290 articles from MONDAY 9.11.2020

Blue Origin and Aerojet get in on NASA partnerships for new space technologies

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos’ Blue Origin space venture and Aerojet Rocketdyne’s operation in Redmond, Wash., are among 17 companies that have struck deals with NASA to develop new technologies for space missions. The 20 collaborative projects are part of a program managed by NASA’s Space Technology Mission Directorate. The selected projects will be governed by unfunded Space Act Agreements. No...

Highly effective vaccine, new warning signs, disrupted heart rhythm

An experimental COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SA appears to be more than 90% effective, based on data analyzed midway through a gold-standard clinical trial, the companies announced on Monday. Pfizer said researchers had analyzed 94 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in trial participants and found the vast majority of the infections were in volunteers in the placebo group. BioNTech's...

Researchers decode thermal conductivity with light

Groundbreaking science is often the result of true collaboration, with researchers in a variety of fields, viewpoints and experiences coming together in a unique way. One such effort by Clemson University researchers has led to a discovery that could change the way the science of thermoelectrics moves forward.

Study finds surprising diversity in early child care

A new study of kindergarteners in one Midwestern state identified seven different pathways the children took in their early education and care before arriving at school. The researchers were surprised by the diverse experiences that kids brought with them to kindergarten: While some received care only in their home or mainly in a child care center, others switched back and forth between different...

Female banded mongooses lead battle for chance to find mates

When families of banded mongooses prepare to fight, they form battle lines. “Then they bunch up into writhing balls, chaotic and fast-moving, and you hear high-pitched screeches,” said Michael Cant, a biologist at the University of Exeter who has been studying the species in Uganda for 25 years. “We call it mongoose...