421 articles from THURSDAY 3.12.2020
Covid: 1.5 million dead globally as vaccination schemes set to begin
More than 10,000 people have died on average every day in the past week, according to latest figuresCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageAt least 1.5 million lives across the globe have been lost to Covid-19, according to a tally of cases maintained by Johns Hopkins University, as vaccinations look set to be rolled out in a handful of nations this month.Reuters reported...
Climate change: UK aims to cut emissions by 68% by end of 2030
The "ambitious" target would see the UK cutting emissions faster than any major economy so far, the PM says.
What's killing killer whales?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Pathology reports on more than 50 killer whales stranded over nearly a decade in the northeast Pacific and Hawaii show that orcas face a variety of mortal threats -- many stemming from human interactions.
Leaving so soon? Unusual planetary nebula fades mere decades after it arrived
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
The tiny Stingray Nebula unexpectedly appeared in the 1980s is by far the youngest planetary nebula in our sky. But a team of astronomers recently analyzed a more recent image of the nebula, taken in 2016 by Hubble, and found that it has faded significantly and changed shape over the course of just 20 years. If dimming continues at current rates, in 20 or 30 years the Stingray Nebula will be...
Research leads to better modeling of hypersonic flow
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Designing a thermal protection system to keep astronauts and cargo safe requires an understanding at the molecular level of the complicated physics going on in the gas that flows around the vehicle. Recent research added new knowledge about the physical phenomena that occur as atoms vibrate, rotate, and collide in this extreme environment.
Leaf microbiomes are a neighborhood affair in northern forests
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Leaf microbiomes of sugar maple trees vary across the species' range, changing in accordance with the types of trees in the surrounding 'neighborhood.'
Peanut treatment lowers risk of severe allergic reactions in preschoolers, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
A new study demonstrates that exposing children to a small, regular dose of an allergen (in this case, peanuts) in a real-world setting (outside of a clinical trial) is effective in reducing the risk of allergic reactions.
Titanium atom that exists in two places at once in crystal to blame for unusual phenomenon
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Bombarding a crystal with neutrons reveals a quantum quirk that frustrates heat transfer.
Tech makes it possible to digitally communicate through human touch
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Researchers have developed the first technology capable of sending digital information, such as a photo or password, by touching a surface with your finger.
Chemists get peek at novel fluorescence
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Chemists find a second level of fluorescence in single-walled carbon nanotubes. The phenomenon may be useful in solar energy and optoelectronic applications.
New review confirms disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black, Hispanic populations
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 23:34
Black and Hispanic populations are disproportionately affected by COVID-19, according to a systematic review published this week. The disparities were likely related to minority populations being at higher risk of exposure to the coronavirus as opposed to underlying health conditions or other factors, according to the review.
A leading AI ethics researcher says she’s been fired from Google
On December 2, the AI research community was shocked to learn that Timnit Gebru had been fired from her post at Google. Gebru, one of the leading voices in responsible AI research, is known among other things for her groundbreaking work in revealing the discriminatory nature of facial recognition, cofounding the Black in AI affinity group, and relentlessly advocating for diversity in the tech...
Government quietly made 'back door' agreement with U.S. that could undermine treaty on plastic waste
The Trudeau government quietly signed a protocol with the U.S. on October 26 that will allow Canada to continue to ship plastic waste to American waste brokers — opening a 'back door' that will allow it to evade the plastic waste shipping restrictions the federal government committed to under the Basel Treaty plastic...
Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory 'not closing' after collapse
Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory could still have a future after its vast telescope dramatically collapsed this week, US officials said Thursday.
For nationalistic regimes, similar COVID-19 policies are the sincerest form of flattery
Analysis from a University of Texas at Arlington assistant professor of public policy suggests that nationalistic governments around the globe are more likely to copy other nationalistic governments in responding to the current pandemic.
Research leads to better modeling of hypersonic flow
Hypersonic flight is conventionally referred to as the ability to fly at speeds significantly faster than the speed of sound and presents an extraordinary set of technical challenges. As an example, when a space capsule re-enters Earth's atmosphere, it reaches hypersonic speeds—more than five times the speed of sound—and generates temperatures over 4,000 degrees Fahrenheit on its exterior...
