292 articles from TUESDAY 20.7.2021

Some drought-imposed fishing limits lifted on Colorado River

Colorado lifted some fishing restrictions along a stretch of the Colorado River on Tuesday, but biologists warn that historically low water flows caused by a drought in the U.S. West, high water temperatures and wildfire sediment that all starve trout of oxygen could force future bans.

Signs of life on Mars? Perseverance rover begins the hunt

NASA's Mars 2020 Perseverance rover has begun its search for signs of ancient life on the Red Planet. Flexing its 7-foot (2-meter) mechanical arm, the rover is testing the sensitive detectors it carries, capturing their first science readings. Along with analyzing rocks using X-rays and ultraviolet light, the six-wheeled scientist will zoom in for closeups of tiny segments of rock surfaces that...

Researchers develop novel method for glucagon delivery

For children with Type 1 diabetes, the risk of experiencing a severe hypoglycemic episode is especially common—and for parents, the threat of that happening in the middle of the night is especially frightening. Sudden and critical drops in blood sugar can go undetected overnight when the child is asleep, resulting in coma and death—an event known as "dead in bed syndrome."

COVID-19 shutdowns reveal racial disparities in exposure to air pollution

A new study of COVID-19 shutdowns in the United States reveals pronounced disparities in air pollution—with disenfranchised, minority neighborhoods still experiencing more exposure to a harmful air pollutant compared to wealthier, white communities. This first-of-a-kind study published today by researchers at the George Washington University looks at how air pollution changed after schools and...

NASA Study Finds Tropical Forests’ Ability to Absorb Carbon Dioxide Is Waning

Portal origin URL: NASA Study Finds Tropical Forests’ Ability to Absorb Carbon Dioxide Is WaningPortal origin nid: 472650Published: Tuesday, July 20, 2021 - 15:54Featured (stick to top of list): noPortal text teaser: The finding comes out of an effort to map where vegetation is emitting and soaking up carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.Portal image: Amazon rain...

Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation

Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a University of Georgia study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes.

Using snakes to monitor Fukushima radiation

Ten years after one of the largest nuclear accidents in history spewed radioactive contamination over the landscape in Fukushima, Japan, a new study has shown that radioactive contamination in the Fukushima Exclusion Zone can be measured through its resident snakes.

New insight into 'training' highly reactive chemical compounds

Highly reactive molecules cannot survive for long in nature. If researchers want to study them more closely, they must produce them under very specific laboratory conditions. Compared to "normal" molecules, many of these tiny particles have a distinguishing feature: They simply bind with everything around them and are therefore very difficult to direct.

DNA assay aids in identifying and protecting North American wolves, coyotes

Forensics specialists can use a commercial assay targeting mitochondrial DNA to accurately discriminate between wolf, coyote and dog species, according to a new study from North Carolina State University. The genetic information can be obtained from smaller or more degraded samples, and could aid authorities in prosecuting hunting jurisdiction violations and preserving protected species.

15,000-year-old viruses discovered in Tibetan glacier ice

Scientists who study glacier ice have found viruses nearly 15,000 years old in two ice samples taken from the Tibetan Plateau in China. Most of those viruses, which survived because they had remained frozen, are unlike any viruses that have been cataloged to date.

Wally Funk fulfills lifelong dream to go to space with Blue Origin flight

The 82-year-old became the oldest person to go to space, six decades after being denied by the US governmentBezos hails ‘best day ever’ after successful Blue Origin flightWally Funk, a pilot who was denied the chance to go into space in the 1960s because she was a woman, said “I want to go again, fast”, after returning from a successful flight with the Amazon founder, Jeff Bezos.With...

SARS-CoV-2: Achilles' heel of viral RNA

When SARS-CoV-2 infects a cell, it introduces its RNA into it and re-programs it in such a way that the cell first produces viral proteins and then whole viral particles. In the search for active substances against SARS-CoV-2, researchers have so far mostly concentrated on the viral proteins and on blocking them, since this promises to prevent, or at least slow down, replication. But attacking the...