135 articles from TUESDAY 26.10.2021
Why the trial data supports covid-19 vaccines for children
On Tuesday, a panel of experts at the FDA will meet to discuss whether Pfizer’s covid vaccine should be approved for 5-to-11-year-olds in the US. If that group says yes, the decision will go to the CDC’s immunization advisory board, known as ACIP, which meets next week. According to Anthony Fauci, if both those groups give the thumbs up, vaccinations for millions of children could begin in...
How AI could solve supply chain shortages and save Christmas
With the supply-chain disruptions of the past two years showing no signs of easing anytime soon, businesses are turning to a new generation of AI-powered simulations called digital twins to help them get goods and services to customers on time. These tools not only predict disruptions down the line, but suggest what to do about it. Desperate companies struggling with the collapse of just-in-time...
The psychology of masks: why have so many people stopped covering their faces?
In England, masks are expected and recommended in crowded and enclosed spaces – but not legally required. Many have abandoned them altogether. What would convince everyone to put them back on?Dave stopped wearing his face mask “the second I didn’t have to. I grudgingly wore it, because it was the right thing to do and because it was mandatory,” says the teacher from East Sussex. “But I...
Managing water resources in a low-to-no-snow future
Mountain snowpacks around the world are on the decline, and if the planet continues to warm, climate models forecast that snowpacks could shrink dramatically and possibly even disappear altogether on certain mountains, including in the western United States, at some point in the next century. A new study led by researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (Berkeley Lab) analyzes the likely...
Pandemic's effect on scientists may be long lasting, study finds
More than a year-and-a-half after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the scientific community is still feeling the effects of the vastly disruptive event—and may for many years to come.
Covid-19: with cases on the rise, will ‘plan B’ be enough in England? – podcast
Many experts have called for the reintroduction of some public health measures to reduce transmission rates. However, the government has repeatedly said it is not yet bringing in its so-called ‘plan B’ for England. Madeleine Finlay speaks to science correspondent Nicola Davis about what ‘plan B’ could entail and whether it would help us avoid the need for more stringent and longer-lasting...
Climate change, human activity threaten Libya nature reserve
A nature reserve near the capital of war-scarred Libya that has long been a sanctuary for hyenas, rare birds and plants is now under threat due to climate change and human activity.
Climate holdout Australia sets 2050 net zero emissions target
Coal-rich Australia unveiled a much-delayed 2050 net zero emissions target Tuesday, in a plan that pointedly dodged thorny details or near-term goals ahead of a landmark UN climate summit.
Asia suffered hottest year on record in 2020: UN
Asia suffered its hottest year on record in 2020, the United Nations said Tuesday ahead of the COP26 summit, with extreme weather taking a heavy toll on the continent's development.
Rescued from extinction, bison rediscover Romania mountains
Hoof prints in the mud, tree bark nibbled away: even if the newest residents of Romania's Carpathian mountain forest shy away from visitors, their traces are there for those who know where to look.
Climate change: Make people fly less, ministers told
The government must cut demand for flying and meat under plans to curb climate change, experts say.
Facing sky-high connection fees, rural Ontarians go off the grid
When Craig Timmermans set out to build a new headquarters for his companies in northern Ontario, he reached out to the power company to find out how much it would charge him to connect to the grid. He was shocked to find out it would cost...
Owning up to Canada's 'fair share' of the climate burden
In an interview before the publication of a new report he co-authored on how much developed nations are doing to help developing countries fight climate change, Environment Minister Jonathan Wilkinson figured he had relatively good news to share. The early reviews were less inclined to look on the bright...
Why India can't live without coal despite its negative environmental effects
India is not yet ready to leave coal behind, a critical energy source that provides more than 70 percent of the developing country's power as well as 4 million jobs, even as those in coal-rich states struggle with water scarcity and...
Poll: Majority in US concerned about climate
President Joe Biden heads to a vital U.N. climate summit at a time when a majority of Americans regard the deteriorating climate as a problem of high importance to them, an increase from just a few years ago.
'Nanozyme' therapy prevents harmful dental plaque build-up
A growing body of evidence points to a link between iron-deficiency anemia and severe tooth decay. Whether the connection is correlative or causative is unknown, though both conditions are associated with poor diets and are more common in people living in impoverished environments and with underlying medical conditions.
Publication of 500-year-old manuscript exposes medieval beliefs and religious cults
A rare English illuminated medieval prayer roll, believed to be among only a few dozen still in existence worldwide, has been analyzed in a new study to expose Catholic beliefs in England before the Reformation in the sixteenth century.
Climate change: Australia pledges net zero emissions by 2050
The target controversially omits new short-term goals and cuts to fossil fuel industries.
Waters off French coast in winter may be a deadly trap for small, foraging turtles
The documented habitat boundaries of the loggerhead, Kemp's ridley and green turtles are questioned by a new study suggesting that stranded turtles rescued from European French Atlantic and Channel waters could be visiting the area to forage for food. Published in Frontiers in Marine Science, satellite tracking data reveals that while some turtles may be able to return home, after their...
Why people believe Covid conspiracy theories: could folklore hold the answer?
Researchers use AI – and witchcraft folklore – to map the coronavirus conspiracy theories that have sprung upResearchers have mapped the web of connections underpinning coronavirus conspiracy theories, opening a new way of understanding and challenging them.Using Danish witchcraft folklore as a model, the researchers from UCLA and Berkeley analysed thousands of social media posts with an...
The world was woefully unprepared for a pandemic. Let’s be ready for the next one | Elhadj As Sy
The Global Preparedness Monitoring Board is calling for a coherent action plan to counter future health emergencies Coronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageTwo years ago, three months before coronavirus erupted, the Global Preparedness Monitoring Board (GPMB) issued a warning to the international community that a pandemic was only a matter of time, and that the world was not...
Eco-friendly sex: What is it and how does it impact on climate change?
As more people try to live environmentally friendly lives, how do we make sex more sustainable?