164 articles from FRIDAY 2.10.2020

Trump just got a dose of Regeneron’s unapproved antibody drug for covid

The president of the United States, Donald Trump, tested positive for covid-19 and within 24 hours had received an experimental, cutting-edge antibody treatment not available to other Americans. In a statement released Friday, the White House said Trump had received “a single 8-gram dose” of the biotech treatment, which belongs to a promising new class of antiviral drugs. The president...

NASA Science Live: Episode 22 - Celebrating Hispanic Heritage

Diversity brings strength to our missions and goals, and with a range of perspectives and backgrounds, we are able to achieve the impossible. Join as we celebrate our many amazing NASA employees with Hispanic Heritage and the valuable ideas and skills they bring to the agency. La diversidad enfortece a nuestras misiones y metas, y con una variedad de perspectivas y experiencias podemos...

Signs of Asian giant hornet nest found in Washington state

Agricultural officials in Washington state said Friday they are trying to find and destroy a nest of Asian giant hornets believed to be near a small town amid concerns the hornets could kill honey bees crucial for pollinating raspberry and blueberry crops.

New nanotechology design provides hope for personalized vaccination for treating cancer

One of the key challenges in developing effective, targeted cancer treatments is the heterogeneity of the cancer cells themselves. This variation makes it difficult for the immune system to recognize, respond to and actively fight against tumors. Now, however, new advances in nanotechnology are making it possible to deliver targeted, personalized "vaccines" to treat cancer.

A social-belonging intervention improves STEM outcomes for ESL students

A study conducted at 19 universities by IU researchers and their colleagues in the U.S. and Canada, found that a brief social belonging exercise, administered online before students arrive on campus, boosts the performance and persistence of students in STEM disciplines—science, technology, engineering and math—who speak English as a second language.

Future climate changes in nature reserves

The Earth's nature reserves are set to be affected by future climate change in very different ways. Detailed local knowledge of climate change impacts can therefore make a significant contribution to the management of protected areas and the preservation of their ecological function. A study draws attention to this fact. It is based on climate forecasts for more than 130,000 nature reserves...

A better understanding of how cirrus clouds form

New research provides insights into how cirrus clouds form, with implications for agriculture, urban development and climate-change predictions. The study shows that trees and plants play an important role that affects precipitation and global climate change.

How an AI tool for fighting hospital deaths actually worked in the real world

In November of 2018, a new deep-learning tool went online in the emergency department of the Duke University Health System. Called Sepsis Watch, it was designed to help doctors spot early signs of one of the leading causes of hospital deaths globally. Sepsis occurs when an infection triggers full-body inflammation and ultimately causes organs to shut down. It can be treated if diagnosed early...

The role of solid state chemistry in the development of metal-ion batteries

Professors from the Skoltech Center for Energy Science and Technology (CEST), Lomonosov Moscow State University and College de France shared their vision on the importance of solid state chemistry in advancements currently awaited from contemporary and prospective metal-ion batteries. The opinion was contributed as an invited review to Nature Communications.

Astronomers reveal first direct image of Beta Pictoris c using new astronomy instrument

The vast majority of planets near foreign stars are discovered by astronomers with the help of sophisticated methods. The exoplanet does not appear in the image, but reveals itself indirectly in the spectrum. A team of scientists from the Max Planck Institutes for Astronomy and Extraterrestrial Physics has now succeeded in obtaining the first direct confirmation of a previously discovered...

Damage uncovered on Antarctic glaciers reveals worrying signs for sea level rise

A new study into the structural damage of two major Antarctic glaciers reveals that ice shelf weakening has rapidly evolved in recent years. Multi-satellite imagery identified damage areas, sparking concerns that structural weakening could lead to major ice shelf collapse in the decades to come. This collapse, in turn, reduces the glaciers' ability to hold back major sections of the entire West...

Evolution on the smallest of scales smooths out the patchwork patterns of where plants and animals live

The Douglas fir is a tall iconic pine tree in Western North America forming a forest that winds unbroken from the Western spine of British Columbia all the way to the Mexican cordillera. The environmental conditions of Canada and Mexico are obviously very different, but even on much smaller scales—say, the top of a mountain compared with a valley below it—the rainfall, temperature, soil...