29 articles from SATURDAY 15.1.2022
‘I’d keep it on the down low’: the secret life of a super-recogniser
Police employ them and scientists study them, but what is life like for the rare few who can never forget a face? Super-recogniser Yenny Seo didn’t think it was anything specialAs a child, Yenny Seo often surprised her mother by pointing out a stranger in the grocery store, remarking it was the same person they passed on the street a few weeks earlier. Likewise, when they watched a movie...
One of the oldest human fossils just got older: study
One of the oldest known Homo sapiens fossils may be more than 35,000 years older than previously thought, according to a study on Wednesday that used volcanic ash to date the find.
Cougars moving into Manitoba slowly but surely, zoologist says
As cougar sightings become more common in Manitoba, a Manitoba zoologist says it's important to learn to coexist with the...
Mother who gave birth to stillborn son while in Covid coma urges people to get vaccine
Rachel, 38, said she was discouraged from having the Covid vaccine in the early days of the rolloutCoronavirus – latest updatesSee all our coronavirus coverageA mother whose baby was stillborn while she was in hospital with Covid-19 has urged people to get vaccinated to save themselves the “agony” of becoming seriously ill with the virus.Rachel, 38, from Bilston in Wolverhampton, who did not...
In a further blow to the China Initiative, prosecutors move to dismiss a high profile case
On Friday, federal prosecutors recommended that the US Department of Justice dismiss all three charges against MIT nanotechnology professor Gang Chen, ending a two-year ordeal stemming from accusations that he hid funding from Chinese entities on grant disclosure forms. Chen had pleaded not guilty to all charges, while his employer had indicated that the funding…
How weekly bike rides with a group of supportive women showed me a route to joy
When Tanya Frank joined a group of ‘joyriders’, she rediscovered her love of cycling and found a caring communityI always thought that joyriding meant nicking cars and taking them for a spin, often when drunk. It was what some of the wayward lads did on the Chingford Hall council estate where I grew up. So, I was surprised when the Waltham Forest newsletter reported a different kind of...
Last nine years all among 10 hottest-ever, says US
The nine years spanning 2013-2021 all rank among the 10 hottest on record, according to an annual report a US agency released Thursday, the latest data underscoring the global climate crisis.
Texas scientists’ new Covid-19 vaccine is cheaper, easier to make and patent-free
Dr Maria Bottazzi says their vaccine, called Corbevax, is unique because they do not intend to patent itA new Covid-19 vaccine is being developed by Texas scientists using a decades-old conventional method that will make the production and distribution cheaper and more accessible for countries most affected by the pandemic and where new variants are likely to originate due to low inoculation...
What is Biological E, the Indian company producing Corbevax?
The Hyderabad-based company says the vaccine will provide ‘sustainable access to low- and middle-income countries’The Indian biotechnology and biopharmaceutical company Biological E has produced the country’s first locally developed Covid-19 vaccine in partnership with the Texas Children’s Hospital Center for Vaccine Development at Baylor College of Medicine.The Hyderabad-based company has...
Gators fouled by diesel spill get a scrubbing, teeth cleaned
Wildlife rehabilitators are decontaminating dozens of alligators, brushing their pointy teeth and scrubbing their scaly hides in the weeks after a pipeline rupture dumped 300,000 gallons (1.1 million liters) of diesel fuel into a New Orleans area wetland.
Mexico says pig die-off due to salmonella, pneumonia
Mexican authorities breathed a sigh of relief Friday when experts determined that a die-off of pigs in December at a local slaughterhouse was due to salmonella and Pasteurellosis, a commonly occurring infection, and not African swine fever.
South prepares for weekend threat of debilitating snow, ice
Weather forecasters' predictions of debilitating snow and ice as far south as Georgia sent parts of the region into a tizzy Friday with shoppers scouring store shelves for storm supplies and road crews trying to prevent a repeat of past wintertime debacles.
Scientists: Duck is 1st wild bird flu case in US in 5 years
A duck killed by a hunter in South Carolina had a contagious and dangerous bird flu that has not been detected in the wild in the U.S. in five years, officials said.
Hubble views a tranquil galaxy with an explosive past
The lazily winding spiral arms of the spectacular galaxy NGC 976 fill the frame of this image from the NASA/ESA Hubble Space Telescope. This spiral galaxy lies around 150 million light-years from the Milky Way in the constellation Aries. Despite its tranquil appearance, NGC 976 has played host to one of the most violent astronomical phenomena known – a supernova explosion. These...
Program helps speed up research of complex chemistry problems
A successful partnership to help make aspects of chemistry research faster and more productive was recently renewed for another four years.
Thousands of gallons of toxic phenol reportedly spilled this week at a Philly chemical plant
A worker failed to shut off a valve Thursday at the AdvanSix plant in Philadelphia and up to 2,000 gallons of phenol spilled, with some possibly entering the sewer system, according to a police report.
Ecuador expands sea life protections around Galapagos
Ecuador created a massive new marine reserve Friday north of its Galapagos islands, forming a Pacific corridor up to Costa Rica's Cocos Island National Park to preserve species of migratory fauna, such as sharks.
Powerful volcanic blast not the cause for 2018 Indonesian island collapse
The dramatic collapse of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano in December 2018 resulted from long-term destabilising processes, and was not triggered by any distinct changes in the magmatic system that could have been detected by current monitoring techniques, new research has found.
As Covid-19 peak seems to near, experts warn against letting guard down
Hospitalizations and cases seem to be subsiding in states with high vaccination rates, but experts caution against celebrating too soonIn February 2021, Dr Craig Spencer wrote in a Medium post that he was as “eager as anyone to see the end of this pandemic. Thankfully, that may be in sight”.“Covid cases and hospitalizations are dropping,” wrote Spencer, director of Global Health in...
How a colossal block of ice became an obsession
Artist Kevin Eason won't ever see his favourite iceberg up close, but he's come to know it so well.
Are There Rainbows on Mars? We Asked a NASA Expert
Are there rainbows on Mars? Sadly, no. But there are a whole lot of other conditions on Mars that we have right here on Earth! NASA scientist Mark Lemmon explains why the Red Planet is a rainbowless world. Get more Martian science: www.nasa.gov/mars
Producers: Jessica Wilde & Scott Bednar
Editor: Matthew Schara
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Genetic strategy reverses insecticide resistance
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/15 01:26
Using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, scientists have genetically engineered a method to reverse insecticide resistance. The gene replacement method offers a new way to fight deadly malaria spread and reduce the use of pesticides that protect valuable food crops.
Powerful volcanic blast not the cause for 2018 Indonesian island collapse
- ScienceDaily
- 22/1/15 01:26
The dramatic collapse of Indonesia's Anak Krakatau volcano in December 2018 resulted from long-term destabilising processes, and was not triggered by any distinct changes in the magmatic system that could have been detected by current monitoring techniques, new research has found.
Plans to protect England's national parks set out
The government proposals also aim to ensure landscapes play a key role in tackling climate change.