
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 21:45
A new study shows that orphaned male chimpanzees are less competitive and have fewer offspring of their own than those who continue to live with their mothers. The remaining puzzle is, what is it that their mothers provide that keeps chimpanzees healthy and competitive?
NASA touts lunar landing tech, and Blue Origin says there’ll be a flight test ‘soon’
Apollo 11 commander Neil Armstrong famously had to dodge a boulder-strewn crater just seconds before the first moon landing in 1969 — but for future lunar touchdowns, NASA expects robotic eyes to see such missions to safe landings. And Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' Blue Origin space venture is helping to make it so. Today NASA talked up a precision landing system known as SPLICE (which stands for...
Sometimes Food Fights Back
Peering through a microscope in 2016, Dania Albini gazed at an algae-eating water flea. Its gut appeared full and green with all the ingested teeny-tiny Chlorella vulgaris algae. But she also observed bright green blobs of this phytoplankton in an unexpected place: the herbivore's brood pouch."I was really surprised to see them there," said Albini, an aquatic ecologist then at...
T cell shortage linked to severe COVID-19 in elderly; antiseptic spray may limit virus spread
A lower supply of a certain type of immune cell in older people that is critical to fighting foreign invaders may help explain their vulnerability to severe COVID-19, scientists say. When germs enter the body, the initial "innate" immune response generates inflammation not specifically targeted at the bacteria or virus. Within days, the more precise "adaptive" immune response starts generating...
German prosecutors open homicide case after hacker attack on hospital leaves woman dead
German prosecutors opened a homicide investigation on Friday into the case of a patient who died after a hospital in the western city of Duesseldorf was unable to admit her because its systems had been knocked out by a cyber...
The week in Wildlife – in pictures
The best wildlife pictures from around the world, from golden frogs to homebound birds Continue reading...
Like humans, chimpanzees can suffer for life if orphaned before adulthood
Researchers observed three chimpanzee communities of the Tai National Park. They kept full demographic records and collected fecal samples to conduct paternity tests on all new community members, for up to 30 years. Catherine Crockford, the lead author, says: "When we study our closest living relatives, like chimpanzees, we can learn about the ancient environmental factors that made us human. Our...
Removal of a gene could render lethal poxviruses harmless
The removal of one gene renders poxviruses—a lethal family of viral infections that are known to spread from animals to humans—harmless, a new study in the journal Science Advances reports.
Indian monsoon can be predicted better after volcanic eruptions
Large volcanic eruptions can help to forecast monsoons over India. This seasonal rainfall is key for the country's agriculture and thus for feeding 1 billion people. As erratic as they are, volcanic eruptions improve the predictability, an Indian-German research team finds. What seems to be a paradox is, in fact, due to a stronger coupling between the monsoon over large parts of South and...
Connecting the dots on food access
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 19:59
A new study simultaneously examined the preferences of community members and compared those with the community-based programs and resources available to identify the most viable strategies for addressing disparities in healthy food consumption.
Lack of UK airport tests aiding Covid-19 spread, scientists warn
Sage experts say poor quarantine compliance is also bringing virus into countryCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageGovernment scientists have warned of a “developing situation” over people bringing coronavirus into the UK after travelling abroad and returning home without being tested.People who travel overseas are required to quarantine for two weeks on their return...
Flooding affects more than 1 million across East Africa
Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic.
New design principles for spin-based quantum materials
As our lives become increasingly intertwined with technology—whether supporting communication while working remotely or streaming our favorite show—so too does our reliance on the data these devices create. Data centers supporting these technology ecosystems produce a significant carbon footprint—and consume 200 terawatt hours of energy each year, greater than the annual energy consumption...
Anti-resonant hollow-core optical fiber reduces 'noise'
A new hollow optical fiber greatly reduces the "noise" interfering with the signals it transmits compared to the single-mode fibers now widely used, researchers at the University of Rochester report.
Climate Point: What will a map of America look like in 2050?
And another thing: Oil companies are profiting from California...
Canada unveils 'swirl, gargle and spit' Covid test for school-aged children
Test, which is only offered to children in British Columbia, involves gargling saline solution and spitting it into a tubeAuthorities in Canada have unveiled a new non-invasive coronavirus test which avoids the need for intrusive nasal swabs, in a development which they hope will making testing easier and more accessible for students as they return to schools.The new testing method, unveiled...
Americans won’t be able to download TikTok or WeChat from Sunday
What’s happening? The US Commerce Department has issued an order banning Americans from downloading Chinese-owned apps TikTok and WeChat; it’s due to come into effect on Sunday, September 20. Existing users in the US will still be able to use the apps, but they won’t receive updates or patches from Sunday onwards, and the apps will both disappear from Google’s and Apple’s US app...
Yosemite National Park Closes Due to Poor Air Quality as Wildfires Continue to Ravage West Coast
At least 25 people have died due to the wildfires in California since Aug. 15, officials...
New design principles for spin-based quantum materials
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 18:22
A new design criteria for enhancing the spin lifetime of a class of quantum materials could support Internet of Things devices and other resource-intensive technologies.
'It's a first': Oldest human footprints in Arabian peninsula point to route out of Africa
The discovery gives strength to the idea that the Arabian Peninsula was a key route from Africa for early migrations of Homo...
