353 articles from THURSDAY 20.5.2021
Will COVID-19 eventually become just a seasonal nuisance?
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 23:42
Within the next decade, the novel coronavirus responsible for COVID-19 could become little more than a nuisance, causing no more than common cold-like coughs and sniffles. That possible future is predicted by mathematical models that incorporate lessons learned from the current pandemic on how our body's immunity changes over time.
Scientists reveal structural details of how SARS-CoV-2 variants escape immune response
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 23:41
Fast-spreading variants of the COVID-19-causing coronavirus, SARS-CoV-2, carry mutations that enable the virus to escape some of the immune response created naturally or by vaccination. A new study has revealed key details of how these escape mutations work.
You Are Here review – 1969 moon landings spark musical midlife adventure
Southwark Playhouse, LondonWendi Peters seizes the role of a suburbanite who is inspired by the lunar broadcast to embark on a spontaneous tripTwo men walked on the moon in the summer of 1969. Ten more followed in their footsteps over the next three years. All giant leaps for man – but what did it mean for womankind? You Are Here, given its UK premiere by the new musical-theatre company the Grey...
Culture influences mask wearing, study finds
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 22:46
Countries and US states more predisposed to collectivist behavior have more people following mask guidelines during the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study.
Research suggests fly brains make predictions, possibly using universal design principles
Flies predict changes in their visual environment in order to execute evasive maneuvers, according to new research from the University of Chicago. This reliance on predictive information to guide behavior suggests that prediction may be a general feature of animal nervous systems in supporting quick behavioral changes. The study was published on May 20 in PLOS Computational Biology.
An updated understanding of how to synthesize value-added chemicals
Researchers have long been interested in finding ways to use simple hydrocarbons, chemicals made of a small number of carbon and hydrogen atoms, to create value-added chemicals, ones used in fuels, plastics, and other complex materials. Methane, a major component of natural gas, is one such chemical that scientists would like to find to ways to use more effectively, since there is currently no...
Thin is now in to turn terahertz polarization
It's always good when your hard work reflects well on you.
What makes some oysters more resilient than others?
Oysters live and grow in saltwater. However, the saltiness of their habitat can change dramatically, especially where the mighty Mississippi River flows into the Gulf of Mexico. Louisiana oysters from the northern Gulf of Mexico may experience some of the lowest salinity in the world due to the influx of fresh water from the Mississippi River. In addition, increased rainfall and large-scale river...
Hubble tracks down fast radio bursts to galaxies' spiral arms
Astronomers using NASA's Hubble Space Telescope have traced the locations of five brief, powerful radio blasts to the spiral arms of five distant galaxies.
Robotic 'Third Thumb' use can alter brain representation of the hand
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 22:03
Using a robotic 'Third Thumb' can impact how the hand is represented in the brain, finds a new study.
Thin is now in to turn terahertz polarization
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 22:03
Physicists make unique broadband polarization rotators with ultrathin carbon nanotube films. The rotators extend to the terahertz, which could simplify devices for use in telecommunications, security and manufacturing.
AI-enabled EKGs find difference between numerical age and biological age significantly affects health
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 22:03
You might be older - or younger - than you think. A new study found that differences between a person's age in years and his or her biological age, as predicted by an artificial intelligence (AI)-enabled EKG, can provide measurable insights into health and longevity.
An updated understanding of how to synthesize value-added chemicals
- ScienceDaily
- 21/5/20 22:03
New research provides an updated understanding of how to add functional groups onto simple hydrocarbons like methane. This new and highly detailed mechanism is a crucial step towards designing the next generation of catalysts and finding scalable approaches for turning greenhouse gases into value-added chemicals.
NASA Rover to Search for Water, Other Resources on Moon
Portal origin URL: NASA Rover to Search for Water, Other Resources on MoonPortal origin nid: 471070Published: Thursday, May 20, 2021 - 15:48Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: As part of the Artemis program, NASA is planning to send its first mobile robot to the Moon in late 2023 in search of ice and other resources on and below the lunar surface.Portal...
Multi-story buildings made of wood sell for 9% more than other construction in Helsinki
Building more homes and buildings with wood has been on the radar for years as a way to offset carbon emissions, though construction companies have been hesitant to take the material in broader use. A study at Aalto University in Finland is now the first to show that building with wood can be a sound investment.
New smartphone app predicts vineyard yields earlier, more accurately
Cornell University engineers and plant scientists have teamed up to develop a low-cost system that allows grape growers to predict their yields much earlier in the season and more accurately than costly traditional methods.
The impact of real-time feedback in employee reviews
To deliver real-time feedback to support employee development and rapid innovation, many companies are replacing formal, review-based performance management with systems that enable frequent and continuous employee evaluation. New research in the INFORMS journal Information Systems Research examines the role of these applications to understand the effects on employee performance appraisals.
Once we're past the fear stage, where do we place the blame for the COVID-19 pandemic?
In a recent study, conducted in Poland in 2020 and published in the peer-reviewed journal Social Psychological Bulletin, scientists concluded it was the government and the system that most of the participants attributed responsibility to for the COVID-19 incidence rates. Furthermore, political views and party preferences are reported to play an incomparably more significant role in their responses...
Experts predict busy Atlantic storm season but not like 2020
The Atlantic hurricane season will be busier than normal, but it's unlikely to be as crazy as 2020's record-shattering year, meteorologists said Thursday.
Rare 4000-year comets can cause meteor showers on Earth
Comets that circle the Sun in very elongated orbits spread their debris so thin along their orbit or eject it out of the solar system altogether so that their meteor showers are hard to detect. From a new meteor shower survey published in the journal Icarus, researchers now report that they can detect showers from the debris in the path of comets that pass close to Earth orbit and are known to...