Study explores link between social status and trust in decision-makers
A recent study examining perceptions of power suggests that individuals with lower socioeconomic statuses are more likely to have a negative view of policy or decision-makers.
Titanium atom that exists in two places at once in crystal to blame for unusual phenomenon
The crystalline solid BaTiS3 (barium titanium sulfide) is terrible at conducting heat, and it turns out that a wayward titanium atom that exists in two places at the same time is to blame.
Leaf microbiomes are a neighborhood affair in northern forests
Forest leaves are teeming with bacterial life—but despite the vast extent of bacteria-covered foliage across the world, this habitat, known as the phyllosphere, remains full of mysteries. How do bacteria spread from tree to tree? Do certain types of bacteria only live on certain types of trees?
Tree lifespan decline in forests could neutralize part of rise in net carbon uptake
Accelerating tree growth in recent years has been accompanied by a reduction in tree lifespan, which could eventually neutralize part of the increase in net uptake of carbon dioxide (CO2). This trade-off between tree growth and life expectancy applies to forests worldwide, including in the Amazon and other tropical regions, as well as temperate regions and the Arctic.
Common pipe alloy can form cancer-causing chemical in drinking water
Rusted iron pipes can react with residual disinfectants in drinking water distribution systems to produce carcinogenic hexavalent chromium in drinking water, reports a study by engineers at UC Riverside.
NASA Selects Heliophysics Missions of Opportunity for Space Science Research and Technology Demonstration
Portal origin URL: NASA Selects Heliophysics Missions of Opportunity for Space Science Research and Technology DemonstrationPortal origin nid: 466697Published: Thursday, December 3, 2020 - 16:10Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: NASA has selected two SmallSat missions – a study of Earth’s outer most atmosphere and a solar sail spaceflight test...
How a police contact by middle school leads to different outcomes for Black, white youth
For Black youth, an encounter with police by eighth grade predicts they will be arrested by young adulthood—but the same is not true for white youth, a new University of Washington study finds.
Marine mammals' adaptations to low oxygen offer new perspective on COVID-19
When Terrie Williams began hearing about the wide range of symptoms experienced by patients with COVID-19, she saw a connection between the various ways the disease is affecting people and the many physiological adaptations that have enabled marine mammals to tolerate low oxygen levels during dives.
The impact of Neandertal DNA on human health
A researcher at the University of Tartu described new associations between Neandertal DNA and autoimmune diseases, prostate cancer and type 2 diabetes.
Massive telescope collapse caught on remote camera and drone in Puerto Rico
The National Science Foundation has released new footage of the collapse of the Arecibo telescope platform, which collapsed Dec. 1 after sustaining irreparable damage earlier in...
Puerto Rico: The moment the Arecibo Observatory telescope collapsed
Video shows one of the world's largest telescopes at Puerto Rico's Arecibo Observatory crashing down.
How proteins find their place in the cell
Over a quarter of all proteins in a cell are found in the membrane, where they perform vital functions. To fulfill these roles, membrane proteins must be reliably transported from their site of production in the cell to their destination and correctly inserted into the target membrane. Researchers from the Heidelberg University Biochemistry Center (BZH) have succeeded in determining the...
Red Sea turtle hatchlings are feeling the heat
Analyses by KAUST researchers of sand temperatures at marine turtle nesting sites around the Red Sea indicate that turtle hatchlings born in the region could now be predominantly female. These findings hold significant implications for the survival of marine turtle species as temperature increases take hold, driven by anthropogenic climate change.
Researchers confront optics and data-transfer challenges with 3D-printed lens
Researchers have developed new 3-D-printed microlenses with adjustable refractive indices—a property that gives them highly specialized light-focusing abilities. This advancement is poised to improve imaging, computing and communications by significantly increasing the data-routing capability of computer chips and other optical systems, the researchers said.
Development of new stem cell type may lead to advances in regenerative medicine
A team led by UT Southwestern has derived a new "intermediate" embryonic stem cell type from multiple species that can contribute to chimeras and create precursors to sperm and eggs in a culture dish.
