35 articles from SATURDAY 4.9.2021
‘Complex and quite ambiguous loss’: what Covid has done to our mental health
Melbourne psychologist Chris Cheers says the pandemic’s effect has been akin to grief, and acceptance of it is hard to reachAfter 18 months, psychologist Chris Cheers has begun to understand emotional responses to the global Covid pandemic as a kind of grief.It’s a collective grief, experienced by the whole world at once, but also deeply personal: our losses are not the same just as our...
Komodo dragon, 2-in-5 shark species lurch towards extinction
Trapped on island habitats made smaller by rising seas, Indonesia's Komodo dragons were listed as "endangered" on Saturday, in an update of the wildlife Red List that also warned overfishing threatens nearly two-in-five sharks with extinction.
New project to track endangered species coming back from brink
After decades of recording alarming declines in animals and plants, conservation experts have taken a more proactive approach, with a new "Green Status" launched on Saturday, billed as the first global measurement for tracking species recovery.
Let parents decide on Covid jab for 12- to 15-year-olds, say vaccine advisers
Boris Johnson is heading for a clash with backbench MPs over plans for mass vaccination of teenagers Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageParents should choose whether they allow their children to be vaccinated against Covid-19 if ministers overrule scientific advice against mass vaccination of healthy 12- to 15-year-olds, the government’s independent vaccine advisers...
Meet Altos Labs, Silicon Valley’s latest wild bet on living forever
Last October, a large group of scientists made their way to Yuri Milner’s super-mansion in the Los Altos Hills above Palo Alto. They were tested for covid-19 and wore masks as they assembled in theater on the property for a two-day scientific conference. Others joined by teleconference. The topic: how biotechnology might be used to make people younger.
Milner is a Russian-born billionaire who...
If you think this summer was hotter than normal, you're right
This summer, Canada may have very well earned the nickname The Great White-hot North, as people around the world were stunned to see record-breaking temperatures that plagued the west. Meteorological summer ended on Aug. 30 and, looking back, it seems that it wasn’t just the west that experienced warmer than normal...
Tuna bounce back, but sharks in 'desperate' decline
Extinction list update reveals mixed news for marine life, as world conservation summit open in France.
‘A cycle of dread, collapse, relief’: the absurd, tormented story of my hypochondria
I have never been seriously ill or spent a night in hospital, but I’m plagued by fears that a terrible sickness is coming for me. How did I fall victim to health anxiety?“This minute I was well, and am ill, this minute.” The pain arrives slowly, like a Polaroid sharpening into view, but the fear comes suddenly: a channel switched, a cloud sped across the sun. It’s June 1989, I recently...
Climate change contributing to decline of North Atlantic right whales, new study suggests
A new study suggests warming ocean temperatures are driving endangered North Atlantic right whales away from the Bay of Fundy and into waters around the Gulf of St. Lawrence, where they've been at higher risk of vessel strikes and...
Dalhousie grad develops artificial reefs that could help save Nova Scotia's ocean ecosystems
A Dalhousie University graduate has developed a new type of artificial reef that could help maintain, and potentially save, Nova Scotia’s ocean ecosystems amid coastal development.
Wildlife 'Red List' a grim tally of extinction threat
The world will get an update Saturday of the Red List of Threatened Species, the authoritative catalogue of how many of the planet's animal and plant species are teetering on the brink of extinction due to human activity.
Image: Hubble snaps speedy star jets
This striking image features a relatively rare celestial phenomenon known as a Herbig-Haro object. This particular object, named HH111, was imaged by the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope's Wide Field Camera 3 (WFC3).
Victoria reports 190 new Covid cases as 1,000 families forced to isolate in Queensland
Covid-positive girl, 4, infected by interstate truck driver in south-east Queensland was infectious at daycareFollow the Australia Covid liveblogModerna Covid vaccine given provisional approval for teenagers in Australia by TGARestrictions: NSW; Vic; Qld; bordersHotspots: NSW; Vic; QldVaccine rollout tracker; get our free news app; get our morning email briefingVictoria has reported 190 new...
Actuator discovery outperforms existing technology
- ScienceDaily
- 21/9/4 04:02
A newly developed electrochemical actuator using specialized organic semiconductor nanotubes is likely to become a key factor for future researchers in the fields of robotics, bioelectronics and biomedicine.
Free-flight training applied to parrot conservation
- ScienceDaily
- 21/9/4 04:01
A training technique that has been practiced by parrot owners for decades is now being applied to establishing new bird flocks in the wild. While many parrot owners clip their birds' wings to reduce their flight abilities, free-flight involves training an intact parrot to come when called, follow basic commands, recognize natural dangers, and otherwise safely fly in open areas.
New AI algorithm to improve brain stimulation devices to treat disease
- ScienceDaily
- 21/9/4 04:01
For millions of people with epilepsy and movement disorders such as Parkinson's disease, electrical stimulation of the brain already is widening treatment possibilities. In the future, electrical stimulation may help people with psychiatric illness and direct brain injuries, such as stroke.