213 articles from FRIDAY 26.2.2021

'Explicit instruction' provides dramatic benefits in learning to read

The ability to read is foundational to education, but prolonged school closures and distance learning due to the pandemic have imposed unique challenges on the teaching of many fundamental skills. When in-person classes resume, many students will likely need a period of catch-up learning, especially those who lag behind in basic reading skills.

Republican and Democratic voters agree on one thing—the need for generous COVID-19 relief

Both Democrats and Republicans overwhelmingly favor politicians who support generous COVID-19 relief spending, yet remain deeply polarized over the legitimacy of the 2020 presidential election results and former President Donald Trump's second impeachment. Meanwhile, political experts find that the former president's actions and those taken by congressional supporters in the aftermath of the...

Engineering the boundary between 2D and 3D materials

In recent years, engineers have found ways to modify the properties of some "two- dimensional" materials, which are just one or a few atoms thick, by stacking two layers together and rotating one slightly in relation to the other. This creates what are known as moiré patterns, where tiny shifts in the alignment of atoms between the two sheets create larger-scale patterns. It also changes the way...

Agents of food-borne zoonoses confirmed to parasitise newly-recorded in Thailand snails

Parasitic flatworms known as agents of food-borne zoonoses were confirmed to use several species of thiarid snails, commonly found in freshwater and brackish environments in southeast Asia, as their first intermediate host. These parasites can cause severe ocular infections in humans who consume raw or improperly cooked fish that have fed on infected snails. The study, conducted in South Thailand...

Measuring the tRNA world

Transfer RNAs (tRNAs) deliver specific amino acids to ribosomes during translation of messenger RNA into proteins. The abundance of tRNAs can therefore have a profound impact on cell physiology, but measuring the amount of each tRNA in cells has been limited by technical challenges. Researchers have now overcome these limitations with mim-tRNAseq, a method that can be used to quantify tRNAs in any...

The great unknown: do Covid vaccines stop you spreading the virus?

We know vaccination is very effective in preventing serious illness, but whether it stops coronavirus transmission is another storyAs Australia joins the worldwide Covid-19 vaccine rollout, researchers keep emphasising that while we know the various vaccines in use are strong at preventing hospitalisation and severe disease, it’s less clear how well they stop the virus spreading to other people....

Exposure to diverse career paths can help fill labor market 'skills gap'

When Patrick Rottinghaus began college, he had no idea what he wanted to do with his career. He started out as an "Open" major while he explored possibilities. Today, he is helping young people eager to find their place in the world by identifying their strengths and connecting them with careers that match their skill-set, interests and personality. As the father of three children, including a...

Engineering the boundary between 2D and 3D materials

For practical applications, two-dimensional materials such as graphene must at some point connect with the ordinary world of 3D materials. Researchers have come up with a way of imaging what goes on at these interfaces, down to the level of individual atoms, with the goal of better controlling these materials' electronic properties.