293 articles from WEDNESDAY 28.10.2020

Red coating contaminates SpaceX rockets, delays crew launch

SpaceX’s second astronaut flight is off until mid-November because red lacquer dripped into tiny vent holes in two rocket engines that now must be replaced. SpaceX and NASA officials announced the discovery of the potentially damaging contamination Wednesday. The clogged holes were found after the aborted launch of a GPS satellite on Oct....

International study uncovers secret surfing life of remoras hitchhiking on blue whales

Sticking to the bodies of sharks and other larger marine life is a well-known specialty of remora fishes (Echeneidae) and their super-powered suction disks on their heads. But a new study has now fully documented the "suckerfish" in hitchhiking action below the ocean's surface, uncovering a much more refined skillset that the fish uses for navigating intense hydrodynamics that come with trying to...

Forecasting elections with a model of infectious diseases

Election forecasting is an innately challenging endeavor, with results that can be difficult to interpret and may leave many questions unanswered after close races unfold. Researchers have now borrowed ideas from epidemiology to develop a new method for forecasting elections. The team hoped the multidisciplinary nature of their infectious disease model could expand the community that engages with...

Location and extent of coral reefs mapped worldwide using advanced AI

Nearly 75% of the world's coral reefs are under threat from global stressors such as climate change and local stressors such as overfishing and coastal development. Those working to understand and protect coral reefs are building the know-how to mitigate the damage but doing so requires first knowing where reefs are located.

Forecasting elections with a model of infectious diseases

Forecasting elections is a high-stakes problem. Politicians and voters alike are often desperate to know the outcome of a close race, but providing them with incomplete or inaccurate predictions can be misleading. And election forecasting is already an innately challenging endeavor—the modeling process is rife with uncertainty, incomplete information, and subjective choices, all of which must be...

Section 230: Senators grandstand during hearing with Big Tech bosses

What happened: Less than a week before the US presidential elections, the CEOs of Facebook, Google, and Twitter appeared before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.The four-hour hearing was meant to focus on Section 230, the regulation that has shielded internet companies from liability for user content. Most questions, however, had little to do with Section 230, instead...

Top medical advisers arguing for tighter coronavirus restrictions in England

Sir Patrick Vallance and Prof Chris Whitty fear deaths this winter could exceed those in springCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageSir Patrick Vallance and Prof Chris Whitty, the government’s top scientific and medical advisers, are understood to be arguing hard with ministers for tighter restrictions across England ahead of Christmas.The pair are calling for tougher...

10% of England's population could be tested for Covid-19 every week

Exclusive: NHS test and trace asks public health directors to sign up to rapid saliva testing planCovid testing: does Operation Moonshot have a shot at success? Coronavirus – latest updatesUp to 10% of England’s population could be tested for coronavirus every week after government officials asked local health chiefs to deploy 30-minute saliva kits in an acceleration of Boris Johnson’s...

As Climate Disasters Pile Up, a Radical Proposal Gains Traction

WASHINGTON -- As the effects of climate change become more devastating, prominent research institutions and government agencies are focusing new money and attention on an idea once dismissed as science fiction: artificially cooling the planet, in the hopes of buying humanity more time to cut greenhouse gas emissions.That strategy, called solar climate intervention or solar geoengineering, entails...

Leaving more big fish in the sea reduces carbon dioxide emissions

Leaving more big fish -- like tuna, sharks, mackerel and swordfish -- in the sea reduces the amount of carbon dioxide released into the Earth's atmosphere. This is because when a fish dies in the ocean it sinks to the depths and sequestrates all the carbon it contains with it. This is a form of 'blue carbon'. Big fish are about 10 to 15 percent carbon.

Why men get beer bellies

You don't have to drink beer to get a beer belly. It's all about the way our bodies store up fat and men tend to store visceral fat in their...