Is Covid’s end closer than we think? | Letters
Up to half the world’s population may have natural immunity to coronavirus, writes Prof Moin Saleem. Plus Dr David Grimes on the evidence that vitamin D provides some protectionYour article (‘Confounding’: Covid may have already peaked in many African countries, 16 September) hints that there may be natural immunity in African countries where Covid-19 has settled down. This is likely to be...
Solar storm forecasts for Earth improved with help from the public
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 17:33
Scientists used observations recorded by members of the public to increase accuracy of computer model predictions of when harmful CMEs will hit Earth.
Biologists create new genetic systems to neutralize gene drives
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 17:33
Addressing concerns about gene drive releases in the wild, scientists have developed two new genetic systems that halt or eliminate gene drives after release. Created in fruit flies, the e-CHACRs and ERACRs are powerful gene drive control mechanisms that were meticulously developed and tested at the genetic and molecular levels.
Engineers produce a fisheye lens that's completely flat
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 17:33
Engineers have designed a wide-angle lens that is completely flat. It is the first flat fisheye lens to produce crisp, 180-degree panoramic images.
Everyday Effects of the Solar Cycle
Portal origin URL: Everyday Effects of the Solar CyclePortal origin nid: 464564Published: Friday, September 18, 2020 - 11:30Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: Scientists announced that the Sun has entered a new cycle, marked by solar minimum in December 2019. Meet a few people whose everyday lives are affected by the regular ebb and flow of solar...
Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forests
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 17:21
Global maps of places where people and forests coexist show that an estimated 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers of a forest. The assessment, based on data from 2000 and 2012, showed that of these 1.6 billion 'forest-proximate people,' 64.5 percent were located in tropical countries, and 71.3 percent lived in countries classified as low or middle income by the World Bank.
Flooding affects more than 1 million across East Africa
Flooding has affected well over a million people across East Africa, another calamity threatening food security on top of a historic locust outbreak and the coronavirus pandemic. The Nile River has hit its highest levels in a half-century under heavy seasonal rainfall, and large parts of Sudan, Ethiopia and South Sudan have been swamped amid worries about climate change. As warnings of a new...
VLBA makes first direct distance measurement to magnetar
Astronomers using the National Science Foundation's Very Long Baseline Array (VLBA) have made the first direct geometric measurement of the distance to a magnetar within our Milky Way Galaxy—a measurement that could help determine if magnetars are the sources of the long-mysterious Fast Radio Bursts (FRBs).
Biologists create new genetic systems to neutralize gene drives
In the past decade, researchers have engineered an array of new tools that control the balance of genetic inheritance. Based on CRISPR technology, such gene drives are poised to move from the laboratory into the wild where they are being engineered to suppress devastating diseases such as mosquito-borne malaria, dengue, Zika, chikungunya, yellow fever and West Nile. Gene drives carry the power to...
Mapping the 1.6 billion people who live near forests
Global maps of places where people and forests coexist show that an estimated 1.6 billion people live within 5 kilometers of a forest. The assessment, based on data from 2000 and 2012 and published September 18 in the journal One Earth, showed that of these 1.6 billion "forest-proximate people," 64.5 percent were located in tropical countries, and 71.3 percent lived in countries classified as low...
Bolsonaro's Indigenous land mining policy a billion-dollar backfire
Research has found a proposal to regulate mining of Indigenous lands in Brazil's Amazon rainforest could affect more than 863,000 square kilometers of forest and harm the nation's economy.
A patient has died after ransomware hackers hit a German hospital
For the first time ever, a patient’s death has been linked directly to a cyberattack. Police have launched a murder investigation after ransomware disrupted emergency care at Düsseldorf University Hospital in Germany.
The victim: Prosecutors in Cologne say a female patient from Düsseldorf was scheduled to undergo critical care at the hospital when the September 9 attack disabled systems....
Ten minutes of massage or rest will help your body fight stress
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 16:43
Study shows that short, easy-to-apply relaxation techniques can activate the body's regenerative system for fighting stress -- offering new perspective on how we can treat stress-related disease
Raids and bloody rituals among ancient steppe nomads
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 16:42
Traces of violence on 1700 year old skeletons allow researchers to reconstruct warfare and sacrifices of nomads in Siberia. An international and interdisciplinary team of anthropologists, archaeologists and specialists in forensic sciences performed a detailed and revealing analysis of the traumas found on the skeletal remains.
Glyphosate residue in manure fertilizer decrease strawberry and meadow fescue growth
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 16:42
A new study finds that glyphosate residue from herbicides in manure fertilizer decrease the growth of strawberry and meadow fescue as well as runner production of strawberry.
Nose's response to odors more than just a simple sum of parts
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 16:42
Based on highly sensitive recordings of neuron activity in the noses of mice, researchers have found that olfactory sensory neurons can exhibit suppression or enhancement of response when odors are mixed, overturning a long-standing view that the response is a simple sum with more complex processing only happening at later stages.
Researchers develop simple method to 3D print milk products
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 16:42
Additive free, multimaterial 3D printing is achieved for milk-based products without temperature control.
Unverricht-Lundborg disease is more common in Finland than elsewhere in the world
- ScienceDaily
- 20/9/18 16:42
Based on reported cases, Unverricht-Lundborg disease, also known as progressive myoclonic epilepsy-1A, EPM1, is more common in Finland than anywhere else in the world, a new study finds.