312 articles from TUESDAY 22.9.2020

Silk offers homemade solution for COVID-19 prevention

A new study finds that silk fabric performs similarly to surgical masks when used in conjunction with respirators but has the added advantages of being washable and repelling water, which would translate to helping to keep a person safer from the airborne virus.

Complications from diabetes linked to worse memory, IQ in children

A new study uncovered that even one severe episode of diabetic ketoacidosis (DKA) in children newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes is linked to cognitive problems; and among children with a previous diagnosis, repeated DKA exposure predicted lower cognitive performance after accounting for glycemic control.

COVID-19 opens a partisan gap on voting by mail

A new study documents a growing divide in the United States on preferences for absentee ballots. Before the pandemic, there wasn't any difference in the rates at which Democratic and Republican voters actually cast their ballots by mail or in-person. That may change now.

Neurological consequences of COVID-19: The 'Silent Wave'

Is the world prepared a wave of neurological consequences that may be on its way as a result of COVID-19? A team of neuroscientists and clinicians are examining the potential link between COVID-19 and increased risk of Parkinson's disease, and measures to get ahead of the curve.

A city in Brazil where covid-19 ran amok may be a ‘sentinel’ for the rest of the world

What happens when a major city allows the coronavirus to rage unchecked? If the Brazilian city of Manaus is any answer, it means about two-thirds of the population could get infected and one person in 500 could die before the epidemic winds down. During May, as the virus spread rapidly in Manaus, the equatorial capital of Amazonas state, dire reports described overwhelmed hospitals and...

China sets 2060 goal to go carbon neutral

Chinese President Xi Jinping vowed Tuesday that the world's largest greenhouse gas polluter will peak emissions in 2030 and go carbon neutral by 2060, in what environmentalists hailed as a major step forward.

Between relativistic and classical wave regimes, newly discovered memory effect alters the Doppler wave signature

Wave scattering appears practically everywhere in everyday life—from conversations across rooms, to ocean waves breaking on a shore, from colorful sunsets, to radar waves reflecting from aircraft. Scattering phenomena also appear in realms as diverse as quantum mechanics and gravitation. According to Pavel Ginzburg, professor at Tel Aviv University's School of Electrical Engineering, these...

Squeezed light makes Virgo's mirrors jitter

Quantum mechanics does not only describe how the world works on its smallest scales, but also affects the motion of macroscopic objects. An international research team, including four scientists from the MPI for Gravitational Physics (Albert-Einstein-Institut/AEI) and Leibniz University in Hannover, Germany, has shown how they can influence the motion of mirrors, each weighing more than 40 kg, in...

Colleges reopenings in-person likely added 3,000 U.S. COVID-19 cases per day: study

The findings call into question the practicality of face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic, and are important as colleges and universities plan their spring 2020 semesters, said researchers from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, Indiana University, the University of Washington and Davidson College. To track COVID-19 cases and study their association with students...

Macmillan Cancer Support to axe 310 jobs due to funding crisis

Cancer charity reels from coronavirus has had on fundraising as it cuts sixth of workforceCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageMacmillan Cancer Support has announced major cuts as it struggles with a coronavirus funding crisis, announcing plans to axe 310 jobs – around a sixth of its workforce – from next month.The charity, which had already furloughed approximately...

Wild birds as offerings to the Egyptian gods

Millions of ibis and birds of prey mummies, sacrificed to the Egyptian gods Horus, Ra or Thoth, have been discovered in the necropolises of the Nile Valley. Such a quantity of mummified birds raises the question of their origin: Were they bred, like cats, or were they hunted? Scientists from the CNRS, the Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1 and the C2RMF have carried out extensive geochemical...

New 3-D printing method could jump-start creation of tiny medical devices for the body

Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) have developed a new method of 3-D-printing gels and other soft materials. Published in a new paper, it has the potential to create complex structures with nanometer-scale precision. Because many gels are compatible with living cells, the new method could jump-start the production of soft tiny medical devices such as drug...

Warming temperatures are driving Arctic greening

As Arctic summers warm, Earth's northern landscapes are changing. Using satellite images to track global tundra ecosystems over decades, a new study found the region has become greener, as warmer air and soil temperatures lead to increased plant growth.

Seismic data explains continental collision beneath Tibet

In addition to being the last horizon for adventurers and spiritual seekers, the Himalaya region is a prime location for understanding geological processes. It hosts world-class mineral deposits of copper, lead, zinc, gold and silver, as well as rarer elements like lithium, antimony and chrome, that are essential to modern technology. The uplift of the Tibetan plateau even affects global climate...

Study proposes narrative writing exercise as way to reduce polarization in U.S. politics

Left or right. Among other uses, these terms can generally identify most Americans' political beliefs—liberal or conservative, Democrat or Republican. When these views are at the extreme ends of the political spectrum, they are known as political polarization. With the gap between these political ideologies in American politics growing wider, experts argue that the gap between both sides is...