Most countries are violating international law during the COVID-19 pandemic, legal experts says
Most countries are not fulfilling their international legal obligations during COVID-19 and other public health emergencies, reveals new research by a consortium of 13 leading global health law scholars, hosted by the Global Strategy Lab (GSL) at York University.
Researchers discover life in deep ocean sediments at or above water's boiling point
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
Biologists found single-celled organisms living in sediments 1180 meters beneath the ocean at temperatures of 120 degrees Celsius.
Natural selection plays major role in an organism's capacity to evolve and adapt
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
It's widely assumed within the evolutionary biology field that weak selection provides an advantage to an organism's ability to evolve. But new research may offer the first experimental proof that strong selection pressure enhances an organism's evolvability, by boosting robustness.
Restoring a rudimentary form of vision in the blind
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
Restoration of vision in blind people through a brain implant is on the verge of becoming reality. Recent discoveries show that newly developed high-resolution implants in the visual cortex make it possible to recognize artificially induced shapes and percepts.
Tire-related chemical is largely responsible for adult coho salmon deaths in urban streams
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
Scientists have discovered a chemical that kills coho salmon in urban streams before the fish can spawn.
Shuttering fossil fuel power plants may cost less than expected
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
Decarbonizing US electricity production will require both construction of renewable energy sources and retirement of power plants now operated by fossil fuels. A generator-level model suggests that most fossil fuel power plants could complete normal lifespans and still close by 2035 because so many facilities are nearing the end of their operational lives.
A plant immune receptor: It takes four to tango
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
A collaborative study on a plant intracellular immune receptor not only shows how an important resistance protein is activated during pathogen infection but also reveals some common operational principles with immunity proteins from humans.
Patients receiving low dose steroid at increased risk of cardiovascular disease, study suggests
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
A new study suggests that even low doses of glucocorticoid may increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
Dark excitons hit the spotlight
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
Heralding the end of a decade-long quest, in a promising new class of extremely thin, two-dimensional semiconductors, scientists have for the first time directly visualized and measured elusive particles, called dark excitons, that cannot be seen by light. The powerful technique, described in Science, could revolutionize research into two-dimensional semiconductors and excitons, with profound...
Physicists capture the sound of a perfect fluid
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:42
Physicists have observed sound waves moving through a 'perfect' fluid. The results should help scientists study the viscosity in neutron stars, the plasma of the early universe, and other strongly interacting fluids.
The same vision for all primates
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:41
Primates process visual information similar to pixels in a digital camera, using small computing units located in their visual cortex. Scientists of the University of Geneva have investigated whether these computational units scale across the large differences in size between primates. The gray mouse lemur is one of the smallest of them and his visual processing units reveals that all primates,...
Chicago neighborhoods with barriers to social distancing had higher COVID-19 death rates
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:41
New research has found that Chicago neighborhoods with barriers to social distancing, including limited access to broadband internet and low rates of health insurance, had more COVID-19 deaths in spring 2020.
Marine mammals' adaptations to low oxygen offer new perspective on COVID-19
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:41
Humans are vulnerable to rapid damage in a wide range of tissues when oxygen levels drop due to the effects on the lungs and cardiovascular system of infection with the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. A new article explores how the diving physiology of marine mammals can help us understand the effects of COVID-19.
Outbreak investigation reveals 'super-spreader' potential of Andes virus
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:41
'Super-spreader' events and extensive person-to-person contact propelled an outbreak of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in a small village in Argentina from 2018-2019, according to new research. An international scientific team reports the genetic, clinical, and epidemiologic features of the outbreak caused by the Andes virus, a member of the hantavirus family. Their analysis could aid in managing...
Can we make bones heal faster?
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:41
A new article describes for the first time how minerals come together at the molecular level to form bones and other hard tissues, like teeth and enamel.
Genetically engineered T cells could lead to therapies for autoimmune diseases
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:41
Immunobiologists have created a five-module chimeric antigen receptor T cell that is showing early potential to fight Type 1 diabetes.
3D protein modeling suggests why COVID-19 infects some animals, but not others
- ScienceDaily
- 20/12/3 20:40
Some animals are more susceptible to COVID-19 infection than others, and new research suggests this may be due to distinctive structural features of a protein found on the surface of animal cells.